If you’re anything like me, then Carolyn Bessette Kennedy has been all over your social media feeds because of FX’s limited series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
While Carolyn has never really gone away from the public consciousness in the decades since her death, the show has introduced her to a new generation, especially Gen Z, who are just now discovering her for the first time. This has also brought renewed attention to her classic ’90s minimalist wardrobe, which now fits almost perfectly with today’s The Row or Loro Piana quiet luxury aesthetic.
Along with her clothes, her makeup, accessories, and even her reported signature scent, Abdul Kareem Egyptian Musk Oil, have been widely covered by people online, especially TikTok. In fact, the scent itself was brought up within the very first 10 minutes of the first episode of the show.
Carolyn’s love of the fragrance – which has been described as soft, clean, simple, and like the “white T-shirt” of scents — has been well documented over the years, including in Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy by author Elizabeth Beller, and in her cousin-in-law and friend Carole Radziwill’s memoir, What Remains. Now, as much as I can find through researching Abdul Kareem, it was an inexpensive, small, Brooklyn-based perfume oil brand from the ’80s that was also popular in the ’90s and sold mainly through street vendors (which is where Carolyn would buy hers).
Reportedly, after the owner of the company died, Egyptian Musk (and other Abdul Kareem fragrances) slowly disappeared, with only backstock bottles popping up here and there over the years on eBay, usually going for way more than the $8–$12 price tag it sold for on the streets. Now, according to the Cut, the fragrance then reappeared through an eBay seller (that wants to remain anonymous), who has inherited the business and the original formulation, and has occasionally been dropping the oil over the years.
Well, I lucked out and was able to get a bottle of Abdul Kareem Egyptian Musk from their most recent drop before it sold out. I was honestly curious about what all the fuss was about, which is why I decided to get it. But I also wanted to do a review of it, so I asked my two wonderful coworkers and two people whose opinions I really trust, Shelby and Lara, to review it with me, so you guys can know what we really think.
If you want a bottle of Abdul Kareem Egyptian Musk Oil, it is available through seller SkipTheMiddleMan on eBay. Unfortunately, the scent is sold out at the moment, and there is no mention of when they will be back in stock. If you want something like it now, there are also lots of sites that have reviewed scents that are alternatives to it.
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