Encens et Lavande

Encens et Lavande smells like a sobering realisation, a moment of nascent clarity emerging out of an otherwise extreme sadness (or, at least, solemnity). A bath for the mind (albeit one with cold water), it opens with a very austere but nevertheless relaxed lavender note. Here, sitting translucently above the incense, there is a faint impression of lavender soap, but by degrees the lavender fades to reveal more of the incense. Indeed, I find the more attention I pay to EeL the more incense I get, but if I go about my day I rediscover the lavender soap in occasional cooling breaths. It's such a living thing in this way, I find it flat as all hell on paper but on skin (or at least my skin) it twirls and dances like a sky of soft grey clouds. Indeed watching and appreciating this series of gestures is a big part of the enjoyment for me here. The incense specifically cannot be readily categorised into olibanum or myrhh and so is likely a blend of the two; with no sweetness, fruitiness or rubberiness, instead only gently sublimating smoke. It's so utterly tranquil and still that it would appear lifeless if it weren't for the constant subtle shifting of nuances, like watching a thousand rivers of incense sand of various shades of grey pooling in the centre of some existential hourglass. I get good longevity of around 5 hours from very tiny swatches from my 1ml on skin, and I'm confident that a full bell jar would last and perform better still. Bottled serenity, it would suit anyone man or woman. Encens et Lavande is a caress from a cold hand, and a puff of bluish smoke. Update: I have since gotten a bell jar of this and have been wearing it for several months. What a gorgeous scent this is, truly an antidote to our current age of constant stimulation and excess information. When I wear this, it's almost as if time stands still, with only the dust slowly shifting around, winter sunlight shining through the clouds and a soft, cooling breeze in total silence. So much peace loaded into so simple a fragrance

I have loved this fragrance since first smelling a small test decant over a year ago. I got lucky and someone I buy from on Ebay was going to Paris and offered to pick me up some perfumes. Of course I wanted a bell jar of Encens et Lavande. I know some folks think this is too simple a scent. However, as a lavender lover for years, I must say it is quite difficult to capture a true lavender this perfectly. Lutens lavender is fresh and lovely, like walking through a lavender field in the evening when everything has dried a bit in the sun. This is a living lavender scent, not a bunch of dead dried lavender sachets, which you get in so many fragrances. The incense is beautiful, just enough to keep the lavender from going over the top, but not enough to make it bitter. This is the quintessential lavender scent and I plan to wear it every night and most days as well until it's used up. For those who think this doesn't last, it does if you spray generously. I sprayed it on my pillow this morning before I left for work and 12 hours later I smelled Encens et Lavande when I walked into my bedroom this evening. Simple does not mean crudely or badly made. For me, simplicity is perfection in this gorgeous scent. Perfect for a man or woman.

Smoky with a hit and a half of lavender and even a hint of celery (I know, sounds odd but I get celery). This is typical SL - compelling, heady, sexy and addictive. Perfect for cold weather, I could happily wear this at Christmas-time. UPDATE: I am wearing this at the moment (free sample from SL) and I cannot stop catching the perfume as I type - tested on the back of my hand - OMG I need (and I mean NEED) to buy this! It develops fantastically well on my skin, I am completely hooked. For me, it's the equivilant of cat-nip for humans.

Beautiful unisex lavender! A tiny bit powdery but more photorealistic than anything. The lavender is sexy and dreamy. Church incense starts coming out at around 10 minutes, and when I say church incense, this is Mass on Palm Sunday, and I was raised Catholic, so this is visceral for me. At that point it is 3/4 incense, 1/4 lavender. The thickness of the incense and lavender put in the fall/winter category. This is potent stuff that lasts a long time-- like Catholic guilt! But I'm into this and have been smelling myself all day!

Heartbreakingly beautiful powdery aromatic that represents one of the most loveliest interpretations of the lavender note. The perfume opens briefly with notes of juniper berry, clary sage and rosemary before going into the firm lavender heart. As the perfume dries off one can detect the incense (a combination of myrrh and frankincense). The unisex scent has moderate sillage and very good longevity. A masterclass in perfumery. Enjoy!

Gorgeous aromatic lavender. The incense elevates the fragrance, smoothing out the lavender so it does not become medical or sharp. It is linear with a touch of sweetness. I smell equal amounts of incense and lavender- completely balanced. It so nice to have this option as contrast to the overly sugary vanilla lavenders that are out there.

I have tried many lavanders, and this is by far my favorite. Closest to the real thing in my opinion - cold, clear, with a breath of incense. Just perfect. Spritz in an unscented hand lotion for a touch of heaven. Tigerlillian's Review, Bravo, Spot-on! Also excellent Ricky Ribarco review!

Luminous, hazy, clean, non Lutensian (no fruits or spices) interpretation of a classic theme. This is the perfect companion to whatever you are doing, the two main notes interact equally, neither one competing for attention. This smells primitive, timeless, effortless.

I love lavender, and this is the best and most realistic lavender I've smelled in a perfume so far. I agree, Rickyrebarco's excellent review is spot-on. Lavender and incense work beautifully together in this masterpiece of simplicity, very impressive!

I've been wanting to smell this perfume for a while. I can't resist incense. But my relationship with lavender is less obvious. I love the smell of “living” lavender, but lavender scents are too reminiscent of hand soaps or insect repellents for me. On the other hand, coupled with incense... I wondered what this marriage could offer. Encens et lavande: a curious name from Lutens who names his perfumes with words that are usually poetic, often enigmatic, sometimes Baudelairian. In this case, it's so factual, so dualistic. But this name reflects well the effect this perfume provides. The main materials that compose it perform well in a pas de deux. In the opening, lavender dominates with its slightly camphorous terpenes. But these bluish scents seem tinged with a herbaceous touch. Could it be clary sage, rosemary as others have suggested? I also seem to detect, in the background, a slight roundness that evokes violet. In short, there is nothing soapy about the lavender here. Eventually, it gives way to the most interesting thing perfume has to offer: an enigmatic blend, dusty, dry and old-fashioned. This smell is not easy to decode. The colour of the liquid, which are always well thought at Lutens, clearly evokes its olfactory effect. It is a pale, muted gray. The incense advances slowly, without ever imposing itself. It allows the memory of the aromatic flower to express itself. This is not pure frankincense. Less luminous, it might be modulated by myrrh. At that moment, the scent reminds me of a bygone era, an ancient place. An old wooden church? The link of Encens et lavande with religion is not clear to me, but it is to many people. Infinitely subtle notes of licorice or anise also seem to reach me among the middle notes. At a certain stage in the development of the perfume, I can't help but think of tobacco. And of my grandfather; my mother's father. To understand, I try to rationalize it by telling myself that he smoked a pipe, that he perhaps used lavender-scented beard cream or aftershave, but I don't think that's it... And I don't think there is any tobacco absolute in Encens et lavande. There might be hay absolute or coumarin. These materials would also contribute to this very slightly sweet softness which emerges in the base notes. At this last stage, I clearly detect an amber accord, undoubtedly composed of benzoin, another resin traditionally burned during religious ceremonies. There is also a slightly dirty musk that hints slightly, or is it costus? Ultimately, Encens et lavande, a subtle and discreet fragrance, remains close to the skin. It is no less complex, enigmatic and generous in evocations.

Encens et Lavande is pretty much what it sounds like: (frank)incense and lavender. It’s the dry, rather chilly, ultra-sharp, laundry-sachet kind of lavender, heavy on the linalool; and an equally dry, chilly smoky frankincense, very slightly warmed with the merest hint of dark amber. The overall effect is dry, restrained, gray-on-gray. It’s perfect for when you want a “polite” perfume that won’t offend, but still has some personality. On the other hand, if you find harsh, clean scents grating, the lavender will bug you; it’s not sweetened, softened, or browned one bit. This is needle-sharp, ice-cold lavender, exactly like the dried stuff you can find at Whole Foods. there’s a period partway through the day (maybe 3-5 hours in) when the incense gets warmer and spicier, more like sandalwood or myrrh. Then it retreats to its background hum of clean dryness. Overall, a straightforward, pleasant unisex scent, very natural-feeling, almost like essential oils but streamlined and cohesive.

Well, another rather straight-forward and simplistic fragrance...just as the name suggests and the notes indicate. Lavender and incense...a wee bit of berry. This is a nice enough fragrance I suppose, if you are a powdery lavender lover. Upon first spray and application, I get Glade Lavender Bathroom Spray. The opening is shrill, a bit synthetic to my nose and overwhelmingly lavender. Within a few minutes, a dusty, rather weak incense note tries emerging but IMHO, does so with limited success. The dry down is a powdery, bathroom-y smelling lavender fragrance...almost reminds me of potpourri, or better yet lavender powder baby wipes...plastic container note included. This scent would be an okay blind buy for most lavender fiends...cannot imagine a man wearing this because it smells extremely feminine to my nose. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary, or unusual about this. It's okay but I would never own it, buy it or wear it on a regular basis.

A simplistic and beautiful fragrance. Only two notes claimed and only two notes I can smell. I LOVE lavender, whose stern majesty has truly been ruined by its ( (or what resembles it)) mass use in air fresheners and hand soaps. I recently had a chance to smell a gorgeous living lavender straight from lavender bush. The opening of Encens smells like it - pure, fresh, undiluted. Incense appears about 15 minutes in for me, again, extremely realistic, with slightly unpleasant burnt notes. Churchey and stern, brooding and very serious. Definitely leans masculine. Not among my favorite Lutenses, but definitely worth a test if you can get your hands on it.

A cold, grey day on a hill. A church garden prolific with dense lavender bushes. A crisp breeze whipping through, picking up the scent of the church's cold stone walls, marked with a hint of incense. Snapping lavender stems as the wind deftly dances through, releasing a cool haze of green, blue and purple. Green for fresh, herbal leaves, blue for tightly curled new buds, and purple for mellow, sweet petals.

i honestly don't understand the comparison between gris clair and encens et lavande. this one is a raw, almost bitter lavender, uncompromising in its near cumin-like stink. it is a top. gris clair, by contrast, is warm, comforting, and soft-- a melancholic scent that readily surrenders to nostalgic sweetness. not brothers, but perhaps lovers.

I agree with Ontolome, it is not similar to Gris Clair. Gris Clair is warm fragrance, while Encens et Lavande is cold. Really interesting combination, hard to compare with anything else.

Bone-dry incense and lavender combo. Airy, smooth, and precise blend that is simple yet masterful

I see lavender with... coffee? I do make an effort to imagine the incens.

In the bottle, I smell the sharpness of the lavender, but once on my skin, it becomes overly sweet. When wearing, I find this to smell neither of incense nor lavender. Glad I sampled before purchasing.

I really, really want to like this but I don't. It smells like cheap aftershave, to my complete and utter disappointment.