Must de Cartier Pour Homme

I found 100ml of this by complete coincidence in a perfume shop for a crazy low price and had to take it. I tried it years ago from a vintage/discontinued decanter and loved it, but not enough to pay $200-300 for a bottle. However, I have to say I'm so glad to have found a bottle for a cheap price, because this is sooooooooo good. I'm not the biggest Cartier fan in general. I've had and tried various of their scents over the years and none of them really clicked with me; I find them to be good, but a tad too austere and conservative for me, the exception being Declaration Parfum which is fantastic. This too is somewhat austere and conservative, in line with the brand's ethos, but I vastly prefer this scent profile to anything else currently on offer at Cartier. It is absolutely beautiful. As many have pointed out, it is from the same late 90s/early 2000s lineage as Envy, S.T. Dupont Signature, Carven Homme, Fath Pour L'Homme, Givenchy Pi, and even L'Instant de Guerlain. That is to say: warm, spicy, sandalwoody orientalish masculines with gentle souls. To wear these fragrances is pure comfort food for me. I admit that it is pure, rose-tinted nostalgia on my part. Wearing these scents reminds me of growing up in the 90s and fills me with an inexorable yearning for the past and for better times. When I smell this I'm reminded of cool October nights when I was a kid when my parents left the door open to let in the autumn air, mingling with the scent of the fire in the hearth and fall candles. We're watching Xena: Warrior Princess, Seinfeld, or the X-Files. Later I'll go play Majora's Mask on my N64. Life is good. This scent embodies that feeling of calm and warmth and optimism that imbued the 90s and it hurts man, it hurts. Anyway, diatribe aside, this genuinely is a beautiful scent, even if you're not waxing nostalgic. The opening is stunning, with that unique and delicious blend of citrus, STRONG anise (like, you can really tell it's anise), and olive leaf. What fascinating mix! And luckily, that sort of green, anisic tone remains throughout the life of the fragrance, even as the smooth, spice-flecked oriental drydown begins to emerge. Creamy sandalwood a la Dolce & Gabbana's By dominates, blended seamlessly with spice and vanilla and coumarin, but like most fragrances from this era, no one note (other than sandalwood) comes to the fore. Scents from this time were all about creating a mood, a vibe, an atmosphere. There wasn't this obsession with individual notes, like "Sandalwood Musk" or whatever crap. Sure, it was marketing, pure and simple, but how evocative are the names "L'Instant de Guerlain" or "Alien" or "Iquitos" or "Fahrenheit" compared to "Vanilla Lavender"? "Must de Cartier" sounds much more elemental. This scent perfectly embodies that mystique, and the mood it creates is pure sophistication. This smells smart, gentlemanly, soft, and kind, but there is something sensual about it as well. Like a French Classics professor in a tweed blazer that you take home for some romantic loving in your 90s apartment. The opening I think is the most "dated" part of it, mostly due to the carnation, which inevitably ages a perfume for me, but otherwise, this does not smell like some stuffy old man scent at all. It's warm, rich, slightly sweet, slightly spiced, and beautiful. I see it as an almost dark academia-esque scent, but it's not dark, it really does smell like some handsome, mid-30s intellectual, kind, sophisticate, gentle man who loves old books, dresses impeccably, and wears horn-rimmed glasses. As someone who's in his early 30s, this is exactly the kind of vibe I'm looking for right about now. It's the kind of vibe we need more of in this world, damnit! Performance is likewise sort of soft, especially the projection, but it's actually pretty long-lasting (6-8 hours) and blends lusciously into skin. This ain't no screamer and I don't want it to be. It's a scent to be discovered. Like a warm hug from that soft, beautiful, kind man with smiling eyes. He can quote me Byronic poetry and talk at length about ancient Egyptian history all day long, I won't complain. I may or may not be developing a man-crush on that guy. Anyway, if you're here, reading this review, on the Fragrantica page of Must de Cartier Pour Homme, you're not a person who is obsessed about getting compliments or performance anyway; you're here because of nostalgia and because you have damn fine taste. So, yes, this is absolutely lovely, it is beautiful, gorgeous. However, I would still not advise you to pay $200-300 for a bottle. I think there are other scents in the same category that do a similar job. Hell, it kind of even reminds me of Costume National Homme (though this is much less spicy), which can be had for much cheaper. L'Instant de Guerlain EDP is also in a similar ballpark and also easier to come by. But if you happen to find this in a second-hand perfume shop on offer on the cheap - absolutely go for it.

Long discontinued, and difficult to find, I bought my bottle on EBay ten years ago at an inflated price, and that has now nearly tripled. I have the original red top bottle with the grey box. This is a smooth and classy scent that smells like it’s punching above its weight class. The anise note in the top gives it a luxurious licorice scent. It has a bright, citrusy opening that is very well blended. This has a high end tanning lotion kind of vibe that lacks the coconutty scent that comes with those type of fragrances. It smells like someone who just played golf at an expensive country club. A smooth ginger and cinnamon heart takes over as it dries down, leading the way for the sweet creamy sandalwood, tonka and musk base to come out. At this point the tanning lotion vibe is mostly gone and is replaced by a refined sweet musky light woodsy licorice scent. There is a touch of powder to this stage too. There is an understated elegance to this fragrance, as it sits fairly close to the wearer, but you will get whiffs of it around you as you move around though. This does not project well, but is noticeable within arms length. It has great longevity on me though - I get 5-6 hours of an arm length scent bubble, and another 4 or 5 as a skin scent radiating a few inches above my arm. This is more than enough to make it through a work day with a normal amount of sprays. This is a perfect scent to dress up, as it smells expensive and classy. As usual, Cartier has created a fragrance that is both mass appealing and accessible. While it is not easily acquired anymore, it is worth seeking out to experience its smooth, creamy, licorice lotion vibe. It gives me hints of Lolita Lempica au Masculine, another anise based fragrance that is discontinued, but this one is less harsh in the opening, and the dry downs are different. This is an easy fragrance to wear in all seasons, and can be a great office or casual scent. If you can find a 100 mls bottle for under $200 Canadian I say grab it. I am happy to have this one in my collection. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 6.5/10 Bottle: 8/10 Overall: 8 Great for almost any occasion.

Must de Cartier Pour Homme is a scent that takes me to some bygone era. The type of scent you picture on classic writers or actors. Must is yet another one of those masterfully blended Cartier creations. The scent starts off with a very soft spicy floral sweetness. It is anise, ginger and carnation that set the gentle tone of this beautiful composition. As the opening notes settle, the ensemble feels almost powdery, but it never seems to really reach peak powder. As for the spicy notes, one particular note sticks out. Never has a cinnamon note been so perfectly folded into a scent; a spicy sweetness lingers but it doesn't jump out, it is a simple part of this cloud of ginger and anise. The vanilla note emerges from the opening mix and sets this really rich elegant sweetness. The scent hits its' full unique stride with the arrival and revelation of the olive leaf. WOW! What a different note. The vanilla when mixed with the olive leaf creates this unique green sweetness (Sounds weird but it is what I get.) The olive leaf takes that slightly powdery, green sweetness towards this earthy fresh muskiness. The tonka, patchouli, vetiver and cedar help the transition of that lovely vanilla note and green sweetness into a slightly woody spicy scent all while maintaining the richness of the olive leaf. I love this scent. It is very much the style of scent I enjoy, it is classy and subdued but perfectly retro. The notes of this composition are blended incredibly well. This scent is ideal for fall through spring and can be worn in the office or for just a day out wearing. Must to me is a mediterranean style of sophistication, and is truly unique.They truly do not make scents like Must anymore. Must screams well dressed gent with a lot on his plate, but he still wants to stand out yet seem like he can't be bothered, just like this fragrance; Effortlessly cool.

This is absolutely gorgeous! Must de Cartier pour homme came from the early 00 and it's totally different from the current offering. anise, mandarin, coriander, carnation, vetiver, cinnamon, sandalwood...a perfect blend, a bit oriental but in a french way, i hope you know what i mean..elegant, refined, never pushy: must is for a gentleman, no dubt about it. personally i get the connection with Gucci envy or other parfumes of that era. Better for winter and fall, with the right outfit and for 30-35 and up. Average performance. Sadly discontinued but worth checking out. Elegance in the most gentle way possible! Must de Cartier pour homme è un profumo che fa del garbo e raffinatezza la sua caratteristica più importante. Orientale ma alla francese, forse qualcuno sa cosa intendo. Ricorda diversi profumi dei primi anni 2000 o fine 90 e qualche connessione con Gucci envy ce l'ha, per quanto non siano identici. Consigliato più ad un pubblico maturo, raffinato ed educato che a dei teenager. Fuori produzione ma va assolutamente riscoperto. Scent-9 Longevity -7,5 Sillage-7 Versatility -7,5 Uniqueness-8 Presentation-6, 5 Compliment factor-7,5 Backup bottle? Yes My vote- 8,5-9 In one word- elegance Alternative - Gucci envy for men, carven homme vintage.. Ps. The review is based on a vintage grey-silver box.

Like Luca Turin said in his book "A temple that smells like a brothel". I think this describes in such a perfect way what this fragrance is. It opens up with a little bit of anise, olive leaf and carnation. Very creative and unique! Fresh floral, oriental (Jaipur homme is a refference although is completely different). I think that coriander is there too but is just a tiny bit of it. After 1 min, we get a little bit of ginger too. In this stage there's a fresh dirtiness that is so harmonious and sexy that i can identify as the "brothel" stage. After a few minutes the cinnamon and anise (and a juicy grapefruit) take control of the fragrance. They will be together for half an hour. During that time, the grapefruit dissipates and after that, a beauty and creamy sandalwood says hello. The "temple" stage is here! The fragrance gets more dry and sweet and we will smell this woody anissed cinnamon for the rest of the lifetime of this beautiful fragrance. It's a great fragrance that offers a unique anise-cinnamon combo with sandalwood in the back. The performance is low to moderate (I get 4 to 6h on my skin with moderate projection in the first hour). It's unfortunately discontinued but if you can find a good deal on it, grab a bottle (or two) and enjoy this masterpiece!