Cashmere Musk

Pretty, polite, simple... these are the words for describing CM. The hyacinth here doesn't recall at all other perfumes, like Bas de Soie or Chamade, built around this note. These two have cold and proud aroma. The combination of hyacinth with coconut smells soft and sweet and remembers me a lot of Lily of the Valley. The silage is small and longevity is about 4 hours.

It's a fairly simple fragrance, yes ... but very beautiful and well built. At first, I feel very strongly the smell of coconut, but after a few minutes, the floral bouquet opens beautifuly. The main player is a warm, slightly fluffy and delicate hyacinth.

The opening is quite floral, but it dries down more and more similarly to Sultry Pear by Zara which I know is a dupe for La Belle by JPG. They don't have many overlapping notes but it is almost identical to my nose, though I can't compare them side by side - it's bringing Sultry Pear up in my memory strongly.

Applied this on my mother after receiving 50ml free this morning with my Wild Tobacco. The Wild Tobacco was a bargain already at something like 75% off. Cashmere Musk smells very pleasant, a pretty simple bright clean musk predominantly. I’m pretty sure there is a strong aldehyde quality, from a bright white floral. I’m quite an amateur though so I could be wrong about the aldehyde. Perhaps a slight green sharpness. I don’t detect any coconut personally, just white floral clean musk. Gives me an association of a hot day on the beach for some reason, neither sun lotion or aquatic though. I also think of tiare but that could be me not being familiar with hyacinth. Easily unisex and I shall wear it.

I had higher hopes for this fragrance. I succumbed and bought Gardenia White Petals and was surprised by how much I loved it. Wish I could say the same for Cashmere Musk. May as well have sprayed myself with plain water. There is the merest hint of musk but it was so fleeting that I blinked and it was gone. I think the statement of wanting something simple was a cop-out by the perfumer. This is so simple it is non existent. Not worth a 1ml decant let alone a 50ml bottle. I know everyone is different but if like me you have a tendency for perfumes to fade quite quickly don't waste much time on this one. There are other 'simple' fragrances that still give you value for money and are much cheaper.

When I think about green florals with a big hyacinth note, what immediatly comes to mind is Le Temps D'Une Fete and Paco Rabanne's Metal or, for other aspects, Chamade. Cashmere Musk shares with the aforementioned fragrances a huge green floral presence but, unfortunately lacks all the rest. Mediocre. Rating: 5/10