Must de Cartier (1981)
by Cartier

To put it politely, this is a perfume that most people would probably consider to be for "a sophisticated woman." It is not girly, by any means. I'm so bad at naming notes, but when I tested this, I got a clear set of associations. The opening notes remind me much of Halston Couture, which I know has a sharp opening due to citrus. After about 4 to 5 hours, it smells very much like a Baskin Robbins that we used to visit every Sunday after Mass. I can't tell if it's because there maybe was a woman who wore Must de Cartier and worked in that particular establishment, or whether it's the vanilla that I'm smelling in the heart. Then after about 9 hours, it lays into this sultry scent that for all the world reminds me of the time I discovered my uncle's Ginger Lynn video, which he had left on the VCR during the time he briefly lived with us. That must be the 1980's musk, I guess.

Another great classic I can´t wear! It is so dissapointing! This one is just messy and strong on my skin! I envy all of you who carries this one well!

I stick to Le Baiser du Dragon when I find the Cartier perfumes, it is the only Cartier I wear truly well.

Yummy.
layer the parfum & edP for the full effect.
Not for the meek. Rich, deep, decadent.
Try.

Enticing. Voluptuous. Decadent. Truly one of Cartier's best (right up there with Baiser, anyway). Not for the timid, though, nor for the woman seeking a pallid little Tommy Girl.

No, this beauty is a full figured French gal who takes lovers and smokes Gauloises in her boudoir after -- this stuff is Catherine Deneuve meets Anais Nin.

A powerhouse woody oriental. Predominantly dry/bitter in it's overall impression. Could be the particular vetiver used here. I think I might prefer this on a man. A little more vanilla could soften this composition a bit, but the vanilla makes too late an appearance ~ about 1-2 hours after application. On my skin this is "MUSTY de Cartier". Not wearable for me.

I picked up a small bottle of the vintage extrait...definitely better than the Men's version that came out a few years ago in terms of longevity, quality, and sillage. I'm not so much a fan of musk, and this is a floral musk, but done with such talent and skill that it smells like a high quality essential musk oil--I'll definitely allow this in my wardrobe! Sweet, smooth, sexy animalic! Do not hesitate! The extrait is so strong, I managed to detect the scent by only applying what liquid that adhered to the lip of the flacon on my skin. I haven't tested the reformulated version, so I don't know what ill has been done to it, but definitely see if you can get ahold of the vintage before thinking of getting the newer stuff.