Encens Flamboyant

I absolutely ADORE this fragrance. It is now one of two signature smells I use (the other being Fragonard by Fragonard) and I have used it faithfully for a number of years. It totally eclipsed Chanel No 5 which had been the scent equivalent of my first true love, and which I received as a gift from my first true love at 18. As well as the traditional, I've always had a nose for the unusual scent - and this totally fits the bill. With burning incense present in every hypnotic layer, its like sitting in the front pew of an ancient old church watching the catholic priests swing the golden incense burner in graceful arcs around the alter. Or what I imagine it must be like trapped on the edges of a pine forest fire. It is warm, dry, woody and resinous. It is my winter go-to perfume, probably more masculine than the traditional feminine scents I like and somehow strangely comforting. Unlike other reviewers, I get a lot of staying power from this at skin level - its one of those scents that permeates fabric, and somebody sitting close or giving you a hug will definitely get a noseful. That to me defines a classic signature scent - when you can pick up an item of clothing, smell it and get transported to a memory of the last person who wore it. I won't lie - for the uninitiated, the first spritz of this will leave you reeling. Even if you do love incense - the power of its almost exclusive top note made my nose buzz the first time I tested it. Sit next to a stranger when you spritz it and they will look at you as if you'd just taken a piece of still-warm charcoal out of your bag and rubbed it over your wrists and neck! But oh boy, the magical drydown is worth the wait. One tip for those who find the incense a little overwhelming - try layering it with Penhaligon's Orange Blossom; the combination lifts the sombre smoke with its lovely spicy sweet notes, providing a very sophisticated skin scent not dissimilar to Guerlain's Shalimar.

From the moment I put the sample on my arm and taking in a big whiff, I knew this would eventually be in my collection. My sample is from the EdP (eau de parfum), and it's performance is difficult to describe since it isn't a spray sample but dab/splash. The longevity is very good on me, long lasting, but the projection is good for the first 2 hours then becomes a skin scent. Now onto the fragrance: Granted this is from wearing a sample, but this perfume is incense heaven! It's the incense that I've been craving that sadly Cardinal by Heeley and Incense Extreme by Andy Tauer didn't fulfill. Both of those fragrances are natural to the point where I feel like I blended them myself with essential oils from the health food store. The frankincense and myrrh are too citrusy and not church burning dark resinous incense. Encens Flamboyant however is just what I wanted. It's peppery, resinous, light as in not heavy feeling whatsoever, cozy, and sexy. I definitely detect the fir tree and pepper followed by this resin that is akin Copal resin. It's almost mustardlike but don't take it that way, Copal seems to have that facet to it but here it's not very noticeable. The opening is very simple; you get fir, pepper, and incense. The mid smooths out the fir and pepper and reveals more of the incense while the drydown is where the magic really begins. The drydown smells almost exactly like old wood. How do I describe this...it smells like traintracks but it also smells like wood on a harbor or warf. It isn't fishy or of the sea, it's just the smell of aged wood and I've been searching for a fragrance that captures that smell for years. My days of searching are at an end. I need this in my collection; it brings me such nostalgia that is oh so comforting. Please give this a try, it's well worth your time.

Recently I purchased a bottle of this perfume from the French house of Goutal. I smelled it first in a typical small cute perfume store in my hometown. I asked for an incense perfume and the very charming older lady with tons of knowledge about perfuming offered me to test a few. Great perfumes like L'Orpheline from Serge Lutens and Guerlain Encens Mythique invaded my nose en senses. Encens Flamboyant stood out for me though. It smelled complex, dry, elegant and classy with a nice subtle old classic woody undertone. I went home with a tester and a few days later I pulled the trigger. I received the newest version in a beautiful thick glass classic looking bottle (not the same as the one in the picture above). I sprayed it on me and I smelled the same class and subtle but very present and rather complex incense. This is a typical enchanting jewel in the tradition of great classic French perfumery. I smell old churches and centuries old buildings in Paris or Toulouse. There is a marvelous tea note that's quite prominent. And this eau de parfum is not overwhelmingly strong and balsamic. There is some freshness from the berries, pine and herbs. The projection is very intimate. But it stays on for a long time. In the morning I could still smell a hint of the delightful elegance that gave me a smile. This is a jewel! I love it's elegance and subtle but noticeable incense and wood. It's a pure and classy fragrance that I wil cherish like a precious gem. It will be a perfect scent for coming fall and winter. But in the right circumstances I can wear this on not to hot days in spring and summer. I am sure that there is much more to discover from the house of Goutal.

The image of burning pine is spot-on. It is linear, with a slight evolution: the balsam fir is the main player here, which is more round, balsamic and a hint of sweetness (impression given by the nutmeg/lentisque combo) in the top, with a shy support of incense. In the base, the fir co-stars with a smoky incense that has a very contemporary feeling. Projection is soft to moderate, that said, longevity is stellar. This is the real impression of an old church. Yes, indeed, the incense frags that have in-your-face frankincense (Montale Full Incense, Jovoy La Liturgie des Heures, CdG Avignon...) are like putting the nose over the incense burner. Inspite of how much I like them, that's not what most of the audience smells when sitting in the crowd. Here, the fir gives the impression of "moisture" typical of an underheated church in the winter and the soft smoky incense is what one really can smell: you know, not at the time that the priest swings the burner, but like 5 min after, when sitting a little in the back, at the 20th row, when the smoke arrives with a sensation of "warm envelopping smoke" with an undefined provenience. That is what I experienced in my childhood (during ceremonies like Xmas, Easter, because incense is not burned at each and every mass). Opens a little on the sweet side with a slightly feminine-leaning balsamic feeling, and closes totally unisex. Very soothing, and I may go for a fb (I'm a man). Fall/Winter days, 25+

Clear. Clear like water. Snow, a wintry landscape. There's a little brook with clear and icecold water running through a woods. The 'zen' sound and sight of that water, peaceful, tranquil, clear. That is Encens Flamboyant. It's water, but not in an aquatic or marine way. I also don't mean 'watered down'. It's just... that extreme clarity. With me not being a big fan of citrus or soapy scents, it's difficult to find something that smells clean. This is clean, clear and all that, without the citrus, soap or white musk edge. This was on my wishlist for a while. After finding it, I was initially a bit disappointed. I tend to like warm, comfortable scents. This was not warm. It was icecold. It ended up on my swap list for a while, but no offer convinced me to let go and I gave it another chance. It grew on me. A lot. And I thank my lucky stars that I kept my bottle. It is still beautifully cold, but I did find the comfortable aspect as well. I can't be too surprised, as I also needed time to appreciate the other Les Orientalists by Goutal. Encens Flamboyant and Myrrhe Ardente are now among my favorite. Autumn is heading for winter where I live. We like to sleep with the windows open and I love getting little wafts of chilly air. It reminds me of Encens Flamboyant and I now keep a decant next to my bed, to intensify the feeling of those moments. It's absolutely magical.