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.

Maybe I would just need to spray it some more or let it sit a while on my shelf, or perhaps I’m nose blind to it, but all I smell so far is a watery aldehydic fragrance/a hyper-diluted Chanel no.5 (even lighter-smelling than the L’Eau version). It just smells like something clean—not in a laundry sense, but more like a bubble bath. I personally love it; it feels chic and effortless to me, but I don’t know how much it projects. I think if you are intimidated by aldehydes, then this could be a nice introduction to it. It’s faint and delicate, and it amplifies the feeling of being luxuriously clean. Best worn after taking a shower and getting ready for bed. A keeper for me.

Ahh, it used to be my signature scent a few years ago and recently i keep thinking about it and I simply miss that beauty. It’s a very soft musky/woody floral. Can be unisex, but for me it’s very intimate and feminine. When thinking about this fragrance, I imagine beautiful angels. It’s so divine. Like gentle petals on a clean, soft skin. It’s not a projection monster, I think it was designed to by smelt only by loved ones closer to us. Longevity is pretty good though, especially on clothes. Damn, I think I will go back to my online cart and buy a bottle. So many fond memories, so delicate and pretty fragrance. Ah, and the bottle is also really beautiful. A true gem :)

This could easily be the most beautiful and distinctive musk I've ever smelled. It's soft and sweet on a creamy sandalwood base; so sensual. It can be worn any time of the year, day or nite. Mostly I smell peach in the first moments and then a darker raspberry later. The fruit is subtle, and it serves to enhance the musk. It smells quite “royal” to me, like it has an air about it. It's kind of like a drugstore white musk that is enriched with precious woods and luscious fruit. I know it's marketed towards women, and as I mentioned it's very feminine, yet for some reason I can picture any royal wearing it--even Henry VIII—Is that strange?? Bought it.

My bottle looks a little different so idk if there are variations like with Ylang in gold but let me just say I was very hesitant with this one but then I stumbled upon an amazing deal and pulled the trigger... I LOVE this one, I have somewhere between 200-300 perfumes and rarely are they love at first sniff and live rent free in my head the way this one does. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s comforting and cozy and just absolutely perfect From M. Micallef I have Ylang in Gold, Hypnotic Musk, and Note Vanille and they’re all varying degrees of OK, I like them I don’t love them. I LOVE this one

A very well put together scent. It starts a bit on the heavy side and I don't get most of the notes listed, but that's just my skin chemistry. Or it could just be because it's so beautifully blended that there isn't any discernible notes that stick out at first.The drydown after about an hour though.... Pure HEAVEN! So comfy and close. Definitely white musk but with something more that I can't quite describe. It's not a superficial or plastic white musk. I'm looking forward to getting to know this little lady better!

I came into a niche perfumery shop to try some other perfumes, but ended up testing this first on my skin. I liked it so much! It smells expensive, because it is so well blended, sophisticated, feminine, not into your face, yet noticeable. I can't relate it with dove soap or fresh laundry at least on my skin. I usually wear loud perfumes like TF Velvet Orchid and Chanel Coco-No5 but on some days I just want something elegant like this.. My new buy soon

Wow this is so nice. The musk here feels very innocent and pure. There is nothing animalic about it. A dab of sweet rose and a pinch of bubbly fruit juice both envelope the clean musk. It is feminine leaning and that's not a deal breaker for me. As much as I enjoy a filthy, primal and uninhibited musk, I can also appreciate this type of musk which is fluffy, gentle, and fragile.

I really love this fragrance; yes this is a soapy musk but these are notes I appreciate in a fragrance. This is not going to be your beastmode freshie but rather a warm, cozy, intimate, clean musk. The musk and benzoin notes are what last, the fruity notes fade quickly so don’t expect this to be a peach/raspberry fragrance.

omg this is so so sooooo good. It's musky, but a little bit sweet, comforting, and very sexy! Similar to kayali musk, but this one's wayyyy better in terms of projection and longevity. Gosh i can't get enough of this.

This works when you want to be elegant, feminine, balanced, and put together. A fragrance good for a very formal event, not in your face, when you need to be presentable and taken seriously.

OMG...! I am glad that I did not sell Royal Muska. Their in sunny day really well smell .I feel the musk and ripe fruit :) And the bottle ...you know this is GEM.

This starts off sooooooo lovely and divine. However, this is so short lived. I am truly disappointed that M. Micallef produced such a weak fragrance.

Purrfectly blended skin musk. To me it's the tightrope walker of all musks. 100% sensual without turning poopy. Sex in a bottle period.

Nice soapy, musky. To me it’s s mix between like Byredo Blanche and Kayali Musk 12

This scent is yummy! In fact I’m developing a mild obsession with it. It’s a beautiful silky, slightly woody, floral musk. It’s warm like the gold bottle it comes in. I immediately get the picture of a beautiful rich, tan woman in the south of France. Those who can not smell the musk immediately must not be able to detect musk at all because it’s the first and most dominant note. It gives you that creamy, musky, almost tropical feel. As other’s have mentioned there is a creamy, gentle, smell like really expensive moisturizer. Or almost like coconut oil, but not quite. I can smell the fruit, but it’s not like light-fruity or bright AT ALL. It kind of blends in with the whole composition. I mean I don’t smell it and think, “Oh, that’s raspberry and peach” The fruit is extremely subtle. In fact the whole fragrance is subtle. A little ozonic (benzoin) but all of it is so smooth and velvety like a gorgeous velvet pillow. Someone described this fragrance as a warm hug and that’s a perfect description. It kind of imitates warm skin (the musk). It’s deliciously mildly sweet.The ylang yang is mildly sweet and is the note that is giving it that sensual coconut vibe when combined with the musk. The floral is there, but it’s not standing out as powerful or dominant in this perfume. The wood note is there and just anchors the perfume a bit more adding and extra layer of depth. If you are a musk lover and you like warm comforting scents I think this is a safe buy for you. I finally broke down and bought a full bottle of this and I’m so happy with it. It’s sooooo sexy and deliciously rich I want to eat it. I applied this last night as I went out and I can still smell it on me today 12 hours later. This perfume blooms so nicely on my skin. After a few hours something about this becomes like your own skin but better. In the heat this fragrance is amazing! It just warms up to become so sensual and sexy. More of the notes came out more fully on my skin the longer I wore it last night but the main notes are the musk, wood, and ylang. It’s totally unisex and be worn from age 20 up. Edit: This fragrance needs to be worn in the heat. I’ve worn this in the winter and it just isn’t the same fragrance. Something about hot skin makes this fragrance bloom into a warm musky, smooth hug. In the winter it’s just very ordinary.

This smells so different on skin than it does on paper. On paper this smells like a version of Elizabeth Arden White Tea or Clarins Eau Ressourcante without the sickly citrus notes. So basically it smelled like fresh laundry aka what others say smell like a spa. On skin, it is a completely different story. It’s super soft. It reminds me a lot of Puredistance White after the dry down but with less of the powdery creaminess nor any rose. It just smells clean without being a bright fragrance. This is not the musk found in Jovan White Musk, but there is definitely a musk note that is prevalent. It is similar to Kuumba Made China Musk. It has that 90s/early 2000s grown woman smell but dialed down to something soft and gentle. So it comes across as more elegant. I don’t think it smells like any dove that I have used and I’ve used most of the range. I can understand soapy like Olay Ultra Moisture body wash. It smells like a mature woman’s fragrance but still clean. Royal Muska has that same effect. After about 5 hours it’s just the faint hint of clean laundry and that mature woman smell.

The gorgeous bottle(same as for the Ylang in Gold) does not compensate for the shortcomings of the perfume inside of it. I have given it so many chances in different environments and none was succesfull. The scent is simply not there, overspraying or not. That is not a royal performance. Some people are anosmic to musc and I know that am not one of them, still I struggle to detect even traces of perfume, it is an EDP consentration so that should not be a problem. Other white musc based creations from Micallef are much more prominent and enjoyable, like Mon Parfum Pearl. Ananda is notoriously considered to be a faint scent, nonetherless it performs miles better than Royal Muska.

I smelled it today for the first time ever - only from the cap, I didn't have the chance to spray it - I just loved it despite its being obviously a musky/yellow floral scent which I generally more than detest. It is really well-balanced, noble-smelling, non-overwhelming, with delicate fruity notes, the musk is really soft and withdrawn, all is perfectly blended with the woody base-notes. I'd love to be able to try it again - this time on my skin - and see how it works for me. And the fact that one of the main notes are raspberry and peach gives the scent one more score on my part:)

Ah why I swapped a sample of Royal Muska, I wonder :P I wish I could recall the fragrance now. I remember it well, it is a kind of an ultra-feminine fragrance, no femme fatale touch, subtle, pretty and with a great sillage. Royal Muska reminds me of pretty women portrayed naked, of all these museum pictures presenting a naked woman, kind old style but still pretty one. Royal Muska in my opinion was all about beauty of naked woman's body. I swapped it because it wasn't 100% 'my' fragrance... but I admit it's a masterpiece and an excellent quality.

A musk dominated scent that doesn’t go in the funk direction. Royal Muska is sweetened by fruit and a tropical flower, ylang, and somehow has a soft, powdery, lightly carbonated quality. Maybe that’s the combination of benzoin and aldehydes? Overall I like this and can understand the above average rating. This is very easy to wear, there’s nothing animalic about it, no skank. That said, I’m not convinced that I need to run out and buy a full bottle, but I also wouldn’t pass up a good deal on a used bottle or larger decant.

Great powdery musk fragrance. Initially I didn't smell much, but it developed into a wonderfully feminine powdery puff of a fragrance. Quality is evident. The drydown smells exactly like dove soap. It's like the cleanest of clean luxury soap vibes. I think I'm falling in love with this one, but I can see how it might go sour on some people...or me... I do not smell the urine note that others smell, but now I'm paranoid people may be smelling urine on me. So I won't be buying this but I'll wear my sample at home. -

Transparent, light, but with certain imponderable authority of high class: it smells of elegant nothing, but once she entered a room, everyone understood who is the boss and, pluralistically, a charming woman but that soft charm is so deceptive...No French kiss story, but "Keep It Simple, Stupid" imperative. The sillage could give a buzz. My type of musk. More refined than Ananda.

Very unisex, maybe slightly on the feminine side. @lessthanzero is right - neither dirty nor clean laundry, and also smells kind of like a newborn lol. It is an absolutely beautiful musk, but I think I'd need to layer it because, at least on my skin, I'm not getting any of the listed supporting notes to balance out the 'baby' of it.

Smells like my skin after I've showered. Definitely musky and a little floral. Mostly comes across clean. I don't think there is anything too feminine about it. I'd like to wear it to bed or to cuddle. I'd also like to smell it on someone while cuddling. I like it a lot but it's not worth the price for what I get from it.

Very clean & comforting gentle musk. It’s a skin scent so my decant was reserved for wearing at home and to bed. It doesn’t last at all. I would a say 1 hour at best. I don’t get the fruits or rose at all. It’s nice but I expected more. I like it a lot but wouldn’t purchase at retail.

I don't for the life of me understand why this is marketed solely for women! I don't smell any floral and it smells masculine as hell to me. It is exactly what my father smelled like when I went in for a big long hug. It is a wonderful, comforting scent to me.

Smells like a newborn, complete with a bottle full of warm milk. Yet when I smell this on other adults I don't find it offensive or strange. I would only wear it to bed personally, but it is an addicting and comforting smell.

@christianne1, I also have a sample from Lucky Scent and I too cannot smell practically anything. Too bad. I was looking forward to testing out Moska

A very subtle and elegant second skin scent with fruity background. Clean and sensual.

If Chanel No. 5 and Dior Addict had a skin-scent baby, this would be it.

very soft It was not what I expected, but very beautiful

I agree with the review below that says it smells like a bar of Dove soap. I wouldn't say it's identical, but definitely very similar. Royal Muska is slightly more feminine leaning than the original Dove scent. It's a pleasant soapy floral. Clean and familiar like you're freshly showered and putting on your skincare products. It has a soft fluffiness to it. It's easy to see how this could be mass appealing and even comforting. Royal Muska also kind of reminds me of Love's Baby Soft, but less powdery. Looking at the notes, I expected to like this. Unfortunately, something in this makes me feel a bit nauseated. I find some floral musk fragrances to be headache inducing so that may be why. It sits pretty close to the skin, but it will last you all day without reapplying. Appropriate for the office, school, or any occasion. I bought my sample in the spring, but I think it would be perfectly fine in any season or weather (just don't go too crazy with the over-spraying if you're going to be in confined spaces because it could definitely give some people a headache).

Another sample I got by chance, and another fragrance that's not worth the high asking price in my opinion. I don't exactly dislike it, it smells pleasant enough, but also rather bland, at least to my nose. Then again it's just so far removed from my own taste that I don't really feel qualified to say much about it - maybe that blandness translates to layered subtlety to a lover of this genre? But I can't help but feel like I've smelled this kind of soft, watery musk before, and at less extravagant price points too.

Deceptively soft--it really blooms in hot weather and on warmed skin--it is a musk unlike any other I have smelled. Tenacious on fabric, it must have a molecule size bordering on anosmia for many, but it's really quite present. You might not smell it on yourself, but others certainly will. It's hard for me to describe or discern individual notes, but it definitely is not a bursting fruity floral, sweet, vanillic, strongly woody, nor gourmand. It's a giant, clean, soapy musk.

Nose Note #517 Smells like unwashed genitalia just starting to be soaped, but they are still dirty... I get the airy and clean soapy feminine, but this musk needs cleaning... A lot of white flowers (which are not listed), soap a little like Chanel #5, a lot of musk. I think it's a likeable scent for sure and other people probably won't get the genitalia connection, but I can't get over it. 5/10, this royalty needs a clean up...

Beautiful bubbly musk but it's not my style. I have a bottle that I can send through Packeta to some countries.

Smells like a clean baby in the opening, then gets more floral. I went through a 2 ml sample.

Smells like a soap or laundry powder.

Softy blurry peachy smear of femme sweetness ... so it wasn't ever going to be a natural fit for me, I guess. Classic middle-of-the-road, slightly middle-aged, middle-market approach which just doesn't light my fire. Warm and yielding and feminine, certainly - but for me there's just too much of this house's familiar bullying fruit (and I don't get enough genuine tartness or aura of raspberry to balance it out), and the rest just isn't distinctive or spicy/earthy enough to make it interesting. Sure, the musk's there and a delicate, womanly version rather than anything reeky and sexy. Sillage is soft, longevity respectable but not huge. It's so wearable and inoffensive and deftly done, that I can't really figure out why- but for me it all just adds up to a big ol' meh. Very much full of the Micallef DNA, so if some other of their women's scents do it for you, then this probably would too. For some reason it just makes me feel as if I'm trapped in a slightly over-decorated, over-upholstered sitting room all done up in pink chintz and with too many swagged curtains, scatter pillows and urns full of blowsy roses over-filling the space. A little suffocating and more than a little dated, imho only, of course. It'll certainly have its fans.

Hmmm... definitely musk, and I too agree that it has a Dove soap quality to it: it smells clean, creamy soap. It's a simple scent - nothing sticks out. From the notes, this should be a little flowery, fruity and woody, but I can't pick out anything like that from this scent... well, maybe I get a tiny bit of peach when spraying on my clothes. On my skin this is disgusting though: it has a licorice note, and when that dissipates, this ends up smelling salty...! . I would looooove if some non-sweet vanilla was added - that would make this good. If I was to spend a lot of money on a simple musk, I'd choose Silver Musk by Nasomatto. It is a clean, earthy musk scent, with a hint of young green peas.

It's rainy and warm May here in south Texas, and perhaps the wrong season for trying Royal Muska. On my skin, I'm getting a mature musk with quite a bit of soapiness. There's an edge of mold, the kind of dusty mold spores that catch your nose when you open a sealed drawer of wet books. It's not sweet, I don't love the mold vibes, and it's leaning more mature than I like, so this one may not work for me. I may keep my sample and try again when the weather is cooler.

This smelled like nothing at first spray. Then it developed into Dove soap. An hour later there was a touch of fruit, but it remained primarily Dove soap through its entire lifespan. Utterly unimpressed.

Oh, God, has this been reformulated to smell like a 100 year old woman's dirty panties? I'm sorry, but I bought another sample (from a legit source) because I wanted a spray version instead of the dab on I had from another company and when I sprayed this (on paper thank goodness) I almost threw up from the horror that assaulted my nose! This smelled like literal sh-- to my nose mixed with old-fashioned floral perfume and a touch of bad breath (I would swear jasmine is in here because of that halitosis note). I tossed the paper I sprayed it on and went back to it several minutes later to see if it got better and it was still horrific to my nose. Filthy animal butt musk (it dies down a little as it dries down but not enough to me), vintage florals, weird bad breath that does leave after several minutes, and the smell of Raid bug spray all rolled into one. This is without doubt the nastiest smelling musk to hit my olfactory system and that's coming from someone who hates Narciso Rodriguez animal booty musk with a passion lol. This is a hard hell no for me.

The same thing as Cherryy_Darling said: cannot smell it after 15 minutes. And this is actually first perfume I have ever tried that smells like piss or bad sweat on my skin. Obviously, we have really bad chemistry.

For some reason, this perfume smelled too animalic for my taste. I thought it was going to be a clean musk. 😢