Musk Silver

The is a beautiful clean soft powdery green scent elevated white shirt and jeans perfume that is a 99% dupe for Florabotanica By Balenciaga its gorgeous It was a great value

I don't generally post first impressions, but since there are no other reviews, I wanted to put something down which I will revise later. I have the concentrated roll-on oil version of this, which I picked up for under $5. El Nabil as a house is not well known in the United States, but produces some fine fragrances, most notably Amber of Yemen, which is one of the best ambers I have smelled at any price. In my opinion, El Nabil.is strongest when they are creating fragrances in an Eastern style. Musc Silver, however, seems to be attempting to create something that will appeal to Western sensibilities. It is only partially successful. I am not sure how accurate the note profile is, but this opens with a floral citrus combination. I smell more orange than lemon, and I don't smell any mint at all. On the floral side, I am picking up neroli, Jasmine, and possibly Lily of the valley. The green notes and water notes are definitely present, to add a bit of bitterness and freshness, respectively, but they are background notes. White musk plays a strong role as well. All of these combine, at least in the first 15 minutes, to create a unisex fragrance that to me leans a bit feminine. Not that it smells non-masculine, but the florals and the white musk make this smell a bit like something that I would like to smell on my wife more than on me. At 20 minutes, a cyclamen note develops alongside a soapy accord. It might just be me, but it reminds me of the good smelling insect repellent.This dominates the other notes, especially the watery notes, and flattens the profile. While it is not surprising that a fragrance at this price point would use synthetic aroma chemicals, this just does not seem to blend them well. I am frankly disappointed, having had high expectations due to Amber of Yemen. It seems like El Nabil should have stuck with its strengths and not tried to create a Western freshie.

A sweeter, jasmine & musk prominent version of Acqua di Gioia; the OG is much fresher, aquatic in comparison. For the first 10-20 minutes this is a close-enough scent, then jasmine slowly takes over. Lemon (so boldy listed here in the notes and accords) is mostly gone by then; it is never the most prominent note either. I wish the mint/green notes were more present (not just initially), especially in the drydown when the sweetness intensifies. I don't get any distinct labdanum in either this or the OG. Overall, it works for me only with Vetiver Delight or some other fresh & green scent; then, I can say I really like it as a combo and as an alternative to Acqua, but with better performance. As a side note: El Nabil is (apparently) a French brand with some serious identity issues/crisis – there are at least 3-4 logos attributed to this name; not exactly contributing to the credibility of the brand. Just saying.