Incense Oud

Patricia de Nicolaï is an intriguing and talented perfumer, and I have long read glowing reviews of her creations for her eponymous house. A niece of Jean-Paul Guerlain, armed with a chemistry degree and ISIPCA training, she still was passed over in favour of a man (Thierry Wasser) to take over at Guerlain in 2008. It is interesting to consider how she would have fared, given how uneven the Guerlain releases and reformulations have been since. Regardless, Guerlain's loss is Nicolaï Createur de Parfum's gain. However, until I bought a discovery set last year, I had only smelled one Nicolaï, New York Intense, but was left very impressed. Now, I am reviewing each sample in my discovery set. Incense Oud is what it says on the tin - a smooth, high-quality oud scent infused with incense throughout. The oud used here is not skanky or animalic - it is a dry, woody oud; more French in style than Middle Eastern. It is bold however, the dominant note to my nose. Bitter, herbal green notes follow, led by artemisia, rounded out by a cloud of earthy patchouli. The cypriol is camphorous, yet adds a slight dirtiness, bringing to mind a jungle. As it develops, powdery rose emerges, melding beautifully with the oud and patchouli in particular. IO becomes increasingly smooth and refined here, with an animalic muskiness giving it an old-fashioned quality. The balsamic incense emerges here, not a church-y incense, but somehow more Middle Eastern in style, enhanced by the peppery spice that follows. It becomes increasingly musky as it fades, the smooth incense lingering alongside spices, with a pine-like green nuance remaining, giving the woody-musky drydown a hint of freshness. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex, autumn/winter scent. A complex yet beautifully-balanced woody-amber scent, IO is masterfully composed, a testament to Mme. Nicolaï's skill. The materials used here are high-quality and quite strong, but they are cohesive, each note contributing to the scent as a whole. Symphonic, really - a gem. 4.5/5.

Nicolai's Incense Oud is probably the freshest take on Incense or Oud notes I have sniffed in ages. I was expecting the usual bog standard cliched smoky incense and oud like all the others and right from the first sniff, this was a beast of a different genus. Top notes are a really clear, fresh blend of artemisia and ambrette. Right off the bat you know you are smelling the work of a Master Perfumer. The heart is a blend of Oud, Cambodian as per the notes on the sample card, sharp spicy notes of nagarmotha and coriander and some woody cedar. This is joined by the incense in the base. There is an underlying bitter, slightly animalic muskiness that is probably the castoreum and musk but you would not find it unless you went looking for it. It does give the composition the required depth that you would expect in an Oud Fragrance. In the end, all the notes just fit perfectly together in complete harmony. Projection is really good, easily 6 feet in the first hour before settling to arms length, People are going to smell you, no mistake. Longevity likewise is excellent, regularly in the 12-15 hours plus range. So performance wise fantastic. In conclusion I would say if you are a fan of Incense or Oud notes, do yourself a favor and check it out. I am a huge fan of incense frags in general and have stuff like Timbuktu, Sahara Noir, Cardinal, Avignon, Interlude, et al and this has pretty much vaulted itself into my top 3 atleast. That should be enough said. 9/10

Верхние ноты очень сильные и больше выделяется будто бы хвойный запах, но это скорее всего артемизия, кориандр и опять пачули. Очень резкий, тяжелый хвойный аромат, подумает каждый. В таком состоянии он пребывает в течение 15-20 минут потом "успокаивается" и переходит к базе и средним нотам. Ооо вот тут мнения разделяться... Либо они засчитают мускус как запах потного деда либо как чистейший, мыльный приятный аромат. В дополнение к нему в игру включается отчётливый землистый животный аромат, из за Кастореум'а в базе. После часа имеем: глубоко древесный(Уд), чистенький землистый животный запах на нашей коже. Ну, а в своей последней трансформации он становиться очень, прям на тоненького сладким, играет роза и благовония, именно они добавляют вот эту изюминку похожую на восковые свечи и... Ощущение Аристократии что ли... Роза и благовония как итог заставили меня полюбить этот аромат. Больше всего вторая фаза этого аромата меня поражает, как она играет... Я не могу. Дерево, земля и мускус... По-моему уже за такое можно отдать все деньги. Аромат вечный, я буквально два дня с ним на руке ходил, даже после душа он остался, нотки розы. Я однозначно рекомендую этот экспириенс в аристократию.

9:00 - Opens with incense and herbs. Very fresh fields. A peppery woods smell comes in quickly with a deftly done floral that doesn't jump out separately. There's an impression of honey-water in this, for me. I wish I had a better way to describe it. Botrytis by Ginestet has the same quality in its opening and they both literally make my mouth water. For Incense Oud, it doesn't actually smell like honey, though. I really, really love this effect. 9:40 - The patchouli has started to assert itself more, but there's a smell, kinda like unburned lavender incense, that is balancing out the earthiness and keeping things from getting too hippie. Very unisex. My coworker could smell this from across the room, and approved. 3:20 - Drydown is cypriol oil I'm guessing (smells like a tree, not oud) with random whiffs of incense. Good but I can see it being headache inducing for some if they aren't cautious with the number of sprays. Actually, this might be the artemisia. I need to get nose training. Will probably end up with a full bottle of this.

Incredible perfume, but very unusual, to say the least! I really admire P. de Nicolai for balancing all these big smelling ingredients (oud, rose, incense, castoreum and patchouli on a classic amber base) into something so luminous and transparent. The rose, insence and amber make this fragrance oppulent and luxurious, while the oud and the castoreum create a dark, erotic tension. So good! Do try before you buy; this otherwise terribly chic affair purrs with the distinctly animalic, faecal aspect of oud. I really had to come to terms with this slightly disconcerting note in the composition, but it does add to its artisticity and - most importantly - to the authenticity of its star ingredient. I've come to love this scent very, very much (the dry down is especially sublime), but my partner complains I smell like a toilet. ‘A Parisian toilet!’, I specify...

Another favourite from Nicolai Parfumeur. This has the complex, contradictory sharp-soft Nicolai signature and reminds me of Patchouli Intense + incense and oud. Opens with a dark, animalic blast of artemisia-infused oud and ambrette, with a background zing of lush, green patchouli which grows and grows until it fills the perfumery space and then - being a diva and performing from its spotlit stage - sings to me of a heartbreakingly holy place in the heart of a dark, mysterious, dew-spangled forest. It's an olfactory archetype speaking to me of luminous, opulent beauty. Distillation: masterful perfume olfactory archetype singing of beauty

The drydown is a walk through buddhist temples with lit incense. Korean, Japanese, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Maynamar...I've smelled this scent mixed with the local environment, be they pine forests or the cacophony of busy street food stalls, this is the base scent of those environments. Opens with a warm sweet fuzzy cashmere amber, which is nice, but the dry down is what strikes a chord with me. Not sure it's what I like to wear on a daily basis, but I love being transported by the scent memories. Scent: 8.5 / Sillage: 8 / Longevity: 8

This one gets you noticed! Extremely luxurious and dense! One of the best incense scents I have tried PERIOD. I don't want to smell like a old musty church I want a artists take on the incense genre. It smells complex, it evolves, it radiates taste and class and makes a statement and above all it smells of grade A raw materials. Not a hint of cheap synthetics. A scent that will fill follow you all day so you really only need a small amount.

Not sure if there are any left, but Jomashop has Nicolai's gigantic 250ml bottles of this for around $170 US shipped and 250ml of Sacrebleu Intense for $140 US shipped. I grabbed one of each. Can't beat those prices short of having someone gift it to you :)

Absolutely gorgeous. I’m partial to Nicolai fragrances, and this one hasn’t disappointed. Very happy with this purchase 😃

I fell in love with Incense Oud By Kilian several years back. Unfortunately, Kilian Incense Oud is out of production. I've searched to find another fragrance that approaches Kilian's unique and unforgettable fragrance. And while Nicolai Incense Oud is nice enough in its own right, it doesn't quite approach the richness, depth and complexity I enjoy in a fragrance like Kilian's Incense Oud. So, Nicolai Incense Oud is a rather light (not ethereal by any means), almost ozonic, clean oud with smokiness (more so than incense) running throughout. The opening is almost light & fizzy, which are not descriptives I normally associate with an oud fragrance. Wood and smoky notes emerge that are (thankfully) not the heavy campfire, or ashtray like notes currently in vogue on the niche market. Soapy notes are not notes I detect, as Incense Oud remains as a rather linear, resinous, woody, slightly smoky fragrance. Unfortunately, I do not detect incense as much as I like but there is smoke, which I imagine is the cedar, amber & musk. Given the list of notes, I would expect Incense Oud to be dirtier, earthy, more resinous. Not so on my skin. However, this is a nice enough smoky woody oud perfume with good silage and pretty good longevity. Not unique, or exciting enough to be full bottle worthy for my tastes. For me, Nicolai Incense Oud is a pass.

What Equipage (vintage) is to the chypre genre, that Incense Oud is to the oud, even much further. Bold, sharp and edgy might not be enough to describe its aggressive spicy characteristic. The opening is a bit too much to my taste. Just one little spray, I will find myself exposed in front of a turbofan engine that blows hurricane of spicy notes, while the oud note is quite subtle as in Amber Oud, another oud scent of Nicolai. There are geranium, papyrus and something I cannot really think of in the skillfully blended structure and with that extent of monster projection. What beneath them is a layer of nostalgic oriental fougere that resemles a long discontinued scent by YSL, Jazz Prestige, or Silver Cologne by Amouage which can be seen in Amber Oud's drydown as well. Incense oud is definately not a friendly scent even among a bunch of unusual oud fragrances (I am talking about Assam Oud by Rania J, Leather Oud by Dior etc), but a treasure for the ones who are looking for something smell odd. Blind buy warning! Rating: 8-8.5/10

Such an effortless piece despite it's potential to have scratchy themes. The incense accord in this is perfection, not a cliche in sight the olibanum is present but not blended into a kind of woody, boozy, oud accord. It has a note of whisky steeped casks betwixt, white oud and oakwood with some smoky cypriol greens, and a developing a lightly chocolatey, benzoin character, but it's not ambery, perhaps more earthy, Forresty, rooty, nutty. If there's no real oud in here, this is a really clever representation of it, with more of a vetiver leaning quality but something slightly bordering animal too. It's really good. I remember the last time I tried it I was in Amsterdam, and recall thinking I needed more time with it before making a rash purchase decision. I still feel the same way because it's quite a moody piece, I'm not sure how often I would reach for it? Good stuff though.

Starts out with juniper wood and smoke. Some kind of coniferous tree resin. It's an oriental fragrance and definitely something a European person would not be used to. Smells a bit like an Orthodox Church, but that's usually not a perfume. It is also strongly balsamic and dirty with an animalic sweetness. Dare I say it: I get a whiff of urine. Not a safe blind buy. After 10 hours it was smoky incense with a bit of beeswax so definitely a churchy smell. Warm fragrance. PS: It layers well with Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir imho. Edit 2026-04-06: I like it more now but it's a perfume that needs distance. I've had it for a year now and the urine note changed into something more fruity. Anyway, better to put it on your collarbones and knees and not the neck or wrists.

I swear this opens just like tequila on my skin. The oud and castoreum come on fast and it's animalic tendency reminds me of a more tame version of Histories De Parfums Petroleum, but not as much like sweaty civet, more leathery like castoreum. Styrax contributes to the leathery pelt effect. After a short while the patch, artemesia , and rose show, followed quickly by the incense and corriander. Into the drydown and a little cedar finally shows it's face. Corriander still prominent along with incense and I feel like there might red peppers in it as well, it stays spicy. Overall it's great!.Would be good for a cool or cold night out, I'd say more semi formal to formal. ------------------------------------ Scent 9/10 Performance 7.5/10

Damn, this lady is a beast. It's heavy but interesting. It felt very luxurious and loud. I see people mostly saying it's masculine leaning but for me it's the opposite. A lady in furs. This perfume is not for me but it gave me a confidence boost of a rich matriarch, haha. In terms of smell, a lot of greenery and wood, something very bitter and dark. Also, a tiny bit of "jungle vibe", similar to Cap Neroli, not sure what creates it. Incense is not particularly noticeable but I am sure it's framing the composition somewhere on the background. Definitely not a safe blind buy but an interesting thing to try.

Wild, wild, wild. A fierce incense-patchouli-oud bomb, with an animalic funk wafting off it. It's the kind of fragrance that makes me want to meet the people who wear it on a regular basis. (Who ... are you?) I have a few bold fragrances, so I'm no prude, but I don't have anything that slaps you in the face quite like this one. But also, to be real, Incense Oud is not on the intensity level of a Francesca Bianchi, for example, and the dry down (after 2+ hours) is far less feral than the opening. But still. Whew. Intense. Not something I'd wear, personally, but I genuinely think it smells great.

Oud upon thy pews! This old person in church B/O is more than meets the nose. Comes on animalic, unique and strong. Moves on the skin like a ferocious, rough and leathery alpha male toddy cat who just got busy with an oily, female beaver. What hell on earth, Alien meets Pet Cemetery, hell spawn will be the resultant? Well, we'll never find out because, thankfully, here comes an animal trapper to interrupt the pregnancy. So, your once ferocious civet is now a pungent, somewhat amberous, smoked-wood accented pelt. Not bad!

Super sexy dark cypriol and incense with black charred oud in the background . This is so beastly but so challenging. I am big oud lover but this is very different to pull off. I can respect the craftsmanship but there is something in the background that I truly cannot appreciate. I wear most my ouds all year round but this is only in cold winter nights out in open space . There is something about this that truly reminds me of patchouli intense.

~hand test/global wearing/decant After initital sprays my nose was hit with ultimate "old people" perfume smell. Retro, vintage. Artemisia overload, patchouli, incense, rose, and cypriol are most prominent notes on my skin. Drydown is more in my alley because it already evolved. I can also get slightly animalic castoreum, more pronounced oud (in opening phase and 1-2h after spraying it was basically absent), smoky/ambery accord and dialed down aromatic & herbal components (but it's still soapy). It's still too herbal and too oldschool, however I appreciate the scent quality and it satisfies me in terms of performance (eternal longevity and it projects even after the whole day on skin) - I just need another 30 years of life to wear it properly. Right now when I'm writing this, my collegue entered the room, gave me a reasonable look and we both understood it's not a scent for me.

Something calming and something very upsetting at the same time. There's that very nice green incense that calms me down, triggers a couple of memories from different places. But the green spills out and turns into a dry tobacco leave smell, reminiscent of the 80's. Think Aramis Havana or Montana pour Homme with their humidor smell. Then the oud - also so nice on its own - starts to play in the same key as those 80's ingredients, namely galbanum and artemisia, all in all disturbing the otherwise peaceful atmosphere with macho powerhouse undertones. Never quite getting there either. This might answer the question, "What if oud was a thing in the 80's?" I feel like it requires an environment that I don't have around me: cigarette smoke in bars and restaurants, spilled whiskies, padded shoulders, heavy curtains and armchairs, late night calls.

Too dark and earthy at first sniff, but lately, when the rose tone starts to shine through, it is more transparent fragrance. The base is warm by musk and resinous notes, but smoky aroma dominates. In combination with leathery smell of castoreum it is deep. I can't imagine many public occasions to wear the fragrance, but for personal pleasure, for gloomy and cloudy days at home, maybe...

Exactly what it says on the tin at first, a very clean oud with incense running through it. Woody and smoky, like a slightly camphorous campfire. The opening is quite punchy, but it quickly settles down and picks up qualities of bar soap and sweet vegetation. Soapy, leafy, charred wood chips. Strong projection fades over 2-3hr, longevity 10-12hr.

Incense Oud has the notes that should make up a dream perfume for me...unfortunately, it does smell a bit too "old person BO," like many commenters have already written. Not for me.

Too much cypriol for me...gets bitter and bitter down the road. Had expected a more exuberant incense and oud combination but it came out quite dry.

In the opening, I get a round inoffensive oud note, greened by a hint of artemisia. After ~15 minutes, the oud disappears to leave the stage to a nice rose note, made sparkling by incense and coriander. The patchouli will soon invites itself for a dance with the rose. The drydown is all about a strong cypriol note, slightly bitter (styrax?) and supported by a hint of amber. The main players here are rose, patchouli and cypriol, not incense or oud. As for many De Nicolai fragrances, the quality and execution is flawless, but its structure has been smelt many times before. There is something missing to go from great to masterpiece, and the performance doesn't help: despite the projection being good in the first hour, it will quickly decline after that to become a skin scent after just 4 hours, a questionnable point at that price point. I got a good deal on a 15ml sprayer, and I will enjoy it while it lasts. That said, I will probably not go for a full bottle after that, since the wow effect that may have justified to pull out big bucks is missing here for me. Unisex imo, even if it would fit better a woman imo or a mature and confident man. Given the high price tag, try before you buy! Just a like for me. Fall evenings and winter days, 30+ Edit: for a similar scent (a small step lower in quality though), you might want to try AC Encens Jinhae, that can be found on ebay for a third of the price of this one. Very similar results.

I get a lot of the incense, woody notes that others have mentioned, but when I smell it it up close (nose to arm) I get dank, dusty, wooden cellar. Almost like a dirty sponge long past its expiration date. Smells exactly as advertised otherwise. I love Nicolai but this one isn't for me, unfortunately :(

WOAW, a bold fragrance! For incense lovers. The sillage and longevity are amazing. I can smell incense and oud. Middle East vibe. Not for office for sure. Not my style, 4/10 My style in this brand is more Musc intense, Amber Cashmere intense, Baïkal leather, etc

"Incense Oud" starts off with a deep and spicy woody blast that bears a note which is reminiscent of solvents. Unfortunately, the soothing opening dissipates far too soon and the fragrance remains linear for the rest of its presence. Although rose is listed as a heart note, I am not really able to detect any of it. Admittedly, I not familiar with"omani incense" either, so I cannot pass any proper judgement on whether it is present in this perfume or not. In any case, this is neither a churchy, nor a head shop type of incense. Patchouli, cypriol a mushroomy oud/wood accord take the lead in "Incense Oud", with the occasional herbal and spicy note flaring up in the background. If you are looking for something very animalic or tartly medicinal, you will not find it here. To my nose, this mostly comes across very vegetal, like roasted green peppers, eggplants and olives. Not an unpleasant scent but it evokes all the wrong associations for me (Pizza Verdure). Performance is satisfying.

I gave this perfume so many chances, but it refused to be anything but terrible. It is very screechy, and has green notes, the worst kind of greenness, it is bitter, harsh and loud. This horrible smell takes over the entire sent even after hours on skin and days on paper and clothes. I was hoping to get some incense and oud, but no. My Chinese friend said it reminded her of a Chinese dish, some specific spices and pepper! Also, my brother did not like it at all. Just saying... Honestly though, when I concentrate really well, and try to smell beyond that horrible screechy green note, I was able to sense some of the darkness and heaviness of incense. But, it is faaaar back in a dark forgotten corner scared from the mad green ogre. Not a safe blind purchase.

I really want to like this. Because I am a sucker for a good story and the story of the nose behind these fragrances is inspirational, but god damn. I have tried two samples from this house. One smells like urinal cakes and the other is a clashing mess. I am going to let this sit for six months then come back to it. If it hasn’t improved perhaps the people who make the decision on who to hire and train at Guerlain weren’t sexist but just knew what they were doing.

Sickening, nauseating and haunting to my nose. I hate it. In my opinion the maison should make more modern and better creations

Dank, soapy incense with a dirty, animalic note. Truly disgusting on my skin. Scrub and discard.

Big, red, spongy, dried-date- like "oud". In short: dried date aura, then seamlessly transitioned to a dry dirt+peanut shell base. In details: I don't know if you guys are familiar with date. In East Asia, the date fruits are usually sun-dried before packaging, but NOT sugar-preserved, that’s middle east. Some really big date fruit will have thick flesh even after sun dried, thus having a spongy texture, and a sweet, slightly preserved fruity flavor with a reeeeally slight hint of ... labdanum. Yep, the first time when I smelled labdanum, I was thinking "date! this is date!" So that's what the first half of the perfume smells like: date. A soft date aura, to be precise, edged with a celery-tinged, fresh herbal tone; and there is a menacing dark animalic undertone, but this ghost never embodied in air. The date aura flies solo for quite a while, then landing on a familiar "thick" ashy ground. I've smelled this starchy-rooty note in some other Nicolai’s work, Amber Oud? or Amber Cashmeres? Soon enough, anything 'thick' is gone,we're left with dry dirt-rooty peanut shell tone, which lasts for a very long time. I wonder if this is a so-called cypriol note, or just a particularly earthy patchouli? At this dry peanut shell stage, I almost mistook this scent for a Duchaufour work, since I can find a familiar base in Bois D'Ombrie, Paestum Rose etc. etc.

Stunning fragrance: 9.5/10 Longevity 9.5/10 Sillage 9.5/10 Everyone will smell you in a half kilometre radius! This smells like Russian/French aristocracy from the 1850's. Magnificent, opulent, wealthy, travelled, antiquities, books, gardens, fur, ancient maps, gothic mansions burning incense and roses. Make your presence known type of fragrance! Its strong and gutsy. It is a more feminine version of Patchouli Intense which shares 95% of its DNA. Imagine Patchouli intense with a shot of sweet ambery rose incense, which mellows down the fougere. The oud is extremely mild. I actually prefer this! Sisley's Eau de Soir is like the grandmother of the two! Portrait of a lady is like the evil stepmother from another Terrain devoid of sweetness.

The opening is deliciously disorienting, like a strongly spicy cherry syrup (The listed notes at the Nicolai site say artemisia, davana & ambrette). After this comes soothing oud, well blended with the other notes that I can't separate, ...and there is also some smoke. Smoke always makes me wary. Too much or the wrong kind can easily ruin any scent, but this smoke is handled well. There is only a little and it stays settled and balanced within the mix. The drydown continues becoming sweeter (styrax, musk) and more pungent (castoreum, musk). This is a well-made and adventurously exotic scent. By the way, I found another error on Fragrantica's note list. Perfumer's Styrax is derived from Liquidambar spp., not Styrax officinalis.

Opening is quite difficult, like a mix of narcissus, incense and salt. The oud is quite pissy, plus the artemisia is very vegetal and probably adding to the saltiness. It’s medicinal, vegetal and pissy and there is castoreum! Not a mass appealing scent for sure. The heart is similar to New York intense (also similar to Boudicca Wode), sweet and earthy. Then it turns into Kouros - earthy, sharp, piercing pencil shaving. But if you can get past these difficult times, u will be rewarded with a bright luminous and sweet vetiver in the deep 8 hour drydown. This is actually quite an interesting scent that evolves throughout. But difficult to wear.

Wow! This is a true definition of Beast Mode. I wore Incense Oud on Sunday, which was four days ago, yet the fragrance is still projecting beastly from the cloth I wore on the day. But that is not the fascinating aspect of the story. I just picked up the shirt next to it on my wardrobe and the shirt is smelling as if I just sprayed Incense Oud on it. I have been wearing the shirt for about two hours now and it is still projecting as though it was the cloth I wore on Sunday. Incense Oud is truly beastly and, apart from its out-of-the-world projection, the scent of the perfume itself is to die for. I love this.

Structure of this has a Nicolai Signature common to all that I have nosed. A centre of gravity low within the Heart Notes. Light touch of Oud is surrounded by a thin blanket of Patch and Cedary woodiness. With this scent Ambrette is used similar to Chanel's No. 18. It draws my mind to the distance with a whisper of Rose vague. The Base feels light. The weight of Amber and Styrax is like one stroke of a Watercolour. The Omani is a sliver of light singular. I fail to identify the Castoreum. All in all a very pleasant scent fitting for the time. Hope to nose Oud Sublime Extrait sometime in the future.

I recently sampled another amazing oud fragrance called Oud Shamash by The Different Company, created by Bertrand Duchaufour. It shares many notes with this fragrance but leans more into an oriental vibe, while Incense Oud goes in a woody and aromatic direction. Both are fantastic in their own way. This is a very complex scent and hard to describe, but it's truly fascinating. I've tried several Nicolai perfumes, and they're all crafted with great skill, but this one is one of my top favorite ones though it's not a safe blind buy. An excellent fragrance! 8.5/10

An introspective, deep journey back to the magic of the oriental mood: green and spicy opening, given by absinthe, and we know very well its function as an "artificial paradise" and a source of inspiration for artists, above all my beloved Baudelaire. Notes of incense and Oud (not animalic, but delicate and fine), together with sweet, almost gourmand notes, arise and make this journey even more oneiric. Immersive, light and elegant, Nicolai is a brand that never fails. Usable always, for something different and original. "Salome" painted by Olivier.

Incense on a balsamic side with something oily note! and i think it's "Cypriol Oil" although i don't know how does Cypriol Oil smell but i believe this is the thing that gives it the oily texture. It does smell like "Oud Sublime". Edit (22nd May 2017) what makes this fragrance awkward is the type of incense they are using in here! they're not using the church incense, they are using the grilling note that supposed to be incense! Quite similar to "Interlude Man" by Amouage. it's kind of disturbing.

I left one of my favourite fragrance, Soir de Orient from Sisley at home back in China , and I blind bought this perfume ( full size 100 ml ) . And after I received and sprayed it, Omfg it smells exactly like the Soir de Orient ! Just a bit weaker, greener and less rosy! ( for reference this is released in 2016 and the Incense oud was released in 2017) . I just bought another clone! But the bottle is fancy ngl. But the price is okay , I bought the full bottle at 80 dollars ish

Not much incense, basically no oud, too... It reminds me of freshly chopped coriander -- right at the stage where the chlorophyll is overpowering the actual coriander smell, and it's just starting to become coriander-ey... Slight herbaceous, pickle-juice element lurking in the back, something earthy and something mild woody. Look, I like it, and I'd keep the sample I have as a reference point, but it's not anything I see myself buying... ...I think.

This is excellent. Incense remains in the forefront and other ingredients support the incense. The aroma of a heated Agarwood chip with other delicate fragrance (bakhoor as they say in the Gulf) is captured beautifully. It's neither overly sweet nor oudy. But I don't get Castoreum. And better so. Probably Castoreum is so well blended. Patricia My hat off to you for this fragrance.

@Uday Lalan, perfect summary. Bright and effervescent, yet a little dark and dirty at the same time. A freight train of olfactory delights. Novice noses may be shocked but us old timers can respect and enjoy this journey. I want to tell everyone about Nicolai Parfums...but then, I don't want a soul to know. Good stuff. I now have 3 bottles and a lot more testing to do.

First on I get an oily green attar-ish scent, but it changes rapidly to resins, wood and slightly rank notes, but warm and rich. The Cypriol makes a comeback as green sharp sap over the warm smooth resins/woods. There is a touch of the aroma chemical in the back that smells like rubbing alcohol, but overall, this is a nice woody cypriol scent.

همچنان در نام گذاری همخوانی نمیبینم میتواند طرفداران عود و اینسنس را نا امید کند اماامضای بیس نوت نیکلای را دارد و تا اندازه زیادی شبیه پچولی اینسنس است با کیفیت خاص نیکلایی و دوام بسیار بالا ----------- Scent & Quality: 9/10 Longevity:10/10 Sillage: 9/10 Creativity & Uniqueness: 8/10 Affordability: 4/10 ----------- Overall: 8/10

This is a dead ringer for sisely eau de soir other than the opening. With Nicolia opening is very strong urine, then dries down to a rich, very strong romantic scent, lives long on skin. I prefer soir because of the opening, can't believe no one hasn't made this comparison, they are remarkably the same!

Same story as their Oud Sublime... Had very high hopes for it but was greatly disappointed. Not smell real oud in here. Oud note smells like a cheap alternative from one of the big fragrance companies. For me that cheap note ruins the fragrance =( Better to enjoy their New Yourk Intense or Patchouli.