Royal Muska

Royal Muska - I had the pleasure of experiencing this gem after a wonderful day in SF with a dear friend. RM is marketed for women and I have no idea why anyone would gender this fume - it is perfectly and deliciously unisex! I cannot help but get lost in some alternate reality of a classy rich couple with a modern white and gold apartment, concrete and marble adorned everything, billowing white curtains whipping in a gentle breeze with the sunset setting the apartment aglow in a soft fire - and the beautiful couple lounging in their custom bed after a passionate tryst. The comforting scent of their pristine white linens mingle sumptuously with their hot skin - a certain nuttiness and muskiness permeates the room as they slowly drift to sleep in each other's arms - is this love or lust? This scent takes me there - there is a definite juicy fruitiness that lingers for a half hour or so in the beginning before blossoming into a delectable woody ylang-ylang and musk....this phase lasts for over 16 hours on my skin. I finally understand the whole "like skin but better" phrase - this is gorgeous on my skin! I usually play up florals, and ylang-ylang is a perilous note for me, but this is perfectly floral mixed with just the right amount of woodiness and muskiness. It really doesn't get much better than this. 100 Days - Day 2: After a pleasant day in SF Listening to: The Black Keys - Little Black Submarine

I have probably decanted for others more from this bottle than any other in my collection. The only one that even comes close would be Beige. There's a really good reason for this~Royal Muska is a dream. A soft brilliant dream. I love musks and have some excellent ones but this is unique amoung them. This is female personified and men tend to recognize that ~and respond. RM never enters a room before you, she stays very close w/out completely melding w/your skin. She projects a soft invitation. She never threatens only invites~ questions and compliments. Seriously. You'll be asked by both men and women to write down what it is your wearing. It has to be more than spoken~they'll need to see it in writing so that they won't forget. They'll insist. There's no question that it is of top quality and I honestly can't break down which note is which it all blends so seemlessly. This is a hard one for me to write about because she's so very ethereal she's a hard one to put into words. Maybe that's why there are no other reviews on this one yet? Which is why I was compelled to write one. RM is breathtakingly tender, and a complete heartbreaker. You never forget the woman who's scent can literally take you captive. Yep~she's that good.

To me, this is a scent of old-world elegance, of mid-1900s European aristocracy, cashmere sweaters and chandeliers, expansive personal libraries, a room full of hydrangeas, a scent of intelligence that shines through, quiet charisma and self-possession. It's not loud, but it doesn't want to be; it wants to linger as a soft aura that is only accessible to the few you let close enough to feel it. I think it is beautiful, gentle, subtle, but persistent. I know quite a few reviews mentioned similarity to Dove soap, and called it dated or overly mature... I feel the Dove soap, but to me it is not offensive; it is part of the comforting clean feeling it gives off, and it is by no means a singular scent, just part of a very complex profile. I also get where the dated and overly mature are coming from, and also agree that it is not a modern, fresh, stereotypically youthful scent, but to me it evokes an era when people seemed to hold themselves to a higher standard of style than we do now. I am loving this in my mid-20s, because it signifies a woman with effortless gravitas, someone I aspire to be. I think I need to be a bit older and wiser to actually wear it, but when the time comes, this will be the one.

Seriously, people, how is Micallef such an underrated brand?! Their fragrances are of exceptional quality, their bottles are absolutely beautiful in the flesh (glass, rather?) and the customer service is second to none. I couldn't fault them. Anyway, onto Royal Muska. This is a very soft, feminine floral-musk which is perfectly suited for an intimate evening. It's clean, it's sexy, it's almost aromatherapeutic in its just-out-of-a-bath-of-rose-petals feel. Actually, it makes me think of an evening after spending a day at an expensive spa. It's completely perfect for all fans of clean musks (which includes myself) and anyone looking for a sensual "skin scent but bigger". Now, I don't claim to be a pro when it comes to fragrances, but I sample a lot - designer, niche, indie, natural, you name it - and this juice appears to be of exceptional quality. Everything feels so well put together and the notes blend so beautifully. Overall, this is a very, very good option for musk lovers. And thankfully, I can barely smell any raspberry. Each to their own I suppose!

Fluffy aldehydes with a pinch of salty musk; I don't know why aldehydes are not mentioned, they're very prominent. This is a very modern and minimalist take on the 70's and 80's powerhouses, with all the weight of the aforementioned heavy hitters but toned down and civilized so as not to offend modern wearers. I really enjoy well blended creations that have a clear idea to where they're headed, sadly most noses nowadays concentrate on painting a landscape or setting a mood with literally dozens of notes that try to please as many potential buyers as possible, and utterly failing to show a clear idea. Jean Claude Astier directs your nose where he wants it to go, it's not an open interpretation and I feel that wearing his scents I can relax, the scent is doing the talking and I just listen, I don't need to work. JCA has superb command of his palette, demonstrating that there are still perfumers and artists, not chemists, that can paint a clear picture without throwing in the kitchen sink. M. Micallef is to understated elegance what CDG is to innovation.