L'Essence de Must de Cartier (2000)
by Cartier

This is a beautifully refined non-macho scent, marvelously smelling close to the skin, to keep it as a delicious surprise for those who have the privilege to enter its presence.
Obviously only for self-conscious individuals.
If you find it, buy two bottles...it's great!

30th July, 2011.

Frankly I cannot keep track of all these woody-spicy-sweet male fragrances. Is L'Essence the first or the fifteenth? In simplicity, the key question is: does X smell good? Yes, in the case of L'Essence de Must, I believe it does. It'd take a talented singer to sound like Sam Cooke or Frank Sinatra or Aretha Franklin but at some point imitation is not merely a sincere form of flattery, it is artistic laziness.

There is a main current in today's male scent market for the woods (say sandalwood or cedar), spice (ginger or cinnamon) and sweet (tonka, vanilla or benzoin) combination. L'EdMdC falls solidly into that category. It is earlier, I think, in the cycle although Bulgari Black and The Dreamer precede it. Musc Ravageur is a contemporary and Hypnose Homme, Vegas Playboy and La Nuit De L'Homme all jumped on the bandwagon.

Cartier's rendition is one of the better of this subset and I'm glad I own it for those relatively rare occasions when I want such an aroma but can we move on now to something a bit more creative, please?

3rd June, 2011.

Can it be this easy to make a great fragrance? Take 1-part bitter anise, 1-part tart grapefruit, 1-part cinnamon, 1-part ginger, 1-part vanilla and 1-part cedar and you have magic in a bottle. Everything here is in equal proportion and it works to great effect. It's not often you get a second chance, but Cartier saw the weaknesses of Must PH and pumped up the base (cedar and vanilla) to make L'Essence their finest fragrance, hands down. Reminds me of a more complex Lolita au Masculin which ironically came out in the same year. Must have been a run on anise and vanilla that year. Anyway, L'Essence is a flanker that is not only great but also is better than its predecessor. Finally!

20th May, 2011.

What an incredible, rich, delicious fragrance. It is unquestionably one of my all-time favorites and is befitting of the Cartier brand. Just think refinement, for adults only. Young folks mesmerized by, say, AdG probably wouldn't relate well to L'Essence de Must de Cartier. It isn't fresh, modern, and probably doesn't have mass marketing appeal -- but it surely smells good to my nose. Masculine, but not overpoweringly so. Spicy, but not overpoweringly so. Woodsy in the drydown, but not overpoweringly so. Pure subtle refinement in a unique green and red bottle. I will always have this in my cologne wardrobe.

29th December, 2010.

This scent is for Alpha Male over 40 years old. Classic, but unique. Longevity projection and sillage better then bunch of skunks ;), but fragrance is incredible. Love this scent, but I'm not too brave to use it for everyday. For fragrances conneseurs.

7th December, 2010.

I haven't sampled this one yet. I didn't like the original Must for men, perhaps because it has a musty/chalky anisic quality that is not for me. Anyway, I'm posting here because I found a description of the notes at the www.saksfifthavenue.com site:

"Green spicy top notes: green mandarin, aniseed, coriander, olive leaves, ginger and cinnamon. Woody amber base notes: vetiver, patchouli, vanilla, tonka bean and musk. Style: Intensity. Seduction. Masculinity"

17th April, 2010.