Velvet Incenso

Continuing my dive into the distinguished Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Collection, today I'm turning my attention to Incenso. The note of incense is a fascinating one, capable of immense variation from fragrance to fragrance. It can present as church-like, smoky, or a gentle spice, but if mishandled, it can also come across as jarring and acrid. While I would naturally expect this fragrance to be incense-heavy, my previous experience with Black Patchouli has tempered those expectations. Let's get into it and see if Incenso lives up to its evocative name. Opening: The opening is a complex and arresting blend of spice, textured smokiness, and balsamic tones. The primary notes I discern are incense, elemi, black pepper, and patchouli, with incense and elemi being the most prominent. Unlike Black Patchouli, which I reviewed yesterday, Incenso stays remarkably true to its name with an immense blast of incense upon first application. This incense is distinct from any other I've encountered; it feels denser, heavier, and more authentically rendered, like catching a waft from a ceremonial thurible swaying down the aisle of a Catholic church. With its intensely smoky and spicy facets, this is the truest manifestation of "churchy" incense I have ever smelled. Trailing behind the incense is a sizable portion of elemi, which imparts a piquant, balsamic accord, nuanced by aspects of fresh, zesty brightness and a hefty dose of woodiness. Black pepper and patchouli join the composition next. The black pepper contributes yet another layer of sharp, zesty spiciness with its inherent nose-tickling qualities. Lastly, patchouli grounds the opening with a subtle base of earthy greenery. Dry Down The dry down continues to be dominated by smokiness, spice, and balsamic resins. The most prominent notes remain the incense and elemi. The same commanding, smoky, and spicy accord of the incense is still at the forefront of the fragrance, as are the woody and bright balsamic tones of the elemi. Following this central core, benzoin and patchouli emerge. The benzoin adds a subtle, warm, and sweet resinous tone; while it falls into the same balsamic category as elemi, its presentation is distinctly different, providing a comforting, subtle sweetness. Lastly, the patchouli still lingers in the background as a whisper of green, dusty earthiness. Performance The initial projection is quite strong, reaching out approximately six feet. Sillage matches that intensity with an easily noticeable and substantial scent trail. After about three to four hours, the projection and scent trail were largely unchanged. When I checked again around the seven-hour mark, the fragrance had become a skin scent, meaning the final projection and sillage most likely dissipated around the five to six-hour mark. This mirrors my experience with Black Patchouli precisely. When to Wear Incenso is a fragrance best suited for fall and winter, particularly for evening wear. It epitomizes the concept of a special or formal occasion scent, possessing an elegant and sophisticated aura that is sure to command attention. Due to its powerful and commanding nature, I would reserve this fragrance only for those times and would not wear it casually or in an office environment. Blind Buy I would not classify Incenso as a safe blind buy. This is a very particular type of fragrance that will appeal to specific tastes. While it may not be widely mass-appealing, if you are a true enthusiast of incense notes, this is "required reading" in my opinion. Final Verdict I must begin by saying that Incenso does a much better job of living up to its name than Black Patchouli did. From the opening to the dry down, incense was the clear focal point of the fragrance. And not just any type of incense, but a potent, realistic, and truly captivating rendition that commands respect. It takes this fragrance far beyond what you might typically expect from a designer house, elevating it into the realm of a niche brand like Amouage. Suffice it to say, Incenso has succeeded in shattering my expectations of what a house like Dolce & Gabbana can create, and it has shown me what a truly authentic incense note can accomplish. While it may not have been a "beast-mode" powerhouse, it still demonstrated very respectable performance, and with such a powerful note, that is probably a very good thing. I likely won't rush out to buy this immediately, simply because I don't see myself wearing something this distinguished very often, but I would happily welcome a full bottle of this fragrance into my personal collection. Scent: 8/10 Longevity: 6/10 Sillage: 7/10 Versatility: Low Mass Appeal: Low Gender: Unisex, leaning masculine Value: Fair

This smells amazing in the dry down. The Resin & Vanilla combo is fantastic, the incense note is still there...But it's much weaker, which I'm fine with. This is perfect for the mid-fall throughout all of Winter. I see and understand why this is best worn in cold weather and at night. So this would be perfect for a night time date, during Thanksgiving, Xmas & New Years. Like for those who like to stand out in the cold for 12 hours plus, just to watch the ball drop in Times Square NY. If you wore this fragrance around that time, for that event or a Christmas party, it would make an awesome scent memory. Just saying. The opening and mid levels of this fragrance screams... I'm here! Not too bad, I kinda overdid it with six sprays. I'll stick to four when it comes to this frag. My coworkers had a few words for me. Coworkers: "i can smell me from the lobby door" which is 30ft plus away from me. Me: "is it a bad scent or a good one" Coworkers: "You're good, I like it." Will update this later, when...? "Winter is coming". I used six sprays...both wrist, back & front of my neck, chest, and front of my shirt. Will I buy this again? No(Doubt I'll find another deal like this again to make me want to buy another one). What's the strength of this? EDP. Does this fragrance enter BEAST MODE, good, just okay or weak sauce at best? Beast mode. Can you use it as a unisex scent? Yes. Am I willing to trade this fragrance? Yes. Should You Skip It, Sample It First or Blind Buy It? Sample it first! Ask someone who already has it for a 2-5ML decant. Or try it out at a Nordstrom, Saks & Fifth Avenue and Dolce & Gabbana boutique. Very similar to these fragrances; hmmm... maybe El Born. Is it the old, new formulation? New. What's its availability; in production, limited edition run or discontinued? In production. SKU Number: 3423478400054 Batch Number: 8054BM (Production Date: 02/23/2018) Age: 25+ From: Frag com member Size: 150ML Scent: 4/5 (Good). Value: 4/5 ($75.03 the normal price is $495.00). Sillage: 5/5 (Everyone will know that you were in the room if you wear this, it lingers). Longevity: 5/5 (Nine hours plus). Creativity: 5/5 (It's different, smells like you walked into a church and you were attacked with thurible, a sugary scent from the vanilla, and resin). Projection: 5/5 (Two hours, This will announce your presence before you arrive in the room). Versatility: 4/5 (Fall & Winter, maybe early spring night time only, Anywhere). Compliments: 5/5 (Unique). Hope this helps someone. And until next time, I'll catch you on the flipside.

Today I applied from a sample to my skin (forearms, back of the hands and neck/upper chest) and it's dried-down now. My thoughts: It's more subtle on skin than on paper, on paper (which I did yesterday) it was a strong burst of incense and wood and very clear and punchy. On my skin though it seems a lot more subtle, I can still smell the notes of smoke, incense and wood, but whatever is underneath all of that is pushing forward much more now as well. I will say that in my life I use a lot of incense and love wood tones in fragrances, incense reminds me of ancient times which I have an affinity to, so this fragrance should be right up my alley. But it didn't end-up exciting me as much as I thought it would. It's a sophisticated and elegant extremely well put-together fragrance but not a strong one. The incense and wood notes are very well-supported by the other notes which gives it a nice rounded complexity. Even though wood tones can sometimes be kind of heavy, it has a nice lightness and airiness to it which lifts it up and prevents it from getting too heavy. It's much more on the intimate side which is not always a bad thing depending on the specific situation you're using a fragrance for. It smells expensive. It smells like it would suit older men. It would be good for formal occasions or business. I would wear this in an office or business setting for sure, or on a date over dinner or meeting someone at a cocktail bar, anywhere where subtlety would be appreciated. This is not one of those fragrances you would wear to let others know you were around and make an impression, it's more one of those you wear so when people get closer to you they pick up a whiff of something really nice and have a good reaction to you. As I said, sitting with someone over a candle-lit table in a swanky cocktail bar leaning-in to each other and having a deep conversation, going out for a meal and walking side by side on the way home, more intimate personal settings. I do like it a lot being I like incense and wood so much and that it's such a well put-together fragrance and I will eventually buy a bottle, but I'm not in a hurry to do so. I'll get it with certain situations in mind and it won't be any kind of signature scent because I think I would probably get bored with it if I wore it all the time anyway which would be a shame because it's a lovely fragrance. But only for certain niche situations. EDIT: I wanted to add that it had long lasting power, it lasted a good 8 hours on my skin.

What does a church smell like? I think it is a combination of four elements. First, the clear smoke of frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense has a bright resinous scent with a faint lemon-like freshness, slightly sweet with a soft smokiness. Myrrh is deeper, more medicinal and bitter. When burned together they create a gentle, floating smoke. Second, the cool grayness of stone walls. Old churches are often built from limestone or sandstone. These materials absorb moisture, so the air carries a faint scent of cold stone, dampness, and dust. Third, the warmth of beeswax. During services many candles burn at once, and the air fills with the soft, slightly sweet scent of melted beeswax. After the flames go out, a trace of soot remains and blends with the incense smoke, making the atmosphere heavier. Fourth, the lingering scent of old wood and fabric. Vestments, prayer books, benches, and the gathered congregation all add their own quiet layers of smell. As someone familiar with both perfume and Catholic churches, I can say this: no fragrance I’ve tried captures the smell of a church more convincingly than this one. The first spray feels like pushing open the heavy wooden door of a church. The air suddenly becomes cooler. Frankincense appears immediately, its soft smoke resembling the resinous haze from burning incense, without any harsh burnt note—more like the lingering ash of incense on the walls. Soon black pepper and resin rise in the background. There is the scent of wood touched by heat, and also the coolness of damp stone. In the heart, frankincense and labdanum gradually merge, producing a soft bitterness with a noticeable resinous warmth, almost sticky as if heated. The scent settles downward, revealing a dry woody tone. In the drydown, amberwood and patchouli bring warmth, with benzoin adding a gentle sweetness beneath. This sweetness is warm rather than sugary, like the soft vapor released from heated resins. The frankincense runs through the entire composition like a quiet murmur of prayer. The longevity is strong. Even the next day a faint veil of smoke remains. On clothing it lasts even longer, leaving a subtle trace well into the following day.

The opening of Velvet Incenso is very true to the smell of actual Frankincense. It's Balsamic, Piney, & Citric. The note of Labdanum works its Resinous magic & ties all of the notes together into the scent of unburned Incense. But dont think "Head Shop" Incense Sticks. Because It doesnt smell like that. This fragrance smells like authentic Incense Resins. It's Balsamic. Its Peppery. Its dry. Its Ambry & Vanillic, but only subtly sweet. Theres also a dusty warm & spicy undertone that feels like Cassia (Cinnamon Bark). The note of Cashmere Wood makes the overall experience Musky & Sensual. Making Velvet Incenso aptly named. Its a beautiful Incense fragrance that doesnt at all remind me of a Catholic Church. But rather, it reminds me of the Middle East & tales from 1001 Nights. If I had to compare Velvet Incenso to any other fragrance I would say it falls somewhere between Tom Ford's Sahara Noir, & Amber Absolute. This fragrance smells Royal, Mysterious, Ethereal, & sexy on the right person wearing the right dark outfit. Velvet Incenso isnt the fragrance of the loudest person in the room. This is the fragrance of the person who sits alone & draws you in with their enigmatic charm. Longevity is over 10 hours on my skin with moderate projection for 2 hours. On Clothes Velvet Incenso lasted days. Off Clothing projection was above average with a lasting sillage trail. Its important to note that Velvet Incenso is not a heavy Incense fragrance. Its light with only a bit of weight. So it lingers very well in the air without being a Beast.