When it comes to fragrances, I can never settle for simply one – variety is the spice of life after all. While others have signature smells that you instantly associate with them, I’ve got a smorgasbord of scents crammed onto the windowsill in my bathroom – huddled together like a waddle of penguins.
From flirty florals to smokey ouds, in the height of summer I usually lean towards solar scents that transport me to the beach (even when I’m stuck at my desk) and delicious, mouth-watering gourmands that invite inquisitive noses. Yet, this summer, I’ve been seduced by a scent that I can’t stop spritzing on myself day after day and I think it’s time to officially declare it as my summer fragrance.
The latest launch from buzzy brand Maison Crivelli, Musc Nurāsana is not just a new fragrance, but a brand new chapter for the house – joining the Olfactory Escapes collection. “With Musc Nurāsana, the collection opens a new chapter devoted to musk, an ingredient deeply connected to intimacy and emotion,” explains founder Thibaud Crivelli. “Musk is much more than just a perfume ingredient to me. It’s an artistic expression of something deeply intimate and physical. With this new chapter of the Olfactory Escapes collection, I wanted to translate unexpected physical sensations I’ve experienced into scent.”
I was lucky enough to be among the first to get a tantalising teaser of the scent at the tail end of last year and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Counting down the days to the official launch, I was thrilled to finally attend a fragrance masterclass with Thibaud and Musc Nurāsana nose Gaël Montero – the mastermind behind the brand’s Safran Secret (a woody and warm autumnal fave) – to find out more.
First up, getting intimate with the hero notes that combine to create the perfume. Floating through warm frankincense, toasty tonka bean, rich Damask rose and musk – which for brief moment evoked an intimate moment of nuzzling your beau in bed before disappearing (some people can’t smell it at all) – there’s also ginger Italian bergamot and Indian cardamom to boot. “The fragrance opens with a luminous vibration, echoing the first moments of dawn,” explains Gaël. “As it develops, the energy becomes more introspective: rose and tonka bean extend the moment of awakening, while incense maintains a sense of flow and clarity. The evolution is gradual, almost meditative, mirroring the body’s slow awakening.”
Stepping through delightful pastel pink drapes, it was finally time to get a proper whiff of Musc Nurāsana. As I chatted with Thibaud, he gave me an insight into the inspiration behind the fragrance. “[It] came from a very vivid morning memory,” he explains. “I was on a terrace at dawn, stretching in silence as soft golden light began to wash over the coral-hued walls. The air was still cool, and the atmosphere felt both suspended, as if holding its breath, and deeply energizing. This moment of quiet awakening, when the body stirs before the world fully comes to life, became the emotional starting point for the perfume.”
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What does Musc Nurāsana smell like?
For me, the scent is clean yet sensual, warm and inviting with a subtle hint of spice that appears to prick up nearby noses when worn. “It vibrates and breathes on the skin,” Thibaud says. Whether worn alone (which is more than enough) or layered with other Maison Crivelli faves like Hibiscus Mahajád or Santal Volcanique, this is a guaranteed complement magnet. Catching the attention of the Glamour team who tell me that it smells amazing, our fabulous fashion writer Dino says that it trails behind me as I slink around the office and is inviting in a way that makes you want to know more.
While I’d usually be reluctant to share details of what makes me smell so delicious (I’m a gatekeeper, sue me!), in this instance I’m happy to make an exception if it means summer will be smelling a bit sweeter with everyone choosing this as their summer fragrance. Thibaud similarly hopes that people will make the scent their own. “Musk, by nature, is something each person experiences in their own way,” he says. “I hope Musc Nurāsana first evokes a sense of intrigue, arising from the composition’s sophistication and complexity as well as its surprising contrasts. This creation will meet certain expectations while also paving the way for future musk scents in the collection.”
