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

[SKiser]

Ok, here goes. I love musks. I did the search on the BPAL website and came up with 74 options I really don't know where to start. I like Jovan White Musk, but have never tried a "black" or "red" musk. I like light florals, Vanilla and some spicy notes. I received a 5ml of Snake Oil today. I know there is no musks in it but all I smell is the incense/spice. I don't smell any Vanilla. But after scouring the forum I've decided to keep it and try again a few more times. I know I can't do overly sweet perfumes(example Pink Sugar) any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Edited August 28, 2008 by ivyandpeony
changed title when threads were split

[pekeana]

Scherezade is a good spicy musk -- but a lot of people think it smells incensey.

 

Dragon's Heart is another good resin/musk combination.

 

Forbidden Fruit might be another good one to try.

[Unseelie]

i don't know the branded perfumes you mention, but wanted to mention Queen Mab.

you like florals, and Mab is a really deep creamy orchid. "Chinese Musk" is a listed note, and i think that's what gives it such depth and the sweet milky quality.

 

From the lab desc:

Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.

 

Forum Reviews.

 

i'm a "spice girl" myself, and thought i didn't like florals, so my total addiction to this one.. maybe it's the sandalwood, musk & orchid.. makes me want to mention it.

 

Cheers!

[Shollin]

Zephyr is a fantastic white musk with just enough vanilla to make me hungry. It's one of my favourites.

[phaedrine]

Haunted is my favorite bpal musk blend.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Oisin, Zephyr, Queen Mab, Psyche, Hell's Belle, Juliet and Katharina, Bathsheba.

 

These seem to fit the criteria and they are ones I really like or love.

[ViolentKitten]

Ooh yes, totally agree with Zephyr ...lovely.

 

Also Fae, I love that one with its heavenly white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.

 

Also maybe Old Morocco and Tushnamatay.

[Lucretia]

I say Zephyr and Desire

[heartbeast]

I second Scherezade. It is a smooth and rich musk; the incense notes support and complement.

[luxe]

Zephyr and Hell's Belle, I love them.

[Summerpixy]

I'll second Katharina.. it's my favorite musk blend

[hypothermya]

I adore musk scents, but I don't wear vanilla very well. All the same, here are some recs:

 

Katharina: the orange blossom ends up smelling a great deal like vanilla, and it's a love sweet, crisp musk.

 

Endymion: It's got white florals, white musk, and pear. A very lovely, elegant, yet sweet blend.

 

Dragon's Heart: For the darker musks, this is a favorite of mine.

 

Scherezade: You mentioned being dissapointed that Snake Oil smelled like incense, so I'd warn you that Scherezade has been compared to incense before. However that red musk (possibly the most sexy of all BPAL musks) really saves this scent for me, and makes it not only wearable but absolutely lovely.

 

Bewitched: A touch of green, a bunch of berries and sweetness, and a wonderfully dark musk. It's a pretty popular blend and has been compared with Republic of Tea's Blackberry Sage tea. I really love it.

 

Embalming Fluid: Another popular white musk blend, this one is a very clean, refreshing scent -- perfect for summers or days when you feel like smelling clean.

 

The Lady of Shalott: A watery musk scent. Absolutely lovely, and the ginger gives it just the right amount of spice.

 

Zephyr: If you like vanilla and citrus, this is for you.

[xoe]

I'd just like to put in a recommendation for Oisin. It is a beautiful light musk. Really beautiful!

[Lit Chick]

To me, Red Devil smells very musky and spicy - no incense. I'd have to highly recommend that. It's not my favorite scent ever, but DH adores it, and the one time I wore it in public I got lots of attention from the males.

[SKiser]

To me, Red Devil smells very musky and spicy - no incense.  I'd have to highly recommend that.  It's not my favorite scent ever, but DH adores it, and the one time I wore it in public I got lots of attention from the males.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hmmmmmmmm, I can be a little devilish too

[theshapeshifter]

While I'm waiting for my first and second BPAL orders to arrive, I'm already pondering future purchases... and one thing I'm wondering about is musk. I've had bad luck in the past with musk going kind of sweaty/body-odor-ish on me, but I admit I've only tried it a couple of times, several years ago. (And products that were no doubt not nearly as good as BPAL!)

 

So I'm apprehensive about musk, and have so far shied away from ordering anything with it listed... but then again, some things sound SO good to me otherwise. I was wondering what scents you might recommend to the slightly musk-phobic? Something where it's present, but not overpowering?

[Ina Garten Davita]

The light musk blends are wonderful!

 

Dorian

Zephyr

Grandmother of Ghosts

Oisin

Fae

Whitechapel

Psyche

Juliet

Katharina

 

Queen Mab is gorgeous with Chinese musk.

 

Other musk blends that aren't very "musky" on me are...

Bathsheba

Desire

Dragon's Heart

Black Forest (the dark musk is really soft and tempered by the woods)

Black Rose

Phantom

Morocco

[babykitty]

I don't do musks well, but I ADORE Dorian!!! I had forgotten the 3 musks in it when I purchased it & I was convinced I would need to swap it away. But it's really really nice!

 

Queen Mab is nice.

[Miggins]

I have the problem that my skin amps up musk over everything else and it seems to be more "red" musks that do that. I love Black Pearl - it's a lovely soft "blue-tinged" musk under the coconut notes.

[tempete]

My experience has been that dark musk smells like the traditional, animalic musks. I tend to avoid BPALs listing dark musk as a note (Phantom, Hecate), the major exception being Bewitched (which balances dark musk with berries and greenness).

 

In contrast to Miggins, I really enjoy red musk, which I find to be sweeter and rounder than traditional musks. Some red musk blends that I adore are Scherezade, Spellbound and Fenris Wolf.

 

White musk smells kind of bubbly and effervescent to my nose. My favourite white musk BPALs are Fae, Black Pearl and Whitechapel.

 

I've tried a few BPALs containing black musk, but I couldn't really pick out how it was different from red and white musks. However, I can wholeheartedly recommend Haunted - if you can carry off amber and musk, it is stunning.

 

I'm not sure what kind of musk is in Morocco (description only specifies "warm musk"), but it's a wonderful scent.

 

I'm not as familiar with Egyptian, Arabian or Chinese musks since I've tried precisely one BPAL containing these musks - Bastet, Othello and Queen Mab, respectively - and they're all on the sweet side, which doesn't sit well with me.

 

My suggestion is to do a search for BPALs containing "musk" in the description (you'll get 76 hits) and then pick out the ones that contains notes (beside musk) that you'd like to try. If you spread your choices between the different types of musk, chances are you'll find a musk-containing BPAL that works for you.

[lavinia]

antique lace and pele

[mmcfa2]

embalming fluid has a very light white musk!

[Penance]

Dorian and Oisin are both gorgeous non-musky blends that have musk in them. I'd highly recommend them both!

[Spanglemaker]

"Haunted" is mostly amber but it has a wee bit of musk. It also is a pretty soft scent (not real strong).

[joseybird]

omg Oisin omg Oisin omg Oisin omg Oisin

 

That is all I have to say on the subject