Myrrhe Ardente Annick Goutal for women and men

I love wearing this. I do love Myrrhe however. So comforting and interesting. Delicious!

MissK and johngreenink wrote some great reviews here, along with a few others that added something provactive and thoughtful.

I get a lot of amber and beeswax on top - a blast of sweet benzoin and tonka bean along with it. So, know that this is not for the faint of heart. I am not overloaded with myrrh - but a touch of wood at this stage. This, to me, is very quality fragrance and I love AG's work - truly niche and you must be into perfume to appreciate. I have several other bottlings and will revew Amber Fetiche next. Encens is waiting for me - I have heard good and bad, but I might have to get it just to complete the line.

Warming up, I am getting a honeyed concoction that smells so unique - this will not remind you of anything, unless you are a beekeeper perhaps. :-)

Not sure this is fragrance or an olfatory science experiment, but it is enthralling. Not incense-laden - the myrrh isn't heavy or even that noticeable at first...alfarom is correct (again). I like it, though I can't say I love it. I am immediately thinking about layering with something that has more darker notes and less sweet amber, benzoin and honey. Amber Fetiche...? Encens? Comme des Garcons 2? What to do? I think, from an artful perspective, it is a line of wet, translucent honey-colored paint dripping off a canvas...onto a hardwood floor. I cannot rate this - only say that I admire it.

Update - 90 minutes or so in...the smoky myrrh makes an appearance. Strange , johngreenink and I, somehow ended up getting virtually identical notes out of this fragrance but in exactly opposite chronology! The walnut and cedar (that hardwood floor that just started to show a while ago) is now freshly sanded...this actually has great wood! Amber still very prominent along with the benzoin - but secondary notes have emerged gloriously. I am now rethinking layering as this, like all Goutal's creations, require patience. This is now in harmony...rich, deep, yet totally sweet. Very, very, very tasteful. My wife likes it - a lot! So much so, she wants to wear it on her olive skin - I agree. This is truly unisex and I cannot imagine how this could not smell almost edible on her! People who don't know perfume, please take note - this is an acquired taste...and those that have taste will acquire it. I will still refrain from quantifying a rating for this as a fraction will not represent the true taste and composition of Annick Goutal's work. Go elsewhere and let mass-marketed fragrance get stars and points. This is olfactory pleasure - any season or time of day...Cheers. ;-)

Update (a little extra): Just for fun, I burned some very high-end incense this evening - a blend of Myrrh/Vanilla/Tulsi stick that is incredible. It offered a lot of similar notes and deepened the smokiness and incense (naturally) of the Myrrhe Ardente. I found the deeper notes came out more on my skin as what was in the air (the sweetness does remain with the vanilla). I smelled my shirt just now (about 4-5+ hours since application) - the amber, benzoin, beeswax, & brown sugar are still there. A recommendation - spray a couple shots on clothes and the top notes of this fragrance stay almost the same. On the skin, a different evolution happens...! It was an interesting twist (with the incense) to add to a memorable day with a unique creation by Annick Goutal.

My first association is old woods, old furniture even:
A dusty salon in another century, or an antique sale in an old barn.
After a while I get a bit of beeswax, which makes it slightly fresh (big emphasis on slightly).
This scent is so strange, it will take decades to grow on me, which is probably the way it should be.
Definitely an acquired taste.

Honey, smoky woods, incense, myrhh, sugary benzoin, sultanas, walnut, cedar: This is a perfume of many faces. Myrrhe Ardente is one of the heaviest of Annick Goutal's perfumes. When I first put it on, it felt VERY heavy, VERY smoky. I'm glad I was patient with this one because it evolves slowly. The notes begin strong and almost harsh, and then they mellow into something sweeter, woodier, and gently resinous.

Because of the myrhh and incense, this perfume is tied to winter and cold weather (although I'd be curious to know what a light application in summer smells like...).

The longevity is amazing - I could still smell a beautiful trail of this perfume well into the night.

I think this is an incredibly personal scent; perhaps a bit too strong to wear in the office or for a night on the town, but definitely what you'd like to smell as you're reading a book or driving through the snow. If you put it on and feel overwhelmed by it's thick amberishness, give it just a few minutes to reveal its sweeter side. It's a real delight.

This makes me feel safe. Honey reminds of childhood and grandma's house. I wear it driving my car and I am completely out of this world. Sweet, cosy and still sexy.

I like spicy perfumes and wear them often, this one is just too heavy and after the first dry outburst, only a sweet vanilla note remains on the skin. It's very well constructed - as all Goutal's creations are - but it does not convince me totally. It changes too much from the beginning to the end and this does not suit me at all. I am sure many out there will find this fantastic. I wish I could too.

First of all..i am a huge fan of Les Orientalistes line and i will surely get them all. This was the first niche fragrance i ever bough and the one i liked most from that line (now my taste is moving thowards Ambre fetiche lately..). I remember i entered the store and i said "I want a perfume that Cleopatra would wear..an incense that smells like something ancient, rich, exotic and mithological" and this is it!

It smells like an ancient egyptian or babilonic temple in the middle of the coronation of the new queen: The herbal purifying mystical scent of the myrrhe and the deep luxurious ambers mixed with a hint of smoke, and then a sweet delicate touch of somehting like liquorice or anise. At the draydown the smoke trace fades and it makes the fragrance sweeter and warmer, really conforting in winter when i constantly reach for this perfume as my daily chosen one.

Superwarm, rich, dark, alluring, diferent and..ancient..LOVE IT!

I'm surely not among the most keen fans of Goutal's Les Orientalists and, while Myrrhe Ardente is not exactly unpleasant, it still can't be considered as a myrrh centered fragrance. Basically is all about woods and amber. If you expect the pungent-aromatic smell of this liturgical resin you have to wait for the drydown where myrrh bashfully makes its appearance or, maybe, directly jump to Luten's Le Myrrh.

Rating: 6.5/10

Dark, earthy, dirty...defiant and shameless..seductive and intoxicating. Very provocative, amazing fragrance.
My first though after the application was: grog or glögg!:) It's smells like a hot swedish traditional winter drink! Sweet, spicy, soulwarming but be careful because it's easily can stay in your head!!:)

I like myrhh, I like incense, I like woods, I like honey, I like Oriental category perfumes, so it seemed a logical choice to give the Goutal Les Orientalistes line a spin...The one I most wanted to try, Ambre Fetische, I am having difficulty finding in stock anywhere. So I grabbed the Encens Flamboyant and the Myrrhe Ardente. So far, the score stands at 1 unknown because unobtainable, 1 loved (Encens), and 1 maybe...

Myrrhe Ardente is interesting. It's not really incense in the general sense, though I couldn't place it in any other category. As for notes, I do not get much more than a whisper of beeswax and no honey. Yet it is sweet, quite sweet, almost achingly so. The initial spray gives a strong, medicinal scent that I really don't care for. In fact, the first time I tried it on a wrist I ended up washing it off because I needed to go out and it was not a smell I wanted to carry out the door with me. Subsequently I gave it another go on a rainy afternoon at home...Again, the first blast was not pleasant. I persevered, waiting for it to dry down and give up its secrets. Slowly the odd smell that seemed a combination of wet dog and apothecary's shop changed into something more complex and oddly compelling. Myrrh, definitely the main note; but also tonka and benzoin. Still sweet, but an evolved, nuanced sweetness. Sillage is subtle and duration medium. And I swear I can actually smell the "edges" of the scent where it blends into skin that didn't get sprayed directly, and that edge is intriguing as hell. I am wondering if it might not be a very sensual--if slightly unexpected--scent placed more to the center of the body. I'm also planning to give it more use layering it with other scents that I find too linear or too masculine, like my Ambre Extreme. It might not play nicely with others, but if it does, it will bring something intangible to the table. This is not a "go-to" scent, but it's one I am glad I got to experience. Very unusual, meditative, and compelling, as I said before. There will be days when this scent is what I want to wear, quiet thoughtful days at home perhaps.

A lovely, warm, subtle fragrance. The Myrrh is just the right strength and there's a definite hint of honey underneath. Unfortunately, on my skin it fades very quickly and just leaves a faint, almost-vanilla sweetness.

Today its minus 23 degrees celcius. I reach for this seldom worn fragrance in my shelf. I get a sharp incency smell the first few minutes, then I forget about it. Then a few hours later as my body is warmer i get a wonderful sweet vanilla, tonka bean and myrrh scent. It does't develop any further but who cares! Its comforting and brings me peace. Lives om throughout the day. On the wrist it's boring but om warmer more intimate parts its bewitching!

(This review is for Eau de Perfume)

MYRRHE ARDENTE has rather interesting combination of beeswax and incense which in my opinion should work. I am actually quite familiar with the gorgeous real beeswax aroma flowing from the church candles when they are quality made. I know it has potential to smell absolutely beautiful combined with the myrrh. However in this fragrance beeswax is rather waxy and boring. The rest of the fragrance is quite pleasant. The myrrh is nice combined with just a hint of vanilla and tonka bean. I wish the beeswax note was better. I think it would make this fragrance truly outstanding.

I did not like this on first application; rather linear and medicinal. I'm glad I persevered because Annick Goutal didn't let me down, and this beautiful perfume later became sweet (VERY) and gentle, it seemed to soak into my skin and skin's warmth released the perfume's heart. Sigh...another must have.

Edit: Interestingly I tried it a couple more times over the next several days, and that sweetness did not ever re-appear, I only got the Tiger Balm smell. Well, I'll save my money for something else. Pity.

It took me a while and a colder weather to finally appreciate this perfume. When I tried it in late August I found it too sweet and cloying. In the middle of January, I finally caved in and bought a full bottle. What seemed cloying seems now smoky sweet and haunting. I don't detect myrrh but I detect a medicinal smell that smells more like anise than beeswax on my skin. That, along with the smoky feeling are what make this vanilic fragrance so exquisite, unique and comforting.

I seriously consider buying the body lotion as well, because I want to dive in this fragrance and have it invade my clothes, my skin, my hair. I adore it! It would also help enhance the lasting power which though good, is nothing like Ambre Fetich or Encens. Those two are loud where Myrrh is soft and calming. I found Ambre sexy, Encens spiritualistic/meditating but Myrrh is the one you want to where at the end of the day when you rest curled with a favorite book in front of the fireplace.

Warm, little bit medical, but extremely cozy. I don't find this to be too masculine as all the resins make this a wonderful, smoky and sweet scent that could be worn by any lady. The only thing that's actually disturbing me is the beeswax which is sweet, but wrong kind of sweet.
I like myrrh in my perfume, but, because of the beeswax, it somehow does not work on me as well as I hoped it would.
But ladies, do no run away from this. If you enjoy smoky, incensy and different perfumes that balance on edge of being almost masculine, give Myrrhe Ardente a try.

First of all I have to confess that I usually wear 'masculin' scents or 'unisex' ones, so reading the reviews of Myrrhe Ardente's masculine side made me wondering.
For me M.A is a noble, warm, sweet, but not cloying, profound BASIC INSTINCT - I can hardly detect it, but I can securely feel it's influence. I dream being GAIA, the mother of Earth, ancient, calm, confident, and instinctly sexual. Hmmmmm.... and I am floating now.

What people find difficult to like, I usually enjoy, and vice-versa. Myrrhe Ardente, and the whole Les Orientalistes series in general, are extremely well-constructed, beautiful fragrances.

I love rich, bold, resinous and smokey scents, so this fragrance is 'right up my alley'. Exotic is indeed what this fragrance is.

If you love fragrances like Oud 27 by Le Labo, Chanel Coromandel, Tauer's perfumes and anything woodsy and masculine, Myrrhe Ardente could possibly suit you.

Opening rather strongly, Myrrhe Ardente is a combination of dark woods, spicy incense and syrupy honey. I also get the reference being made in a few reviews to that slight booziness, a rum-like note that appears briefly in the heart.

Due to this fragrance's subtle sweetness, I find myself desiring this fragrance quite often. It would make a perfect scent for a couple to share, depending upon the fact that his taste is similar to your own.

While this fragrance is rough and foreign, it is incredibly sexy and alluring at the same time. Once the drydown has developed, I am often left in a peaceful state, shrouded in a smokey and sweet aroma, a little chocolatey and vanillary in certain moments.

The price is a little disheartening, seeming that is nearly twice the price of other Annick Goutal fragrances. However, for this particular beauty I would shell out every, single penny to own even a drop of its exquisite juice.

Smells like natural toothpaste.

Noelia: if you dare, try myrrh powder (I purchase from smallflower.com)and mix about 1/16 of a easpoon with flex shampoo(sample size)and see if you like it. I know that it is not the same as spraying perfume, but try it and see. Anyone else who likes flex/myrrh should also try it.

Most people find the Eastern scents in this line really difficult to take. Myrrhe is super-sweet, Ambre is smokey, Nomad is mediciney, and Encens is piney. But on a cold day, I sprayed Encens on my arm and could not spot sniffing it. I eventually bought it for its exorbitant price, and later got the other scents for less. However, these fragrances can be layered and if applied with care, can dry down to magnificent woody and incensy warmth.

Oh no. Horrible on me. The myrrh is absolutely sickening. Perhaps this would smell better on a man.I do not know why myrrh smells like a sick burnt mint on me, but it does. It actually makes me gag.

I feel I am sipping a cup of hot buttered rum, wearing a pashmina or cashmere stole over my gold satin gown. It is that elegant and soothing.

First on, it smells very like Alder wood incense; woody and smokey. Very very nice, very smoky, and with that lovely warm wood note, like a wood fire on a winter’s night. As it dries down, an inexplicable toothpaste note creeps in, jarring the lovely incense feeling. Somehow I really like it anyway. A nice scent and a must for incense lovers.