Description
Warm spices and subtle mandarin on a base of woods and musk. This fragrance is softly gourmand, a delicious spicy and woodsy musk scent.
Perfumer’s Comments:: I wanted this fragrance to be a cozy, gently gourmand scent featuring warm spices and woods. I added soft mandarin because it works well with the spices and because mandarin and clementine are my favorite citrus oils. One of my main goals with this type of scent is to achieve the right balance of sweetness, which is difficult because that balance varies greatly from person to person. Sienna opens with a burst of sweet spices and mandarin, and then the creamy woods and musks emerge.
Fragrance Notes: musk, sandalwood, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, clove, mandarin, cedar, and cypress.
The perfume was created by Laurie Erickson in September 2008.
Eldarado7777 – :
I had a brief, but intense, infatuation with this fragrance; a love-at-first-sniff turned problematic. The aspects I quite liked: warm, woodsy musk and clove with powdery ginger – almost as if served a warm, spiced bartender’s ginger ale in a wooden mug, with nutmeg on top. But then…the musk is so direct – not “dirty”, but unrelenting. Something in the gestalt is off-putting. I suspect iso E super amps the dry/dusty aspects of nutmeg and powdered ginger, and that this combined with the forward musk and cedar/sandalwood makes it a bit too much. I may still try to sneak a tiny dab on occasion, but there are so many beautiful scents from this house I’d rather wear.
(P.S. I have a similar push/pull with Tom Ford’s Santal Blush, which also combines sandalwood, cedar and musk with spices – and probably iso E super.)
plekhanovdv – :
This is a light, skin scent of a musk that’s got a generous amount of woody notes and some lactonics to keep it afloat. There’s a slight citric note tucked in there, but it’s barely perceptible on its own, instead, lending the musky woods a bit more character and interest. But most notably, this is a tad gourmand, with balsamic notes that bring to mind milky, buttery shortbread. It’s more an impression os shortbread though rather than being one of those scents that literally smells like a dessert tray.
There are some spices present, but they’re largely decorative, imprinting a subtle texture to the surface. My guess is that the spices are largely nutmeg and ginger, with nutmeg standing out as the most prominent of the two. I generally find culinary spices to be a problem—especially notes like thyme and rosemary—but I’ve also had issues with sweeter nutmeg-heavy scents in the past, yet it doesn’t bother me here at all. In fact the whole semi-foody, semi-spicy thing actually works very nicely. The closest thing I can think of that’s even remotely like this is Lutens’ Jeux de Peux, but this far less direct and, frankly, better.
As a musk, it’s an unusual approach as there’s quite a bit happening that distracts from the scent as being an all-business musk. It really is more about woody notes—specifically cypress and cedar, both of which sit on top of the a familiar sandalwood foundation that echoes several other scents from the line. Yet it’s the citrus and the spices that really set it off as something distinctive.
This scent has alarming sillage. It doesn’t feel that strong when on the skin, but with slight movement, it creates very powerful scent trails that stay close to the body. It’s a cozy kind of thing that’s super well-done and a killer price considering what went into making it. For fans of creamy skin scents that perform well, this is a worthwhile option.
gameover1 – :
Sienna Musk strikes as an extremely modern take on the woody-oriental theme. It opens with spices (mainly nutmeg and cloves) juxtaposed to something bright and fizzy, almost metallic that immediately made me think about a citrus-ginger combo. A sharp-ish woody musky base breaks in right away and drives the fragrance towards the modern and transparent spicy-oriental theme that Duchaufour played in several of his fragrances. Moderatley sweet, remarkably woody and unquestionably modern. It honestly would do great in any major niche range such as Eau D’Italie, Le Labo or, say, L’Artisan Parfumeur.
Tremendous lasting power.
Solid and very nice.
Rating: 7/10
azzazello1482 – :
A lovely, soft, woody, close to the skin musk. I wish I had more than a sample, so I could overspray this divine snuggly scent on, right now.
Vibe – :
This is a lovely close to your skin musk. It is a gorgeous musk…clean smelling. I love it. I wish it was a little more about projection…but it is not. It is a lovely stay at home or party scent…when you don’t want to be overwhelming. Just let someone close to you catch a lovely scent…gorgeous!
Meiyd756JeomiWogkig – :
Not a bad musk by any means. I love musk. While I find Sienna Musk to be a bit quieter on my skin than I’d like, I find it unique because of the spices and woods. I smell clove and cypress quite easily, and I can’t honestly say I’ve smelled such a delicately spiced musk before, so kudos to SSS for this creation. I mean sure, there is stuff out there like Musc Ravageur, but that is so spicy and ambery that it’s painfully obvious it’s an oriental and not really “a musk”. The spices here are far more subtle. I like the fact that at times I have a difficult time distinguishing whether I’m smelling musk or soft woods.
This perfume reminds me very much of Le Labo’s Another 13. It has the same soft, sweet, ghostly effect. But the addition of spice and woods honestly make Sienna Musk far more appealing and interesting to me. And it makes me glad I didn’t spend a ridiculous amount of money to get my hands on Another 13.
Sienna musk reminds me of another perfume I own and love–L’Eau d’Hiver by Malle. It’s not that they smell the same, but they both remind me of the texture of creamy white chocolate and newly fallen snow. I am waiting for winter to wear L’Eau d’Hiver, and I will keep this one in mind too because it’s so warm and soft. I despise the cold, but these perfumes make me long for winter!
maabuft – :
Gorgeous! Vaguely reminiscent of DK’s Chaos, but smells more…authentic or ”natural.” On my skin, I get mostly the musk, sandalwood, and clove. Definitely creamy as others have mentioned, as well very soft and sort of dusky. Great on both the husband and I. Sienna Musk is another beautiful creation by Laurie Erickson, who happens to be one of my favorite perfumers.
PRYANIC – :
It smells sweet like sugar and that is it.Other notes can be hardly detected. Nothing special averall and stays close to the skin.
alexstarr – :
There is definitely a SSS ‘DNA’ to be found in all Laurie Ericksons creations with varying degrees of dominance. Sherapop describes this as the ‘burnt cedar’ accord, however to my nose, it is slightly softer…perhaps a dry dusty note. Anyway, some of her creations allow this note to dominate too much, to the detriment of the perfume. Sadly, I believe this is the case with Sienna Musk. Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t sit well at all.
Breardymomy – :
For me, it has the smell of incense (frankincense and myrrh) and spices. I really like this one. It also is reminiscent of Prince Matchibelli’s, Stradivari, which has been out of production for a looooooooong time (since the 1970’s I believe). I have a bottle of Stradivari, it’s one of my all time favorites.
navuhodonosor90 – :
It sweet and musky on my skin. I mean, it’s really sweet and sillage. I love musk, but I just hope it’s more close to skin (for my own selfish sake :))
For me, it’s more a female perfume than a male’s unless you men love sweet scents.
It’s still very nice.
If the perfume projects similarly on your skin, then don’t apply it on your swists or your chest when you are eating. You might not be able to smell your food :). However, if you go shopping or hang around with friends, it’d be just fine.
anvar74 – :
Sonoma Scent Studio SIENNA MUSK is another variation on this house’s burnt cedar perfumes. This one is far more woody than musky and smells to me a bit like a campfire. Although I find SIENNA MUSK somewhat more appealing than some of the other SSS woody perfumes, that’s actually pretty faint praise…
emaiveria – :
Definitely not my cup of tea. I like different kinds of musks, but not this one. Too strong, too rough. Maybe it is because I am not so fond of ginger, because on my skin it is ginger that is dominant. I am going to the shower now, I really hate smelling like this…
zto891Negeltzex – :
Creamy is the key word here. I would consider this a very mild fragrance, as it just settles onto the skin and provides the soft, warm envelope of a musk and sandalwood. The cypress and cedar fade rather quickly after dry down, which is fine with me. I wouldn’t call this fragrance overly exciting or standout, but it has a true comfortableness that keeps bringing be back to wear it. I also find it exceptionally soothing to put on in the evening before bed…instant sweet dreams.
greg7900 – :
This goes onto my skin as a powerful perfume-y sandalwood and vanilla musk. Sharpens to a more woody, less powdery blast of perfume as it dries down, but it ends mostly just sandalwood with a nasty sharp alcohol edge I sometimes get with wood scents, plus powdery fake musk undertones. It’s awful on me. SSS has other scents that blow this out of the water. Pass.
levlb – :
It feels like taking a refreshing bath in a waterfall around with beatiful cedar trees.It has something really clean and chrystal in it’s substance.
Alpin1 – :
I received a sample of this and Opal at the same time. I actually thought I liked Opal better, but after wearing this a few times my feelings have changed. Wonderful warm spicy opening and the drydown is SOOOO woodsy. Stays close to the skin. I will be getting a bottle of this one. Love it!!
gustav beker – :
Thanks Catnip for introducing me to this line!
Hmmm….The smell of skin that is neither too clean nor dirty-a musky pleasant skin with a nice campfire smoke blended into the shirt-and a melange of toasted spices…
I like clove, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger in perfume, and they are very blended here. The citrus notes brighten it up, and they really do add just the right amount of sweetness for me-which is minute. Somebody cares about my tastes! 😉
The opening is not strongly citric, or much different from the heart chord.
I heard or Sonoma Scent Studio when somebody mentioned the “Fireside” fragrance here on the forum-and it makes me wonder whether all of the line is rather smoky….
Well, this is a good kind of smoky-not burnt. Woodsmoke, not “sexy” abstract smokiness… I will have to update again to say how much I like this. It is a friendly and natural spiced woodsy musk-I have to ask myself “What’s not to like?” but I’ll wear it out in different weather and in a different mood.
ljc310speagoessenda – :
It feels so incredibly soft, I am positively surprised! So subtle, but still there, so warm, but neither too sweet nor too spicey, just perfect. I mean, perfect. Bravo Lori!
BodyaTheMan – :
Very nice. Not much mandarin on me, but plenty of warm spices, spiraling down to woods. I was a little surprised not to get more musk out of this scent, since it’s named Sienna Musk. The musk is there, warming and grounding the composition, but it’s not very forward to my nose. I get far more cedar/sandal and spice.
I think this is one of those perfectly unisex scents and would be good on either gender. It’s reminiscent of Organza Indecence, which I also love, but without the vanilla which feels so feminine in that fragrance. I already have OI, so I won’t be buying this one, otherwise I’d seriously consider Sienna Musk full bottle worthy.