Angel Muse
Thierry Mugler (2016)

After fourteen Angels (count them) the muse was getting tired.
This one is just grapefruit and hazelnut cream plonked on a slimmed down formula.
[One interesting aside: comparing them head-to-head this makes Angel smell of nutmeg...]

Pastry 'tchouli girl fougère
I see what ze boy did zere

Angelelic DNA
Rosarosy cozy way

Floral choral moral there
Lesser morer savoir faire

Add tchoutella, just a toutch
Lest the tasty taste too much

Patchy punchy pitchy thang
Harmonormonarchy brang

Creamy Beamy boozy bits
Woozy floozy musey wits

Smarty Sparty arty gal
Winky drinky pinky pal

Lovely lady crème de crème
Boisies cain't leave dis to dem

Whirly girly crème brûlée
Burnie bitsy flan flambé

Quentchy quenchy Angexcess
Mugley Musey maxi dress

Angey dancey memory
Musey 'mancey mon cheri

Ooh la la dis be da schitz
Musey goil you be da Ritz!

In the opening I get only brief touches of the citrus - generic on me with not much of the advertised grapefruit - and the pepper. Very brief indeed.

The the main note arises, a milk-chocolate-like impression that is quite smooth and intense. There is a slight nutty undertone present, although I do not really get the hazelnut that the scent pyramid mentions. Instead,this note is infused with an undertone of caramel. Dark floral touches - a bit of a rose mailnly - remain very week and transient on me.

The base retains the dominant chocolate, with a touch of dark cocoa-powder now, with hints of a light-hearted and uncomplicated vetiver detectable. A very restrained equally light patchouli comes and goes towards the end.

I get moderate sillage excellent projection, and nine hours of longevity on my skin.

This winter warmer gourmand is so dominated by the chocolate-cocoa-caramel centre-piece that the other components are pushed into the background on me. Therefore, is comes across as more linear than the scent pyramid would indicate. This composition is as egregiously laboratory-aroma-synthetic as its performance is excellent. 2.5/5

This is the first Angel flanker I've tried and I did so with some trepidation, since I intensely disliked the original Angel.

I do - thankfully - like it better than the original, but unfortunately that's all I can say about it. I can't get past the chocolate/hazelnut note - I just don't like it, and didn't like it in the original Angel either. That aside, this seems like a well-done fragrance and it clearly has a lot of fans (notwithstanding the small number of reviews currently on BN).

I think the whole Angel line is just not for me, and perhaps I should be thankful, given there are enough flankers to make one dizzy.

A very nice gourmand with great staying power and totally full bodied. There are some reminders of Feve Delicieuse with that praline/nutty note. Probably too feminine for most Men to pull of but would smell great on a Woman.

8/10

Reminds me of nothing so much as coffee-shop hazelnut syrup. Tooth-achingly sweet praline confection with atomic reach and unreasonable endurance.