Musc Ravageur--I finally get it
I was excited about 2 months ago to get a decent of Musc Ravageur because of the great reviews I read. I was looking for an animalic Musk but something mild that wasn’t too hairy and didn’t have legs like some hardcore animalic-musks. Being new to the fragrance scene, I did my research and took the plunge for a 2 ml decant. I did most of my research at Fragrantica and Parfumo. Well, I got my decant and did the test on wrist, I was disappointed. Not disappointed in that Musc Ravageur wasn’t a good scent; disappointed in that it wasn’t a good scent fit for me at that moment. Also, I was expecting more musk scent to be honest-that I wasn’t detecting at the time. Have you heard that you can train your nose? Well, it’s true. I’ve done this with essential oils and perfumes, and now Musc Ravageur. I’ve been going back and retesting MR about every three weeks and up until today it’s been mostly gourmand and powdery-floral. Mind you, MR was one of the first decants I purchased. Today, I finally get the musk note and it was quite glorious. It didn’t hit me like a ton of bricks. I still get the beautiful floral lavender. The vanilla, tangerine, lavender, and Tonka bean I think make MR seem more floral and sweeter as well as the white powdery slightly animalic-musk. The opening is quite unique. Here, I detect a very peculiar but admirable sexy-musty tinge that fades on dry down; this is my favorite part of the fragrance. I very so wish I had the original formula—being more animalic. However, I can see the brilliance in the perfumer Maurice Roucel. Musc Ravageur is one of the reasons why I like fragrances. In the beginning, I didn’t care for the scent for my personal use, now I’m thinking in terms of a larger decant or full bottle worthy. I can’t say this enough—Train you nose, don’t give up on a fragrance the first time you smell it, learn about the essential oils, absolutes, aroma chemicals and ingredients in the bottle. Oh, and train your nose. Oh, and train your nose. Say it with me! The tangerine provides its sweetness and is paired with bergamot and oodles of lavender. In the heart notes, you get ample offerings of cinnamon and cloves which gets feeling gourmand. Pretty spicy and sweet energy going on by now. There is no shortage of vanilla in the base notes as well as vanilla, musk, amber, tonka bean, sandalwood, cedarwood and Guaiac wood. IMO, Guaiac wood is the often-unsung hero in many base note accords. At times, I think I can smell the guaiac wood in MR. By itself, Guaiac wood can be unimpressive but paired with other notes such as sandalwood and cedar, it can be a really valuable scent material. IMO this is a unisex fragrance. I notice some guys fear and steer away from the powdery or floral fragrances and that it may not be what they’re looking for. I guess it’s up to the individual, but I certainly think we should consider giving some things a try that we normally wouldn’t try or give a chance to. I don’t think it’s necessarily a fragrance for a guy to wear with his buddy to go fishing or out at poker night with the guys. It's more of date night with your significant other. That’s why people have so many fragrances—there’s a fragrance for every situation and event. It also depends on your emotions and what you’re feeling in that particular moment. Being a male myself I am learning to appreciate more florals in men’s frags and unisex perfumes. I like both—I do have threshold of how much floralcy I like in colognes. The more I educate myself on the subject, the more I understand—the more I understand—the more I appreciate. It helps with my PTSD as well. It’s win—win. But most of all, be comfortable in what you wear! All in all, I highly recommend this fragrance. It’s certainly worth a sample from such a great perfume house. Thanks to Surrender to Chance for great customer service-appreciated.