Thierry Mugler Angel Muse Review

I was able to get my hands on Thierry Mugler Angel Muse Eau de Parfum finally. It launched on Theirry’s site earlier last week and I popped it quickly into my cart soon after! I’m a fond fan of the original Angel but even I can get admit it is an overwhelming fragrance that I typically love to hate on.

When I heard about the launch of Angel Muse I had hopes for something a little more lighter and wearable compared to the original Angel fragrance.

And that’s exactly what I got.

The marketing is pretty funny on this as they are using a hashtag for it of #HatetoLove and for me that’s the embodiment of many Thierry Mugler fragrances. They really are fragrances you hate to love or love to hate because they are strong, overpowering, and overwhelming but somehow, someway they set and dry down to something you end up falling in love with.

And so holds the same for Angel Muse. It’s a fragrance that starts out incredibly harsh but develops into something delicious. Where as the original Muse fragrance relies on patchouli to create an intoxicating, sexy edge, the new Angel Muse is more about the earthiness of vetiver.

Angel Muse comes housed in a bottle that is described as a “cosmic pebble”. It’s an oblong bottle that quite reminds me of the Star Trek Starfleet insignia, if you’re a Trekkie like me you’re totally going to love the packaging although the excitement wears away slightly when you realize the bottle won’t stand up by itself. The bottle isn’t only elegant but very modern and of course, fitting with the sci-fi theme that Thierry favors so much with his fragrances. Sadly, it does not include a stand of any kind. I was disappointed a little by this as I thought it would look quite lovely displayed with my other Alien fragrances but sadly, it doesn’t stand up and needs to lay on it back which ruins the presentation factor a little for me.

Georgia May Jagger is the face of the new fragrance, following in her mother’s footsteps, Jerry Hall, who was the face for the Angel Perfume Collection. It’s a gorgeous promotion with a simple windblown Georgia holding a bottle of Angel Muse against a pink galaxy background. It’s simple yet effective enough to draw the eye.

Angel Muse is dubbed a gourmand but she isn’t a traditional gourmand in the least due to her cloying, deep, dark opening. She’s terribly bitter on the opening with a harsher vetiver and patchouli note straight at the opening that gives way to warm, sugary, syrupy pink berries. She’s cloying at first, as if you jumped into a cold pool of water and can’t quite your breath. I think she’s dark, earthy, and very masculine but she settles down quickly enough and gives way to a sweet, fluffiness that reminds me of an expensive dessert that looks good enough to eat but doesn’t taste nearly as good as it looks. She definitely holds some of the original Angel DNA at first mist but she’s one that develops given time into her own, unique blend. There’s certain creaminess here and a syrupy sweetness with a warming woodsiness that’s mysterious and sexy. The hazelnut cream is here as promised but I don’t think it is a note you can fully get a feel for since both vetiver and patchouli overpower it. As it continues to settle, hours into the wear, the fragrance takes on a certain jammy note that gives it a little more sweetness. It’s definitely a fragrance that evolves with wear so don’t judge it by first mist as that first mist alone can disappoint for a number of reasons. One reason of which you might feel it is overpowering and secondly, you might feel it smells a lot like the original Angel. It needs time to set, settle, dry down and that is when in fact the layers of the fragrance are revealed.

I thought Angel Muse was a surprising fragrance. It’s something that disappoints at first but grows on you with continued wear. It’s much, much more wearable than its older sister and reveals a bit of playfulness and sweetness as hours pass. I liked it, a lot but not at first so give it time to grow on you before making your final descion.

Like all of Thierry’s fragrances, Angel Muse is a complex little diva that requires patience, attention, and dedication.

If you like complex, edgy gourmands she’s for you!

Angel Muse is available now at www.muglerusa.com and comes with a Muse Approval.