Cardinal

I was simply looking for the scent of a church, the kind of smell you get from the Trudon Spiritus Sancti Candle. A quick try at a shop was enough for me to confirm my purchase. I see there are more offerings in the same style. But so far I can only compare with CDG Avignon which I owned some years ago. This one is just as good if not better. It just recreates an atmosphere, but it’s blended in such a way that it’s a really good wearable perfume, and not a conceptual room perfume presented as an EDP. I agree with other reviewers that it’s not very potent. But I come close to admitting that it’s probably how this kind of perfume should be. I’m not sure it’s meant to project an awful lot. Otherwise it might be unpleasant for the wearer, and I don’t think it’s the kind of perfume to make a statement to those around you. I see it as something very personal and comforting. I also got a sample of l’Eau sacrée. I wondered if I might not regret taking that one instead, since some people say it’s a stronger Cardinal. After one try, I’m not convinced because I get different vibes, at least in the opening. Cardinal is just perfect for me and was the good choice. To enjoy it through a full day at work, I use Encens Flamboyant from Goutal on skin, and Cardinal on my scarf. So I can enjoy it much better. If I use it on skin, I do it in the evening when I’m in the comfort of my home. A must try for those who like church scents.

The opening is absolutely brilliant: Aldehydes, soap, pink pepper, linen, and faint whiffs of yesterday's incense in the church. It does evoke the cold, stony, airiness of the nave of a gothic cathedral. In the mid, Cardinal becomes sweeter. I detect myrrh and frankincense in equal measure, but I think labdanum is as big a component. Sometimes the heart notes remind me of a fizzy cola; sometimes it's sort of a leather chypre. The base is a gentle vetiver, patchouli, amber combination which is quite long lasting, cozy, and attractive. Extremely sophisticated take on this scent profile. While almost every house tries their hand at a rose perfume, an oud perfume, an iris, etc... this genre of "liturgical incense" isn't really explored all that often - perhaps why this gets compared to Avignon ad nauseum. I don't know Avignon, but I think the closest thing in my collection to Cardinal is actually Bois D'Argent by Dior. The quality of the ingredients here is excellent. 3.5/5 (PS: It would be hard to get an accurate idea about this fragrance from one sampling. A lot of reviews below criticize the performance... This isn't ever going to be a loud perfume, and a couple squirts from a tiny sample is not going to do this fragrance justice. I get moderate projection and eternal longevity with 4 sprays from my full bottle.)

This is HEAVEN in a bottle. I feel like others have articulated how it smells better than I could, but I love this. It has a very realistic incense note, but it's neither too smoky, or heavy, nor too cool, like some incense scents sometimes get. I think the myrrh is quite prominent, which I LOVE. I was a bit afraid of the patchouli note, but after getting a sample I can confirm that it simply rounds out the fragrance, and it isn't overpowering even if you don't like that note. It's a beautifully blended and balanced perfume, and agree with people that it's super, super, sacrilegiously sexy. On paper I thought it was leaning slightly masculine first, but on skin it's truly unisex. I honestly feel like this is the perfume I've been looking for in the past few years after I parted ways with my beloved Meharées (due to wearing it too much and personal associations). That is supposed to be a dupe for Musc Ravageur but I always got a ton of myrrh from it. Cardinal doesn't smell like it, but I think people who like one might like the other. In any case, Cardinal has a high chance of becoming my new all time favorite. The longevity is great, and you only need a few sprays to surround yourself with the perfect scent bubble. I'm really impressed. Do I need it? No. Did I order a FB a few days after I got a sample? Yes.

Such a beauty! I absolutely love it. Out of all "church incenses" I've tried, I find this the most easy to wear. Clean and crisp are words that come to mind. It has a very natural smell of olibanum and just enough other notes to make it interesting. To me it has a lemony feel, which I find natural olibanum have. When wearing it I feel like I'm dressed in beautifully washed, pristine linen clothing, sitting on a wooden bench in a white stone church. It's not a very ceremonial, holy incense, but more like if a protestant church would have incense. I highly recommend it if you're looking for this type of scent but want something lighter. I also love CdG Avignon, but would not personally get much wear out of it, since it is quite on the heavier side. I also find Cardinal to be more genderless in comparison to Avignon, which I percieve as more traditionally masculine, not that it matters. Reve d'Ossian is also another love, but I find that one has a sense of history to it. It smells like another era, that I could never really know of. I feel performative when wearing it, even though I find that one somewhat wearable too. Cardinal is a blanc paper in comparison, it transcends time and individuality and just exists in a humble stone church somewhere.

Stunning! I find Cardinal to be very similar in many ways to Montale Full Incense, except where MFI punches you right in the nose with an evergreen laced churchy incense, this one will finesse you with light, starchy linen, honeyed amber and just a hint of rose, collectively bringing warmth and incredible roundness to all its incense edges. If MFI is a scotch-dipped burnt wood and unburnt incense, Cardinal is unburnt incense gently diluted in a puff of linen scented spray starch. It's a fresher take on a similar theme. Honestly, I love both and am glad I took the rather expensive chance on these gems. If you dig incense, you will probably like both. If you're kind of meh, you may find these to at very least be a bit redundant. But for me, they're not. I've only had this a short while, but Cardinal seems to me well-behaved enough (aka moderate reach and sillage) to wear just about anywhere - though I think I'd reserve it for evenings out with the better half. Longevity will be good at very least with any incense, and accordingly, this one will be closer to the lower end of that group, being a bit on the lighter side. But in no way does that take away from this masterpiece.