Coxcomb, Le Mat 2009 April Fool's Options

[VioletChaos]

Red currant, Moroccan musk, sage, and frankincense.

in the bottle: lordy! this is ALL about the Moroccan musk- and it it DIVINE! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thud.gif)

wet on skin: same. *crosses fingers*

dry down: this is pure musk on me. not the musk in Smut or Enraged Orangutan, this is the sweet-berry-amber sort of musk that one finds in, yes, arabic marketplaces. it's so very fine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00001616.gif)

in all: this is a lovely skin musk- it stays close, but also holds it's own. this is the sort of scent that will have me sniffing myself all day long- and encouraging others to do the same (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_wink.gif)

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, I smell mostly musk and frankincense.

Wet on the skin, the frankincense is apparent more than any other note. I also smell the musk and something with an amber quality. I'm not really picking up the red currants at all. The sage is more prominent as it begins to dry on my skin.

It's nearly dry now on my skin and I finally get a bit of the red currant, a very small bit. I had hoped the currant note would be stronger in this blend. It's a lovely incense blend, but I am not sure it will ultimately be a keeper for me.

[hkhm]

bottle: musk and sage.

wet: this is a very nice musk with a bit of currant and sage. i'm not really getting any frankincense.

dry: this is so lovely! the sage is fresh, not dried or incensey but lively, while the musk is in the background.

[Rheliwen]

This initially smelled a lot like the white/red rose pairing with currant and no pine. The musk is a very fuzzy, light kind. More akin to white musk or the musk in Buck Moon than a dark one.

It dries down to currants, perfectly ripe (not too sweet or sharp), and musky sage, with just a hint of the frank.

It smells wonderful.

[freneticfloetry]

I'm going to skip the stage breakdown, because from start to finish, this is pretty much identical to Buck Moon on me. It's skin musk, skin musk, and more skin musk, with a kick of sage now and then. Very, very lovely. I'll be hanging on to at least one bottle.

[TwilightEyes]

In the bottle: A bit of current and lot of musk.

On skin: Musk and incense.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

If Smudge-sticks were turned into perfume, it'd smell like this.

And yes, this is Musk/Incense intensive.

This post has been edited by Heavenlyrabbit: Apr 17 2009, 02:26 PM

[norskette]

In the bottle I smell rich musk- it smells very much like an Egyptian Musk. Wet on the skin I get a strong rich musky scent and sage. Very smokey, woody and resinous, like burnt sage branches. After it has been dry for about five minutes the currants come out, a somewhat muted berry struggling to reach the surface through the layers of musk. I get an almost soapy berry scent that lasted about 10 minutes- there is a quality that is almost numbing as I sniff my wrist but I just can't place it. 20 minutes later I smell a fruity resin- the currants mingling with frankincense! Yum, I am tucking this away for aging!

[MelanieSuzanne]

Coxcomb

This. Is. Gorgeous. It's a medium sweet berry and frankincense and a little bit of musk on my skin. It hasn't morphed over the past hour. You can bet I'll be haunting the swaps and sales looking for more of this oil.

[Dark Alice]

just as advertised....frankincense, berry, and whoooaaa a strong musk. Right now...this is a little tooo strongggg for my tastes....I am curious to see if aging will smooth and mellow this out.

[Aerinha]

Frankincense and musk, with just a bit of juicy sweetness. Yummy. As it dries I start to smell the sage as well.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells like gorgeous, sweet, smooth incense and a sweet musk.

I have a hard time wearing musk notes; they have a tendency to go sharp, cheap smelling, and headache inducing on my skin. But the musk here is just lovely. It's like a sweet, resinous musk that dries down to a spicy, sweet musk. It's not cinnamon-spice or anything like that, but it did remind me of cooking. It's a smooth, sweet smell rather than a sharp one. I can also definitely smell the red currant, which is always a bit sour on me.

Coxcomb is sour, tart, red fruitiness from the currant and a sweet, resinous, slightly spicy musk. It's really lovely.

Mixing Marotte, Coxcomb, & Motley together (I mixed a couple drops of each together in a vial): Smells like musk and fruit. On my skin, the combined musks seem to amp up and this is a very warm scent. There's a hint of pear and redcurrant drowning underneath the musks. As it dries down, it's warm musk and baby powder, which is weird, because neither of the three original scents went powdery on their own :/. After a half hour, this is powdery musk and an earthy, burnt rubber smell. Like the Red Rose/White Rose set, I much prefer the scents separately. Separately, Marotte, Coxcomb, and Motley are all loves for me. Together, they morph into an uber-musk that just smells cheap and strange on my skin.

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Red currant & musk.
Wet on skin: Red currant, frankincense, quiet sage in the background.
Dry on skin: It's resins & red fruits. Gorgeous!
Final thoughts: Well this one's an exceptional blend also! I'm not a red fruits fiend, but the musk and resins play so nicely with this blend that I can only love it! I have yet to layer all the three scents together, which should be interesting!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Warm, fruity incensed musk.

Immediately on skin: This smells like fruity, warm, powdery musk with a very resinous undertone. It’s a bit on the sweet side, but the musk really grounds the scent. The sage is present, but really blends nicely into the other notes. It’s really nicely blended overall, but I can still pick out each note individually.

After a little while: This becomes a little more resinous as time goes by. It’s musky, but also slightly sweet and fruity with a nice heavy dose of frankincense. This blend also has just a hint of powderiness to it.

Overall Impressions: This is pretty, but it’s not OMG fantastic on me. It’s a musky, fruity, resinous scent with a sweet powdery feel to it. I can smell each of the notes, but they blend together very well. This is a very adult, sultry, perfumey type of scent.

[Femme_Fatale]

This one I like. A lot.
It's all incense at first, but then the berries and musk come out and it's just wonderful. As it dries down further I can smell the sage more, which I like. It's not overpowering, more of a whisper, but it really does add something to the blend. After a while it's almost all musk with a hint of berry sweetness.
I wish I could get this on it's own since Marotte didn't on me. Hopefully Motley will so that I can justify getting the set. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_smile.gif)

This post has been edited by Femme_Fatale: Apr 25 2009, 01:51 PM

[Lamia]

While testing during drydown I kept thinking "transvestite!" - there was a charmingly sweet feminine scent rolling around and giggling, poking the dour masculine sage/musk core.

Alas, the berries have gone away, but the sage does fascinating things to the musk.

Nomnomnom

[AliBabble]

in the bottle, i know i like this - it's got a bit of a cola scent at first, but on my skin the frankincense really explodes. on me, this is mostly frankincense and musk. i don't get much fruitiness at all. i like this, but wish the currant was more apparent. on my skin this is mostly a church-y frankincense. i still do like it though.

[mejuxtaposed]

I was most excited to try this Le Mat!

Wet: Spicy frankincense.
10 mins: I thought this would be more light and herby but this is RICH
1 hour: Deep, very unisex. I don’t usually like this, but it’s gorgeous.

While it was nothing like I was expecting - much darker - it is soo pretty. Aged it will be even better.

[marared]

Frankincense? Check.
Musk? Check.
Sage? hmm, maybe.
Currants? Currants? Bueller? No currants. ...oh wait, there's the currants. I wouldn't know they were there if I wasn't snuffling for them.

I was hoping for more fruit to it. Sigh. It threatens a bit of soapiness but happily doesn't cross that line. I think I'll swap this off, or donate it to a male friend maybe...

[beachbabealways]

I can't explain this scent. It has a very mysterious vibe to it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00001616.gif) it!!
I wore it up to my Mom's b-day party and when I hugged my Dad he said "Ooh you smell good, what is that?" My husband also like's it. Soooo it's a keeper!

ETA: I love it layered with Marotte.

This post has been edited by beachbabealways: Apr 28 2009, 03:02 AM

[catattack]

Imp: Men's cologne
Wet: Men's cologne mixed with frankincense
Drydown: Men's musky cologne.
Overall: This was the best of the 3 LE MAT scents, but, none the less, it wasn't working for me. I generally like masculine scents and they work well on me, especially the non-ozone type. But this one just wouldn't cooperate. This was reminiscent of a musky men's fragrance from the 70's...can't remember the name.

[binkin]

I don't know if it's the musk or the sage or what, but this is SPECTACULAR. I got a decant yesterday, slapped it on, and went out of town for the day and I kept catching whiffs of myself and thinking "what smells so FABULOUS?"

I described it to a friend as smelling the way I want my BPAL box to smell; it smells like a box full of precious resins or something similar to that. It stays pretty true on my skin, though it smells more currant-y in the bottle and more incense-y on me. I want to order about 15 Le Mat sets to get bottles, though I know this is not practical. Bells and liliripes above the other two Fools, though I like them too!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Light beige oil - an unusual colour. SAGE, whoa. Very strong and masculine, and almost smoky. Not that medicinal or harsh, at least. Loads of sweet smoky frankincense below. The musk is fantastically sexy, and the red currant is WOEFULLY faint.

Wet: Overall much lighter on my skin, with less forceful sage, though it's still the dominant note. MUCH less frankincense - almost none. A tiny bit more currant, but it's still very distant. Musk about on par with the sage, or almost. It's musky sage. Smells quite clean and very masculine.

Dry: The way the sage mellows on my skin and is sort of dry/brushy reminds me a lot of Western Diamondback (a scent I quite like). That glimmer of red currant - which truthfully, could have been my imagination - has completely dissipated. Frankincense amping, but smokier and less sweet than usual.

Later: I can see how this is part of a set with Marotte - they're related, as far as scents go, and I can also see how they would layer nicely with each other. Like Marotte, this is a more masculine one, but not to the point that a woman couldn't wear it.

Summary: As usual with most musks and Moroccan, this one really amps on my skin over time and is sinfully rich, strong, and sexy. It becomes the main player, supported by lighter notes of dried herbal sage and smoky-woody frankincense. Unfortunately, it's very low throw and even to smell it a bit required immense slathering.

[Seismogenic]

I suppose it's the desert dweller in me, but when I see sage in a blend, I'm starting to go "ooh, want to try!" I've also had good experiences with frankincense and redcurrant, so I was feeling pretty good about this one before I even put it on.

In the imp: Frankincense and musk, with a tiny bit of bite that must be sage, and some slight sweetness that must be currant.

Wet on skin: The currant immediately comes out more, though it's still blending nicely with the frankincense. The sage has dropped back a little already, though it's still there. This musk is a very smooth one, and definitely helps with blending. Even though I can distinguish the notes, they work together smoothly.

Drydown: Freshly dry, the sage has made a comeback. It puts some bite into something otherwise quite smooth. The currant is also less obvious, seemingly having melded in with the smoothness of the musk, rather than the drier quality of the frankincense. By the one hour mark, the scent has settled into a sagey frankincense with a backdrop of musk. The currant isn't really distinguishable anymore, though it very well could still be contributing some sweetness to the mix.

Five hours later: Much like the one hour mark, though fainter. Frankincense with some bite from the sage, smoothed over by the musk.

End of the day: Still present as something dry and a little bit musky. The dry doesn't smell quite like frankincense or sage distinctly, but maybe that's what they turn into when they wear out together.

Overall: Oooh, I really really like this one. It's my favorite of the Le Mat scents for sure (though I also did like Marotte quite a bit, and certainly didn't dislike Motley). It's interesting how the notes can all remain rather distinctly identifiable, all the while still coming together in a perfect blend. Interestingly, earlier on, this scent reminds me a little bit of this hawthorn berry sage chai that a local bakery/coffeeshop sells, but that's ok with me, since I love that drink. And it stays good, even after the currant has disappeared; the earthiness of frankincense, the bite of sage, and the smoothness of musk just plain compliment each other gorgeously. If it were possible to get an individual bottle of this, I definitely would, though I don't know if my grad student can justify springing for the set when only one was actually "OMG" as opposed to merely "good."

[sunshinedaisybli...]

So it's official - I love ALL of the Le Mat trio! But if I had to pick a least favourite of the three.. Coxcomb would be it. Not because it's "bad" or anything, but just because the other two are so divine.

The Moroccan musk is strongest on my skin - the red currant is there, but quite soft. I'm not really picking up the sage at all, and the frankincense is subtle. After about an hour on, I can barely detect where the oil was - it dries down to a very subtle musky fruit spice.

I'm not that enthralled with Coxcomb on its own - it just doesn't have much staying power on my skin. But put it with the other two Le Mat blends and it provides a beautiful foundation for the craziness of Motley and the fruity goodness of Marotte.