I wore Angelique Encense the other day, on a typical hot and humid Key West day, and was surprised to find a great deal of musk in this that I really enjoyed. Since then I have been thinking about incense frags, a very neglected category in my fragrance wardrobe.

I used to have a decant of Kenzo Flower Oriental that I swapped away and now I regret, b/c for some weird reason I am craving this very scent TODAY. I didn't like it back then, but now I think I would. It has a great deal of incense in the opening.

I also have worn and enjoyed Ayala's Espionage which is rather smoky at the beginning, almost too much so, but evolves so beautifully.

I bought DK Black Cashmere when it was first released - but gave it away too b/c back then I thought it was too masculine.

Today, I'm craving incense even though I don't have much in my fragrance drawer.

What are you favorite incense frags, and which do you recommend for a beginner?

Comme des Garcon's Incense line for sure - Avignon is a bit heavy (still beautiful), but Kyoto and Ourzazate are lighter and easier for beginners.

I absolutely love Timbuktu by l'Artisan. It is almost transparent. It doesn't smell like oil or tar like many heavier incense fragrances - it smells crisp and warm and smoky.

I wore it to an outdoor backyard party this weekend and received a lot of positive comments.

Teddius

Avignon by CdG and Silver Factory by Bond No. 9

I think that L'Heure Bleue (edt for days & edp at night) is perfect in the summer - as a matter of fact it's only in my summer rotation. The heat brings out a soft incense that's much harder to pick up when I wear it in cold weather.
Nu edp is also an incense scent I like in warmer weather.

PS! Ava Luxe has her site back up, you might want to pop in & see what she has for incense frags. I had a sample of Hong Kong Garden which is very lovely with orris/incense.

Guerlain Bois d'Armenie

Tauer Incense rosé

Tauer Incense extreme

CDG Kyoto

and

L'Artisan Dzongkha

are my favorites.

The Different Company's Sens et Bois. A beautiful, clean pepper muted by a soft incense and an occasional surprise of violet. I'm not big on incense, but love it in this fragrance - it's really clear/clean without being smoky or powdery. I would recommend it for an incense beginner.

And, to my nose, it's unisex - the violet is periodic and fleeting. The overall effect is a soft, almost "my skin smells this way" scent. If that makes sense.

In the throes of a serious incense binge, I got all of the CdG Incense series.

To my surprise, the one I like best is Zagorsk, followed closely by Kyoto. Kyoto is beautiful -- quiet and meditative, and very much like the gorgeous refined Japanese-style incense.

But Zagorsk -- it's cold, clear, quietly exhilarating, like a pine forest after the first snow of winter. I love it.

I also appreciate Avignon (cold, austere, churchy, all in a good way), and Jaisalmir.

Ouarzazate is my least favourite so far...

Chanel No. 22 -- incense and white flowers. It never fails to fascinate.

One of the new Biehl fragrances smells exactly like church incense, and is very lovely, also, but I can't remember which one it is -- that's the problems with the generic names of the Biehl fragrances -- you can't remember which is which.

I love Angelique Encens. It's the most haunting fragrance I've ever experienced.

2nd the Chanel No. 22

Also, Aqaba, CdeG Ouarzazate, POTL Luctor et Emergo, Sonoma Scent Studio Encens Tranquille, and Ava Luxe Midnight Violet.

I am not very experienced in the encense area but i would like to suggest Profumo which i just found, it also has an incensy quality.
Black Cashmere was truly tarry and bitter on my skin, this is why i cannot wear it.
I also think that Kenzo Flower Oriental is a good choice for a sweeter insence.
A japanese dry incense which only turns sweeter a few hours later on your skin is the pearl Zen by shiseido, now discontinued, I love this one!!
The L'heure bleue suggestion is good, too! I can only wear the EdT but i love it when i am in the right mood.
Chanel No. 22 is more full flowers and church-frakincense but also a good suggestion!!

I MUST try the AL suggestions here, of them i only tried Midnight Violet up to now.

If you have access to the Annayake line, i would like to suggest Tsukimi, the autumn scent, it is rather sweet (cinnamon and vanilla) but also adds a japanese incense note. Maybe also others contain incense, i don't know all of them.

http://www.annayake.com/

My favourite perfumes with an incense notes are:

- Magie Noire by Lancôme
- Cinnabar by Estée Lauder
- Eau de Lotus Bleu by Roger & Gallet

Lillie, another beautiful incense perfume from Annayaké is Miyako, with main notes of incense, amber and sandalwood. However, I think it was a limited edition.

Top notes: cardamom, cinnamon, incense
Heart notes: hinoki, rose, jasmine, ylang, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood
Base notes: musk, cistus, benzoin, myrrh, amber

Great suggestions !

Softest, lightest Ava-Luxe, is her Tao- with faint white blooms.
Then, so many- #23, Incense, Olibanum, Tokion, Incense Rose, Sacred, Incense Tibet [ coconutty !]..

Parfums d'Empire's Cuir Ottoman;
Etro has many- Palais Jamais [smoky], Messe De Minuit, Shaal Nur.

Heeley's Cardinal.

If I had COFFEE-I could go on and on...

Norma Kamali Ceremony or, if you're really brave, her Incense. The latter is serious!

I have to chime in with the others, Avignon is really great.

Try L'Artisan's Passage d'Enfer.

Notes are: White Lily, Frankincense, Aloe and white musk.

Also, I agree on Avignon. It has a "church" scent. Quite relaxing. I wore it last night. I had a good night sleep.

Hands down, BAL A VERSAILLES.


There's that distinct incense note which smells unquestionably Indian, like those Mysore Agarbatti sandalwood joss sticks made with cattle urine.

Just ordered some samples from LuckyScent, thanx for the recs!

Ras, I have vintage BalAV, I believe it's the Edp, I sniffed yesterday b/c I was sure it had incense, and in fact it does, however, that's not the incense note I'm looking for. BalAV's incense is very ambery, sweet, syrupy, I'm looking for something 'fresher', sharper, more edgy.

My nose will know when it finds it! ;-)

I have trouble with a lot of incense fragrances but I really liked Silver Factory.

For a beginner I would suggest POTL, a subtle and smokey white incense with grass and cherry thrown in. Delish!

Yeah Lucter et Emergo POTL is a good choice. I love this one too. I would agree with just about all the suggestions here.

I was just going to mention Shaal Nur being especially nice in summertime with the citrus notes to it...mmmm.

I love love love incense. Here are my favorites:

Profumum Olibanum
CdG Incense Series
Passage d'Enfer
Matthew Williamson Incense
Josef Statkus
Andy Tauer Incense Extreme
Olivier Durbano Black Tourmaline
Heeley Cardinal

This is where the Incense Series on Perfume Shrine comes handy ;-)

It might be best to read from bottom to top, to understand the concept of how things are tied to a specific time of the year. (otherwise you might think it's jarring and unrelated)