Fraicheur Muskissime Extravagante

Opens with a lovely, soft amalfi lemon and just enough grapefruit to give some breadth to the scent without adding any bitterness. I didn't pick up any blackcurrant in the top notes, which is a shame, because it would be a great fit. The grapefruit slowly fades out, replaced in subtle stages by the blackberries, which are presented in a not too sweet way- sort of like the scent of tea made from the dried leaves and stems of the blackberry bush. Then the lemon starts to pass, but its sharper role is replaced by the onset of the luscious raspberry. Later the fruit further fades, replaced by a VERY buttery sandalwood. The remaining and enduring fruit note is the dry blackberry tea. Definitely not gourmand in my mind, but perhaps the best evocation might be catching the scent of a hot cup of blackberry tea and sweet butter spread on hot toast (no toast smell though). Eventually the musc start to come in, very gently and nonpowdery, and what remains through dry down is a beautiful and quiet balance of soft sandalwood and musc with delightful and surprising little reprises of the citrus and berries, where surprisingly the blackcurrant finally makes a quick visit. All this said- this is not a quiet or unduly soft scent at all. I find it rather fun and lighthearted, but the best aspect in my mind is the lovely transitions it goes through while you wear it. Not terribly "gendered" at all, can very much do duty as a man's light citrusy oriental fougere scent in the tradition of Pour Monsieur as much as a "floral fruity" (I didn't pick up the jasmine at all.) Silage is good, although very subtle, and the scent lasts a good four hours on my skin- which seems to translate to 8+ hours on most other people. If one is expecting a fruit bomb- this isn't your thing, but if you would enjoy a tasteful exposition of a variety of fruit scents on a high quality sandalwood/musc canvas, strongly recommended.

Oh, I really want this fragrance!! :-)