Song of India Krishna Musk

Spirit of the Plains, Sydney Long

It is 1972. Your our best friend Lotus lives on commune in a river stone yurt. You sitting cross-legged on her guest bed. The bed is covered in a Paisley and silk velvet quilt. Clouds part. Sun streams onto the bed. The air fills with a glorious scent. Not patchouli, something woody and musky... 

I must confess that I have been using Song of India Krishna Musk (KM) for more than fifteen years. Reviewing it is like trying to write a letter of recommendation for a friend you have had for forty years. You love them. You want others to love them but there is so much good though, it is hard to keep the word count down.

KM opens with a deep, quiet wood. Not a single note but a good Indian style sandalwood accompanied by something like the inside of a cedar chest. As it warms on your skin, after around half an hour, an ambrette seed style white musk appears and stays... and stays....and stays. This is a linear composition, broad rather than high. What you smell after half an hour, you will smell in six hours. There is not much progression in the scent but it possesses astonishing longevity. Three days ago, I applied this oil to the back of my hand to refresh my memory for this piece; I could still smell it yesterday. Upon occasion, the fragrance has survived on my clothing through multiple washes and, in one case, being washed and stored for two years!  Musks tend to be cold weather fragrances. KM is that rare musk that is perfectly wearable in the heat. It never ever becomes bombastic or cloying. In winter, you get more of the wood effects; in summer,the floral aspects of ambrette come to the fore.

I believe KM maybe the Queen of Skin Scents. It most definitely fills the "your skin but better" requirement and is subtly sexy all day. One of its charms is its unobtrusive nature. White musks can be screechy.  KM is polite and loyal. It doesn't announce your presence but instead stays close and gives you a delicious woody musk aura. It would be an excellent choice if you want to wear perfume in close quarters and not offend those around you or aggravate anyone's allergies.

How does it stand up against other white musks? Very well. Hands down beats anything even near its price point ($10-20 AUD). The Body Shop's iconic White Musk smells very artificial by comparison. Better still, this perfume improves on keeping. My current bottle is five years old and just magnificent.

Though I have not tried this, given its tenacity, I believe this oil could be used in layering as a fixative for most fleeting scents.

Key Notes: Sandalwood/amyris, ambrette seed

Pros:

• ·         Lovely white musk
• ·         Cheap
• ·         Very long lasting
• ·         A bottle will last practically forever, improving on keeping

Cons:

• ·         Mild hippy vibe, though not in the league of patchouli
• ·         Very thick oil, can be a little tricky to apply
• ·         Those outside Australia might need to buy online

Available on eBay or here.