Comme des Garcons Series 3 Incense: Kyoto

In terms of the genre that is incense I've had no issue finding wonderful fragrances among the heavier concentrations that offer both complexity and performance, but it's been much harder to find something lighter for everyday wear. What I also didn't want was something that felt like a watered down and simplified version of something that was meant to be expressed in the highest possible concentration. Incense: Kyoto checks all tose boxes for me, but not at the cost of character. To me the incense here comes across dry, smoky and ashy even. It's the incense molded into sticks and cones, and lacks anything that I would associate with dense, syrupy resins evoking an amber accord. It is certainly green and woody, perhaps a little cold even. It's also quite unique in this line, compared to the other four that share some similarity (a more directly resinous quality). It is a much more meditative fragrance to me, than something that I necessarily only associate with religious rituals or spaces. The distinction is unnecessary, even though it does conjure up my memories of the temples and shrines of Kyoto in the winter. It opens with smoke and birch tar and develops into a smooth, green mixture of cypress and cedar. I don't really agree with most of the comparisons drawn in the 'Reminds me of' section. There is nothing overtly masculine about Kyoto. It is very much a true unisex in the sense that the composition is balanced and harmonious. The vetiver here acts mainly as a fixative (it is literally present in most fragrances, even when not listed) and is overreported in terms of the note pyramid in my opinion. It lasts a long time on clothes, but is not as long lived on skin. But after all, this is kind of the point and something I appreciate, because it enables me to have this meditative scent cocoon around me when something much stronger would be inappropriate. It's not linear, but it also doesn't go through a drastic change throughout its development. It has that same comforting feel about it throughout its entire development.

ربما كان علىّ أن أرحل إلى جزيرة نائية، حيث لا توجد أية معلومات، فلربما تمكنت مخيلتى من العمل هناك بحرية أكبر،واستطعت أن أحافظ على عقلى من التلوث، إذ ما من قصة واحدة أسمعها اليوم تشعرنى بالسعادة” أكيرا كوروساوا كيوتو / كوم دي قارسون / مجموعة البخور 3 / اصدار 2002 كثيرا ما تعجبنا قيم الثقافة اليابانية التي تتضمن الكثير من معاني الصبر والتأمل والحكمة ، كل هذه الموروثات الثقافية ساعدت المصممة اليابانية رى كيكوبو بتأسيس دار كوم دي قارسون ، في الحقيقة لديهم أزياء تتسم بالغرابة ولاتقل عن عطورهم التي يعتبرها الكثيرون خارجة عن المألوف. كوم دي قارسون يصنفها البعض كديزاينر والبعض الاخر يرى انها ترقى لمستوى وفكر النيش ، حسنا يا اخوان " دعونا نشجع اللعبة الحلوة" فهذه الدار اضافة كبيرة للمجتمع العطرى المعاصر دون الخوض في هذا التصنيف الطبقي الغريب. من قلب مدينة كيوتو جاءت فكرة هذا العطر ،وان كنت لا افضل انتهاج دار كوم دي قارسون لفكرة دغدغة المشاعر الدينية العقائدية لاصدار مجموعة البخور ، فالحقيقة وجدت هذه الفكرة مبتذلة بعض الشيء. استعانت السيدة اكيكوبو بالعطرجي المخضرم بيرنار دوفوشار (امواج جوبيليشن-الغابة المسحورة) فله اسلوب راقي لتصميم وتخطيط العطور ، تتفق والنهج الفلسفي لكوم دي قارسون ، والحق يقال فالرجل سخر جميع طاقاته لايصال افكار كيكوبو المستحيلة. كرجل يعاني من أزمة منتصف العمر فقد وافق هذا العطر مزاجي الشخصي فهو باعث على الهدوء والسكينة والتأمل ومريح للأعصاب ، فهو ذو افتتاحية مبهرة بخورية لوجود راتنجات من الصنوبر والسرو وخشب الارز والبخور المحترق مع اضافة التنوب وخشب الساج ولابد من اضافة نجيل الهند والباتشول لاضافة الاحساس المعهود بالغابة المظلمة مع مرور النسمات العليلة المنعشة.مع الاستخدام المستمر للعطر قد نلحظ وجود لنوتة القهوة تظهر وتغيب. عطر خطى الهوى ، وقد نلحظ فيه بوضوح الاستخدام الغير معلن لنوتة الايزو سوبر لاضفاء هذا الاحساس الخشبي العنبري السويتي الاوزوني ، فقد اراد مؤلف العطر اختصار الوقت لايصال فكرة كيكوبو الصعبة ، ولقد نجح في ذلك باقتدار دون الاضرار بمكونات وجودة العطر.

The smell of an unburned stick of incense Opens up surprisingly bright, soapy, woody, and a bit green with cooling incense, clean teak wood, and cypress. Like the smell of a fresh stick of incense after taking a warm shower on a cold, rainy day. Simply stunning. As it dries down the woods and incense both really start to really fill out with addition of dry cedar and clean vetiver. In the deep dry down you get a very small twinge of dusty immortelle to help backup the cedar and vetiver once the cooling incense and freshness has disappeared. I wear this when cleaning my house, hiking, or just need a grounded, calming vibe. Truly a one of a kind woody fragrance that is easily one of the best fresh & woody fragrances on the market right now. It’s so easy to wear, and while I wouldn’t see myself reaching for this on the hottest days; this freshness of it helps with work very well in the heat (number of sprays permitting). Truly stunning and a must try if a fan of the woody or incense genre, or just stepping foot into the genres. A top 5 for me. 10/10. Masterpiece. Signature scent worthy. Song vibe - Timeless by The Weekend and Playboi Carti TLDR - Clean, cooling, fresh cypress, incense, and teak wood mixed with woody cedar and vetiver. Like lighting a fresh stick of incense after doing a deep clean of your room. Supremely calming, grounding, and versatile. A must try if checking out CdG or interested in woody fragrances. Really that good.

Wasn't initially certain about this one upon receiving it in a sampler pack of "Incense Fragrances." To me, Kyoto wears more like a straight Oriental Floral versus an Incense fragrance. Despite not being what I expected and as time wore on, I grew to adore this scent. It's funny 'cause upon application, I essentially smell nothing, really...blank space...it's odd. Within a few minutes, a blanket of pine forest grassy green takes over, which isn't at all my thing. Soon afterward, a combination of resins, amber, vanilla, some smoke, woody teak, etc rises...but not a lot of incense. Frankly, the wafts of smokiness managing to rise are almost offensive...ashtray like. But the hours and hours of dry-down are my favorite development. On me, Kyoto morphs into the sweetest, subtlest resinous woody floral one might imagine. The fragrance is almost ethereal and meditative. Wafts of amber, teak, sandalwood combined with everlasting flower play for hours...some patchouli. Truly the beautifully balanced sum or combination of the parts is what works for me. Not yet certain but this may be full-bottle worthy at a cost of approximately $95 for 50 mls (1.6 ozs). Surprisingly, I like this fragrance a lot. In many ways, CdG Kyoto reminiscently reminds me of Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental, a fragrance I loved 'til it was discontinued (may be in reproduction).

This is a wonderful take on Japanese incense, in that it smells EXACTLY like what Japanese incense smells like, or, the incense they recommend to you in butsudan stores, even when you say you're looking for something a little less generic. It's the smell of incense sticks gaijin get offered ALL THE TIME, and there is NOTHING wrong with them at all, I love these and have HEAPS of these already, but it's the smell that Japanese incense stores THINK foreigners want to smell. It's so weird, and a little bit frustrating. The equivalent of being taken to a western fast-food chain when you're in Japan, but I digress... This scent has all the hallmarks of Japaneity, and more specifically, how Japan expresses itself in a select type of incense -- woody, green, demure, not flashy and not obnoxious. There is a LOT more to Japanese incense than this, of course, as much as this might shock Japanese customer service staff, but it does tick all the boxes at the same time. The hinoki gives off a green-woody element that forms the backbone of this scent, and whilst the smoke is a big part of the architecture here, it is NOT the first thing that hits your nose. So, in closing, yes, this reminds me of incense in Japan, but the kind of incense they shove at foreigners almost all the time...