Fragrance review: Musc Ravageur Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle

Walking through the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, I reflect upon the fact that in much the same way as great artworks inspire the new generation of artists, the influence of Jacques Guerlain’s Shalimar (1925) is felt in Maurice Roucel’s Musc Ravageur (2000). Neither like Dalì simply imitated Picasso, nor is Musc Ravageur a copy of Shalimar. It is a fragrance with its own creative merit that incorporates elements from Jacques Guerlain’s composition in order to convey another vision. While Shalimar makes one wait in order to see what makes it a perfection—which one has to admit it is, whether one likes it or not, Musc Ravageur starts to unfold at once. Its animalic elements are seamlessly blended into dark vanillic warmth, interspersed with cool notes of bergamot and lavender. The heightened interplay of powerful sensations, from hot glow of amber to icy sting of citrus, is what makes Musc Ravageur a memorable composition from the first inhale.

While I do not tend to favour scented body products, Frédéric Malle has impressed me with the quality of its ancillary lines. Musc Ravageur Oil is a great alternative to the Eau de Parfum, especially for those who find the initial balsamic burst too dark. It absorbs rapidly into the skin and, with some sacrifice of development, melds into a softer version of the EDP. The soft balsamic warmth of this sensual fragrance would also work wonderfully on a man.

Paintings (from left to right, click to enlarge): Salvador Dalì, Venus and a Sailor (1), 1925. Ikeda Museum of Twentieth Century Art, Shizuoka, Japan. Pablo Picasso, Mother and Child, 1921-22. The Alex L. Hillman Family Foundation, New York, NY, USA. (from dali-gallery.com and abcgallery.com, respectively.)

Comments

[parislondres]

I do love the Dali dear V! I wish I could say the same about MR. While it is a fragrance I appreciate for being created, it is another cloying musk that actually makes me feel sick whenever I have worn it. I had purse sprays of this which I happily gave away.
I do know that this is very popular and FM sell loads of MR!

Hope you are well today.

xoxo

[julien]

It is the first MALLE i got.
Very strong at first.
Then,it leaves in your skin a delicious smell...no flowers,juste amber,vanilla,musc,cinnamon...mmmm,looks like the perfect smell of a sublimated skin,sensual at the extreme,to smell is like a temptation...

But not that easy to wear at first.
Try it and let this perfume posess you,little by little...

;)

Kisses Victoria.

J.

[Laura]

Ha! F told me she'd just seen the Matisse show--now I know why! D and I are going in September to see it. Just to make this perf-related, what perfume do you think of when you think of Matisse?
;D

[Sisonne]

V, wonderful review :) I don´t know Musc Ravageur yet, but I´m very eager on trying it - especially after reading your review, though I don´t know if I like it: Especially amber has the tendency to make me feel as if I had to cough. Like you, normally I´m not too much into scented body products, I´d always favour an EdP/EdT, but perhaps I should be more open-minded & give FM a chance ;)

[Felicia]

V, lovely review of a fragrance that took me a while to appreciate. In my experience, there is something animalic at the start but eventually this turns in a warm skin scent. I prefer the dry oil to the lotion but the longest lasting and full experience belongs to the EDP version. This is one of the Malle I reach for over and over again - especially in Winter. I hope your review inspires many to try :)

[Victoria]

Dear All, always interesting to read responses that diverge in their perceptions, which often makes me see other sides to the fragrance I did not notice at first.

N, I have to admit that I cannot wear Shalimar, and your reaction to MR reminded me of how I felt wearing Shalimar. I love it on others, but whenever I wear it, I feel very strange, something between your dislike of MR and an allergic reaction. It is not the case with any other Guerlain fragrances. Strange, no?

J, that is very true, it is a sensual fragrance that takes some time to understand. When I got my first FM test kit, I did not even reach for it, until I tried everything else. But once I did, it was an instant love.

L, it was excellent! I really wished you could join Felicia and myself, because you would have loved it. As for the Mattise of perfume, let me think about it for a bit. Fauvist perfume... Now, that is interesting!

C, thank you! I tried Angéliques sous la pluie, Cologne Bigarade, En Passant, and Musc Ravageur lotions, and out of those only Musc Ravageur was just ok. The rest were very true to the scent, and extremely emollient. I would definitely recommend trying that body products line. Musc Ravageur Huile is very nice, and as Felicia said below, it is softer.

F, I am glad that you liked the review. I was inspired by our recent visit to the Met. Musc Ravageur is definitely among the fragrances I have revisited lately that made the most impression on me.

xoxo

[Tania]

I simply can't wear it--I don't do musk. But for a musk, it's much more than the usual innocuous white musk fragrance that you find everywhere. No, this take is dark, spicy, sweet without being cloying, a little dry, a little tender, one of those scents I imagine would be perfect with a little cigarette smoke on top. I think you're right about it probably being great on a man. I would love to smell it while grazing up against a little bit of jaw stubble. (Note to self: get husband to Barney's, assault with Musc Ravageur.)

[Victoria]

I have been so attached to my bottle that I cannot imagine assaulting P. with it, however I might give it a try. It is definitely miles apart from the usual dull white musk that I am starting to detest more and more.

[Liz smellslikeleaves]

This was one of the suggested fragrances for me when I filled out the survey on the editionsdeparfums website. It was the only one I initially liked out of the three sent to me (the others were Une Fleur de Cassie and Lys Mediterranee, which were unspeakably awful on my skin). I found it profoundly sensual, but a combination of hot and cold sensuality, if that makes sense--boiling hot beneath a somewhat icy, remote surface. It makes me think particularly of Charlotte Rampling. And...now that I reread your review, I notice that you make the same point about the combination of hot and cold! Hmm. I ultimately sent my vial to someone else, because after awhile it started to smell like root beer to me, and at times it nauseated me. Perhaps it's the constant word of mouth, but I've been meaning to try this one again! Perhaps it will seduce me once more.

[Victoria]

L, the first time I tried it was at the Malle boutique. I sprayed some on my arm and then I just stood there completely unable to move, because I was just taken in by the scent so much. That first hot wave of dark animalic notes is passionate and seductive. I think that one may tire of it after a while (I do of pretty much everything if I wear it too often), but upon a reacquaintance, I am sure you will be seduced by it once more.

[Atreau]

Musc Ravageur was one of the first Malle's I ever tested and it was far too heavy on me. It's one I keep meaning to try again but in my heart i know that i'll never fall in love with it.

[Victoria]

S, it is definitely not the easiest fragrance to wear, therefore I understand what you mean.
xoxo

[Jones]

Hello, I just saw it is possible to buy it online here http://www.lamurefavorite.com/les-editions-parfums-frederic-malle-maID=3.html

is there an english version of this shop ?

[Anthony]

The only musk I have to compare MR and Musc Kublai Khan with is Kiehl's original musc oil, EDT. On Basenotes, some reviewers have mentioned that Kiehl's is a tamed version of the two. Do you feel this is a valid comparison, just to quel my raging curiosity to know how exotic these more complex musks are? I'd be curious to know what you think. :) I find Kiehl's to be a very heady fragrance with a rich floral aspect that makes me insatiably curious to experience the complexities of the other two.