Devotion

Like Orca, Devotion is another (yet earlier) great resinous creation from House of Matriach, seemingly very apt at putting out balsamic offerings. Devotion is resin-dominant, for sure, the note listing including amber, incense, myrrh, and opoponax, with touches of leather, spices, and vanilla. So it leans toward the sweet rather than animalic side of resinous but there are still animalic hints amidst what is generally a dark, smoky, ambery mix. There's also a vaguely floral characteristic to it that I can't quite put my finger on, but I sometimes get that out of opoponax specifically. Devotion is overall excellent, but the downside is the price, which, for HOM, can sometimes be quite high--in this case, $330 for 50ml, $120 for 15ml, or even $13 for a 1ml sample. Still, I'd recommend fans of resinous fragrances track this one down to at least try it. 8 out of 10

This is what incense in a perfume is suppose to smell like. Dark, smokey, intriguing. Incense perfumes usually make me nauseous after wearing them a full day. But Devotion is almost "emotional" in the overall feeling it creates. It's a resin heavy foundation that's very dark and intense, coupled with a good dose of incense that isn't smokey or headache inducing. I actually get a "frankincense" note more than anything. Well crafted and probably suited more towards special occasions and formal wearing. The price point is a little scary but understandable with the raw ingredients used.

Woah!!!! This is not for that faint hearted...a MASSIVE incense fragrance that is dominant, pungent and just insane! It completely overwhelmed the other sample vials I got and the bag they came in all smell of this fragrance. Honestly, I understand the appeal of these ancient, opulent spiced frankincense & myrrh perfumes but this is frankly unbearable when first applied, no wonder they recommend 24 hours (yes!! 24 hours!!!!) to let it dry down!! Well I applied the tiniest amount and I do mean tiny and I can't believe how potent it is...I really understand the comparisons to some of the Amouage fragrances as they are very heavy with things like incense, myyrrh and ambergris too. At first it seemed clumsy and harsh despite the fact this one (and sexmagic) was the one I really couldn't wait to try. I love this kind of scent but without the complexity of other juxtaposing notes you get from the likes of Amouage Interlude for example, it's just a bit to linear. The dry down is special and plain epic...but unfortunately not that much evolution you get the same thing throughout but it definitely gets better as it ages on your skin. You can't help but marvel at devotion, it definitely achieves what it sets out to do, a blend of classic notes to create something that would've been revered throughout history.

I was very curious about this house but their prices seemed a bit on the truly extravagant side. I finally bit the bullet with a coupon and purchased a bottle of this one recently. First, off it is a beautiful composition. Very natural incense expertly blended with myrrh, amber, opoponax, tea, and slight oud, leather, and vanilla. The resulting juice is a bright, mystical potion that has a moderate and luxurious projection and sillage. It smells beautiful, natural and never overpowers, much like Armani Bois D'Encens or Bulgari Gyan. But I cannot conclude this review without the mention that it does seem like an overpriced luxury and it is a bit tough to get my head around the pricing of the scent. Its nice enough that when I am feeling a bit overindulgent, I will treat myself to another House of Matriarch.

To my nose, Devotion is oud, opoponax and ambergris heavy fragrance. The resins are very faint on my skin. The oud is most prominent and it is quite medicinal (reminds me of sterilized bandages). I like it, but there is nothing so special about it. There are better balsamic, smokey, oud fragrances out there. Would not recommend as it is faint and does not project at all, like all Matriarch fragrances. Now I know that it may go down to skin chemistry, but seriously, D&G The One EDP lasts and projects better than this (and it is known for terrible performance). This house is way over-hyped in the FragComm. I feel like only true fans can praise HoM. Their fragrances smell good, but the price is way too high for what the customers are getting.

I was lucky enough to win a vial of this at CaFleureBon. It is not a fragrance for the faint of heart! This is truly an incense perfume, and a unique addition to my collection. Dry, spicy, and aromatic, the notes in this fragrance cover my skin in a shifting haze of scent. It also has a strong leathery undertone that makes me feel like this scent is closer to masculine than unisex, but I will definitely still be wearing it. Thanks House of Matriarch for the sample!

Spicy, balsamic incense. Smells dry incense, with an Indian spices accord, & faint dry rose-like accord. Heavy, woody. Dry as the smell of a new sheet of A4 paper. It's really good, unique, & feels luxurious. However, House of Matriarch, being the house the it is, I am not even considering Devotion. Overpriced, average quality products. HoM's fragrances can't even stand to some designer fragrances smell- & quality-wise. "Like" but pass.

A perplexing fragrance. I get a sense or smell of earth, that seems bright along with a deep intoxicating green smell, and the whisper of leather. I find this fragrance rather alluring and interesting, but am not sure how the masses feel. I think I will wear this in the future for my own enjoyment and around old friends. Fair projection and 4 to 6 hours longevity for me. I suggest you get a sample of this !

I was especially keen to try this one, mostly from the notes and description, but I have to be honest here, I was a little disappointed. It's a vanillic-resiney bass monster that doesn't do enough for me. Not much movement, very static and not spectacular enough. HOM is quite pricey, and at these prices, you gotta do a LOT more, and as such, I found myself a little disappointed. Try before you buy...

this starts with a ton of leather and numerous resins...i think i'm getting mostly olibanum. then i get the ambergris and oud. dries down to a very woody leather. more traditionally masculine. i love leather scents but this one is far too rubbery and woody for me. it does smell good but it's not really wearable for me personally.

Balsamic incense composition.Smells like a incense cone.Its not much user friendly and one dimensional.Lots of resins.Myrrah and olibanum smells chalky like someone mentioned.Not a big love.Try it before committing for a big bottle.

tried it today. Weird, really weird. I can appreciate a weird and different fragrance but not when it smells like soup. This smells just like a mixed vegetable soup from leek and celery or something like that. Some potatoes were added and finished with a HUGE amount of bouillon cubes.. Not good

Flat one dimensional chalky frankincense with poor usable longevity. Best to sample beforehand. Ridiculously overpriced even at 50 off.

Devotion was my second purchase from HOM. This is by far My all time favorite incense perfume, and I have purchased/sampled hundreds looking for a Holy Grail. Rather than try to break it down into the application-dry down process, which I am not very good at doing, I will tell you how it makes me feel. Upon first whiff, it put me to mind of Church incense. After about 20 minutes, it felt more ancient than that. I have absolutely no affiliation with the company at all. That being said, the creator of this scent is an absolute genius at mixing the different notes and accords into something extremely special and unique. I got into Indie house perfume because I didn't want to smell like everyone else. This particular scent has really elevated the artistry of scent to me, taking me to places in my mind that I have never been, yet I can close my eyes and see quite clearly! That may sound a bit woo-woo to some folks, but my goal is to experience rather than wear a scent. I know this House is known for it's exorbitant prices. I also know that some of her scents have weak silage and longevity. This one is very different. It actually improves with age and maceration. When I wear it, I feel calm, relaxed, complete "zen". This Perfume makes me happy and uplifted. When I have worn it out in public I have at least one stranger stop and ask me what it is and where can they get it. I feel beautiful, tranquil when I have this on. For me, that a scent has the power to affect how I feel about myself in a positive way, tells me that I have found my Holy Grail Incense perfume.

Devotion is my first apartment come to life as a perfume. Its incense-infused and magical! (I was a teenager who loved to make the most out of my teeny apartment and glued sequin-stars in the ceiling and used a old cotton fishing net as a sort of canopy.) Its cozy and comfortable. It makes me feel at ease. Its one of those perfumes that just feels like me, not the teenage me; but present me. (The other ones that does that are Lonestar Memories, LADDM and A Cour du Désert.) I don ́t find this incense perfume particularly smokey. To me its more like slightly powdery unlit incense-sticks (my husband finds it quite smokey though). I also find a tea-like aspect in it. It lingers on clothes for a couple of days but clings on my skin for much less (I can detect it the day after spraying but its really really faint). I really love it. (And I still have those stars tucked away somewhere.)

This is an authentic, smoky incense that's powered by an ambrette seed which comes off as quite cumin-esque and dirty. There are parallels with Sexmagic in that there's leather and bunch of spices going on, but this is the kind of rough-hewn and biting incense that feels more copal-heavy and challenging than "nice". After ten minutes on the skin, it gets quite aggressive, and a dusty accord begins to emerge. Twenty minutes later, everything drops down to a lower level, which seems to be Meshell's signature move. For much of the remainder of the scent's long lifespan, it sits close, but becomes a deliciously dry vanilla with notable tea-like quality to it. If dirty, difficult cumin-centric scents are your thing, or you're perhaps looking for a new approach to the incense genre, this might be of interest.

This is the ultimate incense perfume, the kind you may want to sit down for or get knocked off your feet. The longevity on this is also an impressive day long. What you have here is potent incense, myrrh, earthy-soil like ambrette. It is course and rough for the first while, the leather note making more of an appearance as the others calm down a little. Hours later once the smokiness and incense settle (slightly) as another layer is revealed of woods, tea and vanilla which is quite nice and makes for a fun contrast. Very interesting, unique and excellent experience, quality, even if its not my style, I think men and lovers of original works of art including incense notes would adore this.

I won a 1 ml sample of devotion by house of matriarch from cafleurebon.com This is an amazing high quality fragrance with only the highest quality ingredients. it has great sillage and longevity. as for the notes in this wonderful fragrance it starts out with a strong smokey quality and dries down to a strong incense based fragrance. I highly recommend you sample this fragrance you will really enjoy it.

OMGEE this is amazing. I'm loving my sample. It smells like something I've smelled before. Like an Interlude Man without the sweetness. Maybe i'm wrong but this is an incense, opoponax, and myrrh heavy based fragrance. Forget the 24hr dry down recommendation. I loved this as soon as I applied it to my skin. God that leather note in this is just phenomenal. I need a bottle of this.

Glad I got a decant. Harsh. Poor sillage and longevity Medicinal. Skin scent .Disappointing. I'd rather stick to my Penhaligons Agarbathi

The composition looks amazing :o