Must de Cartier (1981)
by Cartier

A rich top of citrus and other fruit notes leads to a dense and heady heart of rose, white florals, carnation, orchid, orris, a hint of leather, and vetiver; all this is rooted in a base of vanilla, sandalwood, amber, tonka bean, and civet. The overall effect is rich and voluptuous for a blissful moment, whence it tones down to a warm and slightly animalic effect; then the drydown goes through the florals and leather to a purring oriental accord softly whispered like warm breath in the ear. The whole is one of the gentlest, most captivating romantic voyages a perfume can offer. Discontinued, very hard to find, but if you can find it, grab it and make it last for as long as you can.

Reminds me of Obsession at certain points during the development (and I like Obsession), but unfortunately Must turned sour on my skin and I couldn't enjoy it after a while. I would like to try the parfum version sometime to see if I get a different experience. It is promising. Could work very well on a man.

I second the recommendation to find the old version, if you can.

Must was my first big perfume love. I found it in about 1990. Bought a bottle, a large extravagance at the time, and loved every drop of it. I have since bought another EdP and the EdT. They are nice of course, but I've wondered why I didn't get the same overwhelming sensory experience as I did with that first bottle. Now I know it was reformulated in 1991 or 92, using cheaper ingredients. But try the new one--if you love it, go searching for the older version. The modern version is only disappointing if you remember it being better...

I have received a bottle of Must at a Christmas from my hubby. At first I thought this was too strong, beautiful, but loud. However, for the rest of the evening I caught myself smelling my wrists constantly. I was addicted. This is now one of my favorite perfumes. It makes me feel powerful, elegant and yes, it has been said before: sophisticated. The musk is superb, has so many tonalities and it wraps me like an invisible shawl. This one will stay in my wardrobe.

To put it politely, this is a perfume that most people would probably consider to be for "a sophisticated woman." It is not girly, by any means. I'm so bad at naming notes, but when I tested this, I got a clear set of associations. The opening notes remind me much of Halston Couture, which I know has a sharp opening due to citrus. After about 4 to 5 hours, it smells very much like a Baskin Robbins that we used to visit every Sunday after Mass. I can't tell if it's because there maybe was a woman who wore Must de Cartier and worked in that particular establishment, or whether it's the vanilla that I'm smelling in the heart. Then after about 9 hours, it lays into this sultry scent that for all the world reminds me of the time I discovered my uncle's Ginger Lynn video, which he had left on the VCR during the time he briefly lived with us. That must be the 1980's musk, I guess.

Another great classic I can´t wear! It is so dissapointing! This one is just messy and strong on my skin! I envy all of you who carries this one well!

I stick to Le Baiser du Dragon when I find the Cartier perfumes, it is the only Cartier I wear truly well.