Musky perfume samples for winter

We list 24 samples that are filed as musky and tagged for winter. Here are 8 of them, each with the data that is on record for it. Nothing here is a verdict: the order is arbitrary and your skin decides.

The selection

Essential Parfums Ambre Latte

Essential Parfums Ambre Latte by Essential Parfums is an Eau de Parfum with these recorded notes: Almond milk, Roasted tonka bean, Dulce de leche caramel, Vanilla, Benzoin, White musks and others. It is tagged gourmand, amber, woody and musky. The listing names autumn and winter as its season. Notes on a list are a map, and what you notice on your own skin is the territory.

BORNTOSTANDOUT Dirty Rice

BORNTOSTANDOUT Dirty Rice is filed as an Eau de Parfum from BORNTOSTANDOUT; the note list on record reads Bergamot, Almond, Basmati Rice, Peony, Milk, Sandalwood and others. Its family tags read woody, musky and gourmand. Season on record: autumn and winter. Wear it on more than one day before you make up your mind.

Jo Milano Paris Game of Spades King

Jo Milano Paris Game of Spades King is filed as a Parfum from Jo Milano Paris; the note list on record reads Orange, Lemon, Bergamot, Fruits, Amber, Madagascar Vanilla and White Musk. The scent families on record: fruity, citrus, amber and musky. The listing names spring, autumn and winter as its season. Smell it right after applying and again later in the day, because the first minutes rarely tell the whole story.

Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume Superdose

Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume Superdose is an Eau de Parfum by Juliette Has a Gun. The notes on record are Cetalox, Cetalox and Cetalox. Its family tags read woody, musky and amber. Season on record: autumn and winter. Notice how close it stays to the skin and how much of it others pick up.

Pernoire Kama

Pernoire Kama by Pernoire is an Extrait de Parfum with these recorded notes: Blackberries, Birch Tar, Violet, Orris, Cotton Candy, Leather and others. Its family tags read leather, gourmand and musky. The listing names autumn and winter as its season. Do not judge it next to other perfumes on the same arm, as they blur each other.

Lorenzo Pazzaglia Sugar Kisses

From Lorenzo Pazzaglia comes Lorenzo Pazzaglia Sugar Kisses, an Extrait de Parfum. On paper it lists Fior di Latte, Cocoa Butter, Heliotrope, Sweet Orange Zest, Frangipane, Mohea Vanilla and others. The scent families on record: gourmand and musky. Season on record: autumn and winter. What reads as sweet on one person can read as dry on another.

Mind Games Queening

With Mind Games Queening, Mind Games has an Extrait de Parfum for which Clean Cotton Accord, Cypress, Apple, Orris, Rum, Saffron and others are on record. The scent families on record: gourmand, amber and musky. It is listed for autumn and winter. Warm skin and cool skin can bring out different sides, so try both if you can.

Bujairami Vanilla Dream

Bujairami Vanilla Dream is filed as a Parfum from Bujairami; the note list on record reads Caramel, Honey, Musk and Vanilla. By family it is filed as gourmand and musky. For season the tags say autumn and winter. Clothes hold a scent differently from skin, which makes a scarf or sleeve a useful second test.

Also in this selection: Nishane Hundred Silent Ways, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, Le Labo Labdanum 18, Les Eaux Primordiales Elevation, Les Eaux Primordiales Santal Superfluide, Ex Nihilo Santal Calling, Zoologist Squid, Juliette Has a Gun Ode to Dullness, BORNTOSTANDOUT Dirty Milk, Ex Nihilo The Hedonist.

How to test them

Start light; you can always add a spray on the next wearing. Leave other perfumes off that day, so nothing interferes. Spray it on the inside of your wrist or elbow and do not rub. Note what you think each time, and read your notes back at the end of the week.

Trying it as a sample first means your decision rests on wearing it, not on a description. Keep short notes per perfume; after a week the choice usually makes itself. With 2, 5 or 10 ml in a glass spray vial you can find out how it behaves on your skin, at your own pace.

Where to go next

• Musky samples
• Winter samples
• all samples
• sample sets
• frequently asked questions
• find your scent
• how to test perfume on skin
• how to build a sample set
• how to use a sample vial

Questions

Are these samples made by the brands?

No. They are decants: FragranceGems fills each one from the original bottle into a glass spray vial and labels it. They are not official brand samples.

Why do some perfumes show no notes?

Because we only print notes we can trace to a source. Where no note list is on record, the page says so and leaves the judging to your own skin.

What is a decant?

Perfume moved from the original bottle into a smaller vial. Ours are filled by FragranceGems into glass spray vials and labelled by us, so you can wear a perfume before you decide on a bottle.