Ikon

This was a blind buy inspired by the reviews on this page, especially after someone compared it to Mauboussin M Generation, a sadly discontinued masterpiece (imho) for which I've been trying to find a replacement. Until now. Considering the price, Best blind buy EVER. This is a superb incense fragrance. A veritable symphony of frankincense. Not only incense (of course) but that's the note that strikes me first. For many of us, incense has religious or spiritual associations - for centuries humans of all faiths have offered frankincense to their gods and it remains an integral part of church ceremonial to this day. Historically it's probably the single best known perfume of the ancient world - Cleopatra VII, last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, owned a monopoly on frankincense, which was the source of her legendary private wealth. The name "Ikon" alludes to the painted and gilded icons of religious figures in orthodox Christianity. For me Ikon feels meditative and serene, redolent of dignity and elegance. Masterfully blended, Ikon starts with a citrusy aromatic overture, the presence of frankincense/olibanum immediately apparent, first with iris (or orris?) then enhanced and accentuated with spices and "rock rose" then through to a really nice, warm woody-amber dry down in which the olibanum cedes the spotlight to cedar, supported by vetiver with patchouli harmonising. There is more to Ikon than incense but for me the olibanum is the star of the show and hogs the limelight for most of the performance. Ikon reminds me of Clive Christian V for Men, and feels similar to wear, Ikon feels just as pure and natural, and just as high quality, as V for Men and unfolds in a similar way - classy, serene, elegant A pleasant, high quality incense fragrance that represents incredible value for money at current prices. Inoffensive, friendly, office-safe, and easily wearable by men or women. Performance is unfortunately not stellar, but others seem to notice it and respond favourably after I can no longer detect it. If you like frankincense/incense/olibanum this is one of the best in terms of value for money and a safe blind buy. Thank you Fragrantica! Edit: My unbounded, hyperbolic joy at finding a nice, (and affordable) incense fragrance to rival M Generation and Clive Christian V for Men has faded somewhat - although a truly beautiful fragrance, Ikon becomes a skin scent all too soon. If only it had the longevity of Andy Tauer’s Incense Extreme it would be the answer to all my prayers. Ikon evolves through three distinct stages. The dry down is really nice.

Perfectly masculine, sensual and refreshing. I. Just. Love. It. I bought it for my brother just because I tend to drool whenever I see the gorgeous David Gandy and also because it was really inexpensive. But when he opened the box, removed the magnetic cap of the perfectly sleek bottle and sprayed the fragrance on his wrist, I was totally hooked at that moment. It truly is an icon, it makes a statement when it's slowly radiating around you and it's not a rowdy show of power, nor a pose of romance. Just the image of a sober, strong willed and self-contained man. At first, you get nicely blended but flashy citruses and spices; yet there is a soft edge carefully hidden behind all that flash. Slowly the lemon-ginger mix begins to make way for balmy, more mature and a darker spice blend. I also begin to detect a woody quality at this phase. And I must say it is delicious. Totally manly, totally smooth and calm, totally sexy. And these are the reactions on my -a woman's- skin, think how it will work on male skin... After about 5-10 minutes, I begin to feel the incense note, which makes the fragrance even more charismatic. It feels a bit like resin though, not too dark but rather spicy, but it is so well blended into the overall mixture, it seems to be coming out through a red velvet curtain when it is its turn. I can also tell there's patchouli and cedar but they're not standing alone, blended in the crowd and definitely very soft. In fact, from this point on -15 minutes after spraying- the fragrance is all about soft and subtle spices and a well curbed freshness with an embracing feeling. The image springs to my mind when I smell Ikon is a simply yet tastefully furnished chalet with a roaring fire in the fireplace while it's snowing outside and there's a dark handsome man wearing cream coloured sweater and beige pants and I can get the smell of Ikon emanating slowly into the dim room from his skin, reassuringly and comfortingly. Wow, it seemed like a typical romance novel cover when written out like that :D That wasn't the intention, which you'll understand when you smell this great perfume. And lastly I regret to say this after all these stories but it's staying power is quite low. You'll need to renew it in 3 hours. Ps. Now that I think about it, there couldn't have been a better choice than David Gandy to be the face of Ikon, because he so reflects the characteristics I wrote above. And that doesn't have anything to do with him looking ridiculously superb with just anything. ;)

I have come to understand in the fragrance world you have different types of noses. Some trained and some not so trained. You also have different taste of fragrance. What smells good to me may not smell good to you. Fragrance is an art and art is of one's own interpretation and my interpretation of this is that this is one AWESOME fragrance for what you pay for it. I think I paid 14.99 for a 4.2 OZ bottle. As others have noted yes you will get atleast 8 hours out of this diamond in the rough and it projects quite well for the first few hours after application. What does this smell like? let me say it has been compared to Dirty English by juicy couture and I agree it probably resembles that more than any other but only at a stage of the fragrance. Ikon has three stages or phases it goes through.Upon application the first scent it smells like is John Varvatos at the top but only last for a few minutes then as it settles to the middle notes you get Dirty English and it stays that way pretty much through the rest of the scent but when it gets to the drydown you still have the Dirty English vibe but with Ambre by baldessarini thrown in there. I have owned all three fragrances and all are good but Dirty English was a dissapointment because it lacked longevity and projection and so did John varvatos. Ambre I love and have no issue with it. Ikon in my opinion takes the weakness of all these fragrances and makes it into something beautiful. This is Def a fall/winter fragrance and I can not wait to rock this when it's starts getting colder. Others have noted this to smell like a camp fire and I can see the comparison but to me this is like burning cinnamon incense or when you are grilling with wood and after the fire has down you get an aroma of smoldering ash.....I freaking love it lol All in all for the price you pay for this and the fact you get 8 hours from this is every bit worth having and some. I highly reccomend it. A+++++++

I am fascinated by the conflicting reviews of this juice, especially since the newer reviews are mostly negative while the older reviews are overwhelmingly positive. To me, it straddles the designer/niche divide, which is incredible given the price point. To me, "niche" means something that is not designed to please everyone, something that leans closer to being an olfactory painting than something that gathers compliments. (So by this definition, most Parfums de Marley are designers, while the Encre Noir line is niche). The niche part of this is the church-type incense note, the labdanum, and the artemesia/clove note, which combine into an accord that evokes the style of Amouage. This is balanced, however, with lavender (unlisted), a smooth, semi-sweet cardamom, cinnamon and amber, all of which make this accessible. This is not, in ANY way, generic, and my bottle (purchased in 2023) has very nice performance, wafting off my chest and shirt for a solid 6 hours. One warning: This one smells quite different in the air/sillage than when smelled down a shirt or nose to skin. Nose to skin, there is a one hour phase where this has an excretory character, but this never comes through into what you or others will smell in the air. I think some of the negative reviews can be explained this way. This is very masculine, and more than a bit mature, so (most) women and guys under 30 will not have nice things to say about this. But for the right person, especially lovers of Amouage fragrances, this is an incredible value.

What a beautiful fragrance Ikon is! This one was a blind buy for me also, and I'm so glad I snatched up a 4.2 oz bottle at Marshalls for less than 15 bucks! It is fall here now, and I wanted something this morning for cold mornings, but brighter cool days with some sun...this is perfect! :-) A warm sharp spicy sweetness greets the nose on the first spray. The lemon is minimal, as the cardamom and ginger add an almost juicy warmth. Oh so smooth, so warm and so sexy! The spices continue into the heart with cinnamon and cloves and the orris and labdanum add a resinous earthy sensuality. This avoids the usual trite fruits, citruses and herbs and gets right to the good stuff. The only florals are resiny, cool and smooth; and the drydown...wow! Incense, amber and patchouli give it an exotic flair, and the cedar and vetiver keep it dark and woody, but refined...I think I found a great winter scent here, folks! If you like warm, spiced resiny scents with an incensy finish, grab this up when you see it. Sillage: good Longevity: very good Overall: 4.5/5 Zirh scents are (sadly) underated. Their skin care line for men is excellent and I have all three of the mens scents, (Zirh Classic and Corduroy ar ethe other two) and they are also great. This company knows men, their skin and how a guy should smell, no matter what the occasion. I recommend any of this houses scents to anyone who wants to smell expensive, but not pay through the nose...