Olibanum (for women and men)

fountaingirl

Incense lovers, rejoice! This scent is a dry, heavy, lovely, and yet somehow still sheer incense for the skin.

The opening is a bit sharp, when the fragrance hits your skin there is an immediate and strong note of orange and myrrh. The orange, which I assume is from the orange blossoms, calms down and becomes a background note on me within maybe five minutes, which is how I want it with this one. (It should be noted -- I do NOT normally turn orange blossom into heavy orange, this is unusual and unwanted, but the stage is very fast).

I had worried when I saw "orange blossom" in the notes that this scent would become very sweet, and it would end up being a sweet, or even sugared, incense. I needen't have worried. It is one of the smoothest and driest I have tried. The deep and resiny base is intact, it's all the myrrh a myrrh lover could wish for, and the incense note gives it a whiff of smoke and chil that is perfect.

Sillage is good, but not huge. For this scent I think it is perfect, enough to be noticeable but not at all "headshop-ish" and not aggressive with reasonable application. You could even wear it to work without concern, or on a hot day, which is unusual for an incensey blend. Lasting power is above average, but the latter half of the experience is resin-heavy and less nuanced. If you are a resin fan, this won't be a dealbreaker because this is some of the best myrrh around.