Musc Maori is fragrance no. 4 in the Parfumerie Generale line up. The notes are bergamot, Cumaru wood, coffee tree blossom, white musk, cocoa bean, abstract flower accord, tonka bean, vanilla scented musk and amber.
Musc Maori starts with, as promised, bergamot, wood, and coffee, but I don't notice them as separate entities. It has a fizzy quality about it, and for about 10 minutes, it is very reminiscent of an old fashioned New York Egg Cream, that fantastic concoction of milk, chocolate syrup, and seltzer water that is mysteriously hard to find these days, even in the city. I am not a huge fan of chocolate fragrances, whether sophisticated (Serge Lutens Borneo) or just fun (Serendipitous), but those 10 minutes were a real kick. Recently I read an article that suggested that foody fragrances might actually contribute to overeating, and I can certainly vouch for the fact that this fragrance inspired a tremendous longing for a real Egg Cream.
After that, it is a soft, milky vanilla musk with a very subtle chocolate woods undertone. It is sweet, but not as heavy as it sounds. A slight hint of something fizzy lingers on for the first hour, then fades into a velvety, lightly powdered finish. It is very nicely done, and more sophisticated than the Egg Cream part, but I was sorry to see the Egg Cream part go. Recommended for fans of vanilla musk fragrances.
For buying information, see the listing for Parfumerie Generale under Perfume Houses.
Tomorrow: Bvlgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge.
They have adjusted the cost, ooh, I am in trouble. I filled in their Malle-esque questionnaire yesterday and within an hour an extremely nice and helpful person replied with very thorough recommendations. I mean he analysed each scent I sais I was wearing etc. And he did say they were adjusting the cost. Yippi, I feel like I owe it him to order a sample or two, because he was so very knowledgeable and nice. 🙂
M, what were your recommendations?
I like the simple, clean lines of the packaging. This was not my type of fragrance at all, but it is nicely done. Is Egg Cream like a milkshake?
Same here. They analyzed my answers and recommended Intrigant Patchouli. Sounds like I *would* like it. 🙂
V, an Egg Cream is sort of like a chocolate ice cream soda without the ice cream. You can approximate it at home by mixing chocolate syrup with milk & seltzer water, but it is not the same because 1) the seltzer won't be right unless you have one of those canister thingies and 2) they used a particular brand of chocolate syrup, Fox's. Hersheys doesn't taste the same.
I had one recently in Dean & Deluca and it was not what I remembered.
It is not, strictly speaking, my kind of fragrance either, but as you can see I am a little fanatical about Egg Creams and so the top notes literally make me smile.
J, is “intrigant” a French word, and what does it mean?
I too did the questionnaire (for FM too =P) and someone personally wrote me back and recommended L'EAU DE CIRCE, and possibly L'EAU RARE MATALE but he recommended the NEW no.9 that will be launched in march/april… can't wait =) PLUS the shipping has been adjusted, where 2 samples cost under 22 Euros… definitely feasible…
R, I am not surprised that foody fragrances, particularly with chocolate or foody vanilla notes, make one want to overeat!
Serendipitous makes me want to eat ice cream and cookies, while Vanille Abricot makes me want to eat birthday cake!
Hugs!
Not a big vanilla lover but this one does sound interesting.
It means 'who likes intrigues', 'is constantly plotting'. It doesn't make sense in this context, though, so I expect *they* think it means 'intriguing'. Perhaps it's meant for the English-speaking market. I would call it a 'faux ami' (sounds like an English word, but has a completely different meaning).
Aha! That explains the fact that just about the only helpful English reference I could find was in a Wikipedia discussion about online trolls.
Ah, now I am very curious about #9!
R, I wish I could find the link to that article. They recommended that you wear Lavender as an antidote to overeating, I think. It would certainly work for me since I don't much like lavender! Hugs to you…
B, it is a fun scent — I am not a big vanilla lover either but I am easily swayed by scents that bring up nice memories.
What's with the name of this one? It leaped out at me because I'm from New Zealand.
I've been suspicious for a while now that dessert-like fragances are fattening. I don't like them becuse they make me hungry!
R,
He recommended Cuir Venenum and L'Eau de Circé. But I also definitely want to try the tea fragrance you reviewed yesterday.
I wondered the same thing, and have no ideas! Is cocoa a part of Maori culture?
R, Musc Maori is the one I´m most interested in, but after reading that it starts very foody I have to admit that I shy away from it.
I think it´s true that foody scents contribute to overeating. I always get hungry when smelling a foody scent & I hate that! I mean, I don´t hurry to the fridge & eat everything that I can get a hold of, but I just feel like wanting to eat something sweet, cookies or chocolate & or something like that. I find that to be somewhat disturbing…
I´m surprised that everybody got an answer from the Parfumerie Genarle – I didn´t…oh well…perhaps I´ll get one, too – or they can´t find one that fits me *lol*
Not sure about the frag, but now I want one of those drinks too! Sounds like a lot like these chocolate sodas I used to get from this one drug store's soda shop counter before they went out of business. But I think they used half and half, not milk.
Still trying to resist the temptation with the lowered shipping – less than a week to go before Xmas. You're very dangerous to my wallet, R, you know that?
Lionel, from Parfums Pierre Guillaume, described Musc Maori thus: 'it's very sweet, amber with a little something immaterial…' I'm intrigued by the 'something immaterial'!
He described 'Intrigant Patchouli' (my other recommendation) as 'powdered, hard to define between sweetness and animalic feeling l(ike in Musc Ravageur) very changing… very very good staying power…'. The very mention of Musc Ravageur has my credit card leaping from my purse!
I was very impressed by the prompt response.
No, it's not! LOL!
N, Musc Ravageur…interesting. Wouldn't have thought of it, but then, I don't like MR *ducks* and the IP is, of course, patchouli so I don't like it either, although only gave it one brief try so far.
K, Imagine you could make it with cream, but it isn't usually rich. The magic is in the fizz 😉
S, they gave up on you, LOL! If you don't have an answer yet, perhaps you should resend since it sounds like they were pretty prompt with everyone else.
Just want to add here (too late and you don't need to answer), that I took the questionnaire and just received an answer, apologizing that it took so long (just one day) but explaining that since their line has begun to be known in the US, they have had “more and more” requests. I wonder what percentage of those came from readers of your blog:) The analysis was quite accurate (it should have been; I mentioned about 12 perfumes:), and he receommended CUIR VENENUM (which I'm sure I'd like) and INTRIGANT PATCHOULI (not as certain, but quite probable). Thanks again for the fabulous blog. J
J, and thank you for the lovely compliment 🙂
Well, I cannot hold out any longer, I am ordering a few of the 7.5ml sizes, the Musc Maori, L'eau Rare Matale, and based on their suggestion to me after the questionaire, also L'eau de Circe. While I am at it, is there another I should get?
Torn between recommending Coze, Cologne Grand Siecle, and Cuir Venenum. Thought all 3 were good, but in very different ways. Cologne Grand Siecle is probably the one I like the best of the 3, but it also might be the least unusual of the 3.
LOL, well, R, maybe I should just order the set of all of them in 10ml bottles 🙂 I think it was 75€ for the set.
I am cautious…would start with a couple of samples and make sure the line interests you!
I am leaving a coment here even though these posts were made some time ago. I love this fragrance. It is sweet and edible but it is also drop dead sexy. Even my husband can't get enough. This is dark chocolate to me, not milk chocolate with candied orange peel like CSP Amor de Cacoa or Serendipitios. Yes there is a coffee note, and I'm not that into coffee in my frags but this just makes the chocolate more soulful. And the musk is what makes this highly addictive, yum! I will be buying this as soon as my huge sample is gone!
So glad it found another fan, K. This is a great line and I wish they'd find a distributor in the US.
10 years after the review I finally tried this – what it really reminded me of is a chocolate orchid. I have smelled them at orchid shows, and had someone familiar with the flower whiff my wrist and he agreed. I got off on wearing this – it is exceptionally strange but so intriguing to smell so chocolately and yet not like candy.
How interesting — I'll have to find a chocolate orchid to smell!
I've just tried this today and after an hour I still smell like a sugar cookie. I must have one messed up PH because I never get all those exotic awakenings of a scent. This started out like gently boozed egg nog on me and now just vanilla sugar with a hint of powder. It smells a bit like a plastic doll's head, if that makes sense to you. I'll wear it for a couple days and ask folks what they think of it, but I'm not going to purchase the bottle. Shame, as I had envisioned a far more masculine scent with Maori in the title.
Nope, there's nothing masculine about it. Sounds like you've saved some $$, at any rate 🙂