Must de Cartier Gold

It seems akin to a candle, in the best possible way, slightly smokey. Like you're staying at the Ritz and this is the bathroom candle, next to a small teacup of Earl Grey. There's a green note which, on me, smells spa-clean. It's a niche kind of clean. To some, it may be cold and sterile. On me, it is warm and smokey without being sugary. Almost animalic on my skin. Classic but a very perfume-y perfume. It hits you in the face, on my body chemistry. A young woman (<30) might think she smells like her mother or grandmother because the impression is far from sexy, more dignified, but it is clearly femme. Young men might be put off this unless they have exceptional taste. This isn't a girl, this is a woman. Almost too green to begin with, this dries down into an exquisite Victoria sponge cake vanilla on me, the homemade kind where the vanilla is the good stuff. I make them, it's the smell of my late grandmother and childhood to me. People hunt me down in shops asking what this is, however, I believe my body chem is a rare compatibility so sample first. This is all I hoped for from it but again, test it on your skin to see if it works. I wanted to write a poetic review but this is too temperamental (so I'd hate to mislead) and smells 'old' as in established, which I like, but others may as readily hate. It's powdery like gourmet vanilla powder. Do not over-spray, whatever that means to you. It reads, in a word: MATURITY. It does vaguely remind me of church incense. Jasmine almost nil, creamy sense. I want to wear a pencil skirt to match this. Juice may stain clothes, beware. It vaguely reminds me of that faint mustiness in antique shops, in a reassuring way. I wanted something professional for work and this suits. There is no spice to make me sneeze but it seems like a fuzzy soft oriental, like a cozy jumper. I forget about the sillage but others pick it up, moderate density. Grade A, only wish it lasted a few hours longer. Please make a stronger version. I test with one spray and rub my wrists together gently, this was present for four to five hours noticed by myself, longer by others. Quite linear, smooth though. Bravo Cartier. Make it stronger.

Must Gold is a perfume I approached with seemingly impossible expectations: The old Must was, after all, the perfume that got me into perfumes; as a girl, I snuck spritzes of it from a classmate’s mom’s dresser. Must II, incredibly enough, I liked even better; it was the one I got for myself and wore for years; I still miss it and hoard the last few drops. So naturally, when I had my first sniff of Must Gold, I responded with an indignant, “Is this all?” A month later, including a sniff-till-you-drop weekend spree, I realized this was a too hasty dismissal, since no other recent scent stuck in my mind as much as Gold. I gave it another, less prejudiced try, and now it was an unqualified love. Instead of a watered down version of the original (which I might have been desperate enough to buy), I found something better: a new, unmistakably modern perfume, which shares just enough with the old to maintain a continuity of style yet nowhere near enough to be stuck in the past. Like a sleek piece of neo-baroque furniture, it keeps the outline, ditches the sentimental ornamentation, and adds a contemporary twist. As another reviewer said, “This is how you redo a classic!” I recommend it to fans of the old Must, as long as you understand the old days aren't coming back. To fans of Laura Biagiotti’s Roma, since the duo that Must Gold is all about—galbanum vs. vanilla—creates a similarly playful juxtaposition of top tartness and sweet base. To younger women who liked elements of Must and Roma but found them way too heavy on the whole. (This isn’t—it’s the airiest and freshest ‘oriental’ imaginable.) To anyone, really, who likes to smell *just* a bit different but not aggressively so. Must Gold has a touch of glamour, is easy to wear, and far too few people seem to have discovered it. As always, try before buying—noses differ and so do tastes—but don’t let this one slip by you unsniffed. There’s infinitely worse to be had at triple the price.

Update This one has really grown on me over the last few months. Yes it is soft, I still wish it projected more but it is longer lasting than I first thought. I keep it in my bedside table and I regularly use it as my bedtime perfume. I've even happily worn it as my daytime scent. I don't know what mood I was in when I originally posted my review but I think I was was a bit of a bitch really. I stand by the positive things I said but the negative are retracted. I would buy again but would like to try the original as I think that would be more my taste. Original review I really like this perfume. It's green, dry, a little bit powdery and very elegant. It's an oasis in a desert of edible smelling fragrances. Unfortunately it is so soft and is undetectable after less than an hour unless I put my nose to my wrist and inhale deeply. I also got the matching body lotion and this lasts longer and projects better than the EDP. If I was to wear it every day my 100mls would be gone in a couple of weeks as it needs to be reapplied every hour or so. I would recommend wearing it to an interview where you didn't want to offend with a strong scent. Spray it on before you go in, impress with your elegance and good taste and afterwards you can spray on your perfume of choice safe in the knowledge that GMDC will not effect it. I really wish this formed a very small, tasteful cloud around me, it is very beautiful and well blended but unfortunately this lady doesn't like me at all. I will enjoy her company but won't replace once empty.

This is an outstanding fragrance - both sheer quality -wise, and in it's nature & composition also. It instantly yells-out "this is something truly distinctive ... and distinguished !". At my first draught of it my instantaneous thought, sprung partly from some degree of frustration at not being able to decide what to get, was "now we've really got something here! ". So the secret is galbanum , is it? I tend to think osmanthus plays a bigger rôle here than the notes-votes here would have it. So let's say then that galbanum is a big-player in it at least ... so this is a galbanummy-osmanthussy fragrance then. I'm sure that idiom cannot have lain undiscovered for so long (this is no vintage fragrance afterall (2015 wasn't it?)); but the question as to what else rocks it is academic, really, as this sets so very high a bar I cannot see whatever else there might be vaulting it! Ah yes! Jasmine as well. I was coming to the conclusion here that there is jasmine in this ... really - I was ! ... I am getting slowly better at this notes-analysis lark. What a synergy it is then! Update Having now given this a really thorough wearing, I've come to the conclusion that osmanthus is very substantially under-represented in the notes scale on this page. Not as much as I first thought when I looked at the ordering only, before I checked the numbers; but still a lot. This stuff just gushes the osmanthus note!

My mom is in love with this perfume everytime I wear it. I have 3 samples and I love it, but the price is higher than I usually spend. My mom says it smell different from my other perfumes and would be a nice add to my collection. It smells vanilla sweet, very sweet with a earthy after smell that I like. It's warm, creamy, luxurious. I'm surprise at the reviews, for me, it's heavy and long lasting, still smell strong after hours and I could still sniff it on my decollete the day after (which I don't really like because I wear different perfume everyday). This is my personal experience, but I have a weird summery sad nostalgic feeling wearing this perfume, like when I listen Sketch For Summer by The Durutti Column. I don't know if this is because I'm trying the perfume in spring. What I don't like with the samples is the orange colour of the perfume and the liquid seems dense too, I wear my perfume in the cleavage and I'm always afraid it will stain my bra / clothes, I don't know about the full bottle, but I would be careful. I will use my samples more before making a choice, but I can see myself buying it in the future. Edit: I bought it! It's one of my favorites.