Velvet Musk

This is an early review...10 days in. I will update as time passes and the fragrance has time to mature. A few months back, I purchased Liam Grey as a blind buy and I fell in love at first sniff. It has quickly become my favorite fragrance. So much so that I intended to purchase more bottles for backup. Then, I thought maybe I should try other offerings that attempt to mimic the Gris Charnel DNA. So, I purchased Fragrance World's Francique 63.55, Ministry of Oud's Oud Beyond The Wall, and this Velvet Musk. I really don't know what I was expecting... but, I surely wasn't expecting a better experience than the one I had with LG. Francique 63.55 is the most exquisite fragrance I have ever put my nose on. In comparisons, because I feel it is the best way to get my point across, Liam Grey takes a much more spicy route. That's not to say that LG is too spicy. But, it has a much more pronounced, almost peppery note, Tea and Cardamom forward. That does die down with time and certainly mellows out with support from the Iris, Vanilla and Sandalwood. But, it does maintain that spiciness throughout its duration. Francique takes a much more mellow approach, leaning more Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Iris and Sandalwood forward with the Tea and spices in the background. Creamier and more velvety, if that makes sense. The scent cloud is glorious. Oud Beyond the Wall is a peculiar fragrance with the addition of apple... interesting. The first hour it struggles as a clone of GC. But, one hour in, it is a beautiful take as Francique or LG with juicy apple in the background. Now, Velvet Musk... I was taken aback by the fact that it is, essentially, Liam Grey with a much stronger white musk, almost oudy, background. As the frag goes through the dry down, it gets closer and closer to LG but continues to hold on to the oudy note. To me, this makes it even more masculine leaning and increases performance, both projection and longevity, even further than LG. Update to come.

When I first smelled this, I was instantly reminded of tea materials—it had a distinct tea-like aroma. However, after a few days of wearing it, I began to notice how ambery it was. The amber reminded me of some Middle Eastern fragrances and their accords. After letting this fragrance "cook" for a while, the first spray becomes even more beautiful, maintaining that same dry tea accord. However, this time, I can detect the presence of vetiver. It briefly leans herbal—almost dry-minty—before woody accords like cedar and sandalwood come into play. The woods alternate between a creamy and a damp, mossy woodiness (almost reminiscent of oakmoss). As it settles, the powdery nature of iris emerges—not in a dominant way, but rather as a subtle element that adds a buttery texture to the composition. I’ve read that this fragrance is another Gris Charnel twist from Lattafa, but I can’t confirm that just yet. What I do know is that it smells incredibly good and creamy. Tonka bean plays a key role in adding a slight sweetness, alongside a light vanilla note that isn't too overpowering. With iris, tonka, sandalwood, and vanilla in the mix, you already know you’re in for a treat. I can’t say for sure if the sweet cashmere-like scent comes from the musk, but the cedar is definitely present, adding to the fragrance’s appeal. That distinct amber-woody note—a familiar scent I’ve come across in many Middle Eastern fragrances—lingers in the background, but more in the opening than when it settles. Longevity: 7 hours on skin (respectable) Projection: Moderate—not overpowering but present I really like this fragrance. It's warm, spicy, and only slightly—very slightly—sweet.

I found this at marshalls for just $15 I have a ton of Lattafa fragrances that I love and I couldnt beat the price so I picked it up. First Initial spray this reminded me of Liam without the heavy spices which I love, I couldn't stand the heavy spices and sandalwood in Liam it ruined the fragrance for me. Velvet musk has a hint of spice from the coumarin slighty lingering in the background, but everything is blended so beautifully I get all the notes listed especially the tea & iris and as it settles down into the dry down i get more of the amber, vanilla & musk with the iris and tea notes always there. This fragrance reminds me being wrapped in your favorite blanket on a cold, cloudy, and rainy day drinking a hot cup of tea and watching your favorite TV show. It's cozy, relaxing, and comforting 😌 to my nose it does lean slightly masculine but any woman can proudly pull this off. It's a musk fragrance so it wears close to the skin after a few hours, but I got a pretty decent amount of wear and longer on clothes. I just got this fragrance and believe with maceration this fragrance will become smoother with time 😍. If you find this at your local marshalls pick it up you wont regret it!

1st off, I F'n love this ish.. It's in the same boat as Lattafa His Confession and something like Lattafa Zanzibar, but just better in all regards. No coconut. It almost gives me an Amouage vibe like somewhere between Reflection Man and Enclave, it's just way creamy and cooling. It's definitely unisex and I just love the faint cassia/cinnamon note up top or at least that's what I think I detect as far as spices. If you like Althair style scents, you'll probably like this one, but it's not as spicy. This fragrance isn't very warming like other vanilla scents, this is more cooling and reminds me of a cloudy day. It could also be for fans of Narciso Rodriguez for Him with it's playdough cloudy day/rainy day vibe. It's definitely not like Lattafa Antique very much at all, the tea is far more toned down in this. It's just far less pokey and way more smooth overall, and no coconut vibes at all. So it's probably not redundant at all if you have Liam or Antique. I have Antique, and don't have Liam.

Another winner from the Lattafa Velvet collection. I'm glad I didn't know that this fragrance was meant to be inspired by Gris Charnel. I would have missed out on one of the best musk fragrances I have encountered in a while (but still not better than the Ajmal Musc series, all of which are bangers). Unfortunately, I find Gris Charnel nauseatingly unsuitable for both its overripe fruit aspect and extremely ashy dry down. Velvet Musk replicates neither. I have Liam Grey - more pleasant to me than GC, but not my first choice for a fig, tea, or musk perfume. VM gives little, if any, fruit, gentle iris, vanilla almond milk, aromatic sandalwood, and not much else besides the clean cozy feeling of well blended light musks. I'd call this fragrance profile 'luxury laundry.' Performance is decent for a fragrance of this type. Strong throw for a couple of hours, then soft radiance for 5-6 more. Backup bottle worthy IMO.