A Favorite: Must de Cartier

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Cartier Must de Cartier

Galbanum, Brazilian Rosewood, Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, Green Mandarin, Peach, Pineapple, Leather, Carnation, Vetiver, Orris Root, Musk, Ylang-Ylang, Yellow Narcissus, Neroli, Rose, Jasmine, Orchid, Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Civet, Vetiver

Must, released in 1981, was Cartier's first fragrance. Scents from that decade tend to be stereotyped as brash, suitable as a finishing touch for women who favor big shoulder pads, big earrings, even bigger hair, and lots of blusher. That may have been true of Giorgio and Poison. Must, however, seems much more from the era of classical fragrance that preceded it, containing a complex cocktail of numerous notes that are so well-blended that few stand out, apart from the unusual combination of top notes. 

I'm pretty sure I first encountered Must in the early 90s, which would have been after it was reformulated. I received my bottle as a gift in the early 2000s, and its scent seems to have always been this way to me. In those days--before I understood fragrance notes and the way they were supposed to smell--rather than perceiving greenness in Must's galbanum top note, I felt it smelled...brown. The peculiar combination of earthy galbanum with some citrus and fizzy aldehydes, backed up with pineapple and lots of flowers somehow evoked chocolate. It's like a whiff of an open can of cocoa powder, a bit bitter and somewhat dusty, but recognizably chocolate. Though I now know that galbanum is considered a green note, Must is still far more brown in character, especially as the tapestry of floral notes is rather dusty and mingled with hints of leather, powder, and civet in the base.

I have read comparisons to other scents of the time, particularly Calvin Klein's Obsession. While they share similar bones (citrus, sandalwood, musky drydown), they are entirely different fragrances. I wore Obsession in the 80s, in college, and it seems far more fun and youthful with its vanilla and spice overtones, while Must is far more grown-up. Though this is said from a distance; I haven't owned both fragrances at the same time. (That's about to change--thanks, Fragrancenet!) In any case, Must de Cartier is a beautiful classic fragrance that deserves to be discovered and worn today and beyond.

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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.

Eau de Boujee (formerly Boujee Bougies)

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I've mentioned here before that I am susceptible to blind buys, and also to the influence of one Suzy Nightingale's recommendations. So when Boujee Bougies had a 40% off sale, I went crazy. I originally wanted their four currently available scents in travel sprays, but when I saw how insane the postage was, I ordered three travel sprays, a full bottle, and a candle. Just to get my money's worth. The candle, which I have not yet lit, is Succulent, and it smells amazing in its solid, non-melted, state. I am fond of green scents, so I decided Verdant would be the full bottle, and Gilded, Queen, and Quir the travel sprays. While I do not regret my overall purchase, I do wish I had chosen either Gilded or Quir as my full bottle, as both of them are more to my liking. Read on for more of my thoughts on this brand. Quotes are from the Boujee Bougies website. 

Gilded

Lemon, Saffron, Gold accord, Frankincense oil, Frankincense resin, Carnation, Cedar Leaf, Beeswax absolute, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Labdanum, Leather, Civet, Musk

All that is gilded will be bold. A celestial temple of golden light transcends Earthly reality. The whispered mysteries of ancient spirits, covered in gold by awe and time. All life endeavours to ascend to a higher plane, a state attained through incense and devoted spirituality.

This is such an unusual scent! I'm not sure what gold is supposed to smell like, even though I studied to be a gemologist and worked in a jewelry store for a few years. I never noticed a smell, metallic or otherwise. But the combination of lemon and saffron, which are both obviously yellow in color, does promote an overall sensation of gilding. Despite the beeswax, frankincense, and myrrh, I'm not getting a sensation of a literal church. However, I am feeling a large and airy space brightly lit by the yellow sunlight streaming in through multistory windows. There's something almost fruity about the drydown, and I'm not getting the leather or civet. In any case, this one is definitely FBW for me.

Queen

Rhubarb, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Carrot seed, Rose, Violet, Raspberry leaf, Geranium, Iris, Black tea, Benzoin, Opoponax, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Earthy notes, Musk

Alice stepped through the looking glass and was made Queen, and now she's thrown a tantrum and there are jam tarts everywhere. The sweetness of Victoriana is set to the soundtrack of a hallucinogenic dream. Honeyed black tea is spilled. Red and white roses dance around a mushroom.

I must say I'm a little disappointed in this one. On my skin, it's all rose and raspberry, not particularly sweet or jammy. It even gets a little dusty in the drydown and reminds me of the reason why I tend not to like rose scents: too many of them make me think of scented bath tissue from the 70s/80s. I wish that any of the other notes came out on my skin. On paper, it's a bit more interesting, and I get the tartness of the rhubarb, the carrot seed/iris, some of the black tea. But no jam tarts, or even sweetness, definitely no hallucinogens. 

While Queen is fine, it's just not my cuppa. However, I think it might be quite nice layered with Quir.

Quir

Bergamot, Pink pepper, Amber Xtreme, Rose absolute, Tobacco absolute, Leather harness accord, Castoreum, Cashmeran, Patchouli, Labdanum, Musk

Explicit acceptance and subversive joy in a secret world of leather and pleasure. A celebration of defiant exuberance, the spectrum of individuality and identity. Patent leather glistens amid well-worn biker jackets, adorned with spiced floral corsages.

Perhaps my skin cleans up naughty scents, but I don't find anything particularly subversive about Quir, despite the "leather harness accord" and beaver butt gland juice. Quir is all about tobacco and gentle leather on my skin, with patch and musk at the base. It's cozy and comforting and quite delicious and I might have to spring for a full bottle if BB has another fabulous sale. Better yet, once it's sold here in the states, so I can avoid the insane shipping costs. 

Verdant

Timut pepper, Neroli, Cactus accord, Violet leaf, Tomato leaf, White flowers, Australian Sandalwood, Javanol, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Concrete accord, Musk

New verdant air reaches skyscraper heights as millions of green stems weave through brutalist buildings from some distant past when humans ruled the Earth. A dewy mist lightly hovers over the concrete jungle, and a desert has turned into an oasis. New life can begin.

Several of the green fragrances I own and love rely on galbanum and basil to create the sensation of walking through a forest or meadow or whathaveyou. Verdant, however, has an unusual cactus accord (which unfortunately contains Calone, one of my most-hated fragrance ingredients) that gives off the vibes of a moist greenhouse, also the sensation of snapping a fat aloe vera leaf to get to the healing ooze within.  But I'm getting ahead of myself. The opening notes are a fleeting bright citrus aroma and a slight tingle of spice that comes from the timut pepper, a cousin of Sichuan pepper that is not actually a member of the pepper family but is a bud of the prickly ash tree. 

While I dislike Calone and its "marine" sensation (I don't understand wanting to smell like something that's washed up on a beach, or sushi), I can live with it in Verdant, being that there's a lot of other, more delicious, things going on in the fragrance, such as two different kinds of sandalwood, a lovely grassy vetiver, and musk. 

One other thing: Verdant is a prime example of a scent that must be tried on skin. On blotter paper, it is all about the tomato leaf and white flowers, with no noticeable marine note. It's joyful and delicious. On skin, at least my skin, it's almost an entirely different fragrance. 

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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.

Maya Njie

photo illustration of Minnie Riperton by theminx

I had heard Suzy Nightingale mention Maya Nije's fragrances more than once on the On the Scent podcast, and of course she recommended Vanilj to me in a fragrant prescription. I desperately wanted to try the line but wasn't even sure I'd be able to get hold of samples. Lucky me, the company very recently started shipping to the US--in fact, I received an email saying I was one of their first US customers.

Maya Nije, of Scandinavian and Gambian heritage, started her line in 2016. Fascinated by photographs from the 60s and 70s and their faded color palettes, she wondered what those pictures would smell like. And so she made those photos come to life. 

As a self-taught perfumer, her practice was developed through experimentation; the blending of raw materials with a variety of essential oils, aroma compounds and resins; nature and science combining in autobiographical fragrances. Maya’s olfactory identity draws inspiration from her upbringing, as well as an archive of intimate family photographs from the 1960s; the small Swedish summer house surrounded by mercurial forests, the visits to her grandparents’ sparsely furnished flat on Sunday afternoons, Uncle Lars' and Aunt Erene’s wedding. A bottling of a time, place and spirit.

included in the discovery set were these reproductions of family
 photos with descriptions of each scent on the backs.

A lovely concept, and some lovely scents.

Les Fleurs

Bergamot, Neroli, Pulpy Fig, Citrusy Magnolia, Floral Musk, Unwilted Wood

This scent takes me back nearly 40 years to sleepovers at my then-best friend's house, where I would camp out on the floor in the room she shared with her younger sister. The room smelled of her shampoo and the whole house smelled of her father's cigarettes. I am guessing that the "unwilted" wood note is what might be evoking the nicotine for me. It's not very strong, more of a suggestion lurking beyond the huge floral muskiness of it all. I am also reminded of Faberge Babe, which I wore from time to time in the late 70s--early 80s. Inspired by Minnie Riperton's 1970 song by the same name, Les Fleurs is a well-blended evocation of big hair, lip gloss, fun times, and youth.

Nordic Cedar

Cardamom, Patchouli, Musk, Cedarwood, Ambergris

I've never smelled anything like this before. Nordic Cedar starts out underwater, as if the solid forms of cardamom pods, patchouli leaves, and cedar branches are submerged in a body of fresh water. There's nothing marine about this scent at all, mind you, it's merely watery. After a few moments, the water effect evaporates, so to speak, revealing the scent of fresh lumber dusted with ground cardamom over a lightly musky base. 

Tobak

Tobacco Leaf, Vetiver, Cinnamon, Tonka, Musk, Leather

The first sniff of Tobak took my husband back to barbershops of his youth, with their scents of pomades, hair oils, and that powder they put on and brushed off the back of necks to make sure there weren't any itchy hairs left behind. And cigarette smoke, of course, because everyone smoked back then. The scent was actually inspired by Maya's memories of her grandfather's apartment, which smelled of pipe tobacco and the cinnamon buns her mom would bake to take on visits. And while it leans masculine, I think anyone could wear it. Tobak is pleasantly warm and cozy, yet light, and would be perfect in the cooler months.

Tropica

Citrus, Pineapple, Mediterranean Fig, Iris, Coconut, Ambergris, Sandalwood

I am sunning myself on a lounge chair somewhere on the Mediterranean coast, cold drink in hand, reminiscing about the pina coladas of a long ago Hawaiian vacation. Right now, however, the breeze is wafting the scent of figs my way. Though fig and coconut play quite nicely together, I am immediately snapped out of my tropical reverie. Tropica's juicy pineapple note fades too quickly for my liking and is replaced by fig. While not a favorite note of mine, I appreciate that the fig in Tropica is more creamy than green (or dusty, as I perceive fig in some cases). The sandalwood in the drydown is subtle and really allows the fig to shine. Some might dismiss Tropica as a "beachy" scent, but I'm betting that it is quite cozy in the colder months as well as a great scent for summer.

Vanilj

Vanilla, Cardamom, Patchouli, Musk, Cedarwood, Amber

Vanilj is Nordic Cedar with the added surprise of vanilla. Rather than starting out underwater, the spicy and woody elements of Vanilj are submerged in a bowl of warm milk flavored with vanilla and just the barest hint of sweetness. Though the name of the scent is vanilla in Swedish, the cardamom and cedarwood are nearly as strong. Totally unisex and completely delicious. 

Voyeur Verde

Bergamot, Mandarin, Cypress, Rosewood, Fennel, Iris, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, Leather, Cedarwood, Frankincense

This opens with a blast of green that is both sharp and dry, almost a bit like turpentine, but not quite. Personally, I love the smell of turpentine, as it takes me back to my art school days. (This turps scent is not as noticeable on my skin, sadly.) I can then smell the iris--but not the ylang ylang--which marries beautifully with the leather. The drydown is rather like a pair of brand new leather gloves that come packaged in a box lined with cedarwood. I can detect a bit of incense as well, but the leather predominates on my skin as well as on paper. I'd say the scent is fairly unisex but that it leans toward masculine. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks