Maque's Montecristo: A Musky, Musty, Must-have

[deadidol]

Has anyone else tried this yet? I see it's not in the database at the moment, so I'll post a few thoughts up here and bump it over later. But for those of you who love a good, evocative scent, this one's really got my attention. Musk-wise, I'd say it's on the same level as MKK, AplS, El Attarine, but it's one of the more effective, spatially mimetic scents I've tried in some time. So, here are a few thoughts and an image that sums much of it up for me:

Screen Shot 2013-11-08 at 1.06.26 AM.jpg

This has a super dirty opening of hyraceum and ambrette seed that could give MKK a run for its money. But whereas MKK is civet and castoreum-based, this leans more toward the sweatier side of things and will certainly challenge those who don’t fare well with hard-core musks. However, within ten minutes, it takes a massive detour into an unconventionality that's wildly evocative and decidedly convincing in the associations it brings up.

There’s a booze note (rum), but it’s more like the smell of booze that's oozing from of the pores of someone who downed the bottled a few hours ago—it’s got an unnerving filtered feeling to it. From what I can assess, this effect is structured upon the hyraceum note, but it’s also merged with tobacco and what appears to be a touch of leather to pull it all together. There are some relatively undefined wood notes, but combined they smell more like old bookshelves and furniture; and there’s something here that gives the impression of an extinguished fire as well. Imagine a poorly ventilated space with a layer of sticky, smoky, charcoal-type residue that’s coated everything—a slightly sweet ashy scent, but mixed with dust that’s sat for days to produce a not unpleasant staleness that’s incredibly comforting. Frankly, it’s quite hard to perform a technical dissection of Montecristo as it's absolutely evoking space more than individual notes, and it’s doing so phenomenally well.

So, this is a dusty, rustic, vaguely reminiscent scent that feels as though you’re looking into its world through an old opaque piece of glass. Everything in it seems peculiarly distanced, yet it all comes together in a sublime way. I don’t know how wearable this would be for most people as it almost smells stagnant, but it’s hugely compelling and is quite cozy. If you’ve ever been drawn to parchment type scents (or perhaps the smell of old bookstores), or you like the challenge of a good ambrette seed musk, this is absolutely sui generis. I'm hugely impressed!

[noggs]

Alfarom posted a review of this back in October. Here is a link to the archived thread:

http://www.basenotes.net/huddlerarchive/381232

His review was equally positive, maybe even more so. It's great to have two very positive reviews of this fragrance. I've got to get a bottle of this.

I'm very curious about Luci ed Ombre. Anyone tried that one?

[deadidol]

Oh thanks, Noggs! I didn't see it in the search. I'll smash this thread into the end of his as soon as the Huddler archive is back.

[drseid]

PalmBeach generously sent me a sample and I tried it out for the first time last night. On paper it came off as primarily spicy, but when I sprayed it on skin the animalics came out in full force. I would say they have some aspects of civet musk and castoreum in them but aren't quite the same as any of them to my nose. Very distinctive. While I am not sure if the combination of the slightly fecal heavy animalics, the warm spice and tobacco are quite my kind of thing, the composition is absolutely fascinating and quite unique. I will have to wear this one a few times to get a better handle on it.

[alfarom]

What happened to my old huddler thread?

Anyway, one of the best releases of 2013 in my book. Gorgeous stuff if one's into heavy spicy-animalic things! Big winner!

[PalmBeach]

What happened to my old huddler thread?

It's out there in the basenotes twilight zone.

[Picassoutine]

The varieties of sensory experience never cease to amaze. Several members whose sensibilities I trust are very fond of this. I only get a faint impression of a used and damp metal ashtray. Go figure!

[willyb]

More of an experience than just a scent. Barbaric and sensual . Love it !

[Kagey]

I'm so impressed by Montecristo. To me it evokes the smell of a bathroom where someone's just taken a hot steamy shower with wood-scented soap. I like the description about it projecting physical space - a stuffy room. The first smell of this caught in my throat like steam, but it does turn very warm and cozy.

I'm very curious about Luci ed Ombre. Anyone tried that one?

I did get a sample of that too. I need to do further testing, but as I recall it started out very green and then took on a very similar tuberose aspect to that of ELDO's Vierges et Toreros. Very similar, but while VeT has the smoky leather, LeO is a calmer green.

Has anyone tried it since? I'd be interested to read other impressions.

[deadidol]

Very similar, but while VeT has the smoky leather, LeO is a calmer green.

Has anyone tried it since? I'd be interested to read other impressions.

Of Montecristo, or LeO? LeO didn't move me in any way. It's a big tuberose, but it's neither sickly nor overly powdery. But it's still a big, inescapable tuberose!

[zatarain]

Worn wooden floors with their polish, old leather furniture, a little dust and a lived-in feel. Warm and animalic and a little dirty in a comfortable way. I don't really get the burnt wood or boozy notes that are often mentioned. Beautifully three-dimensional, it's one of those fragrances that seems alive and more like an environment than a smell. Very impressive!

It doesn't seem to project much for me, though, and becomes a skin scent rather quickly. I wish it was a little louder!

[deadidol]

Worn wooden floors with their polish, old leather furniture, a little dust and a lived-in feel. Warm and animalic and a little dirty in a comfortable way. I don't really get the burnt wood or boozy notes that are often mentioned. Beautifully three-dimensional, it's one of those fragrances that seems alive and more like an environment than a smell. Very impressive!

It doesn't seem to project much for me, though, and becomes a skin scent rather quickly. I wish it was a little louder!

I don't know if I'd be comfortable having this one project!

I totally agree that it's an environment more than a fragrance. It's brilliant (best of last year, for me), but it's not a scent for those who approach perfume as mainly utilitarian (make smel gud)—this one's an evocative experience.

[zatarain]

I don't know if I'd be comfortable having this one project!

...

I just feel silly at work with my nose in my shirt! But I get what you're saying, it's probably better as a private reverie, without HR showing up to talk to me about it.

[Rev320]

I've been debating on this one since being released. I went ahead and blind bought a bottle today. Looking forward to giving it a try.

[TNBLUEMIKE]

I am hoping to pick this one up this coming year.

[Rev320]

Just received my bottle of this tonight. Civet, tobacco, spices and smoke is my first impression. It's dry yet has some sweetness rounding it off.

Sometimes when I try new scents especially animalic ones I get a little bit of olfactory fatigue. This happened when I first bought Dior Leather Oud.

I must say though from what I'm smelling I'm going to really enjoy this one.
There aren't too many reviews for this fragrance. For those that have tried it what are your thoughts.

[willyb]

It's awesome stuff, I love it as much as Lutens MKK and MFK APLS. I'm a freak for animalics

[deadidol]

Best fragrance of 2013 -- by a long shot. There should be an existing discussion thread on this. Perhaps we could merge them?


EDIT: Posts #16 - #19 merged from separate thread housekeeping purposes.

[willyb]

As DI said, best of 2013. Pushing limits, upsetting older patrons with small dogs in purses, in sighting riots . Freakin great. I have 40ml and worried I'm going to run out soon. Seriously, hit up palm beach on the splits thread and get 20ml if you like frags that offer something a little challenging or different. One thing I've noticed about these "rough" scents, they don't smell the same to the wearer as they do to others. Example....Montecristo on my wrists to me can smell a bit brutal, although wonderful. My woman who just catches the trail of it says its " manly, sexy, and soft at the same time" she loves it. The sillage is better than the source.

[Rev320]

I think those that love Dior Leather Oud would enjoy this one also. It's too bad there aren't more fragrances out there like this. I seem to get more compliments when I wear a fragrance that is deemed challenging. I don't wear fragrances to get compliments but it is interesting how people react positively to ones reviewers say are challenging.

I'm still catching small whiffs of Montecristo this morning. I'll have to test more but I think the longevity is good but might be lower on projection. As a bonus the bottle is very nice looking.

I still need to try APLS I think it'll be another one I would enjoy.

[Sinca]

PalmBeach generously sent me sample and I tried it out for the first time last night. On paper it came off as primarily spicy, but when I sprayed it on skin the animalics came out in full force. I would say they have some aspects of civet musk and castoreum in them but aren't quite the same as any of them to my nose. Very distinctive. While I am not sure if the combination of the slightly fecal heavy animalics, the warm spice and tobacco are quite my kind of thing, the composition is absolutely fascinating and quite unique. I will have to wear this one a few times to get a better handle on it.

According to what are describing, is a lot like Musc Ravageur .............

[Kagey]

According to what are describing, is a lot like Musc Ravageur .............

I agree that that description might sound like Musc Ravageur, but Montecristo is nothing at all like Musc Ravageur. MR is lavender, cinnamon, vanilla, and musk - a sweet, warm, fuzzy gourmand. Montecristo is wood, books, a little leather and tobacco. Completely different head.

[alfarom]

No resempblance to Musc Ravageur whatsoever IMO. Montecristo is far more *hardcore* and *evocative*. Definitely not a crowdpleaser but still one of the best of 2013.

[Rev320]

I would lean more it being like Leather Oud than Musc Ravageur.

[Rev320]

After wearing this the past few days I'm a little disappointed with the projection but the longevity is good. After the intial blast of animalics it tones down quickly. The feeling I get from Montecristo is reminiscent of my undershirt that has been washed after wearing Dior Leather oud. After a cleaning I can still smell the drydown of Leather Oud on my shirt.

I would give Montecristo high markings but would be even better if projection was more.

[mikeperez23]

Sounds like something I would like.

Interesting review of it on the Non Blonde Blog here: http://www.thenonblonde.com/2014/02/...ntecristo.html

Now I wish I had tried it when I was @ Scent Bar. I had the bottle in my hands. But I was testing out so many other things.

[Rev320]

Sounds like something I would like.

Interesting review of it on the Non Blonde Blog here: http://www.thenonblonde.com/2014/02/...ntecristo.html

Now I wish I had tried it when I was @ Scent Bar. I had the bottle in my hands. But I was testing out so many other things.

PM me your address I'll send you a sample.

[OctaVariuM]

Well, I really should get my nose on this. I'll track down a sample and report back when I have a conclusion.

[rynegne]

Some fragrances with higher concentration of oils tend to do this. It's the price you pay to get wafts throughout the whole day rather than projection for a couple hours and a dry down that fades to nothing. I used to like scents that had monster projection, but typically they faded to nothing over the course of a few hours more often than not. And there's just something elegant about getting delicious fragrant wafts throughout the day :-)

I do need to try this one soon based on the applause for the fragrance. I've got Leather Oud on the way, should arrive this week. Excited to try that one first.

I would give Montecristo high markings but would be even better if projection was more.

[Marais]

I thought it was awful. I felt like Pig-Pen from Peanuts. A real HUMdinger indeed!

[rynegne]

Lol, ok then...Now I retract my prior statement.

I thought it was awful. I felt like Pig-Pen from Peanuts. A real HUMdinger indeed!

[Marais]

Lol, ok then...Now I retract my prior statement.

Nah, I'm way outgunned on this one, it must be worth a try (cough).

[Tonyprince]

I am hoping to pick this one up this coming year.

Me. too. This is in my current handful of next purchases.

[thebeck]

I think Montecristo is a good frag for the right person. I enjoy some skank in my perfumes, but the type of skank just didn't work for me. From the many praises I'm seeing, it's working well for a lot of you.

I find Hard Leather by LM Parfums to be superior in all ways, and has the type of skank that agrees with my nose. I also think Hard Leather gets my vote for best release in 2013. It's crazy good!

[mikeperez23]

I wore this yesterday. Loved it.

It has a very 'lived in' feel, the dirtiness is close-to-the-skin and I was never really fully able to discern what exactly it was that smelled 'dirty' or 'animalic'.

I've always liked Leather Oud by Christian Dior but it's so darned strong and radiant (this is the one scent, in my fragrance wardrobe in my closet, that when I open up my closet door I smell. The notes pierce right through everything else and make themselves known) whereas the Masque is much more subdued. Natural smelling. The smell or presence of someone. It's very difficult to describe in words.

The only other scents that have come close to replicating this texture is L'Air de Rein by Miller Harris and Dans Tes Bras by Frederic Malle. But I like the Masque better.

[zatarain]

^ I completely agree with the "lived in" assessment, and that L'Air de Rien is similar in this regard. Good call!

[mikeperez23]

Yeah, it's a very hard to describe accord. An aromachemical that replicates the smell of a person is quite surreal when you think about it.

The review, from The Non Blonde (blog) was so good I thought I'd copy part of it and put a link to the full review:

As you've probably figured out by now, Montecristo is an unabashedly animalic perfume. The main culprits are two: ambrette seed with its expensive but unwashed musky vibe, and hyrax or hyraceum, which is basically fossilized pee of a cute rodent (completely cruelty free). The complexity of this animalic combination is mind boggling. It reminds me of really good civet, gorgeous intimate musk, the dirtiest part of exquisite oud, and a general air of debauchery. But wearing Montecristo is not an exercise in trying to find the most obnoxious perfumes to shock your in-laws (that can be an amusing side-effect, though). While Montecristo is, indeed, dirty and slightly sweaty (cumin isn't listed anywhere, but I swear I can smell traces about four hours into its wear-time) , it's also warm, very boozy, leathery and intimate. It holds you close and tells you its interesting life story all through the night, and there are so many amusing anecdotes from years of traveling and visiting the seedier parts of Europe, that winter so many years ago in Paris with some real characters, his friends Jojo and Pierre... you really should have been there.

Montecristo is still there the next morning. The mysterious strangers has left when you dozed off for just a second and you're not sure you actually caught his name. But the perfume lingers until you wash it off, and the memory will remain for a long long time.

[Akahina]

I really do like this one and love my stank, but hyrax does challenge me. I have a nice split of this one and can't see wearing this often. Civet bombs I adore but this is a different animal...not for the timid.

[james1051]

I wore this yesterday. Loved it.



The only other scents that have come close to replicating this texture is L'Air de Rein by Miller Harris and Dans Tes Bras by Frederic Malle. But I like the Masque better.

mmm, I do like both of those. Now more anxious than ever to try MMM

[hoschhti]

Unless there was something wrong with my sample but I smelled absolutely nothing animalic! To me it smells like a dry incense-frag in the style of Interlude.

[pluran]

It's a decent little woody spicy thing. Related to Leather Oud but smaller, sweeter, more affable, less compelling animalics. Hell, even Leather Oud isn't all that animalic. Not the composition Leather Oud is, but Montecristo smells good, performs good. Doesn’t have much new to say but it’s hard to go wrong with it. The sillage smells great when I'm outside on a cool night. The animalic notes help to keep it in play, and while the drydown is ok, it becomes sweeter as in a common woody oriental, even seriously banal. I'm done with the fragrance after two to three hours. The best part is the first twenty minutes when it smells almost exactly like the big humidor at the place where I buy a lot of cigars. :-)

Common thing these days, but I'll never understand the heavily embellished, excessively long reviews on fragrances that have so little to say.