Montecristo

Monte Cristo is my first introduction to this house, and I find myself thoroughly impressed. At first, the scent felt familiar, though elusive in its precise nature. It vaguely reminded me of Initio Rehab with a hint of that distinct tobacco note, though only slightly. On my skin, it’s a chameleon of a fragrance, evolving in ways that both intrigue and captivate. While initially difficult to describe, it's exactly what I expect from a niche fragrance: unique, elusive, and filled with character. The fragrance presents a subtle contradiction that I find compelling. While I do wish it had more projection, it’s undeniably an art piece in a bottle. For its current price point, it offers an accessible journey into perfumery that feels like stepping into a forgotten attic—an old space, but not dusty or dry. There’s an element of nostalgia: a leather jacket, a high-end tobacco pouch, perhaps the scent of well-kept cigars. Interestingly, though, it’s not smoky. The tobacco comes across as moist, almost juicy, with a touch of freshness that feels out of place in this sealed room. As the fragrance develops, it takes on a subtle sensuality that's hard to pinpoint but incredibly alluring. There's a balance between the scent of freshly laid wood floors and something simultaneously aged. Then, honey appears. It's as though someone spilled honey in this forgotten attic, while a faint ghost lingers, enjoying the sweet remnants. I finally recognized the familiar note: Palo Santo. It brings me back to my days of handling it in bulk, with that unmistakable scent filling the space. While many detect a boozy, spiced rum note, I don’t pick that up on my skin. For me, Monte Cristo is masculine, but in a refined way. It exudes strength, control, and sensuality without being overbearing. It conveys a sense of security and assurance, while remaining sensitive, never veering into aggression. It’s a magical elixir, one that gives off a golden aura. It reminds me of the early morning sun gently warming the dew-covered grass—there’s no scent of grass or dew, but the fragrance evokes the feeling of gentle yet inevitable control. It’s delicate at first, considerate even, before fully asserting itself. Monte Cristo is a fragrance that I find hard to stop smelling—it's captivating, complex, and truly a work of art.

Being familiar with and having in my possession some hyraceum (aka 'African stone') tincture, I can guarantee that Delphine Thierry has used it here, and to great effect, might I add. Hyraceum, from semi-fossilized waste of the endearing rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), whose habitat is the arid lands of the African continent, is quite complex. The most obvious assumption is that it is musky, animalic, even pissy or fecal given its origins, however, much like ambergris, there are some surprising qualities here. Most noteworthy is its similarity to that of dried tobacco leaves, earthy, hay-like and smoky. It's also reminiscent of the more raw qualities of castoreum, old wood, barnyards, goat fur, and even, dare I say, the very distant odor of skunk. In spite of such a bold material, Thierry has dosed in Montecristo in such a way that brings out the best qualities of not only hyraceum, but all that accompanies it here. I am dazzled by the way it fuses with the velvety, nutty muskiness of ambrette and the accompaniment of celery seed oil (another material I love to pieces), seedy, leafy, "crunchy" in profile, adds even more interest. What results as the top notes settle into the heart is a nuanced tobacco and agrestic "weeds and seeds" effect, with an added layer of vanillic-benzoin booziness further underneath the layers. I am even reminded of a certain Laphroaig peatiness here, a malt, a bitter smoke, a tanning leather finish (presumably courtesy of styrax). It is dusty, rustic, even pastoral, yet it carries with it an animal warmth that only seems at first defiant but is rather cuddly and discreet. That's what is remarkable about Montecristo: it isn't loud, yet is still robust. It has a certain good nature and come-hither intimacy that belies its seeming skank and feculence. It's not so challenging after all, and smells quite beautiful in the same way as classics such as Yatagan, Phileas, or Portos, treading the precipice of indecency while showing enough restraint to be read as a perfume rather than malodor. A skilled perfumer such as Thierry can achieve such a balance using animalics in a way less formally trained creatives may not (see Tsvga, Areej la Dore, Prin Lomros). Montecristo is magnificent!

Montecristo is a fragrance that needs to mature in the bottle before showing its true colors. When I first tried it after buying my bottle, it felt somewhat flat, with less sillage and longevity than the tester bottle. So I quickly set it aside, hidden in my wardrobe. Fast forward to this autumn. I began using my Musc Tonkin again and noticed that the scent was much deeper with an even more pronounced animalic vibe. I also started using Salome more often and it also felt more rich than when I got my bottle this last summer. So I added 1+1 and the common note in all three? Hyrax! After some Google and blog search, it turns out that Hyrax needs some time to mature when bottled. As the aging process begins, the note comes alive and starts infusing its animalic qualities, warming the fragrance and making the complementary facets surface. So I dug my bottle of Montecristo and sprayed a couple of times on my chest and neck. Wow! The opening bang was more or less like the first encounter. A sudden rush of alcohol, animal notes, wood and leather fighting for dominance. Notes aren't different, but instead of muted they appear in technicolor. The rum is boozy and the ambrette shows that warm skin sensation of a lover licking its loved ones nape. I don't detect cumin, but I do detect the facets of civet and castoreum that Hyrax has in its DNA. The woods are dry, but the patchouli lends an earthiness that makes the whole image seem less arid and much more lived in. As a whole, the fragrance is animalic, boozy, sweet and woody. It gives me the same feeling of dusty rooms that L'air de Rien does. Only difference is that L'air de Rien takes place among the dusty shelves of the library, while Montecristo happens in the living room; half lit candles, a bottle of rum, worn leather sofa, a wooden floor full of memories and the warmth given of by the people in the room. No idea what they're doing. But when the animalics start to rise and growl, up until the very last minute, it's pretty obvious that the aforementioned sofa is gonna get a lot more torn! Excellent longevity with above average sillage.

Montecristo is the second release in the story of Masque Milano: Act I, Perfume II (stylized as I:II on the bottle and cap). The inspiration behind Montecristo is the interior of a villa wherein the different elements fairly seamlessly blend together. It’s not a loud announcement of any of the pleasures (tobacco, rum, benzoin) or environmental features (patchouli, guaiac, cedar, cistus, etc.) but rather a balanced rendition that doesn’t lean too heavily on any one note in particular. It has the booze and woods of many fragrances, and these notes are featured first for me, with the earthy basement feeling following and proportionally being a bit bigger of a part of the experience in the dry down. The earthiness reminds me a bit of Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu—dense, green, mossy, dank, and quite interesting. It’s usually not my cup of tea, genre-wise, but in harmony with the tobacco and rum, it’s a very interesting. I frankly get more whiffs of the patchouli and tobacco on and off during the dry down, alternating which aspect of the fragrance seems more dominant. The bite of the rum subsides after a few hours, in my estimation. Overall, I dig it. Usually, the earthiness might be objectionable but it’s done so well in Montecristo that I want to keep smelling, like a curiosity, a kaleidoscope where I get different colors with each sniff. Very well done, and on the cheaper side of the line, at $125 for 35ml. As with Terralba, the performance isn’t extraordinary on my skin but its nuances and complexity make it a fun wear, and frankly, more versatile since it’s not loud. It’s one that I’m going to try further but will likely be a full bottle pick up. Like Terralba, I had an instant connection when smelling Montecristo for the first time, my other favorite being the resinous Tango of Act III. 8 out of 10

I came across Montecristo while researching animalic musks to try after discovering that I’m quite drawn to this genre. Montecristo has been a revelation for me, but not for the reasons I was expecting. It’s often brought up as one of the more challenging animalic musks out there, but I find that assessment somewhat misleading. While it definitely has a sharply animalic, almost urinous note when smelled up close, in the air it reads as more of a boozy, woody scent with an animalic undertone. Cabreuva is one of the listed notes here, and if you’ve ever encountered it, you’ll immediately get it. It smells a bit like cedar. The animalics aren’t the main focus, they’re there to support that accord, adding depth, a leathery quality, and that faint sourness you sometimes get from that type of wood. Imagine walking into a room with a varnished, red wooden floor. You’re wearing a fur coat, sitting on a leather couch, chewing on an unlit cigar while pouring yourself a glass of liqueur. Take that mental image and dial it up to 100. That’s it, that’s what it smells like. I think Montecristo is a bit of a unicorn, I rarely come across something that smells this convincing, matching the house’s description to a T, and it does so in a way that feels unsettlingly unembellished and devoid of conventional perfumery clichés. No vanilla, no tonka, no blaring aldehydes, no dihydromyrcenol, no floral bouquet, nothing to soften the blow. It’s brutal. Oh, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

~several global wearings/old bottle decant + bought bottle later Sweaty, warm, animalic, sweetened by ambrette, rum and benzoin but with solid portion of tobacco; exquisite blending. Despite reviews below it's quite linear and does not change much from initial application in my opinion. It's one of coziest scent I've ever tried and I'd recommend it as daily fall/winter scent. Can get sweaty/urine-like/naughty - depends on your body chemistry. I like to wear it just for myself but it came up it's not offensive in my workplace too. I can see why somebody can dislike it, because it can be challenging to wear. For me it's easier take on animalic note. Suitable for 30y+ men and I think most ladies will not like it on themselves. Considering longevity and sillage - both are perfect in case of older bottle I was testing. Longevity is crazy good, 8-10h+; creates consistent scent bubble around you for good hours. I wore it 3-4 times and I will probably look for older 100ml bottle. //edit 03.02.23 - got my bottle, managed to find older, 100ml bottle and it even joined my TOP5 list. //edit 17.03.23 - I just realized that it reminds me a lot of older, 2010 version of Leather Oud Dior (Dior The Collection Couturier Parfumeur Leather Oud) - there are not clones of each other by any means tho, Dior is much more animalic (civet territory), Montecristo is super balanced.

Spiced smoke, velvet depth, Hidden in the winter’s coat, Quiet, earthy soul. There is a profound intimacy to Montecristo that only truly reveals itself in the biting cold. It begins with a veil of spiced smoke—not the harshness of a bonfire, but the sophisticated, lingering aroma of high-grade tobacco and resins. As the fragrance develops, it settles into a "velvet depth," where the animalic hyrax and ambrette create a texture that feels almost physical, like the weight of a vintage fur overcoat. (I detected no fecal nastiness) While many winter scents shout with sweetness, Montecristo remains for the most part, a "quiet, earthy soul." It stays close to the skin, radiating a primal, mineral warmth that feels like a shared secret between the wearer and the scent. It is the smell of old stones, damp earth, and human presence, providing a grounding, sophisticated comfort. Definitely unisex as it dries down soft & powdery. Medium projection and a long lasting scent. I sprayed 2 spritzes in front of me and walked into the mist. I would not actually spray directly on my skin due to the fragrances potency and the atomizers fabulous spray pattern. It’s quite generous. Office friendly if not over sprayed.

If Tom of Finland and Yatagan were a gay couple, THIS scent would be the troubled young boy they adopted and helped to raise to adulthood. It has the leathery woody strength of ToF, but is much quieter and introverted than Tom. He has also picked up some of the wildly feral yet rugged woodsy beauty of Yatagan without seeming as "old school". Where the older scents are more "butch" and unabashedly masculine, Montecristo maintains that same vibe, but has more continental elegance throughout even its most intense spicy and musky outbursts. This is superb!! One friend said, upon testing this, that Montecristo was "a stinking dirty drunken yak who rolled in an ashtray". Needless to say, after a description like THAT, I was on the phone to LuckyScent minutes later getting multiple samples of all three! The trio (Montecristo, Terralba & Luci ed Ombre) was released last year *2013* and, to my great shock, no one has been raving about these scents or this house. Step out of your comfort zone, and get a little wild this year-give Montecristo a try. Great projection and superb longevity. Boozy, earthy, woody, resinous, sexy sweaty musky...I ask you, what's not to love?!!

I could never have known that such a fragrance can exist, hadn't I been lucky to try (and subsequently buy) Montecristo by Masque. Provocatively erotic opening reminiscent of passionate private encounters, primitively animalic at first before quickly receding into a more relaxed & tamed carnal sensation. Top quality ingredients soon enrich this daring composition with notes of dry tobacco, aged woods, worn leather, aromatic spices, light florals and a discreet liquorish vibe to enhance the glowing coziness. As hours pass, Montecristo mellows down to an even warmer & muskier aroma that envelops my skin creating an illusion of heat being emitted off my chest. The feral animalic notes now reside discreetely on the background of a long lasting masculine & erotic veil of tobacco, dusty leather and resinous woods. Montecristo can be a challenging (even unbearable) composition for many and may require a receptive attitude as well as several testings. To my nose, it's a respectful & controversial piece of art, flowing against the stream, elevating my senses to new levels of uncharted perceptions. Fearless, adventurous, dramatic & strong. 8/10

Good lord... that opening. Imagine the sweatiest, pissiest, furriest animal in existence, shooting some sort of skank-juice out of a gland and straight into your nasal cavity. Almost everyone I've showed this to has been utterly repulsed by the opening. A friend said it smelled like his cat's litterbox. All is forgiven when Montecristo dries down however, as it becomes fantastically rich and complex. It's decidedly animalic from the top to the bottom, but theres an implied sweetness with the booze and tobacco that shows up after about 5 minutes that takes the edge off of things. As it progresses the animalia of the opening begins to ease up and give the fragrance a sort of musty, old, antiqued vibe, like a closet full of vintage leather jackets, bathed in the cigarette smoke and sweat of past nights-out. The far drydown goes into a smooth, lightly-sweetened woodsy/incensey/balsamic blend that retains just enough of the skank to smell assertive and unique, completely eschewing generic oriental territory. Very nice well made stuff. Undeniably challenging and difficult to wear but rewarding. 7/10

On my skin, it opens with a boozy vegetal musk note (ambrette seeds) supported by a strongmhyrax note. Then the hyrax calms down a bit, and leave a shy (but beautiful) damp tobacco note appear. In the drydown, the impession of tobacco fades out, to leave the stage back to the spicy (cumin?) hyrax note, supported by (very) subtle patchouli and woody notes. This is basically an animalic spicy musk fragrance, with vibes similar to Lutens MKK, but more wearable imo. Not that beast that some describe, and the late drydown is actually quite soft and round. Despite I paid half the retail price (that is: still expensive), I still expected a better performance. I love it. Would I recommend it? Well, at full retail, MKK is cheaper per ml (~$250 at discounter for 100ml vs $`125/35ml here) and performs better. So, I'd suggest grouping for purchasing MKK and make splits instead. Still, at discounted prices, Masque Montecristo is a strong love for me, and the very nice presentation doesn't hurt. Fall/Winter evenings, 30+

Montecristo is a VERY good perfume. First, I was not convinced. I got an original sample from the brand along with my bottle of Tango. My reaction was “ok, it’s on those lines drawn by Kouros and followed by some brands like Beaufort”. I mean, heavy accords resulting in a fairly rough blend - or a heavy masculine blend, as people used to say until 2019. But Montecristo is mainly smoky and sweet and mildly musky. Like Kouros, it has a smoky facet (something like castoreum, but it has no castoreum in the pyramid, so I figure it comes from the civet... or not). Here, I would guess it’s a characteristic of the hyraceum, if there’s any. Well, “theories” aside, what I want to say is that it is more smoky than animalic, but it’s like this smoke came from the same place/accord as this mildly animalic facet. But this is something I’ve just experienced with castoreum. And this smoky/animalic aspect with that boozy sweet accord gives us a brilliant result. 10/10.

WOW! BEAST! FERAL! URINE GALORE! .... Is what every one else seems say... I say - I don't honestly understand the fear. I spritzed two shots on the neck, one on the chest and one on the wrists and waited for the onslaught of filth. What I actually got was a really pleasant mildly musky spiced opening with a shimmer of sourness, and as it dries down damp tobacco leaf and patchouli. Between the opening and base there is a hint to something a little warm and ambery but not in a powdered sense. No dirt. No pi$$-stained fur. Smooth, masculine and modern/retro in style, Montecristo is a cosy aura of golden hued goodness. I love the fact that it gives me the 'feels' of an old favourite if mine ( that I happily still have half a bottle of) Valentino Vendetta. Don't be afraid. Montecristo is about as scary, in my opinion, as the current version of Musc Ravageur. Batch code 138116. Not sure the year this relates to at the moment.

I had sampled Montecristo a few years back when I pulled the cord on a full bottle of Tango (which is killer!), then recently I found a sweet deal on Montecristo from Fragrancebuy ( they have great deals) and bought a full bottle. I was a bit hesitant since it had been a few years since I sampled this, but voila!, this was as great as I remembered. Not as harsh as I was expecting, with a really nice opening and drydown. Upon spraying, my wife said it smelled like a health food store, lol. She went on to explain that she smelled celery seed (she missed her calling as a perfumer). Nonetheless, she loved it and I do too. To my nose, it’s not a strong fragrance, but I am wearing this in brutal heat and humidity, so will gauge this again when the weather cools here in the Midwest USA. A couple sprays today and was office bound and received no objections. I’m digging Montecristo. Keep trying new things my fragrant friends. ✌️

Composed by Delphine Thierry (who also worked on Galaad and Akkad by Lubin and a couple of the Cloon Keen Atelier stuff), Montecristo is definitely a wower for anyone who like skanky /musky / spicy / woody things. The opening is literally arresting. A skank overload provided by a thick amount of hirax and other animalic musks. It immediately brings to mind of the fecal opening of MKK but whereas the Lutens morphes into a floral rosey thing, Montecristo gets all dark and moody with tobacco, resins and some of the darkest patchouli ever. Boozy / balmy notes lurk in the back providing some smoothness to an otherwise extremely challenging fragrance. The result is fascinating to say the least. The fragrance is pervaded by a warm animalic vibe throughout. Sort of a mash up between Lubin's most oriental offerings and heavy animalic musks fragrances a-la Musk Tonkin and MKK. MANDATORY! Seriously. Rating: 8/10

Tried this in cool spring weather and I got harsh, masculine, boozy, spices. Regretted blind-buying a bottle of it. Tried it again in hot summer weather and the same notes were there except this time I thought I could smell celery in the background, making this fragrance more enjoyable for me. Half an hour in and I was glad to own a bottle of this. The harshness softened, turning sweet and almost creamy with the celery becoming more prominent but not overpowering. It reminds me of men's shirts fresh off our back after a workout or a long day, with our musk, cologne or deodorant, and sweat (but not bad B.O.) combined to make a heady concoction. I do not get the urine others have described. Your coworkers are not likely to appreciate this, don't waste it on them. This is something for personal enjoyment and intimate occasions for sure. A little goes a long way.

This one arrived today, it was a blindbuy. But lo and behold, a sample was attached to the bottle so I could try before committing to keep. All online perfumeries should work like that. What can I say: welcome to my collection, Montecristo! What a wonderful, creamy woodperfume and I love the touch of animalics in the form of hyraceum. Don't take my word for it and try for yourself if this beauty is for you. Your skin and chemistry are unique, so everyone's experience with a perfume is unique as well. No this isn't masculine to me, I've always loved classy woods. I'm happy I didn't get scared off reading some of the reviews. I'd love to try more by Masque Milano now as this one certainly ticks all my boxes, Enjoying this scent immensely! It's classy, singular, different... Everything a perfume should be.

Masque Milano's Montecristo is a carefully-crafted, well-made, beautiful fragrance, though for very specific situations. I don't imagine wearing this on a daily basis, or even as part of a rotation. Instead, this fragrance is for: 1. Coming home after a long, difficult day. Thankfully, you have a quiet night ahead of you with nothing to do. You're in a dark, brooding mood and simply need to sit with the silence, accompanied by a complex book, a puzzle, or something to move your mind away from the day. 2. You are meeting up with someone, either in public or at a party, to have a very serious conversation. You do not have any interest whatsoever in meaningless, shallow small talk with anyone, and you need to express this quite clearly. That's Montecristo. I love it.

Absolutely fantastic! This blend took me a while to get into, but it’s really good! I wore it again yesterday for the first time in a while and rather than typical frags where in catching the odd whiff and thinking “that smells nice”, I just kept finding myself really interested in the smell - thinking about it and appreciating it. And I’ve found myself thinking about it all day today rather than the fragrance I’m wearing! It’s definitely captivating and consuming. To me it’s a very dark tobacco and resin fragrance. Quite old school and masculine, but interesting enough to be versatile. Not a crowd pleaser by any means, but it’s one I wear to really enjoy fragrance rather than make people think I smell good. Not huge silage but lasts all day. 10/10

The thing with hyraceum, if I've understood correctly, is that unlike with other animalic skanky notes, they use the real deal, the dried droppings, giving the faecal, urine-tinged realness. And I can honestly smell that in this perfume. At first sniff I was like HELL no, but then as is often the case, I went back in, and have now purchased a decant. It's right on the precipice of being unacceptably toilety, and it does remind me of the urine-damp, poo-strewn straw I used to clear out of my hamster's cage when I was wee, but it goes to show what skillful perfumery is capable of. Update after a few more wears... Nope, the everlasting stale urine soaked hamster hay is gag inducing. Horrible.