Midnight Mass

[ChupaChup]

... This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God.

 

I get a very odd chemical smell from Midnight Mass in the bottle and on my skin for the first hour. I don't know how to describe it, it's something like nail polish remover but not quite. Eventually, that burns off and I get lovely incense - not smoky at all, it's unburnt incense. It seems to be mainly frankincense but it's so faint by the time that chemical smell goes away that I can't quite figure it out. This is not a keeper for me.

[gingersnapp]

This smells like resin and incense, but not different enough or better than the other resin / incense blends I love. So off to swaps it goes.

[QueenFae]

Very, very, strong, sharp resin smell. I have only been in a Catholic church once, but this does smell just like the incense that was burning. It's a nice strong scent, with a ton of throw, so if you are looking for an in your face incense blend, this is it. I do like the way this smells, but I just don't think it's something I'd wear a lot. Special and unique, and great staying power just the same.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - in the bottle this smells strongly of cedar, and I am a bit worried, but as soon as it touches my skin it is pure incense. Frankinsense, myrrh and yes, cedar, but just a small amount, to give balance not to overwhelm. This is exactly what I expected Cathedral to smell like, but with Cathedral the cedar amped up too much on my skin, and that doesn't seem to be happening here.

 

Dry - this doesn't really change much, it stays a soft incensey scent. The throw is moderate, it's neither too strong nor too light, it's just right.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[Lit Chick]

Oh.

My.

God.

 

This is innocence right here. This is Chirstmas Mass when I was a child, singing beautiful songs, wearing a pretty dress that my daddy got me. I am being bombarded with memories. This is making me tear up.

 

It is the perfect incense. It's not heavy at all if dabbed on, though I suspect you can really amp this up with a slather. Cedar is there, smelling so perfect and clean, another nostalic scent.

 

This is completely uncorrupted. Not a single thing smells off, or doesn't quite work...

I'm so glad that I impulse ordered this. And now, I'm going to sniffle with happy memories of childhood.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is pure incense--the frankincense, myrrh, and resin I've come to expect. It's a little sweeter than I remember, from my visits to Catholic churches, but there's also a woody component that recalls polished pews and elaborately carved lecterns.

 

The resins come out more strongly after a while, and it becomes a little powdery, a little smokier. This a beautiful, warm scent, but I'm not sure I'd wear it very often. I'm tempted to buy a bottle, though, if only for the art.

[Thorne]

I love this. Love it. It's purely, sweetly comforting, so much so that I've been wearing it to bed the last couple nights. It's the same incense from Gypsy Queen that I loved so much, and it's only the incense. Just the quiet, soft smoke, with some sweet woody resin Love!

[sarahjay]

this is just lovely.

 

in my mind I thought that it was like anne bonny, so I dabbed some midnight mass on one hand and some anne bonny on the other... AB is much more woody, and stronger. M.Mass is sweeter and warmer, with less obvious throw. so maybe I need that second bottle of M.Mass after all!

 

I think it would also be great for layering with a floral scent, gypsy queen stlyee.

 

I'm so pleased I received this in time for christmas eve!

 

eta - I wore this on christmas eve and also to church christmas morning - I'm liking it more and more. I agree with YBNBut (below) about the myrrh - it reminds me on annubis too (which for me, is a good thing! )

Edited December 26, 2005 by sarahjay

[yeahbutnobut]

Midnight Mass

 

In the imp: beautiful, beautiful sweet incense. Frankincense, myrrh, and something else…amber or benzoin maybe?

Wet on skin: ohhhh…gorgeous resinous-incense loveliness.

Dry on skin: still as beautiful as ever. A delightful mix of resins and smoky incense notes. I know there's frankincense and myrrh here, but there are loads of other things. I'm getting a woody note or something slightly green in a wooden way (sandalwood or cedar?), a sweet resin which may be amber or benzoin, possibly some labdanum, and I'm getting a definite smoke scent, and it reminds me of candle smoke as well as smouldering incense. It does bear a similarity to Cathedral and Aureus, but it's unique and ever so pleasant in it's own right.

After a while: there's a honeyed 'golden green' myrrh note in here which reminds me so much of Anubis, strangely enough. I'm pretty sure it's the same myrrh component. I also get a dark smoky background and a sticky resin background. All the notes seem to have balanced out nicely but the myrrh is the prominent note, I think.

The final drydown of this scent is reminiscent of autumn air with bonfire/incense smoke wafting in it, with the scent of dry autumn leaves, and a hint of something sweet and slightly fruity which reminds me, oddly, of fig.

Verdict: this is a wonderful incense scent, along similar lines to Cathedral, Aureus, Penitence etc but different to those, and possibly more complex. It also reminds me of Anubis, I think they share the same myrrh note…whether this smells like true Catholic incense, I cannot say, but it does smell 'churchy' to me! It's both dark and smoky, and golden and glowing at the same time. I get the traditional resins of frankincense and myrrh here as well as a blend of other ingredients I do not recognise but I can take a stab at guessing what they may be-amber, benzoin, labdanum, something woody, and also candle smoke. Whatever this contains, it smells beautiful, sacred, holy-and even though I'm not Christian/Catholic any more, I am in love with this scent and can't wait for my bottle to arrive.

Edited December 24, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[aidenraine]

I am just about to go to church with my in-laws, so I searched out my untried MM to apply beforehand.

Definitely smells like Catholic Church incense... frankincense, myrhh. Woodsy earthy goodness...

It's somber and respectful. You know, you can order the same incense catholic chirches burn and we used to burn it in our apartment because my husband loved that smell so much. The kind we bought had to be placed in an urn and then it smouldered away, filling our house with too much smoke.

 

I made my husband smell it because the incense is one of his weak spots, and he agreed it was right on. I am unsure whether I like this better as a room scent or a perfume.

 

It does seem to fade on me faster than I'd like, but that's nothing new.

[empi girl]

Incensy and nice. Not very sweet at all, but very rich and resinous. Definitly a dry scent. As it dries down, it becomes almost like pine-sap. I think this would work better on husband than myself, as it seems more masculine.

[amrita]

I smell frankincense and cedar, I'm pretty sure. The frankincense is sweet and not sharp like the frankincense tears I have for burning on charcoal. When I first tried this, I thought I smelled copal, but now I'm not sure.

 

Unfortunately, this is too powdery and soft for me. I'm not sure what gives it the powdery quality, but I prefer my resins sharp and head-clearing (for the fragrance lamp). To me this seems soft, brown, and meditative.

 

When I put this on my wrists, it lasted only about 15 minutes... I guess Midnight Mass and I were not meant to be.

[Northernminx]

Frankincense, myrrh, and cedar. This is a very woodsy, incensey scent as others have pegged it but it really rings true for me where some of Beth's other incense blends just haven't turned me on. This is gorgeous, simple, soothing, and just very nice on me. A definite keeper.

[Rheliwen]

Yum! Wet, it definitely has a piney aspect to it. On deeper sniff it is simply really rich, fresh resins.

 

When I was in high school I had some frankincence and myrrh in a bowl in my room and this smells just like that. It is amazingly soft and delicate for incense. I also get the cedary note, but it could be sandalwood. Beth's sandalwood often disguises itself as cedar on my skin.

 

This has been calling to me for a while. I didn't originally order it, but I'm glad I snagged a bottle and went with my intuition.

[zenvodunista]

i am surprised, i thought, like many of the "incense" and "church" blends, the frankinscense in this would overwhelm me and smolder like it usually does. that is not the case! MM is lovely, warm, and reminicent of the glow of candles in an old stone church. soft, regal, and spiritual. there is a slight touch of floral here, not intense, just enough to sweeten the incense. i may end up getting a bottle of this. i think i like it more than the Cracked Bell.

 

n.

[TroubleDoll]

I am delighted with this scent. It is like Penitence Extreme- a beautiful, glowing resin that quickl settles in and becomes a warm, second skin fragrance. I find it to be just slightly sweeter than Penitence. The incense is not smoky or dusty at all. Simpy gorgeous.

[Fefferbella]

Frankincense, myrrh, and wood polish?!?

 

This smells so much like the inside of the church we visited every sunday when I was a child.

 

I love it, but it's eerie wearing such a familar scent.

[blu°]

Very nice, a lot more complex than Cathedral or Penitence, and a lot more syrupy resinous than Aureus. Altogether a mixture of those. Add a little Magus and a tiny bit Anubis, yes.

I like Cathedral and don't mind Penitence, but both are a bit boring to me, whereas I'm really fond of Aureus. This leans a bit more to the dark syrupy side but is similarly multifacetted as Aureus is to me.

 

From the bottle and when first applied I get a little bit of a peppery note and I don't know how come, but I swear I can smell booze. More exactly (when I get close to my wrist): Vodka. Just when I inhale deeply nose to wrist, what I perceive in the background when exhaling again, is just like the taste of vodka in my mouth.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this decant has been diluted or anything. It's very syrupy and thick in the imp and cannot possibly have alcohol mixed into it.

Whatever, that vodka effect is almost gone now as it's dried a little. Must have been something about the frankincense, I guess.

 

Now, wafting around me it's a sweet deep complex church resin with a higher pitched reddish/fuchsia kick that adds a complexity which I missed in the above mentioned church incense blends.

 

I really like this and will order a bottle when placing my final Yule blends order.

 

ETA: I have the feeling that what I perceive as a trace of vodka might be the same thing ChupaChups perceived as nail polish remover. However, on me that's just a light effect when smelling my wrist close and the other components last and waft and make me feel happy.

Edited December 31, 2005 by blu°

[SeaMonkey]

I'm not catholic, nor did the church I attended growing up light incense. I do get a smokey incense sort of scent, but there's also a syrupy sweet scent in the background that is a little odd. I'm hoping this will soften more and the smokey incense will come out more. The syrup in the background is a little offputting.

[metaldog32]

Midnight Mass....

 

I wore this on Christmas Eve..despite NOT having done my review for Queen of Spades, rigid person that I sometimes can be, and I loved it. So...the official recount is as follows...

 

Oops...before I begin, let me preface by saying that I love incense fragrances...but up until Midnight Mass, the only incense fragrances I have tried, purchased and enjoyed wearing are L'Artisans' Passage D'Enfer and Commes Des Garcons' Incense Series- Zagorsk.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Resins...and something a tad bit sweet. I agree..this is incense that isn't burning..and it's absolutely stunning. It smells like church..in a good way...and I also agree..it doesn't smell severe or cold to me...maybe it's my mind playing games or what..but yes..the feeling that the church is full of people and good will..it just makes my heart full too...I guess of lots of good memory association(s). I forewarn you..this might not be a completely objective review.

 

Applied wet on skin: (Swooning)...it's all frankincense and myrhh..and that touch of sweet...it runs along the same line lightly of Gypsy Queen but I don't get as much smoke as I did with the Carnaval Noir fragrance. What I get here is those beautiful resins..and yes..either it's the frankincense giving me a bit of a "cedar" waft in the back every now and then but it is really just stunning.

 

I remember when I wore this on Christmas Eve..how completely happy and beautiful I felt wearing this...

 

Couple of minutes on skin: Warming up on my skin..the notes are a bit more rounder..a bit more in blossom??? As I said before, this scent is not cold or austere..which usually is what I register when wearing incense fragrances. Don't get me wrong..I like my other incense fragrances..but Midnight Mass seems to capture all the warmth one can get in church..especially during midnight mass and Easter. Whatever "sweetness" is in this blend lends it the "roundness" that makes it on me..a bit intimate...and so very special.

 

Drydown: Still that beautiful melange...really...although it does subdue..the sillage and throw on me are still very apparent. It doesn't really fade at all on me..just soften.

 

I wore this on my skin and hair and let me tell you..lasting power is/was 12+ hours. I remember waking up on Christmas Day and still being held in that beautiful cloud of fragrance..most comforting and beautiful..so, SO beautiful.

 

Bottom Line: Midnight Mass is one of the most stunning incense fragrances I have tried. I know I haven't tried many..but this one was so evocative and compelling...at least on my skin..I am tempted to buy another bottle before it is gone. I am also now quite curious to try the other incesnse fragrances Beth has..this was amazing.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is a blend of sweet resins with a bit of bite to it. When first on it is warm, sweet resins. It's light and not too heavy which I thought it might be. There is something comforting and calming about this blend. After about 15-20 minutes this really blossoms and opens up on my skin- gorgeous! At this point it smells like the incense in a Greek Orthodox church (I was raised Protestant but my dad's side of the family is Greek Orthodox). This is what I had hoped Cathedral would smell like- which unfortunately smells like pencil shavings on me. Midnight Mass is also a bit similar to Athens due to the resinous myrrh note which they both have. This is very long lasting on me. It's solemn and sensual at the same time. Wonderful!! This is the perfect incense blend!!! Another winner. Thank you Beth! * And I have already ordered a second bottle with my last order and am considering ordering a third before it leaves.

[Chrysantza]

In the bottle: Pine-Sol.

 

On me: Pine-Sol.

 

I don't get incense at all from this one. All I get are cleaning products.

 

Swaparoonie time.

[WidgetAlley]

I didn't think I was an incense kind of girl, and then Sin, that tramp, changed my mind. And then I thought, "Well, clearly, I'm a dirty sexy hippy incense kind of girl...." and then I saw Midnight Mass, and he called to us, precious, yessss he did. I think part of it might be that the Boy was raised Catholic, and I've never even attended a Catholic service, so my interest in this could be my overwhelming curiousity about everything to with him, bleeding over into BPAL. And, of course, the fact that it's supposed to smell damn good.

 

The lovely syrenemyst was my supplier for this one.

 

In the Imp: Cedar, incense of all kinds (I'm bad at picking out individual notes), some kind of very faint floral-- rose? muguet? lily?-- and a watery alcoholic tinge. (Wait, didn't someone else say they smelled vodka?) Odd, that. Well, we'll see. I like it so far, even if it's not quite what I was expecting. It's a bit sweet and much lighter than what I was expecting. More like unburned resin than heavy smoke...

 

Wet, on skin: Wood, incense, that floral, something that smells almost like tears... sharp and salty.... (maybe the myrrh? Laudanum was a touch salty on me, too), and the twinge of vodka. This goes on surprisingly soft... but it feels "cold" to me, like a stone church rather than a warm wooden one. It's clinging to my arm, too-- not much throw at all. The alcohol is stronger at my wrist than it is on my arm... everywhere else it's just very gentle touches of woody, resiny incense and dust. And it's starting to warm up.

 

Dry: Incense, a touch of sweet, a touch of salt... call me crazy, but this really does seem to be kinfolk to Laudanum. Although I'd say that MM is a touch softer, gentler, more golden and comforting, but less exotic; a smoky church rather than a hazy opium den. LiberAmoris definitely hit the nail on the head when she said that this was more like a room in which incense had been burned for many years, and the smell of it had seeped into the walls and furnishings. This also reminds me of the incense notes in Penthus, but without the soapy rose... Midnight Mass seems like a blanket blend, to me, pretty and calming and ever-so faint, while still retaining a "presence". I can definitely see returning to this one when I need something soothing and grounding.

 

Verdict: It's not an OMG INCENSE LOOOOVE!!!!!111oneone like I thought it might be, but it's still very beautiful, just in a slightly different way than what I had been expecting. I was all prepared for the glory and majesty of the Church, and instead I came away with something much more tender: like a compassionate hand on my head, and a quiet, devout-but-kindly man listening to, and forgiving, my sins... not because God frowns upon my actions, but because His priest's grace helps me forgive myself, and start again. I've been extremely stressed out about college applications and my financial situation lately, and wearing this has made me the most relaxed and... faithful... I've been in ages. This is a surprisingly powerful oil, and I will carefully store my Imp for times when I need it.

 

[edit] I should add that, now I'm no longer so stressed out, Midnight Mass has lost the somewhat meh beginning, but is otherwise the same. It goes on warm, forgiving incense, and it stays that way until it fades, 12+ hours later. It's golden and glorious and gentle, with touches of wood and florals, and I positively adore it. I might have to hunt down another Imp. Or two.

Edited February 3, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[arabella]

First Impression: Resin-y incense.

 

Dries down to: The same, but softer.

 

Additional Comments: Judging by all the reviews so far, I seem to be in the minority on this one. I don't know why but I was expecting so much more from this. It's just not quite the way I remember the smell of Midnight Mass when I was growing up - it's much tamer. I had hoped to have more of an instant connection with this scent. It just feels very neutral to me. Perhaps, I was hoping for more smokiness. I loved the smell of the smoke coming from the censors in church so I used to burn lumps of frankincense at home when I was younger; I think that was the scent I was hoping for.

 

Lasted: Barely an hour.

 

Rating: 2.5/5

[The_Merf]

In the bottle: OK, this is not at all what I expected--I'm used to smoky incense. However, I think this is because most of my experience with incense comes from sitting in the back with the incense burner on Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil trying to make sure it doesn't go out--the smoke lingers and is most memorable. This smells much more like my sister's unused incense sticks--I think its the cedar.

 

Wet: It still smells like the cedar--it's a lovely resin, but not quite evocative of the Mass. It reminds me more of Cathedral than of Hymn or Penitence.

 

Dry-down and wear: Ahh, now the familiar scent of church is starting to draw itself out. Patience is a virtue with this scent; it has turned into a more complex and evocative scent than any of the (lovely) Sin and Salvation scents I mentioned earlier. Yes, yes, yes--I will keep this on hand for special Mass days, so I can make it last longer! Absolutely lovely.