Musk Musa

I’ve been spending some time with Musk Musa, an attar with heavy emphasis on musk, and I have grown to enjoy it immensely. It is, in a way, the sort of musk perfume that I have been fancying, dry and spicy, with emphasis on “dry.” As my tastes matured, I have come not only to appreciate arid and spicy perfumes, but also to crave them. Had I smelled this several years back, I would have dismissed it. At heart, this attar is musk-heavy. Natural musk. Other than that, prominent accords are: smoked woods, herbaceous facets, and spices. In my mind, this attar smells like riding a four-legged animal in a hot, desert climate. I’ll paste a small excerpt from the brand, which conveys rather well what Musk Musa feels like to me: “In Musk Musa, I wanted a scent that’s a bit dry, but more importantly: vast. Wide open desert plains, dunes hiding shrubs. Camel trails disappearing into the distance, trailing the scent of... musk.” That’s the gist of it. Picture the smell of the animal and your own body, heated by the scorching sun. Only whiffs of scarce and burnt vegetation. Musk Musa opens very assertively on my skin. The musk hits you at once, together with a profound smoked wood accord, and a green-herbaceous quality. At first, I found this opening bizarre and slightly off-putting. The herbaceous note here smells to me like marigold. The latter has always been a challenging material for me, and in its own way, a peculiar ingredient with a scent profile that few appreciate, let alone enjoy. I also detect a hay-like note next to it, which, perhaps in conjunction with the woods and the animalics, exudes an unmistakable barn smell. Someone has pointed this out to me, right after swiping Musk Musa. For the record, they are not olfactory shrewd, but they have been around barns. So perhaps not quite safe for social gatherings. There is also a “steam-like effect.” Like a barn, with hay and animals, emanating its scent as blasted by the sun’s heat. I find this effect intensifies when I work out, and my body temperature rises. Later, it tames down quite a bit. It smooths out. It remains dry, but as the smokiness subsides, a subtle leather nuance unfolds. There is a shy orange blossom that pokes its head briefly, but fails to make an impression. Very late in the dry-down, I detect a faint resinous glow and sweetness, with what appears to be the creaminess of sandalwood. At this stage, Musk Musa paints a beige-orange landscape over my olfactory horizon, like the sun setting over the dunes. I enjoy the mid and dry-down immensely, and despite my initial reluctance about the opening, I have now come to crave and appreciate it. Musk Musa feels rather basic and raw, almost like some of the early compositions from Ensar Oud, yet different from the ones I am familiar with. It doesn’t share the EO No. 2 DNA. Actually, it is rather idiosyncratic. I’m sure it won’t have many fans. One needs to enjoy compositions that are dry and devoid of sweetness, with a fair punch of natural animalics. For me, it is something that I very much enjoy. Perhaps it brings back some of that early EO nostalgia and the days when I was still exploring various musk-heavy compositions (rather rough blends). Moreover, it is quite picturesque, evoking a desert-like climate imagery for me. I think I’ll refrain from using it around people after the last comment. On the other hand, I think I’ll further exploit and enjoy how increasing body temperature during physical exertion helps reach its full potential (as is the case with most natural animalic components, especially musk). IG:@memory.of.scents