I’ve always had a thing for perfume, and the first scent I remember rocking was Jean Naté After Bath Splash at the ripe age of 8 or so. From there, I spent extended spells with Colors by United Colors of Benetton (now $10) and Guess (sadly discontinued) before stepping up my fragrance game with Chopard’s Casmir (which I just found at Walmart for $23) by the time I went off to college, when CK One made an entrance, natch.
As I sowed by olfactory oats in high school, The Body Shop’s White Musk came on to the scene, and I still buy the body lotion from time to time for pre-bedtime pampering. Then when I was in New York a few months ago (and shopping at L’Oreal’s store) I picked up Kiehl’s Original Musk Lotion and I fell in love once again. At the same time I had a Nordstrom gift card burning a whole in my pocket so I ran over there to pick up the Original Musk Shower Gel along with the Original Musk Eau de Toilette Spray, and my not-so-inner hippie is pretty happy.
Let it be known that this isn’t a straight-off-the-commune musk scent. The fragrance has top notes of bergamot and orange blossom that give way to middle notes of rose, lily, ylang ylang and neroli. It ultimately dries down to an Oriental finish of tonka nut, patchouli and the musk you’ve been waiting for, resulting in a simple yet complex scent.
I’ll admit that I’m not rocking this every day, but there’s definitely a time and place. I wouldn’t stroll into a meeting with it on, but it’s cozy and comforting on snuggly days spent lounging around the house. I also find the scent to be calming before bed, which is why I keep the lotion on my nightstand.
Maybe I’m just nostalgic (or maybe I should be making cheese somewhere in the Pacific northwest), but this scent is a welcome addition to my fragrance wardrobe. What are your throwback favorites?