TSC Musk Madness!

[JanJosh]

Entry15: Prince Matchabelli New Musk for Men (Paired with CBL Green Musk Shave Soap)

Release Date: 2002
Status: Discontinued (I think?)

So what do you do when you have a pretty good, moderately successful fragrance that's stood for almost over 50 years? Why, you make a new Flanker for it, of course! This was made to sort of refresh the Matchabelli brand for men in the 2000s and sought to tap in to the Uber fresh and clean craze of the time. What was their solution? White Floral Musk, how fun. Funny how they would go under a few years after despite how heavily marketed it was in every drug store you can think of.

But the smell? This is upsetting. The scent profile is simply Black Currant, Musk, Sandalwood, and Vanilla. And you know what I smells like? A lady. It smells like a cheap lady's sport cologne of the time. The black current comes out as a sharp, fruity fresh with a floral note and the musk is definitely a white floral derived musk, like sage or something similar, and it ends on a powdery woody vanilla because of the sandalwood.

This is not my favorite scent. It's ridiculous how feminine-unisex it smells, despite it supposedly being For Men while there being a New Musk for Women as well. Very disappointing and a let down that the Matchabelli brand tried to go a different direction and died after.

As for the soap, it's great. I spoke with @CBLindsay about it and it's actually got a pretty complex note recipe, apart from the addition of musk, and was inspired by another fragrance, of which I'll let him disclose. But all together, to me, it smells like a musky green apple, like the scent you get when you bite into a juicy one and the juice stains your lips. That sort of musk. Not bad though! The soap was excellent, very smooth and soft and provided an excellent glide against the skin for more aggressive blades.

Musk Meter: 1/10
This isn't musky at all. It's fresh, clean, and floral. There's no real depth or real muskiness to it that deserves the title of musk

(Green Musk) 4/10
Hey, it's there. Even if it's a sweeter type, at least you know the musk is there. Not too shabby!

 

[JanJosh]

Entry 16: Denim Musk (or Musk Denim) for Men

Release Date: 1982
Status: Still Available

So. I've never smelled the original Denim or its other flankers, but seeing that there was a Musk flanker I was intrigued. It's also impressive its been around since 82 as a nicher drug store scent. I went into this with high hopes but then there was a surprise.

There's no musk! Yes, this is a Musk scent with NO MUSK. It has, instead, Citruses, Lavender, Myrtle, "Oriental" Woody Notes, Oakmoss, and Patchouli. On parfumo it claims to have more Notes, which I doubt the modern version still has. This stuff... stinks. It's an odd white floral scent with hidden woody spices that smells like body odor, so maybe there's some hidden cardamom, cumin, etc. It smells like a morrocan spice market or indian spice blend. There's a really cheap, artificial/synthetic thing going on underneath and also has this dank undertone, which is probably from the fake oakmoss. It's not quite pleasant nor refreshing and disappointing.

Yeah, this one isn't good. I'll bet the vintage is much better or has more depth because it appears to have more Notes, real oakmoss, and even Castoreum. For now this is going in the bin.

Musk Meter: 2/10
Musk in a bad way. Not animalic, just cheap and gross and smells like a guy who hasn't bathed in a while

 

[Spider]

Today was vintage AV Musk. I have 3 bottles of this, 2 are pictured. The third is the bottle I used today. Same as the large bottle in the pic, but the label is a bit faded. This is completely different from the Musk of today. No sweetness to speak of and definitely a darker scent than the modern. More towards the Matchabelli side of of things than the current AV scent.

My first sample of this bottle, I was hit with an initial blast of alcohol, then followed by the musk. Maybe I should have shaken it up first. I will sample my other two bottles to verify that they are the same.

Oh, and another thing is this version lacks menthol unlike the vintage

The vintage version does not contain Menthol either.

Pic taken from the Web:

 

[JanJosh]

Today was vintage AV Musk. I have 3 bottles of this, 2 are pictured. The third is the bottle I used today. Same as the large bottle in the pic, but the label is a bit faded. This is completely different from the Musk of today. No sweetness to speak of and definitely a darker scent than the modern. More towards the Matchabelli side of of things than the current AV scent.

My first sample of this bottle, I was hit with an initial blast of alcohol, then followed by the musk. Maybe I should have shaken it up first. I will sample my other two bottles to verify that they are the same.

View attachment 157311



The vintage version does not contain Menthol either.

Pic taken from the Web:

View attachment 157314

Strange because there IS a variant that has the Ice Blue menthol, I've seen it and have heard reviews on it. Might have been a weird brief run that a lot of shavers used at some point.

 

[JanJosh]

@Spider

I bet ice blue lime smells and feels great

 

[Spider]

@Spider
View attachment 157328
I bet ice blue lime smells and feels great

Yes, the Ice Blue Musk is different. Always seemed like an odd choice to add menthol to. Don't think it lasted long.

 

[JanJosh]

Entry 17: Royal Copenhagen Musk


Release Date: 1974
Status: Still in production

So this one here is quite interesting. The original Royal Copenhagen came out in 1970 with this coming out 4 years later with a lot of the same notes from the original but simplified and given an overdose of musk. Fun fact, RC is a Danish glass making company first and the fragrances are their side business, being a way to advertise their work (i believe they also made special decanters at one point)

The scent here is pretty nice and very unique compared to the other musk's of the time. This is a blend with the top of Lavender, Sage, Basil, a middle of Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Neroli, and a big base of Musk, Oakmoss, Nutmeg, Amber, Cloves, and Patchouli. This initially starts with a heavy, old school lavender opener before it fades 5 minutes later to reveal an odd white floral "fresh" aroma. It reminds me of fresh laundry, linen, or cotton and is very old school and can come off as dryer sheet-ish but to me is classy. This then has a unique middle where the freshness mixes with the musky base for a unique, old school fresh musk, before giving way into the typical powdery, semi sweet and animalistic musk with a pretty realistic synthetic oakmoss.

I highly recommend this old, classic, and unique musk scent. Very pleasant.

Musk Meter: 8/10
Great musk but you have to wait about 20 or so minutes to reach the musk, but it's really worth the wait, and is quite pleasant.

 

[JanJosh]

Entry 18: Citrus Musk by Pinaud Clubman

Release Date: 1900 (Supposedly?)
Status: Still in Production

So. I got one. This was difficult to get at any reasonable prices due to how often it sells out. This is marketed as an EDC but makes for a decent aftershave when needed as well. I'll spare the history and fun facts, as we're at the end of the month!

How does it smell? Well. I can sum it up but first the notes, which are surprisingly complex for the time of its initial release. The top consists of Lemon, Lime, Lemongrass, and Bergamot, keeping true to the Citrus part. It then goes into a floral heart of Carnation, Jasmine, and Lily of the Valley. The base is simply Musk, Tonka Bean, and "Woody Notes" which is probably Cedar, and it may have that ever present hidden Oakmoss note.

Now to my nose and skin, this in its most basic form does smell like Musky, fresh cut citrus, it kinda emulates the smell of when you take a citrus peel and twist it, then the mist that comes out hits your skin, or you just ate oranges and your lips smell kinda weird? Yeah, it's that kinda citrus musk. That then goes into a very... well, I don't want to be rude but the floral notes smell like fresh dryer sheets kinda. So musky citrus and dryer sheets, before ending on a woody white musk scent.

In all honesty, this to me smells like a much better version of Brüt. Like imagine Brüt but you added citrus and light musk and gave it a better formula with slightly better ingredients. That's about how it feels.

Musk Meter: 5/10
More citrus than musk, but the musk that's there has a unique presence. It's more subtle but when you look for it you notice it.

 

[JanJosh]

Bonus/Final Entry: Avon Musk... For Boys?


Release Date: Unknown, possibly 90s
Status: Obscure

Ok so... what? Yeah this thing exists. Apparently it was a Canada release and was sold in a gift trio, complete with body wash and a deodorant if I remember correctly. There is zero info on this online and I just stumbled on it for cheap and found it funny.

How's it smell? Bad. There's no notes to go off of, it's in a plastic bottle, and it may have gone a little bad. Noticeably as well is this was a more water based formula as it bubbles up when shaken slightly, which probably also messed with the fragrance. But from what's here it seemed they attempted a very diluted fresh, woody white musk combo that would be light and easy for a young boy. Reminds me of Baby Cologne you can find at CVS and such, which almost always smells like violet or Lilac and is very watery.

This one is a fun little oddball to come across and it's still intriguing to come across more unlisted avon product in the wilds. I mean, I thought I've seen and found every Avon musk but every time I look i see more!

Musk Meter: 0/10

What? You literally cant smell anything. It's literally spoiled fragrance oils in green dye and water.

 

[JanJosh]

Side note, there was no Soft Musk for Girls

 

[JanJosh]

Well, that's the end of March's Musk Madness!

Thank you to everyone who interacted and participated, and those who browsed quietly. Hopefully you may have discovered a new scent to try.

@Spider
@MarkB
@dkeester

Thank you 3 for hanging around, I'll be announcing which of you has won the giveaway in a simple spinner selector this evening when I get home for work.

 

[JanJosh]

Congrats @Spider

I tried to record and submit a short video of me making and doing the spin but the file was too long so here's a photo instead. It was only 3 names, one spin, and he won. I'll be contacting your dms

 

[Spider]

Congrats @Spider

Thanks again for this very generous PIF. Based on it being recommended by a few other Cadre members I chose Royall Muske. I received it about a week ago and have used it a few times now.

JanJosh warned me about it being a cologne and the bracing effect if used as an aftershave. I do see the word cologne on the package, but it also says "Invaluable as an aftershave and body cologne" so I gave it a shot. I actually did not find it bad. A tiny sting, but nowhere near the level I get from some other aftershaves.

My initial thoughts on the scent was that the musk scent is very subdued and in the background of a cologney scent up front. Upon further exploration two things stuck out. There's a brightness at the beginning that's almost citrusy, and there's a peppercorn-like spiceyness. These notes were light though and hard to pinpoint, at least to my untrained/unrefined nose.

The down-side is that the scent does not last very long. I applied it quite liberally to my face, neck, chest and arms, and an hour later there is no detectable scent left. I think this would be a pretty good addition to the bath water, as suggested on the label. I'm pretty excited about adding it to my DFET musk mix and seeing how it melds with the other musk aftershaves.

Thanks JanJosh for the opportunity to try this Musk! This Musk Madness thread was very fun and gave me a reason to pull out some scents I haven't used in a long time! I appreciate your reviews. You have a much more refined sniffer than me. I like hearing the notes you detect and seeing how your impressions match or differ from my own.

 

[JanJosh]

I'm glad you liked it @Spider and overall appreciated it more than me. I had fun and also learned to appreciate, and also dislike, musk in different ways. Most of them I sold, I kept some, and a few I gave away, but I'm glad to have had some engagement and I can probably look forward to next year doing it again with more musk's I've left out, or do another alliteration themed month scent.

September Spice Supernova? February Fougere Frenzy? Who knows