See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

.... Festlichter - - - warme Klänge - warme Düfte ..... (by IrisNobile)

Energy John Player Special

7.5 / 10 114 Ratings

A popular perfume by John Player Special for women. The release year is unknown. The scent is oriental-powdery. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Oriental

Powdery

Spicy

Sweet

Gourmand

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Liquorice

Heart Notes

Cherry pit

Magnolia

Ylang-ylang

Cinnamon

Rose

Theoretical Tobacco

Base Notes

Tolu balm

Musk

Vanilla

Benzoin

Leather

Jilthzorpanex

Perfumer

Karine Chevallier

Ratings

Scent

7.5114 Ratings

Longevity

8.086 Ratings

Sillage

6.480 Ratings

Bottle

6.775 Ratings

Submitted by Seglein · last update on 12/04/2023.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Come Il Sole

Les Nombres d'Or - Musc

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/14/2013

6Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

1

Woody Gourmand Oriental à la Nez à Nez

The opening of BAL MUSQUE, from the house of Nez à Nez, is surprisingly nice, with a declarative licorice note buttressed by an appealing complex of woods and a touch of leather. I like it a lot.

Within minutes, the house base becomes stronger and stronger to the point where, by the drydown, I am unable to distinguish this particular perfume from the drydowns of some of the other perfumes of this house. As I am not a fan of this base, my initial optimism about BAL MUSQUE proved to be false. I was hoping that this creation might be the exception to the rule, the one perfume from this house to deserve my further investigation, but alas, the base won out again.

Obviously, compatibility with and taste for a house base differs a lot from person to person. Those who like some of the other Nez à Nez creations may well appreciate this one as well. If the opening lasted more than a couple of minutes, I would have been ready to sign on for a full bottle, but for whatever reason, I simply do not like the somewhat gunky vanilla base.

01/13/2017

8.5Scent 10Longevity 6Sillage

Kleopatra
229 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Kleopatra

Top Review 27

From Harlot to Bambi

I sought out a decant of this fragrance because usually, when I read anything with "Musk..." I get excited. By the way, I still haven't found an exact translation. Is it "Ball of the Musk Oxen"? Anyway.

Bal Musqué starts off somewhat unconventional. Rather herb-spicy and harlot-leathery. Yes, there’s something a bit scandalous about it. I suspect something animalistic, even though it’s not listed. But there is definitely an animal note, and I wouldn't rule out leather either. I do enjoy eating licorice, but I don't need that in a perfume, and fortunately, I don't smell any of it in this scent. I also don't distinctly pick up any floral notes. Overall, I smell little of what’s listed in the pyramid, not even cherry pits...

Bal Musqué has a very long-lasting presence and transforms over many hours from the herb-animalistic to a beautiful, creamy-soft, feminine, gentle, slightly sweet, delicately powdery musk skin scent. And in this phase, I really start to enjoy the fragrance. It also has a pleasant sillage. It's not overpowering, but it’s not too close to the skin either. One will notice it.

And why am I not immediately on the hunt for this - how could it be otherwise - discontinued gem? Because patience is unfortunately not my strong suit. It simply takes too long for Bal Musqué to become what I would like it to be. I'm also not a fan of long and possibly extreme scent developments. I want to know from the beginning where the journey is headed. And here, the transformation is already quite clear: From the harlot, it increasingly becomes Bambi. Although, unusually for me, I prefer Bambi here… ;)

02/04/2014

9Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Gschpusi
302 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Gschpusi

Top Review 11

Touch of the Senses

Touch
Like a bridge that carries you
Like a rope that holds you
Touch
Gentle as a breeze
Warm as a sunbeam
Touch
Desire awakens
You feel its power
You close your eyes
And enjoy
Touch
You let yourself drift
On this feeling
On this power
And everything in you has awakened anew
Touch
What have you done with it?

(Rita Rettweiler)

I am a total Nez á Nez fan and I really love these squeaky, recognizable scents!

Bal Musqué is a fragrance that makes me feel very secure.
It envelops you with a "cuddly" feeling - phenomenal!

With the first "spray," a gentle vanilla, musk, and I would say licorice reach me. Then comes the leather. Not rough leather, but soft, gentle leather. Somewhere in between, the rose and cinnamon try to come through, but remain subtly in the background.
Bergamot, cherry pit (what does cherry pit smell like?) and the other ingredients I haven't mentioned are not detectable to me.

For me, a successful feel-good fragrance that I enjoy using more and more often.
A somewhat "quieter" Nez á Nez than usual, but beautifully emotional.

01/07/2012

10Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Chrisantiss
525 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Chrisantiss

Top Review 10

Musk of a Different Kind

Bal Musqué almost knocked me over.
I am usually skeptical about musk fragrances. There is good and bad musk. So, the fine light musk and the stinky musk.*gg*

But there are always surprises, because this one is neither, or rather has something of both. Above all, it is different from typical musk fragrances. For me, this is mainly due to the licorice note, which comes through quite well to my nose. Luckily, I belong to those who like licorice.
But even licorice haters should give this scent a try; I bet they will suddenly change their minds.

Here, a very unusual and fantastic fragrance has been created. This wonderful licorice note unexpectedly harmonizes excellently with everything else that is in it.
Cinnamon is clearly detectable, but even this note remains fine and so balanced, as I have rarely experienced.
The flowers are the icing on this daring and beautiful composition. Because Bal Musqué is not floral, nor spicy, and certainly not a gourmand. It eludes a specific category.

I truly cannot grasp it in its uniqueness. Perhaps it is all of it together.

Later, it develops a balsamic and sweet skin note.
The scent aura is beautifully warm and cozy with a dreamy powderiness. However, it is also not a powder scent.
It is none of all that, and yet everything together.

My heart and mind are fighting with each other. I don’t want a new fragrance anymore. But should one really forgo this extraordinary scent?

07/09/2013

8Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Venice
56 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Venice

Top Review

Fragrance Carpet

Attention, an atypical Nez à Nez. Most fragrances from this brand are loud, composed around a specific note. In the case of Ambre à Sade, for example, it is strawberry, and Hiroshima Mon Amour smells, as everyone knows, like cinnamon cherry gum. But what does Balmusqué smell like? The ingredient list reads opulent, one might expect a sweet, sultry floral scent with a hint of spiciness. But this fragrance is far from opulence. Rather, it is gentle and quiet, floating and almost intangible. Yet it is so densely woven and finely composed that it has a good presence despite its subtlety.

Perhaps the most noticeable note is licorice, but it is more like a hint that still brings a mild spiciness in conjunction with the (also only hinted at) cinnamon, preserving the fragrance from becoming overly sweet. Overall, it is more balsamic than sweet, accompanied by an abstract fruitiness, where one might imagine the mentioned cherry pits - do they even smell? A creamy vanilla, far from Doctor Oetker associations, also joins in, still accompanied by this mild spiciness; this is where the fragrance ultimately culminates. To emphasize the floating, diffuse character of the scent, the namesake musk contributes a bit of powder, adding extra fluffiness to this fragrance carpet. The resulting texture is velvety, fluffy, and with the addition of vanilla, the scent might be comparable to Kenzo Amour, except that it felt surprisingly scratchy to me due to that piercing clean note in it. But also because of the creamy vanilla, which becomes particularly prominent towards the end of the fragrance's development, I would most closely compare Balmusqué to the Kenzo classic.

Conclusion: Balmusqué is more a mood than a feeling, more a tactile impression than a sharply defined fragrance accord, more aura than perfume. But it is a feel-good aura with great endurance and a complex composition that, thanks to its soft and flattering character, should not overwhelm anyone.

More reviews