Messe de Minuit by Etro

08/14/08 10:13:06

The aroma of incense in a perfume puts me in a reflective mood: its important role in my native culture and its use in various religious ceremonies most definitely add to my admiration for the scent. Messe de Minuit (‘Midnight Mass’) by the venerable house of Etro is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful creations based on the scent of incense (and that of myrrh!).

Incense is often interpreted as a dark accord in perfumery, it is associated with somber colors. The scent itself has a piercing quality and is often quite heavy; it transports us right into the shady semi-darkness of a church. Despite its familiar and very clear character, the incense in Messe de Minuit allowed me to see starry skies, a certain solemn nocturnal silence of Nature – a silence that lacks anything scarily unpredictable, but instead, one with a fairy tale or even a deja-vu quality, much like a child’s surprise upon entering a familiar room on New Year’s, anticipating nothing less than a miracle.

The aromatic accords of the head note smell like a forest at night and the incense makes that forest come alive, fills it with various mythical creatures and makes it warmer. A night in Italy is warm, after all, and I am 100% certain that that is where our story takes place. Where else would the trees be so divinely aromatic?

The night promenade continues among ancient ruins, we feel the warm touch of history and we begin to slowly dissolve in the surroundings. The incense works wonders on our souls; the skillful touch of a true artisan surrounds it with all things interesting and natural – aromatic herbs, woody notes, plus a very recognizable yet modest tinge of the earth (patchouli). All of that makes me feel that the mass in question is given somewhere alfresco, in the open air, with people standing right on the bare ground.

Although the fragrance contains a honey note, its sweetness is barely noticeable: it’s there to soften the aromatic rough edges, those odd woody ‘bits and pieces’, but that’s it. The woody chorus slowly takes the entire stage, squeezing out all the other aromatic components. ‘Messe de Minuit’ is very lucid, it hits really close-to-home and, at the same time, it is quite fascinating.