M/Mink

I don't find the opening of this to be revolting at all. Perhaps different noses have radically different takes on adoxal. To my nose, the opening is smooth and sweet, a dark and inky floral. Adoxal allegedly smells of lily of the valley in dilution, and I can sense a lily type sweetness and smoothness in the opening that joins forces with the immediately noticeable honey note (a dark and unsweetened honey as mentioned by others) and the equally dark patchouli note. The patchouli deserves special mention in this fragrance because it is very dark and has that typical patchouli earthiness and dryness to it while simultaneously not being so thick and full bodied as natural patchouli oil. The body that is cut out of the patchouli note is filled with the notes of incense and honey, and a pine-like note that I believe comes from the frankincense/labdanum duo(I know it's not listed, but I sense a strong natural labdanum note here). As one who works on my own blends with only natural oils, I don't find M/Mink to be 'disgusting', 'dreadful' or even all that dirty. It's just very natural in a way that few scents are - it leaves intact some of the rough edges of these natural notes. Thus, it's more challenging than many scents around, but I think that some of the other reviewers allegations (eg: worst scent ever) are to be taken with a grain of salt. At least, don't let those sway you from so much as trying the scent. The scent isn't strictly linear but conversely there are no radical shifts in its development. As the sweet, dark and inky opening fades the heart presents more of the incense and labdanum combo. The incense and labdanum are smoldering - warm with hints of smoke. At all times the fragrance has a dark and billowy veil of patchouli and ink enveloping it. The honey/beeswax flits in and out of perception. It too is always there, but at times it is shrouded by the incense, at other times it and the incense unite into a truly beautiful and downright sultry, sexy accord. My only qualm is the pine-like aspect persists a bit longer, or at least a bit more prevalently than I would prefer. I'm assuming this was done to keep the texture from becoming too smooth or gentle, but it occasionally crosses over from being a textural counterpoint into being marginally grating. A minor qualm though and one I can live with. I should note that my girlfriend immediately took to the scent. She loved it on me from my first sampling, and she got a chance to smell it just moments after application - so not everybody finds the opening appalling! There's really no other scent I can compare this too but for a rough idea of what it smells like, imagine a cross between Kouros (the honey/incense elements) and Rive Gauche PH (the thickness and dark patchouli/anise element). I wouldn't necessarily say that M/Mink is barbershop-y, but it has that same kind of thickness to it, and one of my first thoughts on my first sampling was the distant relation to Rive Gauche PH.

What I get is a humid laundry smell. I don't want to say fresh laundry because it's not one of those hateful "dryer sheet" smells. It has a warm-damp human tug, but it's usually not filthy to me. (Sometimes the topnotes have some serious Kouros-y snarl and I happily take some lashings from the funk. But this is a random encounter.) M/MINK is like you got soaked in a summer rain and then ran back to your vehicle, and turned on the heater, and then started making out. Clean dampness, saliva, wet hair, upholstery, warm air. Secretions Magnifiques would be a better name for M/MINK than the Etat Libre perfume. Better yet, "Lover's Spit." (You know that song and music video? Exactly.) This has a clean, warm salivary quality and it does evoke old high-school makeout memories. Clean but human, sexual but not dirty. The genius thing is that one part of my brain is at a loss to penetrate the smell and describe it. Another part implicitly "gets it." And even another part can appreciate with great respect how the notes coexist to make this smell. I do get the incense (a very subtle Messe de Minuit or Mecca Balsam kind of incense, but not quite so mildewy and without *any* citrus), and I get the translucent fattiness from the aldehydes (think Marilyn's neck in those old No.5 ads), a waxy sweetness from the honey, and a Thunderstorm/Dirt/Odeur 71/54 kind of ozonic, atmospheric, hot printer paper smell. Or is that steam from a shirt press? It's weird! With great respect and relief, I say that it's a weird smell. I've been disappointed so much lately by fragrances that have been hyped for their filthiness or strangeness. This one is solidly odd. But I also think it's quite alluring and subtle and a great option for musk-o-philes who are drawn to the sebaceous funk in Kiehl's (but not the bright juicy florals), the shroominess in Bruno Acampora, the costus in Ambilux/Ambiguite, or the drydown of Kouros. BUT! With the dial turned way down, because M/MINK does not perform well for me. If it performed the way I expect something called Eau de Parfum to do, then it'd probably crack into my tops. Really. But it's like, soooo subtle after the first few seconds. Heartbreaker.

This is not for the uninitiated 😂. I wanted to try this one for a very long time but could not find a sample (discontinued) so I was lucky enough to win an auction for a full bottle. Before I tell you my impression, I want to preface my opinion with pet peeve of mine. I am not one of these people that think every perfume they try smells like bathroom or kitchen cleaning products. It irks me when someone smells well composed perfumery and compares it to 409 or Ajax because that's the only other time they've smelled these notes, and the only way they can relate. Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to compare this perfume to cleaning products 😄. Men will relate to my impression of the opening. Full disclosure: I have no idea what a block of Japanese calligraphy ink smells like. You walk into a freshly cleaned mens restroom. You walk up to the urinal, and there's a brand new urinal puck. You start pissing on this puck and you are hit with the overwhelming smell of the fragrance within, and some piss. That is exactly the opening of M/Mink. The aldeydes, patchouli and sea notes combine to almost mimic a strong, pine tinged citrus. You get a bit of piss from the honey and possibly musk. In the mid it starts getting animalic. The urinal puck morphs into the chemical used in boat and RV toilets, but now it's fading. The feeling of being in freshly laundered clothes at the zoo. It's clean and dirty simultaneously. Into the full drydown and the incense comes forward with animalic clean musks and pinecones in the background. The incense is unburned and has a crunchy, granule texture. Very interesting perfumery and a bit of a rollercoaster ride but I don't find it as challenging as others. There's a passing resemblance to the opening of Amouage Myths Man, but otherwise it's completely unique. If you can make it through the opening and mid, the drydown is excellent. Strong like from me. Scent 7.9/10 Performance 6.8/10

I got worked out for nothing hahahaha.... So I tested this once when I was in Singapore, and I got the inky vibe right from the start, but I was using blotter when I tested M/Mink.... Then I read all the negative reviews on fragrantica, I was like, did it smell like a banyard??? did it smell fishy??? because those are not the feelings that I got when I sniffed it on the blotter. Fast forward, I happen to know that this one is already discontinued, and there's an online shop that still had this perfume, the last one... I struggled months to pull the trigger and get it.... And when I saw the perfume was just sitting there unloved, I was like, I've got to get this, even if it's only to satisfy my curiosity.... And I was prepared for an olfactory assault when I got this... instead what I really get is the smell of ink, an expensive and vintage ink... The one Japanese uses on their calligraphy.... It's a wonder, it's exactly the feeling that I got the first time smelling it, it's not disgusting, it's not repulsive, and it's not really strange, well at least for me.... And I don't understand the barnyard reference, or the marine or saltiness in here, or blood for that matters hahahaha.... I think the difference on how we perceive M/Mink depends on our memory and the place we live. I don't mean to be racist, but I think Asian people will be able to appreciate M/Mink more, because we actually use the ink that becomes the inspiration of this smell... The smell is spot on. It's inky, it's vegetal, it's dark, it's medicinal, it's industrial, and so on.... For me, it could also be the scent of vintage vinyl records, something that could be released under Marc Antoine Barrois line... And if I love Ganymede, I don't see why I can't love Byredo M/Mink, so there it goes. I win again.

Well M/Mink is one of the best surprises I've had this year. I blind bought it, almost as a dare, to see if it was really as shocking and strange as the hype made it out to be. I'd have to say, it is, and it isn't. Don't get me wrong - This is certainly not your average fragrance. It is however, still perfectly wearable, masterfully crafted and utterly enchanting. M/Mink opens with an inky matte sweetness, animalic, metallic, incense, salted black manuka honey and shimmering cold aldehydes. As others have noted, it's quite linear, not a lot changes. The first half is dominated by a slightly sour incense playing out over velvety, dry, dark honey and patchouli. Patchouli is a note I often struggle with, but here it is simply stunning. Black-green and tarry, thick and rich. As time wears on the incense softens and the dry, dark honey comes into play bringing with it a surprisingly dirty animalic note. This animalic honey is what keeps M/Mink grounded in reality, offsetting the otherwise industrial feel and tying the whole shebang together wonderfully. Overall, the impression is one of cold, dark grey velvet. Classy, slightly gothic, a little aloof and austere. I don't know what all the fuss is about honestly, I've smelled fumes from Kerosene and even Slumberhouse that are far more 'challenging' than this. Performance is excellent. Sillage is loud for the first two hours or so and settles nicely to the lower end of moderate for the rest of the wear. Longevity is outstanding. It hums away for an eternity as a bizarre skin scent. Worth a try if for no other reason than to experience a heavily animalic frag that isn't based around musks. An eccentric genius of a perfume. Completely unisex. Enjoy on cloudy, brisk days, when dressed in black and feeling arty.