Cristal de Roche (Rock Crystal)

Rock Crystal is one gorgeous beast! I have had nothing but good experiences with Olivier Durbano fragrances, Black Tourmaline is one of the most mystical things I've ever smelt, and Rock Crystal is no exception. I totally understand the frequent comparisons to Profumum Roma's Olibanum as many of the notes and subsequent accords do match up on paper. But in reality, the similarities are tenuous. Both are lovely fragrances, a couple of my favourite incenses in fact, but they are in many ways, quite different. Whist they are both concentrated around frankincense surrounded by orange blossom, Rock Crystal also incorporates other resinous notes, benzoin and myrrh, whereas I find Olibanum to be focused more on pure frankincense. The orange blossom note is also subtly different, being African orange flower. So in those two aspects alone, I can find distinctions to separate these two amazing frags. To top it off, RC also introduces some inconspicuous, yet beautiful spices in the top notes, whilst the whole shebang is built on a more complex base, featuring some of my favourite notes like vetiver, sandalwood, cedar and oak moss. Be under no illusions if you are an incense lover, Rock Crystal is well worth the big bucks asked. A shimmering, alluring, yet personal incense that will leave a contemplative smile on your face all day long. A total keeper!

It's my favourite incense fragrance :D It's the most similar fragrance to the church incense that I know. It opens up very peppery and a little flowery on me, I can feel a hint of orange blossom and chamomile too. This lasts a bit until the wave of the olibanum and incense floods all. It may be linear for some people, but I don't care. For me it's perfect. Longevity is magnificent - 10 hours. Sillage is not so big though, it rather stays close to skin, but people will definitely notice what you're wearing. It's my next purchase, for sure. 10/10 from me.

Very much a combination of two of my favorite incense fragrances: Profumum Roma Olibanum and Armani Prive Bois d’Encens. It has the lemony sheerness of the former combined with blackened, spicy notes of the latter. Perfection. Edit: After wearing a few more times, I prefer Profumum Roma’s Olabinum. If you are on the fence about Rock Crystal, I recommend trying Olabinum. Same idea of an incense that highlights the brighter facets of frankincense, but purer, cleaner and better quality. I am impressed with this and others from Olivier Durbano though.

I get a great visual with this fragrance. I see an image of myself huddling near a fire, on the beach at night, my sun-golden skin touching the equally tanned skin of the person next to me, the salt of the sea in my sun-bleached hair from swimming all day. This coupled with a warm and spiritual crystaline glow. This is subtle on my skin, and could project just a bit more, but it's still a lovely work of art. One of my favorites.

A masterpiece. Absolutely beautiful scent. Very evocative of a small countryside church. Dry, mineral, herbaceous, incensy. You can almost feel the sun on your face, smell the wood the church is made of, see stones and herbs growing on a cemetery around. And down there at the bottom of the hill the church is on is a village where, like in some H.P. Lovecraft's story, something evil lurks. ;-) 10/10