Sancti

Easily my most loved of LLI's collection. I'm a huge fan of incense as a whole and this is one of my very favorite incense-based fragrances. The reason is simple: it's not invasive. Some incense fragrances, such as Montale's Full Incense or Chopard's Black Incense Malaki, can be very overpowering and not everyone will be into it, you wear those with liberal sprays at your risk and peril. Personally, I don't like to intrude on others with my fragrances too much so Sancti is a way to wear incense that won't choke everyone out. It has an unusual citrusy tinge and is rather close to skin and doesn't project like crazy (much like the rest of LLI). Be warned that this is still a very "churchy" incense so if that's not your jam, this probably won't change your mind. Sancti opens with a blast of fresh, bright citrus which is surprising and helps to elevate the oncoming resinous incense storm. it's a pretty linear fragrance so there's not much transformation on my skin (as opposed to Fortis from the same "trilogy" which keeps morphing and evolving on my skin). That's fine by me however, I love the heck of this scent so I'm glad it sticks around throughout. It lasts about 4-5 hours on my skin (1 or 2 hours of projection then sticks close to skin) which may be somewhat weak for many people. Personally, I tend to wear LLI's fragrances often for a specific mood and not for others to enjoy. I think of them more as aromatherapy than perfumery. The house does have a pretty esoteric approach to things to begin with. Sancti for me I wear when I feel anxious and scatterbrained. It's a very grounding, relaxing scent. As such, I don't feel there's a season or a time of day for it. It's fresh enough for the summer (although not in insane humidity and blazing sun) but the intense winter cold would break it as well but other than that, it's pretty versatile for me.

This stuff has completely won me over. One of the most sophisticated, transparent and *clean* takes on incense. The composition is actually pretty simple but is so smartly conceived to result refreshing and novel while sticking to a somewhat classic liturgical-incense structure. It opens with a plethora of unsweetened and fizzy citruses (mandarine, pamplemousse and bergamot) paired to a super soft cardamom note and maybe some aldehydes. The citruses smell extremely natural and realistic as opposed to the *undefined* lemony notes we experience too often in modern perfumery. In this phase Sancti feels extremely sparkling and fresh, almost freezing and wintery as in a early morning breeze. The evolution starts right away and the citrusy opening perfectly links to the lemony aspect of frankincense. This is basically the middle phase where the fragrance smells of clean church floors, wax and sunlight entering from the mullioned windows. Think about Comme Des Garcons 2 Man with an extra dose of citruses and the vetiver toned down. There's also the *clean* accord of Cardinal as well as the white linen vibe already found in some of the Maria Candida Gentile's works. A white smoky base starts emerging from the back while the incense gets drier and drier to give birth to a simple yet incredibly satisfying drydown. There's something so purifying about this fragrance, something that smells salubrious. Smells white, pure, clean...almost virginal. If you're looking for something bombastic and tenacious, you'll probably be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the fragrance is anything but weak bit its weightless character gives it an ethereal vibe throughout that makes of this composition a perfect fit for almost every occasion and every season. Fantastic if worn both on skin and fabric where the incense drydown lingers forever. Mucho Love. Rating: 8/10

So close to heaven, but mortally flawed by a failure of nerve. Truly splendrous, clean, zingy, citrus-toned frankincense that doesn't go all the way to 'bright cologne' territory like some in this genre, but still perceptibly lighter and less gloomy than some of the dustier, more 'old church' approaches like Cardinal, Avignon, etc. At first it seemed absolutely angelic to me, glorious without being vulgar, traditional without being stuffy, spicy in all the right places without being too heavy. Honestly among my top five of all the dozens of frankincenses I've tried; somewhat like P Roma's definitive Olibanum, for that feeling of intensely spiritual cleanliness and tradition hanging around like a halo of shining wonder. But it can't stick the long Calvary that is survival on my earthly skin; maybe it's made for higher things than base (female!) human creatures like me, but Sancti's gorgeous aura of sanctity only hangs about for 3-4hours, at most. Can true virtue be so easily dispelled? It still tempts me - and with performance that weak you know that means the smell itself must be STELLAR for it even to be a contender - yet I think this time I'll be able to get a grip, show some self-discipline and resist. If you too adore frankincense and haven't found precisely the right one for you yet - definitely worth trying, though, especially if discounted. (RRP is really shooting for the moon, here, I feel, it's unarguably a quality product but does not justify the price point.)

10/10. Gorgeous packaging, look, smell. I tried it at a store alongside a few other incense perfumes, and this one was a winner. Very resemblant of Avignon by Comme des Garçons but not as intensely sweet. Sancti is still quite sweet but in very subtle, minimalist and non-invasive way... The main notes that I sense are olibanum and labdanum (for some reason absolutely no citrus unlike many people), but I am sure the rest indicated are there and that's why it feels so incredibly complex and gorgeous, even royal. Its subtleness is giving me a crispy morning alone in a small church in the middle of nowhere. I see a lot of snow around it and cloudy grey skies. Yet inside the church itself it's warm and cosy and maybe there's someone there except you but that someone is a friend, you can tell them all your secrets (sins?) and they won't judge you. “Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway.” ― Edgar Allan Poe. I own Passage d'Enfer and I am surprised how different those two are. While Passage is giving me severity and strictness, Sancti is clarity of thought and kindness. Absolutely recommend.

Oh... no words. Well, maybe I can try. Sancti is fully holy, reverent, pure. It is light and peace in a bottle. Peppery sacred frankincense, fir and citrus predominate; grapefruit but not too astringent, more like the cushy white pith of pomelo. A little bitter but refreshing without ever being cologne like. I smell the herbal earthiness of rosemary and lavender, not too flowery. Cleansing. Calibrating. Woods... light shavings. Grounded, dry, sweet. Softly fiery with spice. Delicate ambergris to add body, perhaps a little mortal connection. Not angelic. No mass, no church, no religious institution required. When I wear this, no other beings exist except myself and God. Much praise for Sancti... Sillage is quite discreet, but I am quite gratified in wearing this just for myself and anyone else I want to allow in my personal space. It almost knocks Le Labo Vetiver off my favorites shelf for my spiritual comfort fragrance. Sonia Constant, you are supernatural.