JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
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TSC Musk Madness!
- Thread starter JanJosh
- Start date
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Entry12: Avon Light Musk
Release Date: 1979
Status: Long Discontinued
So. Here it is. Avon's very first "Musk" labeled scent, the precursor to a LOT of later scents based off the fragrance alone. This was released in an experimental trio to test the market, alongside a Crisp Lime and Cool Sage scent. The idea is, based off feedback and sales. They'd keep one going forward. Of course, musk won but it's still interesting that along the line there still was a Lime scent that stuck around in Island Lime (Possibly a clone of Royall Lyme). Because of this, later we'd get the iconic Musk for Men and Soft Musk/Night Musk for ladies. So, Raise a toast for this grandpa. It also came in aftershave AND cologne separately so there was definite success and potential with it until it was killed and replaced.
The scent is, unfortunately, lacking an official list of notes (Thanks Avon and your careless lack of documentation. You'll see this A LOT with their fragrances) But, going with the nose and confirming other reviews and their opinions, this is a bizarre light, fresh, and clean "white musk" moreso than an actual Musk that you might expect and later see in Musk for Men. This, to the nose, is a blend of Anise, hawthorne, tonka, oakmoss, vetiver, musk and an unlisted white floral note. This hits you with a blast of sharp, licorice anise, but not to the level of Blend 7, before the green notes come in with a deep oakmoss, and it ends with a floral musk. It's very unique in how it has a more mid 80s approach in comparison to the regular Musk for men.
I can say that it's... fine. Interesting. Wearable. But it's more novelty than anything. You can still find it at pretty fair prices and it even got a few decanters going for it, like the one you saw on my photo. Not really musky to me, but pleasant nonetheless.
Musk Meter: 4/10
More of a floral aromatic green with SOME musk (as the name Light Musk implies) and leaves much to be desired.
Release Date: 1979
Status: Long Discontinued
So. Here it is. Avon's very first "Musk" labeled scent, the precursor to a LOT of later scents based off the fragrance alone. This was released in an experimental trio to test the market, alongside a Crisp Lime and Cool Sage scent. The idea is, based off feedback and sales. They'd keep one going forward. Of course, musk won but it's still interesting that along the line there still was a Lime scent that stuck around in Island Lime (Possibly a clone of Royall Lyme). Because of this, later we'd get the iconic Musk for Men and Soft Musk/Night Musk for ladies. So, Raise a toast for this grandpa. It also came in aftershave AND cologne separately so there was definite success and potential with it until it was killed and replaced.
The scent is, unfortunately, lacking an official list of notes (Thanks Avon and your careless lack of documentation. You'll see this A LOT with their fragrances) But, going with the nose and confirming other reviews and their opinions, this is a bizarre light, fresh, and clean "white musk" moreso than an actual Musk that you might expect and later see in Musk for Men. This, to the nose, is a blend of Anise, hawthorne, tonka, oakmoss, vetiver, musk and an unlisted white floral note. This hits you with a blast of sharp, licorice anise, but not to the level of Blend 7, before the green notes come in with a deep oakmoss, and it ends with a floral musk. It's very unique in how it has a more mid 80s approach in comparison to the regular Musk for men.
I can say that it's... fine. Interesting. Wearable. But it's more novelty than anything. You can still find it at pretty fair prices and it even got a few decanters going for it, like the one you saw on my photo. Not really musky to me, but pleasant nonetheless.
Musk Meter: 4/10
More of a floral aromatic green with SOME musk (as the name Light Musk implies) and leaves much to be desired.
This is a homemade blend, with a nod to @Majorrich DFET (Dog From Every Town). It was a mix of every musk I had at the time, which I call VEZmerize Musk. It contains equal parts Aqua Velva Musk, Avon Light Musk, Clubman Musk, Jeris Musk, and Jovan Musk. I really like these blends and have made a few of them when I have groups of similar scents. Doing this really balances everything out and covers up any shortcomings of any individual aftershave. It also, most times, has a synergistic effect, where the overall scent is better than any of the individual contributions.
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Ooh you can make that a sorta weird "perpetual stew" of musk. You already know the main components but you can always add other musk's as it becomes low fill. What it needs next is Avon Musk. Hopefully with these posts you'll discover more musk's to add. If you win the giveaway you'll have another to mix in!
An infinity bottle.
It's got Avon Light Musk in it, or did you mean a different one?
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Yes. There's avon light musk from 1979 (the market tester) that is a fresh white musk, then there's avon musk for men from 1983 which is intended to be the more typical dark and sweet musk
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Entry 13: Avon Jamoca Musk for Men
Release Date: 1997
Status: Discontinued and Obscure
This here is abnormal. Avon made this random little flanker to Musk for Men in the 90s and it's rumored to have been a south American release that made it's way to NA for a limited market release, coming alongside with Jamoca Soft Musk for Women. It's fascinating that this comes out and was somehow both out of touch and ahead of its time simultaneously, in that they made a flanker for Musk for Men in the 90s, when the craze had died down and started being overtaken for fresh, clean, and androgynous scents, but also it's a bizarre Gourmand for men that we wouldn't be accustomed to until the 2010s. Unfortunately, no aftershave was made for it, it's a Cologne only.
The scent has no listed notes, no info, and no reviews, so it's gonna have to be a "nose goes". To start, this begins with a dominant Mocha-Java Coffee note with a sweeter vanilla follow up. It has a sorta cappuccino smell for about 10 minutes before giving way to a bizarre, almost jarring scent transition in that it becomes a very modern fresh scent, which smells familiar but hard to pinpoint. To my nose, it smells similar to Calvin Klein One for men. Then, at the end of the dry down, it smells like a classic ambery Musk with tiny lingering hints of coffee. The main issue is this smells very synthetic and artificial. Product of its time i suppose but I'm very impressed it held up this well for how old it is.
Basic description for such a complex fragrance. Up until this point, you never see anything with coffee really in it until Mugler used it in A-Men. Even before this we had Homme de Cafe for men in 1978 but that also had no coffee in it at all! It was more of a "man in a Cafe" scent than a coffee scent. The vibe of black coffee. This here is strangely... unisex, modern, and comfortable. I've had my coworkers smell it to great reviews and appeal with them all agreeing it smells like something that would come out now by some niche or middle eastern company.
Musk Meter: 4/10
There's no musk until the end, but it's a good warm and ambery musk at least.
Release Date: 1997
Status: Discontinued and Obscure
This here is abnormal. Avon made this random little flanker to Musk for Men in the 90s and it's rumored to have been a south American release that made it's way to NA for a limited market release, coming alongside with Jamoca Soft Musk for Women. It's fascinating that this comes out and was somehow both out of touch and ahead of its time simultaneously, in that they made a flanker for Musk for Men in the 90s, when the craze had died down and started being overtaken for fresh, clean, and androgynous scents, but also it's a bizarre Gourmand for men that we wouldn't be accustomed to until the 2010s. Unfortunately, no aftershave was made for it, it's a Cologne only.
The scent has no listed notes, no info, and no reviews, so it's gonna have to be a "nose goes". To start, this begins with a dominant Mocha-Java Coffee note with a sweeter vanilla follow up. It has a sorta cappuccino smell for about 10 minutes before giving way to a bizarre, almost jarring scent transition in that it becomes a very modern fresh scent, which smells familiar but hard to pinpoint. To my nose, it smells similar to Calvin Klein One for men. Then, at the end of the dry down, it smells like a classic ambery Musk with tiny lingering hints of coffee. The main issue is this smells very synthetic and artificial. Product of its time i suppose but I'm very impressed it held up this well for how old it is.
Basic description for such a complex fragrance. Up until this point, you never see anything with coffee really in it until Mugler used it in A-Men. Even before this we had Homme de Cafe for men in 1978 but that also had no coffee in it at all! It was more of a "man in a Cafe" scent than a coffee scent. The vibe of black coffee. This here is strangely... unisex, modern, and comfortable. I've had my coworkers smell it to great reviews and appeal with them all agreeing it smells like something that would come out now by some niche or middle eastern company.
Musk Meter: 4/10
There's no musk until the end, but it's a good warm and ambery musk at least.
You said flankers weren’t allowed in the discussion!!!
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
I did not!
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
So it's brut but with a animalic musk opener or a more powdery musk?
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Glad to have you! Welcome to the Manifestation of Musky Men. I know you've got some hidden gems in there and I'd be pleased to see and hear about them.
Powdery, I guess?
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Interesting
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Entry 14: Avon Musk for Men
Release Date: 1982 (Original aftershave and cologne) 1983 (Updated aftershave and EDT formulation)
Status: Sadly Discontinued
So here we are. Avon Musk for Men. I've heard a lot about it, tracked it down, and got it at an incredibly low price. This is highly regarded qs among the best and had excellent reviews. This is the fulfillment of their experiment in 1979, the true proof of concept... and boys, this lived up to the hype.
This is essentially an Evolved Bravura Musk and Light Musk PERFECTED. The notes of the cologne and OG aftershave (which is what I'm using) is a simple but effective blend containing Bergamot, Neroli, Pine, Oakmoss, Leather, and Musk. The EDT is not only just a higher concentration of the same scent, but with added notes for complexity. I can't say how it compares or if it's "better" but I'll leave that for a much later date, perhaps even next year!
To start the smell of it, for a few moments it begins with a raw dose of nitromusk with a slight animalic stank to it, before introducing the top of a very sharp, but pleasant, Bergamot and Neroli combo with some hints of the oakmoss to follow. It does smell similar at first to Light Musk but is much more toned down and pleasant. This is sharp and soapy, almost herbal with the Neroli being dominant and having hints of a more "rindy" bergamot instead of a citrusy fresh kind. Then this slowly goes into a woody pine and oakmoss middle that I think includes other hidden notes like sandalwood honey, and tobacco, as it has a familiar warmth I recall from Joop! Homme which is a sweet smoky, tobacco sandalwood bomb. The oakmoss is there but more subtle with a damp woodiness underneath. The best part is the ending with a pretty "sexy" leather Musk combo. It's a less rugged aromatic leather, but more worn, aged, and well kept sorta leather with a distinct sweetness, paired with a great sweet powder Musk that doesn't overdo it. It's not mixed with amber or anything powdery but isn't animalic and drenched in stank. It's pleasantly alluring.
All in all, the after shave is much better blended and the notes are more distinct, but the cologne has a lot more musky leather and woods, but still pair exceptionally well together. Two thumbs up and I highly recommend this version to all gents. Think of the best kind of mature, clean shaven, hairy chested man scent. It's not macho or aloof. It's perfect.
Musk Meter:
10/10. Not only just a great scent but the musk is constantly detectable and involved through all stages and leaves me satisfied and wanting to wear it more.
Release Date: 1982 (Original aftershave and cologne) 1983 (Updated aftershave and EDT formulation)
Status: Sadly Discontinued
So here we are. Avon Musk for Men. I've heard a lot about it, tracked it down, and got it at an incredibly low price. This is highly regarded qs among the best and had excellent reviews. This is the fulfillment of their experiment in 1979, the true proof of concept... and boys, this lived up to the hype.
This is essentially an Evolved Bravura Musk and Light Musk PERFECTED. The notes of the cologne and OG aftershave (which is what I'm using) is a simple but effective blend containing Bergamot, Neroli, Pine, Oakmoss, Leather, and Musk. The EDT is not only just a higher concentration of the same scent, but with added notes for complexity. I can't say how it compares or if it's "better" but I'll leave that for a much later date, perhaps even next year!
To start the smell of it, for a few moments it begins with a raw dose of nitromusk with a slight animalic stank to it, before introducing the top of a very sharp, but pleasant, Bergamot and Neroli combo with some hints of the oakmoss to follow. It does smell similar at first to Light Musk but is much more toned down and pleasant. This is sharp and soapy, almost herbal with the Neroli being dominant and having hints of a more "rindy" bergamot instead of a citrusy fresh kind. Then this slowly goes into a woody pine and oakmoss middle that I think includes other hidden notes like sandalwood honey, and tobacco, as it has a familiar warmth I recall from Joop! Homme which is a sweet smoky, tobacco sandalwood bomb. The oakmoss is there but more subtle with a damp woodiness underneath. The best part is the ending with a pretty "sexy" leather Musk combo. It's a less rugged aromatic leather, but more worn, aged, and well kept sorta leather with a distinct sweetness, paired with a great sweet powder Musk that doesn't overdo it. It's not mixed with amber or anything powdery but isn't animalic and drenched in stank. It's pleasantly alluring.
All in all, the after shave is much better blended and the notes are more distinct, but the cologne has a lot more musky leather and woods, but still pair exceptionally well together. Two thumbs up and I highly recommend this version to all gents. Think of the best kind of mature, clean shaven, hairy chested man scent. It's not macho or aloof. It's perfect.
Musk Meter:
10/10. Not only just a great scent but the musk is constantly detectable and involved through all stages and leaves me satisfied and wanting to wear it more.
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
For all those who read my last message, here's proof of Avon Musk EDT existing as a separate entity.
I DO NOT OWN THIS
AGAIN: I DO NOT OWN THIS.
But it is on my wishlist. Incredibly rare and only one seller from Japan is selling it. Here's the fragrance notes as well to see the more complex profile.
www.parfumo.com
So you see, compared to the cologne not only is it stronger but more complex, keeping the fresh start that goes into a Leathery base. Funny how the weaker cologne version survived until the early 2000s and spawned like 20 flankers but the EDT just... vanished. It came and went with no warning.
I DO NOT OWN THIS
AGAIN: I DO NOT OWN THIS.
But it is on my wishlist. Incredibly rare and only one seller from Japan is selling it. Here's the fragrance notes as well to see the more complex profile.
Musk for Men (Eau de Toilette) by Avon
A perfume by Avon for men, released in 1982. The scent is animal-synthetic. It is being marketed by Natura & Co.. Compare
www.parfumo.com
So you see, compared to the cologne not only is it stronger but more complex, keeping the fresh start that goes into a Leathery base. Funny how the weaker cologne version survived until the early 2000s and spawned like 20 flankers but the EDT just... vanished. It came and went with no warning.
JanJosh
Sr. Shave Member
Entry 15: Prince Matchabelli Musk for Men/Him
Release Date: 1950
Production: Discontinued
This is a coincidence that the day i used this (last friday) spider would post on it also. This is, or was, a pretty popular drug store offering at one point up until the 90s when the manly musk craze died out. Sadly, not much info on it other than that, as there are data entries but no note listings available anywhere. Shame, this little after shave cologne is quite impressive for what it offers.
As @Spider said prior, this is a darker scent. It's unique amongst the other musk's as there's no sweetness or amber to this at all, and isn't a fresh barbershop scent. This starts with a bitter, slightly animalic musk with leather from the get go, before the musk fades and it's a smoky, dark leather. I think that there may be tobacco, galbanum, and oakmoss at play here also underneath the Leather. In the end it's still leathery but musk returns in its softer form with what seems to be honey as well. There may be other florals in this i can't decipher, like rose and maybe patchouli, but there's no brightness in it.
What a bizarre standout. It's great, mature, but not macho and repelling. This is a pleasant, Noir-esque fragrance with some good bones to it. I only wish it lasted longer and was still around with a spray cologne or EDT, but this is great if you can land a cheap bottle. I'm impressed!
Musk Meter: 8/10
It starts musky, and ends musky, what more could you want? Sucks that it isn't musky the entire time but when it's there, it's THERE and makes a statement.
Release Date: 1950
Production: Discontinued
This is a coincidence that the day i used this (last friday) spider would post on it also. This is, or was, a pretty popular drug store offering at one point up until the 90s when the manly musk craze died out. Sadly, not much info on it other than that, as there are data entries but no note listings available anywhere. Shame, this little after shave cologne is quite impressive for what it offers.
As @Spider said prior, this is a darker scent. It's unique amongst the other musk's as there's no sweetness or amber to this at all, and isn't a fresh barbershop scent. This starts with a bitter, slightly animalic musk with leather from the get go, before the musk fades and it's a smoky, dark leather. I think that there may be tobacco, galbanum, and oakmoss at play here also underneath the Leather. In the end it's still leathery but musk returns in its softer form with what seems to be honey as well. There may be other florals in this i can't decipher, like rose and maybe patchouli, but there's no brightness in it.
What a bizarre standout. It's great, mature, but not macho and repelling. This is a pleasant, Noir-esque fragrance with some good bones to it. I only wish it lasted longer and was still around with a spray cologne or EDT, but this is great if you can land a cheap bottle. I'm impressed!
Musk Meter: 8/10
It starts musky, and ends musky, what more could you want? Sucks that it isn't musky the entire time but when it's there, it's THERE and makes a statement.