Incense: 73 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

For me, a year is a long time to declare loyalty to any single perfume, but I only have to reach my hand for Amouage Homage to feel a wave of pleasure and serenity. Homage evokes something poignantly nostalgic for me—a memory, a gesture, something long lost and almost forgotten. On the technical level, it contains the elements I love—rich rose and jasmine absolutes, subtle animalic oud notes, crispness of amber and sensual sillage. It is not a fragrance that screams for attention. Even though Homage is quite potent—I need to apply literally a single drop, it stays close to the skin. …

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The deeper I delve into perfumery, the more often I pose the question, “why perfume?” to myself. Why do I write about perfume? Why is it that exploring this subject never fails to be exciting and fascinating? Perhaps, it is because scents provide a way to experience the world in a manner that cannot be replicated with any of our other senses. Recently, an illustration of this appeared in the guise of Annick Goutal Les Orientalistes, a trio of fragrances inspired by the classical oriental notes—amber (Ambre Fétiche,) myrrh (Myrrhe Ardente) and frankincense (Encens Flamboyant.) They offered me an inspiration to dream.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Attending Sunday mass has never been a part of my childhood, and perhaps it is for this reason that the church service has never lost its romantic appeal for me. Even the simple act of burning frankincense satisfies my longings for its mysterious darkness and serenity. As a perfume note, it possesses a remarkable complexity and depth. In fragrance, frankincense tends to add the same beguiling sobriety and austerity that I discovered when inhaling its scent inside churches. Given its ornate quality, the less complicated the treatment of incense, the more rewarding the result. In this vein, the eponymous fragrance from Lithuanian fashion designer Juozas Statkevičius (Josef Statkus) is a composition that is bound to sway those with a penchant for the dark and sonorous incantations of incense.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

“The church, which stood in gloomy isolation at the outer edge of the village, was of age-blackened wood, overgrown with green moss, and surmounted by three conical cupolas. It was at once apparent that no service had been held in it for many a long year. Candles were now burning before almost every icon.” Nikolai Gogol, a Ukrainian-born Russian writer, paints such a vivid picture of the village church in his story Viy that as I continued to read, I could almost smell the decaying woods, the grey incense smoke and the peeling resinous varnish on the pillars. It was in Diptyque L’Eau Trois—notwithstanding the creators’ intent to capture the aroma of Northern Greece—that I have found the scent of that forsaken church, haunting and intoxicating.

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It would not be an overstatement to call Messe de Minuit the most arresting of Etro’s line. While it may not be the most approachable composition due to the musty touch of patchouli, malted warmth of honey and the aggressive sharpness of galbanum, the fragrance compels due to the harmonious blend of these diverse elements. There are no dramatic shifts between the vibrant citrusy tartness of the top notes and the honeyed musk of the base. Created in 1994 by Robertet’s Jacques Flori, Messe de Minuit strikes one somber note after another, allowing one to fall under its spell. …

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