Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens

For Kouros fans: it reminds me of a friend’s grandfather, a seventy-something country type who still works before dawn with a keypad Nokia, no internet nonsense. He was a wall of muscle and leathered skin, nothing like the gym ‘macho’ types or bikers ordering short black coffee with soy milk and asking for a kiss from their mum. It’s like comparing a hoplite to the Scandal ad boy. Muscs Koublai Khan is the same: a musk close to what you read in magazines, softened by flowers and a hint of vanilla, but ultimately an animal, experimental, lustful scent, not romantic. It’s not a suite in the South Pacific with emerald waves; it’s desire in your parents’ house, behind a bush, for complicit people. Worth it if you don’t faint at Kouros and hate sweat.

First try, I was scared; it smelled like a stable and I thought, ‘Is this a fragrance?’. But then I trained my olfactory bulb and the result changed. The animal notes were there, but added other ‘exciting’ nuances. It smelled as if a girl had licked my nose, leaving that sweet-and-sour saliva scent, something that sexually excites me because I’m ‘nasophilic’. It’s not dense, it’s subtle but with presence. Not for everyone; if you like aquatic and citrus, it will shock you. I think it’s ideal for all seasons because it’s not intrusive, though I can’t say for what occasions.

I liked this fragrance, although in its mid-life it has a slightly tiring tone, probably due to the animal notes. It gives me a playdough sensation, something lumpy. If we compare it, it’s like a more refined Kouros: starts with a soft rose and ends sweet and balsamic with a vanillic amber. The animal notes, which I thought would be strong and harsh, I tolerate well. It doesn’t smell of urine or sweat. Kouros is fresher and this is warmer; it projects less but you can smell yourself on it well for hours. It conveys quality, evolves and has nuances, but the price makes it exclusive only for scent or brand fans, hehe.

The hardest fragrance to assimilate I’ve tried, not just from Serge Lutens but from any other. It has a very animal scent. As expected, the musk has huge weight here. There are many fragrances with this note, especially in men’s, but the one used in Muscs Koublai Khan is the most ‘realistic’. When I applied the sample I ordered a few weeks ago, I literally smelled like ‘cow’, to be honest. Besides, I let a relative smell it and had the same reaction as me. As it evolved, it became more subtle and I noticed something sweeter and floral. My advice is don’t buy it blindly; you need a somewhat trained nose to assimilate it. I don’t know for what occasions to use it. For me, it leans more towards the masculine side.