What is old is new again.
What’s old is new again: Musk, chypre-heavy scents are on the rise again. As a lover of “old lady” perfumes, I am thrilled by this prospect. I love smelling refined.
Back in 2019, Kiehl’s Musk Oil took a coveted spot on Allure’s “Best of Beauty” list, and ever since then I’ve been dying to try it.
(Keep in mind that for this review, I only bought the $20 body wash version of the Original Musk since I wasn’t about to drop $100-odd bucks on a fragrance I’d never sampled. It’s a recession!)
My thoughts:
This is a beautiful scent that’s fleshy, carnal and absolutely retro-modern. It smells powder-y and leather-y and just kind of … musty, but in a good way? It definitely has that je-ne-sais-quois-ness about it, it almost feels reminiscent of a shellacked mahogany cabinet that’s filled with old books. Mingled with old clothes. And a vintage record store. And pheremones. It smells like the ’70s! Even though it was made in the ’30s!
Source: Min An / Pexels
The shower gel lathers up nicely and actually does leave a lingering fragrance on the skin. Most soaps dissipate five minutes out of the shower, but this one has staying power.
It doesn’t really inspire a deep longing in me to own the full size bottle of oil or parfum, though. It’s not really a “special occasion” perfume, and it’s too intense for day wear. Your coworkers would kill you.
