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AxeL1902 – :
A warm velvety caress. Imagine a blend of suede, musk and rum.
It’s effectively attractive and sensual. I wouldn’t over do it since it works and projects better in small doses. Otherwise it turns into a cloying and suffocating perfume.
If it wasn’t for the price, I would definitely buy it.
defffo – :
A strange and lovely combination of 70s musk oil and iris/ambrette. It has the sheer woody notes of my favorite iris scents combined with musk oil. Dries to something akin to Eau de Musc (I have dupe of the Narcisco Rodriguez scent). I like it a lot, but will have to retest to see if it’s a love. Not sure the musk is something I will wear, as I tend to like my musk light and blended with other notes, like smoky vanillas.
ice888 – :
Smells great!! High price tag, low projection, low longevity = what’s the point?…. anyway for me at 160USD$ there is no excuse it has to perform. No??
картина – :
This is easily one of my most complimented fragrances – and I have a fairly large collection. Soft, subtle, mildly sweet and enticing…this is an underrated fragrance. I love this stuff!
Danielllll – :
Soft, subtle but a bit warm and nicely done, easy but refined, the musk has a bit of sharp kick with some pepper spice, someone mentioned coffe, and I found it to be easy to layer with a soft coffee musk like Ben Sherman’s.
tittto – :
I just feel that these perfume manufactures like to use Olivier Polge’s nose and then after the perfume is a success, find the products needed to produce the scent too expensive and reduce and eliminate some of the ingredients thinking that most of the consumers won’t notice the difference if the top notes are still there. Well at the price point of Mugler Les Exceptions, I do notice. I still like the fragrance, but won’t be purchasing it with the frequency I would have otherwise. I am almost out of my second bottle, and if it had the nuance of the first bottle, I would have already ordered another, but I will just be happy taking a sniff from my first bottle every once in awhile. I might as well just combine flowerbomb and spicebomb and get sort of the same affect for a much cheaper option. Clean Sueuded Oud is also a nice option even if there is nothing natural in its composition. At least it is inexpensive and smells really nice.
EmpapySap – :
Jovejove mentioned that this was reformulated and I had a bottle I had filled at Nordstrom in Chicago just after release and another I purchased a year later online. There is a difference, and the newer formulation is not as complex ( I still have some of the original left in the bottle). i wondered why I wasnt reaching for this fragrance as much as I had when I first purchased it. The first version was beyond Devine. I had strangers asking me what I was wearing. The reformulated version is nice, but no one notices it anymore. Reminds me how they reformulated Spicebomb (which as a female I loved to wear). I wish they would just up the price of the fragrance instead of making it less special.
My original review for this was under the name MySin, in which I described how much my daughter and I both loved the fragrance. When I got the new bottle, I didn’t even bother to send her a decant. It seems to be missing the Musk. Much too powdery. So sad! Wish I could find some of the original from the Chicago Nordstrom. At least I still have a few mL in the original bottle to remind me of how great this was in its original formulation.
dotoBillipt – :
Slightly cotton with sweet woody musk.
Musk mellow, cotton, wood, and slightly sweet musk. I sense sichuan pepper in here.
This is the best selling fragrance from this line beside “Oriental Express” from where i come from. It’s ok.
Cute 1.
nikvik – :
Subtle, soapy, clean musk. Class in a bottle. Light and fleeting however. Update 10/18: The foregoing was the sample vial. I got the full bottle recently and it’s richer, sweeter, and much longer lasting. Reminds me of Dame New Musk Man, which I also own. Both fabulous!
WhiteAngeJl – :
Still smells great, similar to the original, but this was reformulated around the time between Cuir Impertinent and Woodissime came out. This info came from a couple Clarins representatives, so I’m not making it up on my own.
Паха555 – :
This is a rich scent even though it is quite subtle when worn. It smells amazing. I got a little spray sample bottle with a Mugler.com order. Over the Musk reminds me of Dame New Musk Oil, in that the musk has prominent florals at first. Over the Musk is very clean, very stable. Musk Mallow has barely any scent from the live flowers, so there must be some kind of extraction or chemical composition that makes a “musk mallow” note. In any case, I don’t know what to sniff for, so I’m not sure if I smell it. Perhaps the musk mallow creates the vanillic notes? WIth Over the Musk,there’s none of the seduction of Musc Ravageur, or the overt feminitiy of All that Matters. Over the Musk is not, however, the “clear” musk of Il Profumo Musc Bleu (to which I am anosmic). I can definitely smell Over the Musk, and smell it well. To me it’s a “golden” musk, if that makes any sense at all. It’s ambery, for sure, and slightly vanillic, but, on me, it’s mostly a clean, woody musk that smells comforting and confident.
DiowBoogy – :
At first I thought I was anosmic to it – fresh out of the bottle, I could smell just the lightest whiff of something like citrus-peel and hairspray musk (akin to my Jovan Musk), but within a few minutes it becomes a very soft, beautiful musk, clean but warm and alive, wafting shyly just a few inches from my skin. Powdery undertones, like a rice note in some other perfumes, but subtle. On my skin, it verges towards gourmand territory with soft pepper, and although it is not listed, coffee and vanilla-like nuances. Reminds me of L’erbolario Mehares, but less spicy and without that cloying, sweet, dried saliva-like note in the drydown. I guess I will be able to afford it by this time next year 😛
Mexce007intitytek – :
I purchased ‘Over the Musk’ almost a year ago, and while I wore it a few times, stuck to my favourites last Fall/Winter.
I started wearing this scent last month…and I realized how great this scent really is. It has the very warm, comforting aura to it…mildly sweet with a gourmandish touch to it. The notes are simple, but masterfully blended, and when you look at the perfumers behind this scent, it’s not a surprise. The cashmere wood base, with musk and ambrette seeds gives this fragrance an intimate character.
While I was concerned that this scent would be too feminine, it’s really not. It’s quite gender neutral and if compliments matter to you, I have received a number of unsolicited compliments from females (I had an esthetician ask me to write this down so she could buy it for her boyfriend). This fragrance does not scream – longevity is good, projection is moderate to low-moderate.
Great fragrance, exclusive and bottle worthy!
raf340speagoessenda – :
Every so often Mugler (UK) does 6 free samples with every order (instead of 3) so I order single items separately and end up with 18! They also had 20% off almost everything for Black Friday and if you use a new email you can also get another 10% off with’welcome17’ yay!!
Have sampled this one a few times…
Lots of people mention the word ‘abstract’ in their comments so here’s my abstract vision whilst wearing this well crafted scent:
Coolness, lilac candies and fluffy bunny tails…
There’s warmth with the musk but it’s lile a spring breeze. Sweet violets come from the abrette seeds and smell like the real thing. Overall it’s clean and light, perhaps ‘ethereal’ is a good adjective? (I never use this word).
It lasts moderately, and stays very close to the skin!
Not everything needs to perform like angel (my signature) but at this price I wish it lasted a little longer and shared the cool lilac bunnies with others!!
ikh476elipseskism – :
Many times I came to Fragrantica’s Over The Musk page and tried to write a review about it, yet I just couldn’t. This is a very abstract musk scent and the feeling it evokes is very difficult to be transcribed into words. But I’ll try today because I’ve owned a bottle for a couple of years, and more importantly this perfume deserves some more love.
Over The Musk opens with of course musk, but also a very particular aroma that I can only contribute to ambrette seeds. To me it smells kinda like gasoline but not the stinky bit, just the best volatile top layer of it. This perfume smells even less perfume-y compared to Narciso Rodriguez because there are no floral or powdery notes. Just musk and a fine sugary(not vanilla or honey, really just sugar) note that gives body and warmth to this perfume . The top notes burn off in an hour or two, and what’s left is a very sensual musk scent that really is “like your own skin but better”, and it stays the way throughout. It also gets a bit woody at this point. People guessed cedar but to me it’s more rounded than the typical cedar note, which is a good thing.
This perfume projects well and can last throughout the work day. It definitely is a perfume that leaves an impression because people smell you but don’t know what to make of it. One guy I dated used to say this perfume always made him want to “lean closer to figure out what it is”.
Excellent composition by Olivier Polge.
itj470Negeltzex – :
Really warm smell,lingers and wraps you in the cashmere wood!the black pepper gives it a kick and adds to the masculinity!you pay for quality in this case!
Доллар – :
It’s nice, really, though I just can’t imagine myself wearing this frag – TOO fem.
Would be great to present it to my Mom … if it was 4 times cheaper
kaq048Bessinepome – :
Another Polge masterpiece. Warm comforting white soft scarf that smells like warm woman’s skin.
sem867speagoessenda – :
I recently picked up a bottle of ‘Over the Musk’ from the Mugler Exceptions line. I initially wasn’t sure if this leaned too feminine as it is a unisex scent, but sampled it and ended up buying a bottle.
This scent has a very soft light sweetness to it. One of my favourite parfumers, Olivier Polge, had a hand in creating this warm and sexy scent. Its composition is very simple – it’s really three notes: musk, ambrette seeds, and woods. I would describe this scent as the kind of fragrance you could wear cuddling on the couch with your girlfriend/partner.
When I first sniffed it, I was quite surprised at how soft and unassuming it was. It doesn’t scream or shout, yet both longevity and sillage is pretty good. It has this very natural vibe to it, and it is quite appealing. Because it is a unisex scent, it is not particularly masculine, but I do think a guy could pull this off. I remember putting on a few sprays and sitting on the couch when my wife came down to sit beside me. She didn’t say anything for five minutes while reading the newspaper, but then turned to me and said, ‘you smell really nice. I like that. What is it?’
Check it out if it is available at a store near you. I believe you could wear this Fall/Winter/Cool Spring – just not summer.
XAMEER – :
Just love it!!
It is warm,comforting and all over an very easy scent to wear. It is musky, but in a elegant way.
Only wish it would be a little more potent and last a little longer. The scent itself is beautiful ❤
greefrelog – :
Almost identical to parfumerie generale Felanila but not as strong or multi dementional. I’ll pass
bbllaacckk – :
This is soft, dewy, sweet skin. Like a playful kitten in cool green grass. I wear it with denim cut-offs, a light cashmere sweater, and tennis shoes on days when I can still feel the easy simplicity of life in your 20s. It’s beautiful, effortless. It just feels natural. It lasts but doesn’t project a whole lot, lingering an inch or two off my skin and with a light suspension in a small space. Just enough that someone might mistake my office for smelling like ‘me’ instead of a frag.
zerg – :
Bought my first bottle and the first summer day I wore it,it felt heavenly.
It leaves you with a nice olfactive aura that got me sniffing myself all day long to enjoy this heavenly smell.
It smells clean and sexy.
It’s got a humongous staying power sprayed it yesterday around noon and I’m now having my morning coffee and still getting whiffs of it.
One of the best fragrances I’ve ever worn.
New Edit:Now that I’ve worn it for a week.It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite old dicontinued Fragrance Lagarfeld Classic.It’s heavenly
serg2001dnepr – :
Over The Musk opens with a huge blast of soft dark and warm powder notes. Soon I also start smelling something sweet, and woody notes. After this, something spicy starts to appear, giving this scent a bit of an edge. Now a fuzzy kind of musk appears and the scent also becomes a bit chocolatey, a combination of coffee and cream and powdered cocoa, with a hint of pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the drydown, the scent loses the chocolate peppery edge and slowly fades away into a nutmeg cinnamon musk powder.
Sillage is moderate to heavy, longevity moderate to long.
This musk is warm, fuzzy, creamy, awesome. Also, very strong for my nose. This is one I have to handle with care, not overspray, and catch a whiff of every now and then. Very nice scent, I would wear this on cold days in winter or fall.
stratichuk79 – :
Oooooh..what I wouldnt give for a full bottle of this! Sensual and expensive smelling!love love it!!!
irisvl – :
Another case of “not a perfume” and apparently also “ghost note list”.
This is not just musk, whatever musk means nowadays.
In the shop it was written ambrette seeds and it makes sense.
It smells cosy and very skinscent, unisex, vaguely plasticky but not in a bad way and for me very similar to Reminiscence Musc without the poo edge.
I think it’s an elegant smell that would make you feel clean and not overdone in an expensive way if it makes sense.
There is also a clear similarity to NR’s Musc Oil for Her.
This is actually one of the few modern musks that I could easily wear without discomfort and I think it’s not acceptable that they are sold at these prices.
It costs 170 euro for 80ml for EdP. Ok, it says it contains ambrette seeds which don’t come for cheap. I like ambrette seeds.
Nice but not necessarily worthy to own for this price.
Anyway it has the winner medal to be the first TM’s fragrance ever that I liked.
Kamng222 – :
I love it.This is how a teddy bear would smell. Smooth musk with creamy, chocolatey, undertones. It’s also not too sweet, which is a plus.
Efgenija – :
Mugler’s abstract ‘musk’ reminds me of 2 others that are easier to get your hands on: JHAG’s Citizen Queen and ELDO’s Divin’Enfant.
I get a sweet, vanilla-laced styrax and a dry, powdery, brown fuzzy-feeling musk. It hints towards leather in the same way the above 2 do. I find it comforting but not particularly wearable, it smells how I think stage makeup setting powder to smell in days gone by. It reminds me of playing dress up for some reason, a nostalgic touch of grandma’s heavy amber scent, now weeks old on a scarf and just whispering warmth, + her face powder lingering in the air, perhaps?
Hits my nose as very heavy at 1st, as did the other 2 similar scents I mentioned which is why I ended up trading those. Granted this one’s smoother, with more of a vanilla underneath to soften it. Perhaps once it settles this one will purr rather than roar, which I’d prefer something with such a distinct muskiness to do. I really think ‘leather’ and ‘powder’ should be listed in the notes, or at least styrax! I certainly wouldn’t turn down a decant… ^_^
volcko vadim – :
Nice musk scent, but nothing extraordinary. It opens with a burst of pink pepper and Iso Super E, then mellows down to a vanillary, ambery musk. I can also smell ambrette seeds besides the other kinds of musk.
Overall, it’s a nice, soothing, warm musk, amped up by Iso Super E. An elegant scent, that I would recommend buying if it was 30 bucks instead of 185 :). Not to mention that longevity and sillage are indeed minimal. I don’t really see how this is supposed to be an exceptional scent and that also stands for the other members of this collection.
slavikys – :
I discovered this amazing perfume after a Nordstrom associate spritzed my daughter with it this Summer. She immediately declared it to be the most wonderful perfume she had ever worn. On her, I had to agree. We kept it ” in mind” as it’s price was a bit of a shock. This Winter, I finally purchased a bottle and in two days of wearing it at work, I received four compliments from coworkers – two of whom I do not know – they actually stopped me in the hallway to ask what perfume I was wearing. This so reminds me of Spicebomb, which I actually have been known to wear once in awhile (sometimes mixed with Flowerbomb), even though I am a female, so I wasn’t surprised that Olivier Polge had a hand in it’s creation. The only thing I don’t like about Over the Musk, is that I stop smelling it on myself fairly quickly, even though, evidently others can smell it on me for hours. The bottle is huge and refillable, so it wasn’t as an expensive purchase in the long run as it seems initially. Also, since the bottle opens without upsetting the spray mechanism, I am able to aliquot the perfume into atomizers of it to send to my daughter.
Vital1997 – :
Very cozy musk scent, it is not clean, but warm and pleasant. It’s not just musk, I feel like there’s more going on: some fragrant woods and flowers, and maybe something else. Reminds me of Kiehl’s Original musk (oil), but less strong.
FAN – :
This is musky and woody and just simply delicious. Over the Musk sits close to the skin and envelopes you in a blanket of “my skin scent, only better”….so very cozy. Hubby loves it too and actually bought it for us to share. The bottle comes empty and gets filled at the source (so it is refillable) and then the name and code number are placed onto the bottle.
Sasha_33_74 – :
The beginning starts off quite vegetal, making it a tad cold. Vanilla appears to warm it up. Throughout wear it remains mostly the same. This is a kind hearted musk. Welcoming, inoffensive, and could easily be layered over something more complex. I found it subtly beautiful in the cold air with a favourite sweater on. One thing I don’t love is the end of the dry down. It just smells generic and a tad chemically on me. But who knows, I’ve only tested it once.
My mother is a convert though – they were sold out on one side of the country, so on a recent trip over to my side we went off to the Thierry Mugler counter and purchased a bottle. She was over the moon! For those who don’t know, the bottle is refillable. This may suggest that “Les Exceptions” won’t be going anywhere soon. If you’re a musk fan, give this one a try for fall and winter.
doc59 – :
Smells of musk , amberette seeds and a hint of cedar
I am enjoying this one. Its a musky cozy warm scent. Great on both sexes .
It’s very soft and in the background. Not in your face at all. It won’t fill a room but it leaves a warm comfortable unique aura around you. Close by you.
I do believe this scent has some cedar in it. Although not listed. But many notes often are not listed. I wish this had some creaminess to it , I miss this here ( Narciso, white suede , Santal blush ,are musk scents with some creaminess. I adore that)
However I do smell a ceader note , like one reviewer already said , it smells of a ceader sauna , I totally agree!
I like this subtle natural scent . Perfect for days you don’t want to smell of perfume but rather just smell good!
Wraps you in a natural skin scent. Slightly spicer and woodier than natural skin. Absolutely addictive and lovely on both sexes. Its a sexy sensual scent. Time to cozy up!
Love it! Went to my top shelf!
You can unscrew the top, to refill.
This is my favourtie of the les exemptions,when you order it from the Bay they are kind enough to send you samples of the entire line in a beautiful package.
loi1 – :
On me this one smells like our cedar wood dry sauna. At least at first, then it gets a little more musky with time but keeps the sauna smell. I like it, it’s comforting and warm.
Would I want a full bottle of it, not sure. I’m not over the moon about it, but it is comforting and I could see it growing on me more each time I wear it.
dqy805intitytek – :
This is such a perfect, beautiful musk. I put some on my wrist in the morning and could still smell it at the end of the day. Whenever I would get a whiff of it, it would put me into such a boozy mood..wow. No perfume has ever done that to me. It’s a little pricey but maybe someday 🙂
любовь – :
Over the musk is a typical musk scent, it is the softest of the Exceptions, a bit sweet. But I prefer the Aerin Lauder Amber Musk , more rounded, more feminine..Nonentheless I think lovers of musk scents will find that one attractive..it is vaguely unisex, whatever that means..in the drydown more masculine though..nice, but nothing outstanding.
Лёха К – :
Stays close as you’d expect a musk to, but it lingers with a soft sweetness that brings to mind the drydown of aqua universalis. For the money, I’d rather have acqua universalis since it is much stronger.
aleksei-ivanovi4 – :
Ingredients List; sourced from the official press book.
Oriental Express; Bergamot, sandalwood, vanilla, carrot core and carrot seeds.
Chyprissime; Bergamot, oak moss, cistus labdanum, patchouli and pear
Fougere Furieuse; Geranium, oak moss, bergamot, coumarin, amber and neroli
Supra Floral; Hyacinth, amber and oud.
Over the Musk; Musk and hibiscus seeds (ambrette seeds)
KviSW – :
It’s composed of musk and ambrette seed