It’s the last days of October and autumn is most definitely underway here in the northeast. The trees are showing off their leaves in brilliant red, orange, and yellow colors. The temperature in the morning is cooler and the air is crisp. It’s the time of year for the clothes I really like to wear – time for knitwear, sweats, hoodies, and heavier jackets. Fall also means NFL football and English Premier League football are in full swing. (Let’s go Giants! Come on Tottenham!) It means my birthday is around the corner. And it means I get to put some of my favorite colognes back in the rotation. To me, Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur is a stand-out signature scent perfectly made for the fall and winter.
Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle
Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle is a departure from the way colognes and perfumes are usually done. It bucks the trend “in which most companies value intensely marketed brand names”. Malle’s is a collaborative effort bringing together the best noses in the world of perfumery to produce scents that are then sold under their own name.
The analogy is this. Authors work alongside publishers to get their creations out to the world. Malle uses the same model. The successful author gets the acclaim for their work. Likewise, the perfumer takes center stage and receives their deserved recognition.
Maurice Roucel was a chemist still working for Chanel back in 2000 when Frederic Malle initially launched Editions de Parfum. Maurice Roucel Musc Ravageur (as it is officially called) followed one year later and the rest is history.
Maurice Roucel Musc Ravageur
I’ve been wearing Musc Ravageur for almost 10 years. I first sampled it at the Barney’s flagship store in midtown New York. It instantly struck me and I bought it on the spot. I had to. The fragrance had that special something that drew me in. Ever since then Musc Ravageur has been my favorite scent to turn to when the temp begins to cool off.
It is masculine. It is sensual. It is handsome. It is balanced. It is a musk for certain but not in the overpowering and wretchedly potent sense. It has subtle undertones that soften the top notes that lead. Each plays well off the other and it all works together.
The Frederic Malle site describes Musc Ravageur as, “a sensual perfume, powerful yet perfectly controlled, dramatic and mysterious. Its explosive departure of bergamot, tangerine and cinnamon is set against a backdrop of vanilla, musk and amber. A sexy, turbulent perfume, in a word: ravageur.”
The salesperson at the Barney’s fragrance counter summed it up saying it was his favorite fragrance for men: “Nothing else compares to this at all”. He assured me that Musc Ravageur wears well – its intensity does in fact last all day. He also went on to say that the scent rounds out over the course of a day as the cologne’s chemistry blends with your skin’s oils. It settles in becoming even smoother.
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Truth be told Musc Ravageur is a fragrance for women to enjoy too. I met Kim shortly after I first started wearing it. One date is all it took and we were inseparable. Coincidence maybe? I’d like to think that it was all me who captured her heart, but perhaps the cologne played a part. She took to Musc Ravageur so much that she eventually made it her signature scent for a while. I guess she figured if I liked it as much as I did then I’d like it even better on her instead. Don’t think for a second though that she went out and got herself her own bottle. Oh no! That would have been unladylike. Kim just unapologetically claimed my bottle for herself and polished off the half that remained. What’s mine became hers long before we ever got married.
Frederic Malle Maurice Roucel Musc Ravageur retails for $270 (100 mL); $185 (50 mL)
Does your signature scent change with the seasons or do you have a mainstay? Tell us what it is and what you most like about it. Also, look for these upcoming fragrance reviews.
Beauty and the Bump will talk Vilhelm Parfumerie and Odin; plus more from Frederic Malle.
Until next time, be well.