Messe de Minuit

After the second day of wearing Messe de Minuit in the heatwave we've had here lately, I feel ready to wax lyrical about this beauty. This is a review of the current version, and I have never tried the vintage one, although thanks to a wonderful Fragrantican, a decant is on its way to me right now. (THANKS A MILLION, L! X X X) Let's start with the fact that I am a sucker for incense, frankincense being my absolute favourite. I have been looking for the perfect frankincense for a long time and now I think I have found it. What is the perfect frankincense like in perfume? Well...not like a church. I adore the smoke of burnt frankincense in churches. I could write an essay on the different phases of the fragrance, from the moment its cast on the embers all the way to residue in the air of ancient churches, but Luca Turin did it already in the Guide. It is a smell to die for (and you get a lot once you die, in case you are Catholic), but I am neither a church, nor dead, so I am not keen on wearing that sort of scent on my person. My ideal frankincense perfume is the fragrance of the pearls or frankincense essential oil, well blended with other herbal aromatic resins like in this case myrrh and not in the pyramid, but I guess there is a little benzoin hiding somewhere in MdM too. My other favourite way to deal with frankincense is mixing it with herbs and/or pine resins as in the case of Fille en Aiguilles/Lutens and L'Eau Trois/Dyptique. Messe de Minuit offers a third alternative: so ridiculously obvious that you wonder why it is not done left, right and centre: frankincense and citrusses! Of course! Frankincense has a multitude of different citrus facets to it, so it seems the most natural thing to do to marry it off with bergamot, orange, lemon, citron and petigrain. The effect is uplifting, ethereal, light, like a watercolour, very wearable even in extremely hot weather, although I can very well imagine it being breathtakingly beautiful (and very different) in the autumn or winter. I love both Fille en Aiguilles and L'Eau Trois, but Messe de Minuit is so far the most wearable rendition of frankincense for me, totally full bottle worthy. The vintage version must be very different from the current, as at the moment I have no connotations of graveyard, coffin, bookshop, etc.. I will let you know when my decant arrives if there is indeed a big difference. 9/10

I received a sample of this beauty from a fellow fragrantician, and I have to say that I have never smelled anything like this! WOW! When I put it on my skin, I wasn't expecting what I got. The first note I perceived was lemon zest, real enough that it made my mouth water. It actually made me thirsty, it was so sharp. After about a minute of warming up on the skin, the myrrh overtakes the lemon. The myrrh adds a sweet dimension to the background of lemon. As the fragrance goes on, the myrrh lingers and the citrus fades. It doesn't last extremely long on my skin. It lasts about 3-4 hours. I've never been to a Catholic church or an orthodox church (I was raised Southern Baptist...we didn't use any incense in church at all), so I can't vouch for it smelling like a church. I could have only wished for our church to smell like that. WOW! I absolutely adore this scent! I wear myrrh essential oil sometimes, and this is very myrrh-y. I will have to test again soon to hunt out the patchouli and cinnamon. I definitely can recommend this! Edit: Upon subsequent applications of this, I can definitely spot the patchouli. It is not in the foreground, instead it sits subtly in the background...giving off a slight warmth after about 30 minutes on my skin. I absolutely adore this fragrance, but on warmer days it disappears even quicker than the 3-4 hours. If this were less expensive, or the lasting power longer, I would buy this in a heartbeat. One of the most beautiful and unusual perfumes I have encountered.

Messe de minuit è affascinante e misterioso,un pò cupo e anche amarognolo. Ne sono state fatte tre varianti dal suo lancio, nel 1994. La prima bottiglia aveva la scatola verde ,il tappo oro e l'etichetta rotonda. Il suo aroma è amaro,incensato,molto aromatico ma anche addolcito da miele,ma è quello che più racchiude l'odore di muffa e di catacomba suggestivo che rende il nome alla fragranza. Questa versione è quella che odora meglio di umidità e muffa. La seconda edizione aveva scatola rossa,tappo oro ed etichetta quadrata. E' la versione più amara e più cupa,si sente l'atmosfera umida e antica che ricorda sotterranei medievali,cupe segrete,antri delle streghe e cerimonie notturne dal fascino remoto ed è piu acre rispetto alla prima. Questa è la versione più amara. La terza edizione,cioè quella attuale,ha scatola bianca ,tappo argento e etichetta quadrata.E' una versione meno amara e meno scura ma ugualmente piacevole. Fra i profumi di incenso che ricreano sensazioni medievali e gotiche,questo è il mio preferito perchè amaro,acre e austero. Questa versione è dove l'incenso si sente di più ed è piu dolce. La messa di mezzanotte non è necessariamente una messa cattolica, è più un riferimento a una cerimonia magica medievale nei sotterranei di un antico castello,nelle cupe segrete,in una notte fredda e nebbiosa,in un'epoca remota.... Quello che evoca un profumo è del tutto soggettivo.

I got a sample of this and decided I had to get a full bottle. Located in the USA, I had a terrible time finding it and then - Essenza Nobile! This German etailer with an Italian name has a web site in English and will ship to the USA (a model of the international economy). They have a wide selection of niche fragrances including quite a few that I can't find anywhere in North America. Oh yes this is supposed to be about Etro Messe de Minuit. What an exhilarating scent. It is among the finest evokers of smoking incense I have smelled, paired with irresistably delicious candied mixed citrus, honey, and cinnamon top and middle notes. Later it has lots of frankincense (coniferous peppery balsamic lemony anisic) and myrrh (humus earthy bitter sweet musty) of course, together with a smoky note to evoke the burning, and some patchouli that blends in nicely. I have no Catholic Mass associations with this since I was raised vaguely Protestant and am now a confirmed atheist, so you might react differently if this reminds of something you love or hate or are bored by or feel guilty about. Even to me it smells devotional at the same time as being drop dead gorgeous. Cardinal Woolsey and Mother Superior meet Pretty Woman (Roberts and Roberts and Gere oh my).

Holy incense! This one is really perfect. Blend of citruses and incense really gives a Christmasy feel. I'm a lover of stronger perfumes. This one surprised me, because it is simultaneously smoky and joyful, heavy and light, serious and frivolous. I should note that I tried two versions of MdM: the second edition of EDC and EDT. There were some differences - EDC seems more fresh than EDT in the beginning. You get a citrusy blast at first sniff, whereas in EDT you can feel myrrh and patchouli at the beginning. EDT lasted a bit longer (~7 hrs) in comparison to EDC (~5.5 hrs). If I had to choose, I'd choose EDC - this is a very unique composition, as I mentioned earlier, with rich range of notes from sour to smoky and more complex development with plot twists. You wear it and it grabs your attention every 20 minutes. Also what I wanted to mention - this is completely a daytime perfume for me, I can't imagine wearing it at night, well maybe unless the Christmas Eve, the special night full of miracles and heavenly touch, though it's the longest night in the year. But for the rest of the year I'd prefer to wear it on sunny day in snowy winter - contrasting weather for contrasting perfume.

One of the most compelling fragrances I own, Messe de Minuit captures the essence of spaces that have seen so much through time and have the sediment of human presence and history. I imagine antiquity of all sorts; the somber sweetness of wooden spaces, curio cabinets, Saratoga trunks, literature from days of yore, faded memories and dreams. There is also an element of solemn beauty that comes from the interior of places of worship and the incenses that have enveloped enclosures and left their imprint for ages. The myrrh and labdanum certainly lend to these impressions. The much-needed contrast in Messe de Minuit is the light through a rose window, radiance of the stained glass, courtesy of the citrus and petitgrain, bringing a dimension that is usually absent in the far more brooding incense fragrances that are in abundance. Here is the hope, the exultation that is needed to bear the dark and uncertain. The beautiful duality of the spirit. Wear this for days where you want to be present, when you need a still point in life. 10/10

Mi dispiace che qualcuno resti deluso perché questo profumo non gli ricorda esattamente una messa di mezzanotte. Forse dovreste prima provare un profumo e poi lasciare andare la vostra fantasia e vedere cosa vi evoca. Credere che un profumo evochi la stessa immagine per tutti è una cosa molto infantile e sciocca. Messe de minuit è una scena, un'immagine,una ispirazione generale dalla quale la mente dovrebbe partire. Anche chi trova che alcuni profumi (tipo hypnotic poison eau de parfum) siano gotici e da vampiro è una visione del tutto personale e suggestionata,quando in realtà odora di uva fragolina e sciroppo per la tosse. Messe de minuit lo ho gia descritto precedentemente nei dettagli,e ribadisco che la sua edizione piu umida e insensata è la prima,del 94. Le successive sono lievemente piu secche e frizzanti e meno da catacombe. Inoltre la mia evocazione è piu da cupe segrete e sotterraneo di castello medievale che non una chiesa di natale. Nessuno ha detto che si tratta di una messa di natale.

It opens orange and cinnamon with woody smoke, than comes patchouly and honey. When dries down, I smell wood,patcouly,musk and cinnamon with a little bergamot. It's sharp and deep at the same time. I like it very much, but can not say for which occasions is the most suitable, depends on personal feelings. It can be winner on summer night or winter day.It's good when I feel shortage of energy! What I like at Etro , is that usually doesn't classify perfumes into womens and mens. In my opinion that should be a general rule. People are sometimes frustrated if wearing a perfume which is classified like opposite gender scent. That's something what I don't really understand, but that's how it is. What do you think guys, the most important after all is the smell itsef, isn't it ?! Bravo ETRO!

I love my spices and incense. This is one for wearing at night in the summer as its not heavy. I think it really comes alive with warmth. The citrus notes keep this a bright and welcoming fragrance all the way along its timeline. Yes, I get the myrhh but I also get plenty of warm spice. Particularly the cinnamon. The patch is not heavy and damp. I like the way the petitgrain gives a little bite. Its amazing how a smell can unlock memories for folk. I agree about the contemplative feel of this light, warm fragrance. The incense seems to be what is spoken of most. Tbh I dont find it a dominant note here at all. It is a very beautiful fragrance. Like most Etros I think they are at their best in warm weather. Moderate sillage and longevity.

I LOVE Messe de Minuit!! It does smell like incense, real good incense, frankincense, oliban, myrrhe, all the good stuff, very mysterious and spiritual and magic but not in an austère way. The citrus notes (pretty vague citrus smell, not in your face lemon, but we get the feeling) and especially petitgrain are brilliant as they make this scent really luminous, uplifting and surprisingly wearable. The cinnamon I don't get that much, on my skin it's not very obvious as it's really well blended with the incense. The incense. Mmmmmm... What I love the most about this incense is that it doesn't smell like smoke at all, just the resins. And also it's real incense but tamed. It's not scary to wear. I love to sleep in this one! Pretty magical.

I like. It's nice. But if, like me, you are after a smells and bells headspace capture of a wedding at Saint Bartholomew-the-Great (Comme des Garcons Incense: Avignon) or the first waft of 3000 years as Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvan breached the second sealed door on November 26, 1922 (Montale Paris Dark Aoud), this isn't it. Cheerful, comforting, and approachable but it's incense a la department store Santa Claus. This with the caveat I'm referencing the 2014 edit. And as I'm a completist, I'm stuck with a quest for a pre-reformulation version. I expect something richer, possibly more complex but not much deeper as I'm confident it will still be more frankincense pearls than the smoke I'm after.

Just got a sample of this in a swap, and I'm loving it! I don't get anything musty, depressing, or creepy from it, maybe because of not having all of the Catholic associations. It seems like a warm, cheerful scent to me. I can see how it could seem Christmas-y, but in a happy, not a cold way. At first I smell a little bit of citrus, a lot of cinnamon, sweet honey, and what I assume is ambrette. It dries down to a lovely spicy-honey-musky scent. There's not a lot of incense, especially compared to something like Avignon, which is pure incense (and one that I also love). I would wear Messe de Minuit any time. I think I would even spray it on myself, and that's saying a lot.

The opening transports me to a place, that in my mind, is a "Mediterranean Spa". The dry down is calming incense and honey (and citrus). Some days the honey leans almost towards cat piss. But it ́s just a very faint whisper and it doesn ́t occur every time I wear it. I love this one. Its both warm and cold at the same time. I find it calming an beautiful with a warm presence. I crave it mostly during summertime. I got it as a birthday-gift; asking for a perfume and handing my in-laws a really long list of suggestions (of which I hadn ́t tried a single one). This was the one they found on their trip to Italy. And I ́m really glad they did!

Warm, smokey. Reminds me of being a child hiding under my dad’s wooden work desk, his old books near by. Drawers full of old erasers, pencil shavings. Also reminds me of incense, the generic joss sticks my Buddhist family would burn; not the smell of them actually burning but rather walking to a room where the smoke has long settled into everything in it from hours before. I really enjoy layering it with a jasmine or ylang ylang perfume, it really gives the impression of an elder Cambodian’s home in the coziest way.

For about a month, I wore this almost every other day. I really enjoyed how this doesn't smell like a perfume at all, but like the clothes of a person who burns incense a lot. I could smell thick, slowly floating incense that was pretty impressive and true-to-life, but in the background I could smell something like an orange. Think: Attack of the Killer Oranges where they roll down the aisles of a Catholic church. Update: this is one of my favorite incense perfumes ever.

By reading the name, you can easily judge the scent. A "Midnight Mass" (translated from French), is warm spicy ambery fragrance. Opened with lemon and citrus blast, followed by strong spicy cinnamon with herbal style of patchouli and lot of myrrh. To create even more orthodox ambiance, incense is adding and veiling the altar. First launched in 1994, without nose listed, but definitely have very niche scent quality although released by a fashion house.

I love this fragrance. I don't get a churchy vibe per se, as much as I do a kind of old monastic library vibe. It feels like studying in a room that's a bit damp and dark and a bit austere but provides warmth from the dark and wet outdoors with the incense/myrrh and labdanum providing warmth and comfort and kind of meditative or contemplative feeling, like it retains like the library has absorbed the smells of masses over time. So good!

How I wish some of these beauties came in small bottles. Even as small as 15ml. This is so stunning and special, I feel it can't be just worn casually, but it's a special event sort of fragrance. When you need to make a statement and an entrance, this fragrance is your pick. The patchouli is heaviest, but the incense and resins and spices really support. The florals and musk come through with patience. A masterpiece for sure!

This is gorgeous. Smells like church after a particularly high-church service when the congregation has gathered in the vestry for tea and fruit cake afterwards, to fortify themselves for the chilly walk home. I bought a bottle of this in, I think, 2011, hoping it would make a good impression on this Catholic chap I had just met on Facebook. Reader, I married him, so that must have worked. :)

Latest reformulation: Step in one of the baroque Churches of the old town in Napoli, in an early evening of September. Then, you move to an inner Chapel, where recently, the old benches and the confessionals were polished with citrucy furniture wax. There's a gloomy, dusty stale air for centuries, in here...but the peaceful atmosphere warms up your soul