Friday, July 2, 2010

Mystery of Musk: DSH Musk Eau Natural (Review & Bottle Giveaway)

Musk Eau Natural by DSH is a wordplay on the Americanized phrase "au natural" (from the French au naturel) and "eau", denoting nudity and intimacy. The feeling was inspired by the Art Deco period, the 1920s and 1930s that is, when musky fragrances entered the vernacular again after almost two centuries in absentia, alongside with a fascination with the Orient and its hedonic mysteries. The perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz intended this fragrance to have a vague chypre feel which is also in keeping with some of the popular styles of perfumes in the Art Deco period (alongside the westernised Orientals of course). The simplicity of the fashions, following the revolutionizing by Jean Patou and Coco Chanel, fitted the structured character of streamlined compositions: vast expanses of -usually ivory- skin, a decided marked contrast with architectural-looking hair (bobbed or not) and select ornamentation getting to the point demanded straightfoward fragrances that weren't limp-wristed or wallpaper-ish.

The fragrance is presented in pure parfum/extrait version (30% concentration of essences) for two reasons: the rich feel of musk dictating a lusher concentration and naturals having a problem of tenacity; the extrait version would help the scent linger. We're hosting a giveaway of a very generous 5ml extrait de parfum of Musk Eau Natural courtesy of DSH Parfums des Beaux Arts. (The photo represents the actual bottle, we're talking about pure parfum here, folks! It should last you months.) So comment away, saying what you find exciting about musk if you want to enter the draw to win it! And to make it a bit more interesting I will pick the entry I find the most interesting!

But back to the fragrance and its creation process, a very intriguing one indeed. Dawn followed the directions of the Guild in regards to which sustainable essences provide a musky note to a T while composing her fragrances. Here is the list of natural sources of musk components, the first three coming from non-cruelty animal sources, the rest of botanical nature:

Ambergris
Beeswax
Hyrax
Goat musk
Ambrette seed
Angelica root
Sandalwood
Labdanum
Vetiver
Spikenard
Oud
Vanilla
Musk rose
Black currant
Jasmine sambac
Patchouli
Cumin
Black pepper
Costus
Seaweed and Carrot seed

Only two of the botanicals ~ambrette seed and angelica root~ contain macrocyclic musk molecules same as the natural deer musk essence, as we have noted before. And from that limited palette Dawn chose to only use beeswax out of the non-cruelty-animal-derived choices. Plus she omitted vetiver, vanilla and patchouli, so as not to overwhelm the botanical bouquet, as these are notes that bring their own potency into a mix. Talk about a true challenge!
Dawn admitted after seeing what others had composed: "My own understanding of the Mystery of Musk project was akin to Iron Chef (how to be creative with a limited palette), now I realize it was more like painting class (make your own interpretation). Oh.OK." And she goes on to explain how her mind ticked while composing: "If you have ever smelled costus root oil, you will notice some things that are very interesting. One, it has a strong but sweet musk-like odor and at the same time, well, a bit of “hefty bags” that comes up. I kind of like it in a perverse way. The same way that I like styrax for it’s sweet honey-spiced-leather-resin smell mixed with “airplane glue”. It’s fun to sense the multiplicity of things and the potential that lies within. Another note that I love is Cassis / Black Currant bud. It smells of pine trees and cats; I am fascinated by its ability to push toward fruity / green and civet at the same time. It’s a wonderful catalyst to activate other notes that might no be so easy to work with, like the carrot seed (which likes to stand out in many designs); seaweed, which can come off as flavorless and cumin, which is certainly musky but smells (especially to the American palate) a bit of ‘sweaty men’ and BO. You have got to be careful with cumin. It has a delicious sweet, musky spice but too much and you can end up with curried armpits."



I am happy to report that Musk Eau Natural doesn't smell of stale body odour at all. The finished scent is pure carnality, the way classic Tabu (minus the carnation) and Yves Saint Laurent legend Kouros (heavy costus root) speak of intimate expanses of hairy skin, moist with the aftermath of a sex-fest. I feel the strong presence of labdanum which gives animalic, lightly leathery nuances alongside a waxy feel. The labdnum note is very apparent on drydown, reminding me of all the sexy and sweeter facets presented in another scent which exploits this side, Madame X by Ava Luxe. Those of you who have tried that one, should definitely give Musk Eau Natural a shot, as you'd most probably love it.
But is it really chypre-like, you ask. The version which I am testing (there is another one, called ESME see below, which is truer to the chypre motif) isn't truly chypre-structured, lacking the familiar perfume-y mossy-powdery chord of classic examples. Still, the beeswax inclusion, the scent of honeycomb, reminds me of the place that modern iconoclastic chypres hold, such as Moss Breches (the name itself alluding to api-culture, via "brèches" in French) by Tom Ford, where the chyprish top starts in a big way and then a very musky note is revealed slowly. Maybe Dawn envisioned a third way of going around the chypre problem, tackling its muskier components. It remains to be seen whether more will follow in this path.
Tenacity of Musk Eau Natural is quite good, certainly very good for an all-naturals, going strong for about 5 hours on my skin, with medium sillage that wouldn't overwhelm.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz notes for Musk Eau Natural ESME:
Top notes: Black Currant Bud, Black Pepper
Middle notes: Ambrette Seed, Angelica Root, Centifolia Rose Absolute, East Indian Sandalwood, French Beeswax, Labdanum No. 3, Sambac Jasmine, Spikenard
Base notes: Brazilian Vetiver, Costus, Cumin Seed, East Indian Patchouli, musk eau natural accord, Oude (Agarwood), Seaweed, Vanilla Absolute

The musk accord employed in the base uses 15 of the 18 ingredients, including the remaining component, Carrot seed, in the topnotes, a different beeswax (Honey Beeswax) in the heart, and Ambrette Seed exposed in the base.

The notes are presented for ESME, a true chypre variation of Musk Eau Natural
on her website including the notes she omitted for the simpler version, as well as two other editions (one of them the Musk Accord contained in Musk Eau Natural here reviewed; the other Musk of the Mosque, a more orientalised, incense-rich version) which she envisioned during creating for the Mystery of Musk project. A nice musk-rich full wardrobe at the flick of the fingers on the laptop!


Please refer to this list for the other participating sites on the Mystery of Musk project.

Illustration by Pierre Laurens, 1929. Photo of sample by Paul Kiler via Mystery of Musk perfumes.

63 comments:

  1. Anonymous16:09

    Human, all too human. Musk is the closest the perfumier can come to the skin of men and women and the scent that springs from our bodies. And yet, in art all is changed somehow: heightened, concentrated, cultivated. Musk gives back to the wearer the essence and spice of the self transformed.

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  2. I would love to try this! I am very fond of musk, and you mentioned some of my favorite scents in this article...Kouros...Tabu...I love to wear a musk scent to bed...since scent is all I wear at night!

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  3. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz16:23

    Thank you, Elena, for the wonderful review! I loved reading about this elusive scent in your voice and wow! to be mentioned along with the original Tabu and Kouros is an honor.

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  4. E,
    I adore ambrette seed oil. It's vegetal, earthy, floral muskiness is gorgeous IMO! I would love the chance to try Dawn's use of it along with the other notes, especially the beeswax, sambac, and labdanum!

    Lovely review and thanks for the giveaway,
    ~Trish

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  5. Musk is actually why I wear fragrance; it's not about leaving a trail of sillage whereever I go - it's about creating a heightened olfactory signature when someone is close enough to be considered an invited guest. It's that little soupcon of skanky under the wholesome exterior...the unexpected carnal note in a neutered world.

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  6. Anonymous17:09

    For me, perfume is the most erotic art form, because it requires your own flesh and body chemistry to be an active participant, and musk perfumes are the most erotic of perfumes because they are built around skin accords, ranging from the innocent, silky, powderiness of babies to the fierce and erotic animalics of jungle creatures.

    And I am intrigued by the fact that so many of us have musk anosmia issues. I remember reading somewhere that we are all genetically programmed to desire the scent of males that are genetically quite different from ourselves. That is, women are programmed to NOT want men who smell like dad. I wonder if musk anosmia plays into this -- are we genetically programmed to respond to some musks and not others? I know that there are some musk perfumes that I love, and others that I cannot smell at all, and others that I can briefly smell, but that quickly disappear from my skin. (MKK, if you can believe it.) Anyway, I would love to smell this scent. Ambrette seed and honey are two of my very favorite notes and I love what they do with my skin!

    Karen M

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  7. What excites me about musk is that there are seemingly endless ways to experience and enjoy it! Strong or subtle, it is such a compelling skin scent. It is amazingly versatile.

    I am a fan of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz' work, and really think she is a virtuoso. Her fragrances are world-class,like the fine couturiers Patou, Lanvin, Chanel, et al, and yet so very wearable.

    Please enter me in the draw. Thank you! [fingers crossed]

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  8. Mimi Gardenia18:12

    E, I did love this one too. Sexy .Lovely stuff and really quite decent longevity .

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  9. This does sound like a genius blend of so many wonderful scent-spirits... I am particularly curious about the beeswax component. I would really love to give this a try@@@!!!

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  10. I used to find musk boring, but now am almost always delighted by the inumerable differences you can find in what seems at first to be such a minimalist class of scents. In that sense, smelling different musks is like differentiating between the face of someone you love and a stranger. What is that element that makes one face call to you when another doesn't? It's kind of mysterious, I think. Of course it's true that people draw parallels to musk and the smell of a person, but I think of musk as similar to other marks of human identity, not just our smell. So in any case, this sounds like an interesting musk to try--please enter me in the draw, Elena!

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  11. I find musk exciting because it seems to bond with the wearer and it reacts differently with skin chemistries to a greater degree than some other types of scent I've experienced.

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  12. Anonymous20:41

    Another fascinating description of the mysterious notes in veg. musk. As a vegetarian I applaud every effort to make and publicise natural perfumes that attract discerning perfume lovers.

    Speaking of which, would I risk such a provocative musk? What would the Other Half say?? Please enter me in the draw as I'd love to find out how both he and I would react to a good musk.

    Finally, with reference to the Bruce Willis celeb-scent, did you see one of the witty BBC comments below the article? '"The Sixth Scent" should be the name, surely?'

    cheerio,

    Anna in Edinburgh

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  13. Madea21:25

    I love musk because it reminds me of what people really smell like--our ancestors were much less clean than we are, and smelling something musky reminds me of that fact.

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  14. I have to admit that my first perfume was The Body Shop´s White Musk and eventhough that is by no means a great perfume it made me appreciate musk as a note in perfumes.I love how it can smell either clean and cool, cuddly-sweet or animalistic-sexy depending on the way it´s used and with what it´s paired.

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  15. ElizabethN22:58

    I've never been a fan of clean musks - I like my musk dirty and animalic. So naturally, I love Muscs KoublaĂ¯ Khan, which evokes two people rolling around in a barn scattered with flowers. Incidentally, Madame X is one of my HGs (I own both the EdP and extrait) and so maybe I'll like this musk? Please do throw my hat in the ring - efcharisto poli!

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  16. I have loved musk scents since wearing the ubiquitous Cabot Musk Oil in the 70s, while in high school. Some of the frags you've recently reviewed have been long time favorites of mine. As to this review, well, I admire and own several DSH scents and would love to try this one, esp since Ava Luxe Madame X was mentioned. And so, a haiku, based on today's post:


    Madame X is so
    sexy that I'd like to try
    DSH Musk, please!

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  17. What do I find exciting about musk?
    Well, in great part, it's sex, to be blunt. Musk smells so many different ways, and it has so many sides to its character. It's innocent and so naughty, it's human, animal and plant. It's dirty but it's clean, dark but also light, heavy and elusive. So hard to define.
    But I feel like even in lighter, more innocent musks, we're still perusing the idea of sex. We'll talk in terms of what's not there, or of what is only hinted at. "Oh it's so clean" - as opposed to what? Dirty, sexy, kinky, intimidating, arousing - the words are there, they're just an under-currant.

    It's so much like sex itself, made of all these contradictions, but in the end you don't mind the contradiction, because the pleasure is what really matters. Musk can feel dirty, be almost a guilty pleasure, we call it 'skank' and we talk about how much of it we can take, how brave/bold to wear it and let it become part of ourselves. It's like a love affair. Something new to discover in each one, something to learn, enjoy, and give us pleasure.

    Musk, especially when it's a bit dirty, excites me because it has that hint of the taboo, and the forbidden. That feeling that it's not something that 'good girls' wear. It's the element of hedonism, and surrendering yourself to its seduction.

    For me to really love it, it's got to walk that line - to be daring, but still beautiful, maybe dirty, but in a way that's attractive and pulls you in, daring me to be a bit bolder.

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  18. This was a delight to read
    And to test !

    I only found out the ingredients after I sniffed and wrote ;-0
    But WHAT fun...

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  19. Anonymous04:31

    Oooh, this particular musk reads erotic, from your brilliant description, Elena!

    The only Dawn Spencer Hurwitz musks I'm familiar with are Arabian (love it!--pure, dry, slightly sweet clean skin-smelling musk), Egyptian and her X-formula musk.

    A poster mentioned Cabot Musk Oil....I have that too. It's still in production and can be purchased through mail order from the company or sellers on eBay. Cabot's a dry musk with hints of wood shavings to it....a fantastic base for other scents to layer over.

    Today I wore Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess oil - a musk~vanilla blend with a hint of woods. Inexpensive and compliments galore!

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  20. It is so interested what musk did to Croatian ladies in 80's and 90's. There were crazy about it. Even today, older ladies (who were than in their 30's or 40's) speak with such a nostalgy of their musk perfumers... It doesn't matter, to them, that today we have enormous amount of perfumers - no... If there is no pure musk (with a hint of flowers) it is nothing :)

    I love (gentle) musk... musk that you can fool you 'cause you are convinced "wow, this is not perfume, this is how my skins smells like".

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  21. PEGGY11:00

    Dear Elena,
    I have never thought of why musk one of my favourite scents indulges me so much. Musk of course is one of the most famous aphodisiac notes of all times. I have read thousands of articles saying it is used among with some other notes for the most erotic recipes around the world.
    I actually never had the opportunity to smell the real thing, but some fragances that are characterized as "musk" have made me to create an "odour" Icon of what musk is.
    So musk fo me is a skin scent that brings you out your animalic character,gets you in a seductive mood and makes you think arabian nights. It wakes all hidden emotions and takes you into their road.
    Just a drop of musk is all that it takes!

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  22. I must confess I'm not really fond of musk, modern and synthetics I mean. But I realise that my favourite notes often contains a musky side. Black currant and how DSH describes it sounds exciting, I want to smell that! I like the name: MEN! But maybe the more exciting part of Musk Eau Natural is the chypre slight side.. Definitely I'd like to try it so please enter me in the draw.

    Musk for me always evokes a David Bowie song: The lady with another grinning soul:

    She'll come, she'll go.
    She'll lay belief on you
    Skin sweet with musky oil
    The lady from another grinning soul...

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  23. Fernando13:58

    This sounds very interesting. Musk is always good, though I always wonder what the real stuff from the musk deer actually smells like!

    In your list, there is "goat musk", which is not one of the three at the top which you describe as animal-derived. Is "goat musk" a plant?

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  24. I'm still looking for the perfect musk on me, so I'd really love to try this.

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  25. I read an article about a scientific study done where women were asked to smell various substance when stressed. These were unlabled. The one that was most calming was men's armpit sweat that had been "deodorized".
    I shared this with a girlfriend and she confessed that she loved to smell her husband's armpit!

    Could this have anything to do with musk? I have to find out! I've just started my perfume exploration into musks. I would love to try this!

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  26. Ooh, I'd LOVE to try this!

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  27. Anonymous17:00

    shniff, shniff, I can almost smell it...
    What a pity one can't send scented e mails like one could once send scented letters!

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  28. hotlanta linda17:04

    Trying everything scent-wise w/ glee always leads to a miles-long shopping list, but I`ll risk entering the contest even if the list grows! First musk-love for yt was Caswell- Massey`s group of musc-oils.... :-)

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  29. I adore musk! I usually stick with white clean musks, like egyptian goddess, but would love to try a dirty musk and natural musk!

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  30. Musk to me is the id of perfume, the primitive regulator of desire, instinctive in its choices and not afraid to lay it bare and raw or to envelop and comfort. Some i do not notice, others seem to penetrate the skin and exude for days. The rawest I have smelled has been Ajmal's Indian Musk AA, with its birch tar top notes and, to a lot of people, it's urinous heart. The most comforting, Helmut Lang's Eau de Parfum. perfume to me is musk, my favourite family of notes.

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  31. lilacskin01:45

    An Ode to the Notes-

    wine dark currant juice drips from my chin
    the peppered sneeze is orgasm's kin.

    ambrette, the space between little boy's toes
    angelica root is the demon's foe
    rose absolute absolutely glows.

    sandalwood, a sweet, smoky forest in
    fall
    french beeswax candles in the market stall
    and jasmin, of course, queen of it all.

    costus and cumin, a dirty sexy joke
    vetivert and patch, a wet green grope
    seaweed from the ocean and
    oud from the land
    gee, i'd love a bottle in my hand!

    -enter me in the draw ,please.

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  32. Mush is a shape-shifter, and its ability to meld and mix on someone's skin and produce different results fascinates me. During my early years of dabbing in perfumery, I've always wanted to smell like I just came out of the shower, before putting on perfume - something that would smell like a clean ME. That smell of someone when you nozzle up to the crook in their neck. I once had an Indian co-worker that smelled of Egyptian musk mixed with something so exotic that I could only attribute to herself. When she was pregnant the smell evolved and I think more of her own natural scent came through brought forward by the musk. So when I wear musk on myself it is as if I'm discovering various parts of myself for the world to see...

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  33. Lauren02:21

    I don't really find musk exciting; I find it comforting and relaxing.

    I do find DSH's work exciting, though. She really works her genius in the fragrances she creates.

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  34. I love the way musk smells on my skin - not entirely clean - just sexy, ya know? It's almost primal.

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  35. Heather B06:31

    From the soft innocent milky-ness of a child
    To the sweat of men and women gone wild
    With abandon, honeyed amber between a woman’s thighs
    And the soured sweetness after a night of sighs
    Soapy clean cuddling on freshly laundered sheets
    Musk is the olfactory meeting
    Of primal savagery
    And love’s true wage
    A serenade to narcotic like bliss
    Perfectly sweet serenity
    Anomalies made perfect by the rain
    The purity of the shower
    Bringing rebirth, death, and rebirth
    In acts of love and making love

    I would love to try Dawn’s Musk Eau Natural

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  36. I'm intrigued by the study Dixie mentioned--I find musk calming, too. It's warm and centering, an olfactory Mona Lisa smile. Clean, dirty, soapy, fizzy, furry, velvety--it's all good (so long as it isn't the kind that smells like hairspray). Yes, please, I'd love to try this one!

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  37. I'd love to try this - its the first giveaway I've entered. The fragrance sounds like it smells erotic and fascinating,

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  38. Anonymous04:53

    Well, I, too, am intrigued by musk more because of the way it excites other people! I haven't found one that smells like any skin or body part that I've smelled. In addition, none of the musks I've experienced smelled particularly of SEX or skank. Even MKK smells rather mild to my nose. (But, I haven't had the opportunity to try Tabu or Kouros). But, the list of notes sound wonderful. And I did like Madame X - if it was still in EDP, I'd buy some. And I like Dawn's work. So, I hope I win! Please enter me in the draw and thank you!
    Rachel

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  39. Anonymous07:04

    "pure carnality?"
    That sounds good. I love the idea of thin veils of that in the air clothing and skin.
    Please enter my name as well.

    cheryl

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  40. The more I read up (and smell away)on the subject of musk, the less I can grasp its essence; in turns almost indetectable, apart from the way in which it can put other notes on a pedestal and stretch their reach in space and time. And at other times, brutally animalistic, dirty even, bordering on the unwearable for all but some die-hard aficionados. In contrast, some musk-based fragrances will conjure up a world of softness, at the same time ethereal and cosy, as exemplified by some highly comforting musk-based skin scents.
    To cut a long story short, that of musk seems to be growing ever more intricate and fascinating, and I expect the natural perfume artists such as DSH will write a whole new musky chapter.

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  41. What I find fascinating about musk is that it comes in such incredible varieties. :)
    And to try a musk made by DSH? Oh yes please. I'm sure it's wonderful (pretty much everything she does is).

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  42. The easy answer is that musk is the smell of sex. But it is the moment when you smell the intense, deeply fragrant body of your brand new baby and experience that jolt of recognition, that you understand the smell of passion echoes this. Sex becomes more than just pleasure; the heat of desire echoes the fires of creation. Musk is the smell of life.

    Considered this way, musk in perfume becomes deeply symbolic. How interesting that this is the base, the note that lasts, the scent that weaves in and out of so many fragrances. Beauty may be ephemeral, but life persists. It is the struggle and striving, the love and forgiveness, the drive to learn and grow. Whether the smell of musk is a reverent whisper or a joyous shout, it says to the universe, "I am alive, and it is good!"

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  43. It sounds wonderful The only DSH I've tried was Dutch Blue Hyacinth, but it was an excellent and realistic hyacinth. I'd love to try this.

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  44. I love Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess. Have used it for years. Lately though something interesting has been happening. Where before I would smell the musk and the florals, strongly, I now only smell a sweet oil smell. Apparently it is me because I ordered a second roll on thinking I had a bad batch, and the new one smells like sweetened oil also? Very strange

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  45. I find the most exciting thing about musk to be the fact I have no clear idea what different musks smells like! I only have some experience with ambrette seed and the ubiquitous "white musk". Please do enter me in the draw if it's not too late.

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  46. What I like about musk is how it can be evocative of so many different things. Often, I find that musks remind me a bit of thrift stores--there's something that smells dirty and used, but at the same time something there is something inviting about it. The musks I like the best have animalic facets coupled with a hint of cleanness, much like a fantastic vintage jacket from Salvation Army....

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  47. rappleyea19:40

    You asked what we found exciting about musk. Actually, I don't find it exciting at all! The modern synthetics used invariably turn cloying and sickening on my skin, reducing many of the otherwise lovely perfumes to a lowest common demoninator commercial base. I only wish that I was anosmic to them!

    Which brings me to the point that I am very excited to smell Dawn's creation using raw materials that I DO love. If Musk Eau Natural approaches a skanky, animalic scent, then great, but if not, it sounds incredibly creative and individual anyway.

    Great review!

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  48. Very lovely fragrance, indeed!

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  49. I think what I find fascinating about musk is how it very often smells both clean and dirty at the same time. It's that yin and yang thing - paradoxically both repulsive and attractive at the same time. Of course, many musks come across as quite anodine, the so-called 'laundry' musks I guess, but its the more animalic ones that interest me. I've recently been exploring quite a few musks and I find the middle-eastern ones quite a challenge to wear. A lot of them do not smell in the least bit like my more western-educated nose would expect. They range from cola-accord to spicy, almost fougere-like in their aroma and this is quite confusing to me. What I will say is that musk is a very personal experience for me, very often skin scents, they are often warm, cosy and fuzzy and in my opinion best worn to satisfy one's personal bent, rather than to impress a crowd.

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  50. I don't like all kind of musks and that's exactly what I find exciting about them.
    It's a chameleonlike note. It can be clean or dirty. It can be heavenly or earthly.
    Now some musks are everywhere, in soaps and laundry detergents, but in the past some animalic musks were even banned for being too sexual and dirty. It's a ying/yang note and without it the perfume history wouldn't be the same.
    Nature is wise, and musk is nature in a drop.

    Please, enter me in the draw. I'd like to try DSH Musk Eau Naturel.

    Thank you!

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  51. This sounds incredible. The Musk project is so interesting...musks fascinate me as one person's dirty skanky musk can be another's invisible scent. Musks feel like the last mystery in fragrance as each musk scent is like a roll of the dice....will I like it? Will it work on me? Will others beg me not to wear it (Helmut Lang edp I'm talking to you!) Will I be able to smell it?

    So great and thanks for the neat review.

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  52. Zazie15:16

    I am very curious about it!
    Please enter me in the draw (if I am not too late, that is)!

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  53. Tamara*J17:08

    I love how everybody is in here trying to get some of this!
    I recognize so many blogger names ;)Whoever wins needs to let us know how it is. Oh yeah please enter me too! Love me some musk<3

    Thanks so much, Tamara Jackson
    zebra_cupcakes@yahoo.com

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  54. This reads as so lovely! I'd love to be in the drawing..

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  55. I love musky perfumes because they help us get in touch with our sensual side & to become familar with, & to not be afraid of, our natural "skin smells".

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  56. Jennifer16:11

    I think no other scent has the "range" of musks. You can relate them to maturing as you age or choose one to represent any mood that you have. They can be clean and innocent like a baby and progress into animalist scents that are just plain skin sexy!

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  57. “Oh, all right, go ahead,” Daria says. “But just the occasional overnight. No weekends. And no going out of town. We’re still a family, right?”

    “Of course! You mean the world to me—-you know that.” As he wraps his arms around her and pulls her close, she breathes in Michael’s fascinating milky, musky scent, a smell that is somehow both completely familiar and utterly new. She’s not through with him, yet—-that’s clear.

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  58. Musk--
    A paradox.
    Invitation to come closer, to intimacy.
    Light and dark.
    Dirty and clean.
    Purity and primality.
    Seductive and repellant.
    Manna and stink.
    Uplifting and debasing.
    Earthbound and divine.

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  59. I would love to try this. I have always wanted to try several DSH, but there are so many to choose from it has been difficult to narrow it down to just a few to sample....Please enter me in teh drawing (if it's not too late)

    Thank You

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  60. Everyone's submission is so very beautiful...I am having a hard time choosing!!

    For everyone's sake I will be leaving this open till Thursday 15th. Then winner will be announced on Friday.

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  61. What I love about musk: Musk is the scent that young girls turn to when they are taking their first steps into womanhood--innocent yet with a budding sexuality and worldiness.

    Musk is the scent that young women turn to when they are wanting to attract 'that certain someone'--it represents their sexual nature coming to the forefront.

    Musk is the scent that older women (cougars, if you will) turn to when they want to shout to the world (or whisper to that younger man at the end of the bar) that they are alive and want to share their experiences.

    Musk is the scent of a man--young, growing, and older. Deepening and becoming more profound with time--primal and exciting at any age.

    There are so many musk scents that you can find one for any stage and for any purpose--closeness, sex, excitement. Each musk is different the way each person is different and same musk will change its scent depending upon the person it touches.

    You never know what you are going to get until you try a specific musk--much as you'll never know what you're going to get in life until you try.

    That's why I'm fascinated with musks.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Musk is ever changing and ever fascinating. It is the scent that young girls turn to when they are taking their first steps into womanhood--innocent and wondering.

    It is the scent that women turn to when they are wanting to attract 'that certain someone'.

    It is the scent that older women (cougars, if you will) turn to when they wish to shout to the world (or whisper to the young man at the end of the bar) that they are vital and alive (and are wanting to share their experiences).

    It is the scent of a man in all stages of life--it becomes deeper and more profound with age--experienced and exciting.

    Each musk is as individual as the person wearing it. The same musk will change depending upon the person wearing it and that's the fascination I have with it.

    A musk is like life, you never know what you're going to get until you try it.

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  63. What musk brings to mind I had to put in haiku form.

    Dual Musk Haiku:

    Musk is exotic
    Far-off, distant places and
    Worldly earthiness.

    Sex, animalic
    in a state of dishabille
    a sultry lover.


    Thank you for the contest!

    ReplyDelete

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