Unspoken Musk

Sinking into Unspoken Musk is like wrapping yourself in a warm cashmere blanket. Subtle animalics blend seamlessly with hints of sweetness to create a cozy, comforting second skin. The fragrance opens with a prominent wave of animalic notes paired with the herbal, slightly syrupy warmth of immortelle. After about 30 minutes, the scent begins to transform into a beautiful, slightly dirty, yet slightly sweet skin scent. There is a distinct "furriness" to the texture of the composition, though it never becomes overbearing. The best way to describe it is like petting a recently washed, dry kitten, as if a vanilla scented fur lotion was used while you are enjoying a rich caramel dessert nearby. The musk accord evolves constantly across its lifespan. It gradually softens over time, eventually settling into a stable, humming presence on the skin that refuses to fade. Due to the sweetness of the base coupled with that distinctly velvety, furry texture, some may find this composition leaning slightly feminine, though I personally view it as perfectly unisex. It sits close to the skin, creating an intimate aura. However, its longevity is absolutely eternal, remaining highly noticeable on my skin even after the 12-hour mark. This isn't a fragrance I would wear in my day to day life, it is strictly a cozy evening scent, mostly due to the polarizing nature of animalics. It is oddly relaxing, enveloping the wearer in a comforting, warm glow. Francesca Bianchi noted that this fragrance was inspired by the idea of animal musk rather than a literal, realistic interpretation, drawing an inspiration from Frédéric Malle’s masterpiece, Musc Ravageur. Interestingly, I instantly made that exact connection before even hearing her statement, which is fascinating given that the actual smell profiles are nothing alike. I mention this so that those who have smelled Musc Ravageur know to expect something oddly familiar, yet very distant. This was my very first introduction to Francesca Bianchi's work, and it has completely intrigued me. I will definitely be ordering a discovery set to explore the house further.

I really liked it. Animalic (Captain Obvious at your service). Yesterday from my hand I could feel some kind of note, it's hard to describe it, but the closest analogy is hot popcorn. And of course immortelle. Thanks to Francesca, I fell in love with the note of honey and especially beeswax, now it's probably immortelle's turn. Yesterday from my hand it seemed very hot and so testosterone-heavy at first. Not in the sense that it's purely for men, but what (I hate this cliché) is called sexy. After 2-3 hours it became very soft, gentle, and seductive. Today in the sillage I don't feel the nuances anymore, the wind is too strong, but damn, it is f***ing awesome! It will definitely enter the top 5 of my favorite Francesca fragrances. This is the 12th one of those I've tried and the 13th one is in my collection. In general, today in the sillage it was very good. In my opinion, all of Francesca's fragrances are... soft. And this one is no exception. Those who were interested in but disappointed by Muscs Koublai Khan should try this one. Yes, in the comments I saw things like urine, poop... well, not on my skin, neither during the hand test nor in the sillage. Color of the fragrance: brownish-red, red amber.

In based on the sample: This is beautiful, very pleasant musk covered with honey like sweetness. This is one of the easiest scent from FB and it's quite linear as well but in the same time it's so soft and subtle that I barely can smell it after an opening. That doesn’t bother me at all, I love some skin scents but the longevity is the problem at least on my skin. I tried this for days and always the same problem, I barely smell it after 30-60 minutes. Iris is hidden bringing only a powdery feel. Animalic notes are tamed and very easily approachable. This doesn't have the sensual and sexy character that many musky fragrances usually have, but this one is cozy and pampering, enveloping. I would say that if you don’t like FB perfumes there is a chance that you like this one. I wanted to buy this so badly but the bottle would be quickly finished because I should respray all the time. Anyway, I highly recommend you to try this, if it stays longer on your skin, it’s more than perfect sweet "better than your skin" musk. Thank you for reading, I would appreciate if you follow me on my IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles available): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more.

Unspoken Musk is inspired by the idea of natural animal musks which have had humans in a chokehold since the dawn of ancient perfumery, but does not aim to accurately replicate the scent of natural musk. Instead, it embodies the idea of what musk is and the imaginative suggestions it may bring to one’s mind. The overall scent is quite bright surprisingly, with a refreshing hesperidic facet coming from bergamot, complimented by aromatic clean florals such as Imortelle, magnolia and orris. The musk comes in the form of clean, synthetic musks primarily, backed up by a strong whisper of castoreum and civet to give it some edge. All of which rests on a soft, sweet and creamy base of sandalwood, tonka and vanilla - pairing with human skin perfectly. In the beginning, the combination of the clean freshness with the animal notes comes across as what can only be described as a urinal cake. Thankfully, this is short lived and soon the slightly urinous aspect of the civet leans into the sweetness of the base much better. This is definitely one you cannot judge fairly from a strip, it has to be given a chance to take you on it’s full journey.

Francesca newbies: A dirty musk, when I say dirty I don't mean mud/earth/barnyard, but sex and skunk. This mellows after a few minutes to animalic musk. The immortelle is lending some salty/green sweetness to the primary notes of musk and castoreum. Very dense, I imagine this is orris rather than iris giving a bit of starchy, clay-like texture. Francesca fans: This is The Lover's Tale Light/Legere, to my nose. I see other voters disagree, but definitely flanker territory to me, which is fine because I appreciate the original. There is less barnyard here, instead a little of the mature sweetness from Lost in Heaven, a little of the romantic fizziness from Angel's Dust, and a touch more skank like the opening of Luxe Calme Volumpte. I did not like LCV and similarly I don't love the opening here (but it does fade quickly). Update: I now prefer this to The Lover's Tale, which is a sledgehammer compared to this. I appreciate the subtlety and nuance here. But still, who are all these people voting down the similarity to The Lover's Tale??? Mind-boggling. This does not resemble Lost In Heaven like the votes suggest.