Parfume d'Empire - Musk Tonkin

Picture: Marlene Dietrich, a worthy wearer of Musk Tonkin
Image source: i006.radikal.ru

Musk Tonkin from Parfume d'Empire was first introduced as a limited parfume edition in 2012. In 2014 an Edp version was launched. Musk Tonkin is created by P d'E founder, perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato. The review will cover both the perfume and the Edp versions.

The concept behind Musk Tonkin is an attempt to recreate the smell of the real animalic musk tonkin  which is derived from the musk deer, using vegetal and syntetical musk replacement.

From the beginning until the end Musk Tonkin is vintage in style, as a 1930s diva in a  biascutted velvety evening gown and a grand furstole. The fragrance starts  dark, heavy, musky flowery, the parfume rounder, smoother and more close to the skin. The Edp is lighter, playing in the higher octaves with some almost citric/fruity notes wich gives the fragrance an  almost sparkling radiance in the first accords. The perfume version goes straight to be a skinscent, and even if close, it's a skinscent with quite a detectable sillage. As the topnotes have vanished, the Edp approach to the parfume and becomes quite similar even if I can discern some minor differences, the parfume is still a notch more dark flowery, a bit more velvety and smooth, the Edp still a bit brighter and sharper. In the middlenotes both versions becomes more musky and also a bit spicy, cumin is defenitely involved but in smaller potions than in Parfums d'Empire Aziyade. Indolic, white flowers interacts with the prominent vegetal musky note, a vegetal musk that reminds me of amberette seeds, hay and almost powdery, light touched barnyard notes. This musky setting, and the image the fragrance creates overall, reminds me to some extent to Parfums MDCI Chypre Palatin.  Maybe the flower in Musk Tonkin is tubereuse as I'm reminded of Miller Harris Noix de Tubereuse when it comes to the integrated, heavy, seamless, indolic flower, musky accord. Musk Tonkin is quite linear in its development, even if  the musk is slightly more prominent in the basenotes, it's still balanced and is not taking over the composition completely. If I would describe Musk Tonkin in one sentence it's: A vegetal musk soliflore.

Picture: Musk Tonkin
Photo by: PR Parfum  d'Empire (c)

 

Musk Tonkin is sometimes described as an animalic, dirty musk. As I havn't smelled real musk tonkin  can't judge  if this vegetal musky smell is also close to the animalic version. As I remember Serge Lutens Muscs Koublaï Khan it's not as musty, less flowery and with more traces of cumin than Musk Tonkin. It's also more animalic even if a discrete interpretation. For those searching for a hardcore, dirty musk, Les Neréidés Fleur Poudreé de Musc could be recommended, Musk Tonkin and its siblings stand out as shy violets compared to this one.
Musk Tonkin is best for the colder month, especially it's good for cold evenings. Sillage is close and longevity great, for 24h at least. Unisex, leaning to the feminine side.

Those who likes fragrances as Mona di Orio Nuit de Noire and Maison Francis Kurkdijan Absolue Pour Le Soir will probably also like Musk Tonkin.

Rating: 5

Notes: Musk

Thans to Fragrance & Art for the sample of Musk Tonkin Edp to test, the parfume  comes from my own sample

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Explosions D'Émotions 2 (2)

Today impressions of the two remaining Explosions D'Emotions.

Picture: Skin on Skin
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)

Skin on Skin "a wanton embrace" also for this fragrance the marketing blurb is fitting. Skin on Skin embraces you with an obtrusive, chemical candynote which interplays with a sweet irisnote, passably dimmed with soft saffron somewhere in the middle of the fragrance and moved to a note similar to hairspray. A musky, smoky (probably the Whisky mentioned among the ingredients) suede is lurking in the background, contrasting the hairspray and the sweet  notes. As the fragrance is strong and shrill, one should be careful with application. Skin on Skin seems almost as sort of an experimental mockery of a great iris-suede as Histoires de Parfums Tubereuse 1 Capricieuse which, despite its name, foremost is an iris-suede with gourmand accords of cacao and saffron. Skin on Skin could also be one of the sketches to Duchaufours own L'Artisan creation Traverseé du Bosphore. 

Picture: Amour Nocturne
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)

Amour Nocturne "the intimacy of the night" Amour Nocturne shocks with a loud and garish chemical note of cocos + milk chocolate like a liquid Bounty Bar. As it dries down to the middle- and basenotes, the scent softens and a milky accord infused  with some sweet candynotes contrasted with a dry burned (probably hints of the gunpowdernote), plastic slight flowery note (as in Parfumerie Generale Psychotrope but I like the latter much better)  dominates the fragrance until it's fading out about 24h after the initial application. After going through the jarring top notes, Amour Nocturne despite or maybe because of the burned, plastic  is quite pleasant and comforting to wear in a small dose. Just as with Skin on Skin: Beware to overapply this!

To sum it all up: Probably I'm too old school and doesen't understand anything from this avantgarde(?) creating: Probably I also have a too ironic mind because when sampling Explosions D'Émotions I almost suspect Bertrand Duchaufour for making fun of his public and the current exalting of niche, taking it too serious. After all, these fragrances are more expensive than the IMO overall much better L'Artisans in the regular line. Seems like he's taking the concept a famous name (the perfumer and brand) + nice bottle + an OK juice + some "exclusive" marketing chit-chat to the extreme. An interesting concept and the fragrances as such is very well worth sampling (thanks to Fragrance & Art for the samples) as a reflection of the state of niche today or just to find an unconventional and (in some phases of them if applied sparingly) comforting fragrance.