Encens Suave

EDP v Extrait Comparison: The Encens Suave EDP has been my cold weather signature. So, obviously, I love it. I reviewed it about a year ago and won't repeat what I and so many others have said about how it smells. But with the Extrait version out, I had compare the two. So, for the last two days, I've worn both, and I hope I can help anyone curious about which. to get with a one-to-one comparison. In my opinion, if you have one you don't need the other. If you have the EDP, just do an extra spritz and you're getting somewhat close to the same place as the Extrait. And after two/three hours, the differences diminish between the two. But there are differences: Not surprisingly, the Extrait goes on deeper and richer. It's more resinous and fuller. The frankincense is much more prominent. If the EDP is like walking by a Catholic church and smelling incense in the air, the Extrait is like sitting in a pew and having a censer swung right near you. In my review of the EDP I wrote, "Despite what others often say, I don’t find it that 'church-like,' perhaps because to me 'church-like' would be darker, heavier, more somber. This almost feels sunny...." The Extrait, by comparison, is closer to being what I would call "church-like" -- it is darker, heavier, thicker. The EDP is perhaps thinner but also lighter and sunnier. The EDP dry down is where it shines - the incense remains but the vanilla and coffee notes come through. The Extrait remains much more incense forward. All-in-all, I like the EDP as more versatile and what I'd be more comfortable wearing it day-in and day-out. Or to put it another way: it's a more fun and less somber. Having said that, (1) I'd emphasize that the comparison between the two is somewhat small, and (2) I'm still going to get the Extrait. Perhaps with some more time I may get acclimated to its deeper qualities. But also because I think it could work well as an evening out scent. And because I love the basic DNA of each. I hope I've provided some comparative help... Five months later: I did get the Extrait and after trying it for a few winter months, sold it. Not as well balanced as the EDP - which I continue to love - and the Extrait is darker and more somber. Heavier. The Extrait also doesn’t (on me at least) have half the longevity of the EDP, which is 12 hours or more on me. (Which just goes to show how personal that is since others here clearly are different.) I find the EDP to be one of my very top scents, the Extrait wasn’t worth keeping.

I struggle a little with churchy incense fragrances as I find the note can sometimes be over-dominant and on its own I do not find it especially attractive. My everlasting soul has been irredeemably gone for years and there is no saving it. But the reason Encens Suave is so good is that the churchy vibe is still there but has been rounded off with ambery textures and especially a really contemporary coffee note. I first got my nose on this one about eighteen months ago and was very impressed at how nice it was, given that I am not always the biggest incense fan. It isn't complex or challenging and is unsurprisingly quite linear but all the more charming for it, I think. For a house with four or five genuine, honest-to-God masterpieces from the wonderful Aurelien Guichard, this is absolutely up there with the best of them. The incense note here is, characteristically of the house, omnipresent across the head, heart and base of this, but it never feels evocative of billowing lamps and confessional guilt. The labdanum and buttery vanillic accords smooth this over to a glassy finish and the espresso coffee accord is genuinely spectacular, in how it smells but also how it adds this dusky bitterness that takes away the cloying sweetness of the incense. It is still smoky and powerful but in a nice way. The benzoin layer is akin to a cleansing, reaffirming "God loves you and forgives you your sins, my child" from a priest. It is funny, because you spray this one and it takes a minute or so to calm down and sit properly and it feels like you are waiting for the smoke to clear and your thoughts to settle down. When it does, it is one of the best unisex incense fragrances ever made in my opinion and is quite incredibly wearable. I'd say it leans feminine but a more open-minded gentleman could rock this in a more formal setting. Three Word Summary: Intensely Wearable Incense Laying Suggestion: Bois Corse by Diptyque as a base layer. Or as a *one spray only* top layer for a Nouveau Monde by Louis Vuitton base. It is one of those layering combos where I cannot explain why it works but it does. Outfit: this is not a warm weather fragrance really, so I'm thinking smart jeans, thick cashmere sweater, Breitling, clean Chelsea boots and a long Aquascutum overcoat. Scent - 9/10 Drydown - 7/10 Sillage - 9/10 Bottle/Packaging - 8/10 Performance - 9/10 44/50

After years of searching, I think I may have finally found a fragrance I can't get enough of. A little story about how I ended up with Encens Suave. It all started when I discovered Holy Metal by Tamburins — one of the most intoxicating scents I've ever smelled. Unfortunately, it was discontinued, which sent me down a rabbit hole looking for something that could scratch the same itch. Spoiler: I've never found anything truly similar. But what I did find was Encens Suave! Along the way, I sampled pretty much everything people recommended. I worked through the entire Comme des Garçons incense series, including Comme des Garçons 2. To my nose, they were all surprisingly rank and unpleasant. I made a trip to a fragrance boutique specifically to try Portrait of a Lady and Diptyque Orphéon, but while I was there, the Matière Première display caught my eye. The bottles looked beautiful, so I started testing a few from the range. I left with three blotters: Portrait of a Lady (which, in my opinion, is wildly overhyped), Orphéon, and Encens Suave. For the next two weeks, those tester strips sat on a table at home. Every day I'd walk past and catch a whiff of something absolutely addictive. Rich, sweet, comforting, impossible to ignore. It was the Encens Suave blotter, going strong. As for the scent itself, I barely get any coffee. The opening reminds me faintly of growing up around a Catholic church; incense, warmth, something nostalgic and almost spiritual. What really captivates me is how sweet it becomes as it develops. The dry down is gorgeous. More than anything, this fragrance has been a bit of a journey in self-discovery. It's helped me understand what I actually enjoy wearing. I genuinely think it's a masterpiece. I haven't received a single compliment while wearing it and honestly, that's fine. I wear it because I love it. That's all that really matters. It leans slightly feminine to my nose, but I can absolutely imagine a stylish guy pulling it off effortlessly. Which brings me to something I've never really understood about fragrance discussions: why are we so concerned about what strangers think? Fragrance is subjective. Wear what makes you happy. Every time I wear this, it puts me in a better mental headspace and honestly, that's worth far more to me.

There seems to be disagreement about the coffee note. I'm an avid coffee drinker. Grind my own beans, pour-over/scale/timer, coffee nerd. I don't get coffee in this. It is sweet. So I don't know if it's people interpreting the vanilla, which can be a note in coffee, or coffee with sugar in it, but it doesn't smell like coffee beans, ground coffee, or black coffee, or nothing that I can't attribute to the vanilla note. The vanilla is moderately sweet and prominent, and so is the incense. Both are beautiful and smooth. I'm not a fan of sweet scents, and I'm still enamored by this one. The incense, while some people call it "churchy," I would say is "church-light." None of the notes are aggressive. Compared to any other incense frag I own, this is really tame and wearable. The problem: on me, this becomes a skin scent in less than 2 hours. It is extremely weak with very minimal projection. I spray conservatively, and yesterday I started with 6 sprays, compared to my usual 2-3 (neck, wrists, chest, back), gone in two hours. Sprayed again at lunch. Gone in two hours. Tried again at night, still gone before the day was done. I can smell it on my skin, but only with my nose against it. Super disappointing. I bought a bottle, but I regret not trying the extrait version first. I also hate brands that release flanker extrait versions when they could just do it right the first time. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 2/10 Projection:2/10 Full bottle? If you're ok with skin scents, definitely. If you care more about performance and projection, try the extrait.

Ahhhhh. My crown jewel. Truthfully this perfumes position as my #1 may be influenced by my memories, there is a semi-famous traditional festival in the south of the UK called the “burning barrels” this perfume whilst not the same, reminds me greatly of the sweet smell of burning liquid paraffin from the time I attended. On my skin this is pure incense and benzoin, vanilla is a shadow in the background and I get 0 coffee or labdanum, I am sure they are more so undetectable and help with the beautiful refinery of this fragrance than they are just non existent. The incense is one of most realistic I have ever smelled, on par with catholic funerals (which I have attended a few.) I have a habit of writing lengthy reviews but all I can ask is you try it for yourself as a sample (don’t ever blind buy MP in general) and let yourself be transported to a church in a distorted reality. It’s not for the faint of heart, the “sweetness” is hard describe. It’s certainly not sugar or musk or baked or cool, burnt and sticky in a good way would be a better way to put it, unlike anything I’ve smelled. I like mixing this with vanilla powder for better versatility, I do enjoy this deeply on its own but I do find it’s tougher to find occasions to wear it otherwise due to how realistic the incense is. I really want to mix this with Santal Austral as well. (I will update when I do!) My #1 (until they create a Scarlet Poppy dupe that lasts longer than 45 mins that is.)