Blind Buy: Dossier Free the Musk

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Dossier Free the Musk

Cardamom, Cinnamon, Lily of the Valley, Clove, Ylang Ylang, Fresh Jasmine, White Musks, Amber Woods, Myrrh, Caramel

I had never purchased from Dossier before I took a recent plunge on one of their original scents. The company primarily does dupes of super-popular fragrances like Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 and Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille--stuff in which I have little to no interest. Dupes rarely smell like the real thing anyway, and as cheap as they are, it's usually a you-get-what-you-pay-for situation. But I like musks, and I enjoy spicy amber scents, so I figured this one was right up my alley. Plus, they were having a sale, so I was able to snag it for less than $20.

Free the Musk starts out with a strong and photorealistic cardamom note along with a bright effervescence. Unfortunately, on my skin, that fizziness is more like a cheap, yeasty, American lager than something more pleasant, like champagne. It's definitely my skin doing that, because on paper that funkiness is more easily identified as a floral note, possibly the jasmine or the muguet or both. There's a definite sweetness in there too, which is a little much for me. Though it's not a dupe, it's giving Baccarat Rouge vibes, though with different spices and a buttery caramel rather than a burnt sugar note. Considering the popularity of BR540, it's no wonder that other fragrances are copying that sweet floral woody-amber thing. Fortunately, all that vaguely repulsive (to me) stuff goes away after a couple hours, leaving a nice white musk scent that stays close to the skin. 

Was this a safe blind buy? I'm going to say no. At least not for me. I love the first minute of Free the Musk, hate the next 1 hour and 59 minutes, and then like the drydown quite a bit. I'm sure other folks will love it though, so it should be a good seller for Dossier.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.