Mure et Musc

The combination of spicy green basil and musk lend a masculine "cologne" element to this perfume. It isn't dominant, though, and the perfume has a light feel. The opening bursts with a tantalizing citrus that fades on me after about 20 minutes. Then the berries begin to prevail. Mure et Musc is long lasting for a perfume this airy, even the opening is much longer than usual. Other fragrances this light lose their top notes within the first minute on me! Mure et Musc reminds me a little bit of Musc Blanc by Laurence Dumont in it's gentleness, simplicity and uplifting mood. In my review of Musc Blanc I say that it's a fragrance to wear to Grandma's house and I certainly feel the same here about M et M. I never noticed any obvious soapiness, the texture seems very perfume-y overall. The quality of this perfume is absolutely impeccable. It has been a lovely companion over my little winter vacation spent in a warm cabin in the country. I've been impressed with how well the innocent Mure et Musc is standing up to the snowstorms and cold winds. I believe it's the spiciness of the basil combining with the animalic musc that warms me. The spice is so strong on me and it combines with the sweetness to create a pine or fir-like impression. There is almost a glassy quality to Mure et Musc.... maybe in the realm of icicles and frost... or the glint of the sun on the sea in summer... I picture a woman with ash blond hair, dark blue eyes, pale pink skin, and easy smile wearing this. She is artistic and feels free. It doesn't surprise me that this perfume was born in 1978... seems to capture a spirit of the time, I think. This is a "love" for me, I find it very comforting; warm but bright and clear, protective and natural, and it will be hard not to grab a full bottle asap.

Having recently sampled the Extreme version, I came back to this one and realize how much I actually enjoy it. Personally, nothing I have sampled out there really smells like Mure et Musc, and imo it is a timeless masterpiece, which however probably will not be as pleasant to everyone, given musk heavy formulations tend to vary a lot between skin types but also noses, anosmia being particularly common towards large musk molecules. Let me start by saying that if you want a concrete, dense berry scent skip this one and go to the extreme, if you are looking for a fresh and tart musk with some fruitiness stick with the original. What seems to be going on here is that tart citrus top notes, and clean dry ethereal musk compounds from the base, are producing a type of 'holographic' profile of a fresh tart blackberry, slightly tea like, but also juicy, like an unsweetened shot of tart berry juice. The only other fragrance I have found so far that produces a similar effect is Oyedo by Diptyque, which does a similar lime and mandarin growing into a fuzzy raspberry trick, apparently using raspberry ketones to produce that effect, so I wonder if those are in Mure et Musc as well, not to say that they smell particularly close. The difference is however that Mure et Musc has a clear barbershop element to it in the dry down, a clean dry slightly musty oakmoss undercurrent mixing with a linen like element. Imo it is phenomenal, my favorite from L'Artisan, it feels unisex overall if you can deal with the dry musty barbershop nuances. Edit: i am look to get my hands on a back up bottle preferable used (EU only) let me know!

4/30/16: A perfume reformulation succubus has sucked the sparkle out of Mure et Musc. It is a pale wan copy of its' former self. No luscious lemon. The berry has lost its' gorgeous natural appeal. Instead, musk akin to a crude '70's musk perfume, is the only note in evidence. Very linear, no transitions. I got a new HUGE bottle, and I am now heartbroken. What a disappointment. 3/8/15: This is an insanely beautiful perfume! The opening is a sparkling, juicy lemon that shimmers. Then the berries inject it with an infusion of clean mouthwatering natural depth. The musk and oakmoss add dimension, so it stays out of fruity sweetness and enters elegant sophisticated territory. Surprisingly the lemon lasts through the dry down and it all meshes into an accord that smells so fresh. It stays truly lovely for hours. My big problem with L'Artisan perfumes is the sillage. On my skin their perfumes seem to all be skin scents. I am a lover of smelling the fragrance of the ones I love, and no matter how much I spray, I can't get theirs to project louder than a whisper. This one is no different. It will take spraying my hair, skin and clothes for me to smell enough of it to be happy. I guess a FB is in order - but it is hard when it is hushed instead of singing! Maybe the parfum concentrate instead!

So lovely. I bought the EDP after having sampled the EDT. The EDT is actually more long-lasting than the EDP. The blackberry in this is so mystical and enchanting and, though fruity and bright, the musky sensuality of this fragrance means that it could be easily parled into evening. This is a warm and enveloping master-class scent and, though I love it as I do, I have one major complaint. The EDP does not last at all. Within an hour of applying this luxuriant juice I am left desirously sniffing at myself in vain. At the price, the lasting power is frustrating as the smell is unparalleled in perfume and is so delicious (delicious really is the word) and yet evades me so wantonly like a quickly evaporating dream. I will probably invest in the parfum concentrate as this is simply the most perfect scent I've ever experienced. It is young yet sophisticated, fresh yet classy, sensuous yet refined. It is spring nights and dewy mornings after a midnight soire. It is a paradox of a scent which would make it appropriate for any woman who enjoys the feel of silk and all things hedonistic and aestetic. I may even buy the cheaper EDT since, as I have said, it seemed to last much longer. If you want to fall in love with yourself, this is your scent.

The vintage must smell amazing, because I love my bottle from 2015! I blind bought this and was anticipating not enjoying it because many musk fragrances go cloying on me. Not so in this case, as it's a very clean, soapy, light musk and not animalic at all. I like other types of animalic fragrances, but for some reason animalic musks don't jive with my chemistry. This musk is more like Lutens' Clair de Musc, and not so much like Jovan's Musk or Kiehl's Original--it's a white musk. It's herbaceous, citrus-y, and fruity. The blackberry seems to amplify the cleanliness of the musk, and adds some tart interest. I get a lot of basil in the base... it's just a pleasant, fresh smell. Simple, yes, but sometimes simple is good and can be layered well with other scents. Surprised by how much I love this.