Kurai

From a perfume so costly it can serve as mortgage collateral, one should expect some fireworks. In terms of craftsmanship it is fair to say that yes this is about as good as it gets. Bourgeois, decadent and pompous. Just as it should be in this genre.

Despite the bombastics, something is holding me back from fully indulging in this. This may be a full symphony orchestra but what they're playing is a medley of classics. The constant rotation of accords is impressive but they all remind one of what made other classic perfumes so great. A greatest hits album by the Royal Philharmonic.

This eenie meenie flacon would look like a bottle of nail polish rather than a perfume if it weren't for this tiny patch of musk pod -or something reminiscent- attached to the side. The bottle may be tacky but the series is limited to 40 pieces of just 10ml each and that makes this an ultra-rarity. Even if, perhaps, we are dealing with leftover materials put to good use.

Straight from the top, I can tell you the contents are as unfinished as the packaging. The opening and mid are dominated by a screechy trio of citrus, rose and oud. Just when you start to think "is this it?" the fuzzy warmth of the deer musk kicks in. We're talking the soft, gentle type of musk here; Siberian musk. It turns out the mild oud is actually quite a nice companion once the citruses are gone. From this point on the scent remains in this mellow musky-woody state and keeps getting better and better - as you would expect from a quality musk tincture.

Composition-wise, Majestic Musk does not score too well. It is no "Khaan | Katana" or "Musk Khabib (Extrait de Parfum) | Bortnikoff". This is raw and unfinished but that don't matter much when you are in it for the natural musk. If you have found your way to these dark corners of perfumery you should know already that the most precious jewels are not necessarily the smoothly polished ones.

Crisp opening, velvet-smooth floral heart and a soft woody background. This cool-radiant combination of bergamot and magnolia feels a bit too familiar. It is not far off "Eau de Magnolia | Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle". Maybe a bit more shampooey rendering of florals and a more straightforward base of vetiver-musk. Not all bad, but it falls short when comparing with Malle and it comes with a higher price tag. The stunning bottle design almost makes up for that, though.

As part of the Shadowing collection, this scent was made for combining with other fragrances -Floraiku avoids calling it layering for some reason- but it actually it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone perfume.

What starts as a sharp vetiver infused with ginger and grapefruit, slowly begins to warm up as a smooth vanilla emerges. There is a thin layer of tea dust with a fine suede-like texture that connects the cold and warm elements.

I have had some bad experiences with fragrances that combine the freshness of vetiver with the warmth of vanilla, but in Between Two Trees I find there is a smooth transition from one into the other rather than the two existing side by side. The end state is incredibly mellow, maybe lacking a bit of excitement, but of absolute quality. Good for office and daily wear, I suppose. Or for layering.

Almost. I have never been this close to 'clicking' with a MFK perfume before. This little gem has such a joyful appearance. Light and airy, frivolous and carefree like a Sunday afternoon in spring.

Initially I get a brief whiff of orange-colored fruity notes. Those were gone before they could earn the perfume a 'fruity' label. A seemingly simplistic rose is left. It has some support of magnolia shampoo and some violet powder, but those stay nicely in the background. Along the way, intensity seems to go up and down without changing much of its character.

When sniffing up close to the skin, something did not feel right to me. Maybe the powdery violet and the fresh musk combo is not fully compatible with my skin. It turned a bit rubbery. From a distance I did not have this problem at all. Instead it serves a featherlight rosey trail and that is exactly what makes this perfume worthwhile.