Perfumanity would seem to generally agree that Thierry Mugler does better than most when it comes to flankers. The A*Men flankers, especially the "materials" series (A*Men Pure Havane, A*Men Pure Malt, A*Men Pure Coffee, A*Men Pure Wood and the latest, A*Men Pure Tonka) have plenty of avid fans. On the women's side, I still find myself wavering, years later, over a purchase of the best-Angel-yet, Angel Liqueur de Parfum. Meanwhile, Angel Eau Sucrée, released as a limited edition again this spring (for the third year running), makes a decent young-slash-fun variation on Angel now that Angel Innocent and its various flankers-of-flankers are no longer with us.1
Angel Muse is the newest in the collection. It comes with a splashy ad campaign and hashtag (#HateToLove), and the perfumer, Quentin Bisch, talks about his passion for video games, so you know it's geared towards youth. They are calling Angel Muse a 'gourmand vetiver', and I suppose maybe it is, but I'd call it a 'gourmand vetiver Angel', that is, it's still quite recognizably Angel, with a 'gourmand vetiver' facet, if you'll pardon the ad-copy-speak.2 And it's young and new, but not sanitized or dumbed down. Mugler has made clean, easy-to-wear variations on Angel, Angels that you could wear in the middle of an August heatwave, but this isn't that. It's an intermediate Angel — easier-to-wear than the original, yes, but with plenty of backbone of its own.
Angel Muse opens on fruit salad, heavy on the grapefruit, liberally laced with pink pepper. Its Angelness asserts itself slowly but surely: a whisper of patchouli in the early stages gathers force as it wears on skin, but it's a shade cleaner than the patchouli in original Angel, and it keeps its voice mid-level so as to share the stage with a (likewise somewhat clean-ish) vetiver. The hazelnut cream does its job of rendering the whole a gourmand, but again, it's not at the sugar level of the original's cotton candy and caramel. The dry down is warm, nutty, vanillic, a bit spicy, and rather cozy. It's slightly bitter, and every so often I catch faint whiffs of the dry cocoa powder that was featured, far more generously, in the base of Angel Liqueur.
I would call it a middle-weight and it's certainly not as dark and heavy as Angel, then again, it does have some sillage: my husband noticed it as soon as he walked in the room where I was wearing two sprays (really, every Angel should be available in an optional splash bottle for wimps like me). The lasting power is excellent, albeit still not quite that of original Angel. A man, especially a man that would wear Dior Homme or Valentino Uomo, could easily wear it.
Verdict: Impressive. If I could add an Angel to my collection, it would still be the Liqueur de Parfum, but they've done a fantastic job on this one. Angel Muse is exactly what it should be — it's delicious, it's more modern than Angel, it's more serious and sophisticated than Angel Eau Sucrée, and it's just enough weird to please perfumistas, not so much as to turn off everyone else. And, it's far more distinctive than the Angel-spawn generated by other brands over the past few years (yes, I'm looking at you, Lancôme La Vie Est Belle).
Thierry Mugler Angel Muse is available in 30 ($70) and 50 ($95) ml Eau de Parfum in refillable bottles.
1. And Angel Innocent was before my (perfume) time, so I cannot comment on how it might compare to Angel Muse.
2. In other words, the first thing you think of when you smell it will probably be "Angel", not "oh, a gourmand vetiver" or even "oh, vetiver". If you want a gourmand vetiver, try Hermès Vetiver Tonka.
Which video games, Quentin?? Don’t leave me hanging here!
(I like the sound of the nutella, less sure about the vetiver.)
Ha, eventually perfumers will have to tell ALL every time they have something new out. (And wonder if they get paid anything extra for doing these commercials?)
Still laughing at “an intermediate Angel”. Wow, you loved it. Hope it doesn’t take long to get to these parts, then. Can’t wait to try it. A propos of your Liqueur dilly dallying, I’m still amazed at th fact that I haven’t bought a single A*Men flanker, many of which I loved (hey there, Malt and Wood!) Do you have a favorite?
Erm, why did autocorrect change dithering into dilly dallying, and more importantly, how did that escape me? ????
Autocorrect cracks me up — it’s sometimes as though it really does have a mind of its own!
I spent less time with the A*Mens than I should have. I smelled them all up to Tonka, but mostly only briefly since Kevin was reviewing them. I really liked Malt, and tried to get a sample of Wood to try it again at home, but failed. So it’s a better question for Kevin than me!
I will probably never buy Liqueur. I never even tried the 2013 version that’s still around, only an earlier version (2009?), so I’m hesitant. The last time I almost bit the bullet, I started thinking how the 2013 version bottles are now 3 years old. And so on and so forth.
Robin, I am honestly surprised you haven’t bought the Liqueur de Parfum yet and might never, because you’re right, it absolutely is the best of all the Angels, ever, so dark and luxurious and sophisticated: I knew I had to own it (the 2013 edition, that is) as soon as I smelled it. (The Cuir is a very close second, and I bought that, too: worth it.) I am helpless in the hands of the Mugler parfumeurs.
Well, I did almost buy it a couple months ago. Then I changed my mind again. I am so indecisive about buying for the past couple years, because I have too much already. It’s not like I get up in the morning and say, gee, if I only owned “xxx”.
But, glad you have them. Somebody should have them, they’re great scents.
I’m on Angel camp, vetiver and hazelnut are both favorite notes, so this seems pretty awesome. Can’t wait to try, especially now that you liked it. Thierry Muegler is a house that really agrees with me. Womanity is just so much fun to wear!
They seem to know what they’re doing so much more than most designer houses. Hope you’ll like this one!
I wanted to try this anyway as I’ve come around to really, really liking Angel Cuir (just can’t quite say love) and liking the original once in a blue moon (star?) Your review really makes me look forward to trying it, Robin, the drydown sounds especially nice.
The dry down is seriously a comfort scent, so much more cushy than Angel. I am hoping to remember to try it again in winter, I think it would be great in cold weather.
I’m looking forward to meeting this scent, at a store near me….soon! Sounds like an autumn comfort scent to me?
It is fine for spring too, so long as you’re fine with Angel in general? It is really more airy than Angel. And I used to smell tons of Angel in summer, so I think many people do not think of it as a winter scent. I personally would not wear it in high summer for anything, but it took me a long time to come around to Angel even in fair weather 🙂
I have this inexplicable mad passion for gourmands, and your review has made my gourmand radar go “ping”, Robin. I already know that AM is not likely to come to A-NZ (boo!) so I’m counting on its being available in the larger Australian market. Hope it’s there when I go in June (goodness, that’s soon now!) or when I go back in early November. I’m almost prepared to buy unsniffed online if I can’t find it in Oz. I do love my home, but it IS very far away from perfume sources!
Good luck, hope you can find it!
I finally was able to smell this, unfortunately it was on a day I wasn’t feeling well. It reminded me more of original Angel than Angel Innocent. I will sample it again on a better feeling day.
I know I smelled AI once, years ago, but hardly remember it.
Where is this stuff? I have not been an Angel fan so far, though one or two of the flankers were almost there. This one sounds like something I could like. Hoping I can at least try it in the duty-free when we go to Germany in a couple of weeks, but I am leery of trying it on and then getting on a crowded plane!
Macy’s has it in the US, not sure who else here does so far. I imagine it will be widespread by the end of June.
No Macy’s in Northwest Arkansas (cue banjos!). Will have to hope for Dillard’s and/or Sephora. Dillard’s seems more likely.
I think both will have it, eventually.
Turns out I tried it in a German duty-free a couple of weeks ago (Munich, on my way home from glorious Berlin), and I thought it really wasn’t my thing — but I just had a few sniffs on a blotter and didn’t wear it on my skin, so perhaps it actually is me, because I am a huge fan of the Angel and A*Men lines.
Well, the Liqueur is more my thing than this, I’m just glad they did such a great job on it. And I’d wear it if a bottle dropped from the sky 🙂
Hey Sapphire, I’ll send you a manufacturer’s sample as I got several with my FB purchase (I promised I would pay it forward, not that the SA really cared as she was just happy with the sale!).
Holy cow! You’re the best!
Your description sounds like something I might like. I do like Angel but rarely wear it because I prefer Angel Cuir.
I literally never wear original Angel unless to compare to a flanker. I am not really a true fan.
Uhoh. This sounds like it’s dangerously close to becoming a lemming.
Try before you buy, though!
I hate Angel, BUT I was thrilled to discover that I’m a fan of Angel Muse! I agree that it’s related to the original, but not so much that I have traumatic perfume-flashbacks to a time when I wore Angel. If this were to ever turn up in a travel spray (I hold no delusion that it will, though), I’d definitely buy one.
Oh, but I think it will, esp. given that they’re clearly gearing it young. And there’s an Angel travel spray at Sephora now. So I think there will be one, but not this spring.
I bought this one unsniff when it came out as I am a big Angel fan..I have pretty much all of them!! To me it smell like Innocent. It is nice but I was a little bummed. Another one in the rotation!!:)
Oh, so sorry!
I like this one too! I tried at Macy’s a few weeks ago and circled the counter again for another whiff. It’s totally wearable for me even though it is definitely gourmand. It’s one of those sweet but not sugar sweet scents. I agree on the “just enough weird” part too. It’s interesting.
I do not care for the packaging, however. It reminds me of a wireless mouse. Very odd looking.
A wireless mouse — yes, you’re right! Wonder if that’s what they were going for, a piece of tech equipment.
Ha! Exactly about the packaging.
Georgia May Jagger is a great match for the Angel perfumes!
I’m tempted by Angel Sucree and will try this one if I get a chance. However, I’d rather have a star bottle, so Angel Muse would have to really click with me to edge out Angel Sucree.
I’d rather have a star bottle too, and don’t like the peach color of this one, plus it does not match the juice. But I don’t hate this one.
I’m seeing an adorable all-clear (plastic, I suppose, instead of the metal) 5-ml mini version on ebay, and it appears as part of a GWP at Macy’s, etc. If those start showing up inexpensively, that would be all I need. 😉
Ah, perfect.
I caved 2 weeks ago when jepster and I met up at Menlo Park Mall. There is no mistaking that it’s a spawn of Angel but it is different enough to have its own personality.
I also quite like Angel Eau Sucree which is berry sweet, pun intended. At the moment, my sparkly opaque blue bottle is missing in action.
Oh, good for you!
You mean you literally lost your bottle???
Yes. 😳 I’m pretty sure it will turn up. It somehow got separated from its box.
Oh dear, good luck!
Menlo Park Mall was “my” mall growing up!!! 🙂
Thank you for the review Robin! Was looking forward to your opinion. I’m simply dying to try this! (am even thinking of buying it unsniffed!) I own the original so am really curious about this.
Well, see above…not everybody who likes Angel loves it! So maybe better wait and sniff it first.
I’m still at work (it’s 1:30am here) and as I’m just waiting for things to happen, I’m reading all the comments twice.
Muse sounds great to me – I like Angel and have almost bought Eau Sucree several times, but this sounds like a better fit for me. Very excited to try this and glad to read such an enthusiastic review.
Sucree is great fun, and not surprised they’ve kept bringing it back, but when you smell this you’ll see why it’s the one that got its own bottle design plus the investment in the advertising, etc. It’s just a better scent, and I do think it has a better shot at finding its own niche in the market.
I like Angel from afar, but can’t wear it. I did test this at Macy’s last week. It’s definitely Angel, and too much so for me. I preferred the opening, which smelled pretty chocolatey and not to heavy or sweet. It actually smells like the color of the juice.
Interesting, since I thought the color of the juice was all wrong, & too pastel for the scent. So perhaps I am just mistaken.
Since its announcement and release, I’ve been dying for you to review it Robin! Happy day today! Haha! I’ve probably read it at least 5 times now, and of course, fab job! Really!
Being a giant Mugler fan, I can’t wait to test it myself! But unfortunately for me, I haven’t made it to a mall in ages. Been busy busy busy with school, anticipating my graduation in 3 weeks! Woot woot! Haha! I must say, Muse sounds like it will make a fantastic grad gift! One can dream! Haha! It will be mine soon enough. : )
PS: Love reading everyone’s comments on this one! The power of Mugler. ^_^
Oh, huge congrats, that’s wonderful!! Hope you will get your just rewards, Angel Muse or something better.
Well thank ya, thank ya! You’re too kind, you’re too kind! Haha! ^_^
Thank you so much Robin for this article on Muse. Congrats, i am touched and impressed. All you describe is exactly what we wanted to do !
Pierre Aulas ( olfactive artistic director of Mugler )
Hmmm, found that bottle quite odd looking. I have a friend who is teaching anatomy and he immediately suggested me to order that flacon empty for he might need It when it comes to some of his lessons. His comparison has been pure sexual and strangely, I saw some sense in it. Maybe my mind went wrong but that look of it is so too obvious sexual. Scent is good, but I don’t see yet the need to have the original and this one. I need to get over the shape of that bottle first…
I recently found Angel Muse at a couple of discount stores and bought it based on your reviews. I was not disappointed. Within 5 minutes of putting it, I got a compliment from a pregnant woman at the grocery store deli.
The packaging refers to the bottle as a “cosmic pebble” and I agree. To me, it looks like the wee little spaceship that brought Superboy to Earth.
The rose gold color of the fluid is pretty and caught an early wave for that trend. Rose gold is everywhere in clothing and shoes this season.