The Musk Thread! Need to know what type is for you?

[Scylla]

Enraged Groundhog Musk is a nice spicy musk to me.

[abejita]

I agree with the Scherezade recommendation. I'd add in Bengal (skin musk and honey spice is a great combination). Also, Dorian. It's not so spicy, but it's a huge favorite of BPAL lovers in general. Shub is one of my favorites, too.

[RachelS]

How about The Lion? Yummy soft spices...

[smallvoice]

I suggest Death Adder, Shub Niggurath, Port-au-Prince, Sudha Segara, and.... Well, yeah. I'll go ahead and second everyone, instead of just stealing Shub, here. Bengal is possibly my favourite spice scent. Oh, and Hollywood Babylon... or was it Hell's Belle? I think Hell's Belle was spicier, but you might try both of those.

[goddessrobyn]

I love spice and I'm a fan of Mme. Moriarty, Perversion (which I don't think lists spices in it but definately has a spicy/sexiness to it - one of my sig scents), Chimera (another sig. scent), and of the snake blends my faves are Banded Sea Snake and Green Tree Viper.

 

Although, now that I think of it.. I think Saw Scaled Viper was the one which smelled exactly like Chimera on me so that one might be too much for you as well... but as you know with BPALs YMMV so it might be worth a try... it does have a sweeter side so it could be less spicy on you than Saw Scaled.

 

Other good spices... I like Enranged Orang. Musk (no idea what's in it) but it smells nice on dry down... OH!! And The Black Tower... spicey with wine... makes a very nice combo on me and one I wouldn't have picked out for myself (got it in a swap)

[ImperatrixMundi]

I got an imp of Bluebeard in a swap that still has the old phoenix design on the label, so it must be well aged by now.

 

When it dries and the lavender is gone this is the white musk and violet blend I always wanted. Musky goodness.

 

But the bpal musk is so different to the synthetic musk you get from other companies. At first I missed the sharp tang that it usually has but now I have started to dislike that synthetic musk smell. I just wonder what is in those musk notes since it is not real musk either.

 

Added pheromones? It makes me have naughty thoughts about men smelling like that...

 

Now I am desperate to try more blends where the musk ís very prominent and not just a base note. Lurid Library is calling to me...

[waternight]

I got an imp of Bluebeard in a swap that still has the old phoenix design on the label, so it must be well aged by now.

 

When it dries and the lavender is gone this is the white musk and violet blend I always wanted. Musky goodness.

 

But the bpal musk is so different to the synthetic musk you get from other companies. At first I missed the sharp tang that it usually has but now I have started to dislike that synthetic musk smell. I just wonder what is in those musk notes since it is not real musk either.

 

Added pheromones? It makes me have naughty thoughts about men smelling like that...

 

Now I am desperate to try more blends where the musk ís very prominent and not just a base note. Lurid Library is calling to me...

 

Oh, heed that call. Seriously. The Lurid Library is all musk on me, and it's glorious. It's similar to Smut, but minus the sugar and booze.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Oh, I never tried Smut, I'm too new to have bought it then and I am not likely to get some I guess. But sugar and booze?

 

No I think I'd rather live without it and get me some Library.

[fatalbellydance]

Oh, I never tried Smut, I'm too new to have bought it then and I am not likely to get some I guess. But sugar and booze?

 

No I think I'd rather live without it and get me some Library.

 

Smut is beyond compare, and really not that difficult to find, especially since we're (I am at least) expecting a rerelease next Lupercalia. I managed to score myself a cheap bottle without a problem. It really is worth a try as there's nothing that quite lives up to it.

[ImperatrixMundi]

ok, ok, I give in.

 

Another thing to add to the wishlist.

 

Evil enabler indeed.

[ivyandpeony]

Although today we have alternating rounds of sunshine and snow flurries, the signs of spring have me craving white musk scents. I'm kind of on an anti-fruit kick right now, though, with the exception of citruses.

 

Dolce Stil Nuovo is really hitting the spot for me, Zephyr might be the best GC white musk scent of all... I need to pull out my bottle of Mr. Ibis for a whirl, and Mania is surprisingly good because the strawberry leaf is fresh and herbal instead of overly sweet (it's stuff like berries and peach and pomegranate that seem to be turning my nose off).

 

What else do I need to be grabbing?

[Apple]

Musks are my favorite; some people always say they smell like animal sex... but if animal sex smelled that good, I'd quit my job and breed ferrets in my living room.

 

To me musk smells like clean skin. Black musk = clean men; red musk = clean women; white musk = clean babies. But that's just me.

 

I know the post quoted above is old, but the first sentence just killed me.

 

I have to agree that none of the BPAL musks smell animalic to me, but my characterization of the various "colors" of musk would be exactly the opposite. On me:

 

Black musk = clean babies (baby powder, in fact). Red musk = unclean women covering up their funk with grape-y incense. White musk = clean men, unless it's combined with vanilla (in which case it smells like a locker room full of preteen girls) or white florals (in which case it can smell very light and feminine, if a bit soapy).

 

Looking over my notes, it appears that I like "dark musk," although none of the scents containing it that I like smell particularly "dark" to me... they're all very light and fresh (e.g., Bewitched, Robin Goodfellow, Cheshire Cat). I had thought dark musk would be similar to black musk, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it doesn't turn into baby powder the way that black musk does. Bastet is one of my all-time favorite fragrances, so perhaps I also like Egyptian musk. I didn't like Salome, but I'm pretty sure it was the jasmine that killed it for me.

 

I definitely don't like vanilla musk, or scents that combine vanilla and musk (e.g., Zephyr, Dorian). I think that "infernal musk" is actually a type of red musk, and I suspect that "blood musk" contains dragon's blood resin, and I don't care for either.

 

I am less clear about the myriad of other musk descriptors here: Arabian, Chinese, African, skin, warm, golden, green, pale, blue, crystalline, rough, glassy, creeping, gilded, sexual, body, lilac, deep, warrior's, ornery hedgehog...?!

[ivyandpeony]

Thanks for resurrecting that post, that observation is hilarious!

 

...

I am less clear about the myriad of other musk descriptors here: Arabian, Chinese, African, skin, warm, golden, green, pale, blue, crystalline, rough, glassy, creeping, gilded, sexual, body, lilac, deep, warrior's, ornery hedgehog...?!

 

Don't forget honey, vanilla, amber, blonde, crypt (a favorite of mine just for the creativity alone), night, sheer, Kashmir, feral, thuggish, wild, aggressive and furious, not to mention Bandersnatch, cranky groundhog and enraged bunny. There's vegetable musk in one of the Chakra blends, too, which always gives me a funny visual.

 

I am not an expert on all the musk notes of BPAL, but on my skin I do find that pale, blue, crystalline, Chinese and white musk share a little something in common, at least when I think of the scents that contain those "varietals." I don't know what ornery hedgehog musk is but I like it! I suspect it's in the white musk family. Maybe you can only get aggressive and furious musks from bigger, scarier pretend animals.

 

Green musk (it's in 51 and Pollution, I know off the top of my head) and glassy musk (Shoggoth) seem to have something in common but that could be that all three of those scents have a certain green quality. Shoggoth seems like it could be a very fruity cousin to 51, and 51 seems like a fruity cousin of Pollution, all on my skin of course.

[ivyandpeony]

....

(a mod note - I may merge this in w/the musks thread after it gets some responses, &/or I may end up splitting the musk thread up a bit into light, dark, etc. So if anyone is having trouble finding a topic all of a sudden, just drop me a PM and I will find it for you!)

 

remember when I said this a while back? I have split up the big ole musk thread a little bit. We've got this one to discuss white and lighter musks, red musk now has its very own thread and the original one is still there to discuss the differences between all the types the Lab uses. There's also an old thread about Egyptian musk waiting to be bumped when someone wants to talk about it again.

 

There weren't enough individual posts about dark & animalic musks there to split into a topic about that subject alone - if someone needs recommendations for those specifically, it's a topic that can be established.

[parrot_suspect]

I felt compelled to bump this thread in honor of the newest and bestest musk blend ever, Creature Feature. This is pure musk -- neither too light nor too dark -- through and through. All musk lovers owe it to themselves to check this blend out. I've reviewed it here.

[odalisque]

I don't think I recall anyone discussing "skin musk" here. It's in Les Bijoux and the idea's always intrigued me, but I didn't have any idea what exactly it smelled like until last night in bed when for some reason (maybe it was that I'd had dance class, I was sweaty and my own "musk" was boosting it, sorry if that's TMI) I could clearly smell the skin musk component.

 

To me it smelled like kind of a lighter softer (but not white musk lighter) version of the musk in Morocco. I think that's "Arabian musk". Like, if Arabian musk is a soft brown velvet, then skin musk is a champagne-colored velvet. It has the same velvety rich sort of nose-feel. (White musk is like crackling-crisp white cotton to me.)

 

I wonder if maybe "skin musk" has components in common with Arabian musk. I think beyond the categories of white, dark and civet and maybe a few others, descriptors like Arabian, Chinese, Egyptian and so on might reflect a culture's traditional treatment of musks in perfume. And things like skin musk, vanilla musk, honey musk also reflect a bouquet made with musk and other accords -- contemporary musk treatments -- so skin musk and Arabian musk might be different treatments of the same or a similar scent bouquet, maybe.

Edited June 12, 2009 by odalisque

[EdenIris]

Every white/pale/crystalline/etc. musk has been an epic failure on my skin except Vechernyaya, so if you have the light musk fear, try that one. I think the patchouli grounds it and keeps it from going all soapy/acrid.

 

For reference purposes, red musk works best for me, followed by blue. Black is occasionally tolerable.

Edited June 12, 2009 by EdenIrisMae

[violetgrimm4]

I felt compelled to bump this thread in honor of the newest and bestest musk blend ever, Creature Feature. This is pure musk -- neither too light nor too dark -- through and through. All musk lovers owe it to themselves to check this blend out. I've reviewed it here.

 

Creature feature has made me fall in love with musk I need more like it!!!

 

Can somone recomend me some more musks like it?

 

[beachbabealways]

I just bought a few bars of soap from a lady in Dallas and it's called Arabian Musk. Oh I see her once a year so it will be a long time before I can get more soap.

Is Arabian musk and White musk the same thing? I just adore the Arabian and would love to find a perfume with lot's of it in it.

I don't even care if it's by another company. Any recommendations?

Edited September 21, 2009 by beachbabealways

[hlemonds]

I just bought a few bars of soap from a lady in Dallas and it's called Arabian Musk. Oh I see her once a year so it will be a long time before I can get more soap.

Is Arabian musk and White musk the same thing? I just adore the Arabian and would love to find a perfume with lot's of it in it.

I don't even care if it's by another company. Any recommendations?

 

I'm not certain how the lab's Arabian Musk would compare, but Snake Charmer lists arabian musk as the first note. It can be a bit hard to find, but perhaps see if you can track down a decant?

 

I thought i had seen it mentioned that Arabian Musk is a close relative of Red Musk (as far as the lab's notes are concerned) but i've no idea if it's true.

 

 

And as for the thread's topic, i've finally found a Red Musk that works PERFECTLY on me! I've got a few blends that are "almosts" (Mme. Moriarty was ok, but a bit too head-shop for my tastes; Midnight Kiss is also good, but maybe a hair too grape-y; and Snake Charmer which is good, but i have to be in the mood for smelling very incense-y)

 

Mircalla is a divine Beth-Goddess creation of mythical Red Musk proportions! I kid you not, this sh!t smells so good i truly would bath in it.

 

Oh, and The Girl is vanilla and pale musk perfection.

 

K, done now

 

[cinnamonster]

I felt compelled to bump this thread in honor of the newest and bestest musk blend ever, Creature Feature. This is pure musk -- neither too light nor too dark -- through and through. All musk lovers owe it to themselves to check this blend out. I've reviewed it here.

 

Creature feature has made me fall in love with musk I need more like it!!!

 

Can somone recomend me some more musks like it?

 

 

I think it's like Ivanushka.

[Alchemist]

I just bought a few bars of soap from a lady in Dallas and it's called Arabian Musk. Oh I see her once a year so it will be a long time before I can get more soap.

Is Arabian musk and White musk the same thing? I just adore the Arabian and would love to find a perfume with lot's of it in it.

I don't even care if it's by another company. Any recommendations?

 

I'm also in love with Arabian musk. Once I have bought Arabian musk from the site www.thepurplepeople.org . This scent is to die for

 

Arabian and White musks are different in my opinion. Arabian musk is a bit more chilly. I compared the Body shop white musk and arabian musk from purplepeople. They are absolutely different. Arabian musk is better....

I love this scent alone.....

 

However, I haven't tried a BPAL oil taht contains Arabian musk...

[hlemonds]

Is it just me or do Red Musk scents seem to be a little short lived? It seems as though i only get a few hours wear from Mircalla (although it is still totally worth it, don't get me wrong). It lingers in my hair or if some of the oil gets on the collar of my shirt, but on my skin it only lasts maybe 4-5 hours tops. Snake Charmer seems to do the same thing, and Midnight Kiss as well. For some reason light musks and skin musk seem to last a really long time on me (The Girl, Velvet Nudie, Illustrated Woman).

[parrot_suspect]

Is it just me or do Red Musk scents seem to be a little short lived? It seems as though i only get a few hours wear from Mircalla (although it is still totally worth it, don't get me wrong). It lingers in my hair or if some of the oil gets on the collar of my shirt, but on my skin it only lasts maybe 4-5 hours tops. Snake Charmer seems to do the same thing, and Midnight Kiss as well. For some reason light musks and skin musk seem to last a really long time on me (The Girl, Velvet Nudie, Illustrated Woman).

 

Hillary, have you tried Scherezade, Spellbound or The Grindhouse? Those are all pretty long lasting on me.

 

I agree, Snake Charmer doesn't have quite the lasting power I'd prefer. It's a gorgeous scent, though! Does it even have red musk? I have yet to try Mircalla, but I have a bottle on the way so I'll let you know if my experience is similar to yours.

[beachbabealways]

I just bought a few bars of soap from a lady in Dallas and it's called Arabian Musk. Oh I see her once a year so it will be a long time before I can get more soap.

Is Arabian musk and White musk the same thing? I just adore the Arabian and would love to find a perfume with lot's of it in it.

I don't even care if it's by another company. Any recommendations?

 

I'm also in love with Arabian musk. Once I have bought Arabian musk from the site www.thepurplepeople.org . This scent is to die for

 

Arabian and White musks are different in my opinion. Arabian musk is a bit more chilly. I compared the Body shop white musk and arabian musk from purplepeople. They are absolutely different. Arabian musk is better....

I love this scent alone.....

 

However, I haven't tried a BPAL oil taht contains Arabian musk...

 

Oh my gosh ... thank you so much!

 

I bought a couple bottles of Snake Charmer (it has AM in it) when it came out the second time but it smelt dirty (to me) or like bad BO. :yikes: