Musc Nurāsana

The hype, I think, is justified. Musc Nurasana is really, really nice. The opening is a lot fresher than I was expecting. It goes down with a distinctive sheen on the skin as this is an Extrait de Parfum. The bergamot isn't sharp but does carry some cardamom in the top notes. At the heart, this is a musk and rose fragrance and these two accords go very nicely together in lock step, from a fresh opening with a bit of ginger in it, through a middle of some surprisingly light and airy incense, and into a rich base of tonka beans, some vaguely balsamic cistus and some Iso E Super, given the slightest little green tinge with some fir oil just at its peripheries. As we have come to expect from this house, Musc Nurasana is extremely finely blended. I find myself very much appreciating that it feels less complicated on the skin than it is, and the overall effect is slick as anything. I particularly enjoy the way the bergamot and ginger work with the incense in the background, like a chord change in the background of a song. As with pretty much every Crivelli fragrance I've tried, the beauty here is in the drydown. You get the musk right from the opening but it wafts and weaves as it dries down, flitting from the citrus then the incense to the tonka richness in a very dainty way. When it does dry down though, after around 90 minutes of wearing it, the effect is mesmerising because it very clearly evokes a very dear smell to me. Bear with me here. When my son was born, I used to sniff his head. If you've had kids, you know. The vernix caseosa smell of a baby's head is a very distinctive, super calming smell full of hormones. Musc Nurasana reminded me of how incredulous I was holding him for the first time. I remember going back to the recovery room while my partner was being looked after so well by the doctors, and the nurse asking me to take my t-shirt off and put on a stretchy sleeve top. She gently handed my baby son to me, less than half an hour old at that point, and slid him in between the sleeve and my chest. It is important for newborn babies to feel the sensation of their parents' skin against theirs and is referred to as "Kangaroo Care". I vividly recall holding him for the first time against my chest in the half light at 2am, smelling his head, just dazzled in the wonder of becoming the father I never thought I would or could ever be. The adrenalin and terror of the last hours and days just washed out of me then and there. There was no fear, no anxiety. Just love and pure wonder. That is what the smell of his head was to me. That is what Musc Nurasana reminds me of. Maybe it is a bit of a niche reference but it very vividly reminds me of that smell. Clean, natural, dazzling.... wonder. Layering suggestion: Try it as a base layer for something like Shalimar L'Essence by Guerlain, as the musk and the rose and incense in this will work very nicely with it, I think. Three Word Summary: Clean, Dazzling Wonder. Scent - 10/10 Drydown - 10/10 Sillage - 7/10 Bottle/packaging - 7/10 Performance - 8/10 42/50

Received a full bottle of this yesterday and gave it a full wearing. Maison Crivelli has delivered another masterpiece with this one, perhaps even surpassing it’s previous juggernaut releases like Hibiscus Mahajad, Oud Maracujá and Tubereuse Astral. With Musc Nurasana, perfumer Gaël Montero has managed an extraordinarily rare feat of creating a fragrance that is both airy and bright, yet intense at the same time. On first spray there are hints of similarity with Montero’s other creation for MC, Safran Secret (previously Ingredients 07/2012), but the similarity is fleeting and is probably a deliberate signature or DNA trail left by the perfumer. Seconds later the majesty of this creation unveils itself in a delightful bouquet of gorgeous roses and a touch of labdanum just underneath a light, ephemeral gossamer of bergamot and pink pepper, accentuating the freshness of the flowers as if they have just bloomed in the golden tincture of the first light of day. The scent is transcendental, evoking serenity and joy from pleasant things past (at least for me), while promising of wonderful things to come. While the florals linger, the musk makes its appearance accompanied by a humbled frankincense that’s happy to play second fiddle: discernable but by no means imposing. There is a slight creaminess in here that might be from the listed tonka and cardamom although I can’t say I can pick them out individually. But in this fragrance tableau, it is the top-billed musk and its faithful footmen of other ingredients that bring the heft to the entire composition, bringing the intensity while supporting and keeping the flowers alive and vibrant, without being overbearing. All the ingredients are well balanced and in perfect harmony here, adding to that sense of calmness and peace this fragrance brings to mind. In what is becoming a calling card of MC’s extraits, Musc Nurasana is an enormous fragrance with lingering sillage and astonishing longevity. On clothes it seems to be lasting well over 24 hours (with no signs of abating since I sprayed it on yesterday!). On skin, it also projects strongly, still quite detectable even after I showered. This is another winner for MC in my book. I’m glad I have a full bottle and I am certain I will be buying more as time goes by. (Official release and worldwide availability scheduled for 16April 2026). An immediate classic and masterpiece by Gaël Montero. 10/10 all around.

Crivelli are quite the darlings of the perfume world, now they are established seem to be pumping out the releases and this time they add a musk fragrance to their collection and if ever there was a way to access Matrix, Zion city that represents the dying embers of passion I have for perfume then a cozy musk like this will do it. And it’s lovely, opens with a nice, fresh tropical sort of fruity accord (apparently bergamot and ginger) which is fine and dandy and I can smell the musk base underneath just waiting to envelop and engulf and it doesn’t disappoint there either with a big lean into a robust yet soft and bearly sweet rose, reminiscent of what I consider one of the best modern, minimal yet ostentatious musks ‘The Musk’ by Essential parfums. Herein lies the problem and it’s not just with musk centred perfumes but with all genre defining tropes, when you’re paying nearly 400 quid for 100ml bottle you need innovation or even the slightest excuse to splash that kinda cash and I simply can’t justify it anymore. We have reached a pricing nadir which it’s hard or nigh on impossible to come back from. I’m not even prepared to contemplate clones as an alternative way of getting a piece of this action so thank god there are still a few bastions of quality and affordability left but there are in short supply. So yeah this dries down to a very, very strong but lovely scent and I can’t fault it, the opening is briefly fresh and interesting then the whole thing is relentless after that, in a good way but I could definitely see how this would be cloying and annoying. For me this aesthetic is exactly for the kinda person who loves LV perfumes and I guess if you can afford those then these are in your grasp as well. Layered, yet simple warm musks like these are basically a cheat code, a hack, but if you like fruity warm musks this is a superior one but in my opinion doesn’t justify the pricetag, but what fragrance does these days, if you can afford it great... go for it.

Musc Nurāsana is a quiet companion for those solo moments when you still don't want to be completely alone. It'll be gently there, without really demanding attention. No statement, no drama, no forced praise--just a soft hum that reminds you someone's always there for you. So, a perfect pick for solo mornings, walks, quiet resets and introspective evenings... Based on that, you may not reach for it often, but when you do, it will feel exactly right, not like much else out there... As far as the scent goes, this is essentially labdanum, frankincense and tonka, with a hint of rose that makes a cameo appearance in the middle but then very gently sashays away and fades into the late drydown. What sticks around though is more of the kind of soft pink rose petals preserved in resins, so don't be looking for a bright, jammy, floral rose in here. Some reviews mention metallic notes, which is that cool, mineral, slightly metallic sheen you'd get from the frankincense, particularly if you bury your nose in. As much as it allows for some freshness and levity in the scent profile, this is definitely not a close-up sniffer! I had this on out with a bit of sun warming things up and a bit of breeze moving things around, and it suffices to say I enjoyed every moment of it... Musc Nurāsana is not feminine by the scent itself, but it doesn’t project a defined masculine edge: it stays soft, neutral, and unobtrusive. Other than that, you can count on it to be pretty unisex.

“Don’t ever release anything because we already have x, y and z!!!!” - public sentiment. In a forum first, I’m annoyed at reviewers. I don’t care about all the YAP. This smells great. Comparison is the thief joy. Shut up already about other scents. Strong as F? Too strong? Good! I am so tired of beautiful scents that knock on the door and never enter the house or worse, stanky guests (Guidance) that never leave. I love that this is a powerhouse, can still smell it faintly on my dry skin even 12 1/2 hours later. Powdery rose (yes, Delina style but not as milky or sweet) and rich ginger & frankincense creates a “fresh roses left in a room that is burning citrus incense” image for the first 3 hours. BUT the musk creates a fresh baby powder-esqe note... then you also get whiffs of honeyed tonka? The late late dry is rose laundry powder and skin. Seriously all of that in one. Such a bundle of notes that should be a mess but it isn’t. It’s sensual yet fresh yet has sweet notes but is not a very sweet scent. I come up with a new adjective everytime I smell it. Full of depth and character and unisex leaning feminine. Just go in with an open mind. Not everything needs to be new. I’d rather this than some new starfruit-vanilla cookie soggy from a puddle but the puddle is boy tears and cement and random peach thrown in thing.