Sanguine Muskissime was one of Maître Parfumeur et Gantier's original fragrance offerings when the line was established in 1988. It is composed of bergamot, mandarin, peach, blood orange, grapefruit, lemon, jasmine, musk and sandalwood.
I first tried Sanguine Muskissime several years ago, and was not overly fond of it. A sample recently came my way again and I thought I would give it another go. For a few minutes, I thought it might work for me this time: the top notes are a lovely, sparkling blend of citrus, very bright and summery, with just the lightest hint of pale florals. After that, it is all downhill; the citrus notes grow sweeter and less sparkling the longer it is on skin, and eventually it smells uncomfortably close to orange lifesavers.
In the meantime, the sandalwood intensifies, lending a bit of a velvety finish, but the centerpiece of the dry down is a heavy, rather flat musk note, and eventually the musk takes over entirely — it is about all I can smell other than the lightest hint of orange candy. I'm not sure exactly what it is about the musk that I don't like, but I don't like it, and there is really an awful lot of it to not like.
Do comment if you love this fragrance, I'd love to hear another perspective. In general, the men's fragrances from Maître Parfumeur et Gantier seem to work better for me than the women's, in fact, the only feminines I really like from this line are Tubéreuse and Bahiana.
Sanguine Muskissime is $105 for 100 ml. For buying information, see the listing for Maître Parfumeur et Gantier under Perfume Houses.
There is not a single MPG I like. The musk base is extremely unpleasant to my nose, and even thinking about it turns my stomach.
I own this one and love it for summer evenings or parties. It's so sangria to me. I have to tell you I also own Keiko Mecheri Sanguine and they are twins.
In contrast to Victoria, I am actually fond of quite a few MPGs (Or des Indes, Parfum d'Habit, Fleur d'Iris, Fleur des Comores…). But this one I don't even remember, although I know I have tried it. I have a vague memory of soapiness, which is a no-no in my book.
V, for some reason it doesn't bother me in the men's — maybe it isn't as heavy? Or maybe they just aren't as sweet? But sorry to turn your stomach 🙂
Really? I know I've tried the KM but can't remember it — wouldn't have thought it would be so musky. Will have to snag another sample.
It isn't soapy to me, but I think I've heard others call it soapy so (???)
I seem to remember liking a few MPGs… Racine maybe? The men's did seem to work better than the women's. I've got a sample of Bahiana coming, though it's generally not my kind of thing (although I do like caipirinhas).
I have and love Or des Indes. I also have Sanguine Muskissime. The blood orange note really appealed to me when I sampled it, so I sprang for a whole bottle. Much to my dismay, the “wet dog” accord that typifies the musky drydown of MPG's Muskissimes is there. It's not as strong as in Rose Muskissime, but it's there. Hence the bottle has gone sadly untouched for quite some time. 🙁
Hope you will like the Bahiana. I probably woudn't have said it was my kind of thing either, but as it turns out, it is.
“Wet dog” might be it, K. Or des Indes is actually one that I haven't managed to try yet, but I got a sample recently and we'll see how it goes.
Like M, I really like several MPGs (Or des Indes, Ambre Precieux, Soir d'Orient), but I haven't tried this one. Doesn't sound very appealing. .
By rights I ought to adore this one, but I don't. I get the merest hint of citrus which quickly devolves to a not very pleasant musk. On the other hand, Keiko Mecheri Sanguine, which I'm quite sure was inspired by the MPG, works beautifully on me, the orange stays bright and true and the musk thankfully does not take over. So there you have it.
Please don't take my word for it, at one time it had quite a few fans on MakeupAlley. It just doesn't suit me.
As I said above, will have to try the KM again, I barely remember it. A good orange is hard to find 🙂