Heavenly Love & Earthly Love

[yeahbutnobut]

Ambergris accord, benzoin, teakwood, frankincense, myrrh, Mysore sandalwood, and incense.

Heavenly Love and Earthly Love

In the imp: subtle but gorgeous frankincense, like the Pit and the Pendulum, but gentler.
Wet on skin: glorious frankincense, warm myrrh, and sandalwood.
Dry on skin: oh, this is so beautiful. I love incense so much, so this is a hit on me. It reminds me of Midnight Mass and the Pit and the Pendulum, and yet it is also different. It is subtler, more like the scent of incense that lingers in a church, not like smelling the resins directly. There's frankincense here, golden and high pitched, with the lower notes of myrrh and sweeter benzoin, gorgeous sandalwood and teak add a nice woodsy undertone (it's not as woody as Cathedral though), and I think I smell a hint of salty ambergris. But for now it's mainly frankincense and myrrh and I swear there's beeswax here too.
After a while: yes, this is very subtle and seems to be drawing itself in (Pit and the Pendulum does the same thing), not giving off much throw, but I still can't get over how beautiful this is. Now it's a little sweeter thanks to the benzoin, and I smell more of the woods and myrrh. Now it reminds me of the subtle balsamic resins of Cobalt's Seduce La Mente (but without the amber and vanilla). It's the kind of scent that makes me want to nuzzle my nose into my wrist and sniff it all the time. a soft crumbly resin which feels soothing and sacred. This gets softer, even more nicely mixed, and sweeter over time. the myrrh in here is fabulous, and I get amber-like nuances to the resin at the end.
Verdict: oh yes, this is heavenly and this is love. Probably the most gorgeous incense scent in BPAL, or at least a strong contender for that place. Subtler and softer than Midnight Mass, more golden than Pit and Pendulum, more nuanced than Penitence. This really is the ultimate church incense scent…in fact, this scent is very reminiscent of the smell of incense that hung in the air inside a church I visited in Sicily this summer. I think the hint of ambergris, slightly evocative of salty sea air, enhances that memory. The woods add a nice ‘earthly’ touch to ground the ethereal wisps of scented smoke, and the smoky myrrh-benzoin drydown is like a nose-magnet, I can’t pull my nose away from my wrist. As well as the classic BPAL incense scents, this also reminds me of Arcana's Holy Terror and Cobalt's Seduce La Mente. Oh yes, did I say that I love this? I’ll need to find a way to get a bottle of this asap, because a half-decant won’t do!
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? Yes and I want a bottle. Ohhhhh...
If you like this, try: Midnight Mass, Penitence, Pit and the Pendulum, Cathedral, King Cobra

[dirtytrip]

Awww, yeeeeaah. This is sandalwood/ambergris luv. Myrrh usually fucks it up for me, but not today. Not much throw, but it does last. This and Haloes are my fave retailies so far. Probably a multiple bottle purchase.

[filigree_shadow]

Mainly what I smell in this is wood and incense. It's quite deep and rich, and the resins are lovely.

 

It's not as dark as, say, Schwarzer Mond, and it's not as light as Aureus. It's a lot warmer than either of those. I like this one better. Also it's much stronger on me than many of the Salon scents are.

[myoubi]

I'm not good at picking out most of these notes, so bear with me.

 

IN THE IMP: If this is what ambergris smells like, hubba hubba.

 

WET: Sweet but not sugary -- a gently resinous sweetness. This is a light blend, in that the incense and woods don't weigh it down.

 

DRYING: The teakwood is coming out, and the sandalwood as well. I can't describe this one properly -- sweet, glorious, gentle, resinous. It's getting that deep soft powderiness that Benzoin does on my skin, which reminds me a lot of Doc Buzzard for some reason.

 

LATER: The blend stays sweet in tone, although the incense comes out to play more and more as time goes on. I wish I could do this blend justice -- it's beautiful.

 

VERDICT: The Salon blends are really, really something else -- 4/5.

[wolfwynd]

It's wonderful and spicy! Like Minotaur in parts. I LOVE me some woods and this ticks all my boxes! Definitely my favourite of the retail only scents I have.

[joseybird]

This starts out as "OMFG FRANKINCENSE" and quickly mellows down to allow the other resins/woods to emerge. I smell something almost ambery-y, which I'm assuming is the benzoin.

 

I'm really bad at picking out individual notes, especially notes such as these, but it settles down to a much softer, mellower Cathedral.

 

A very nice alternative for those who love incense blends but aren't "hardcore" enough for oils like Midnight Mass and Cathedral.

[grashopper8]

This is a masculine blend on my skin.

 

I'm amping mostly the teakwood, benzion, and sandalwood.

 

It's totally as a sexy man-fume, but not something I would choose for myself. This could also be worn by a woman who loves intense, woodsy, perfumey scents. For me, it's just too much....something....It's a little harsh to my nose, honestly.

 

From the rave reviews, I'm sure I can find a loving home for my decant : -) Not my thing though

 

2 out of 5

[blu°]

This is very lovely but awfully light. I can hardly smell it unless I stick my nose right to where I dabbed it on. No throw whatsoever, or if there is, this scent must be within my olfactory blind spot.

 

When sniffing close, I get the most beautiful natural incense scent, especially after it has dried down a bit. Freshly applied the ambergris is very strong and gives off that 'a guy's perfume'-vibe.

Later on, the ambergris is less prominent and I get more of the woods and resins. It's kind of soft, almost fluffy. Not dark at all.

 

I'd love it big time if it was a bit stronger on my skin. I need my scents to waft over every once in a while while I move to remind me that I smell awsome.

[fountaingrl]

An almost-perfect incense blend. It is somehow the incense-smoke scent I get from other blends but this one has a smoldering aspect, I can smell the fire in it. But beneath the incense, which I love, and the smoulder which is odd but lovely, there is a sort of crisp odd almost cucumber -- I know, my chemistry is screwy for sure! -- but it does NOT go with the other notes. It fights against them, and this makes it very jarring to wear. Not for me. :cries:

[Eemia]

This opens up with a heavy, thick amber fragrance. It has that golden warmth that I love in amber notes. Paired with the rich woods and incense it's very sensual and exotic. The benzoin has that glossy, perfumey quality that lifts this and prevents it from sitting too closely on my skin. Benzoin always smells slightly chemical to me as well, which is an unexpected contrast with so many natural, earthy notes. I can smell it quite strongly as the fragrance develops. I am really attracted to it in this blend.

 

I notice the teakwood more as it dries down. It reminds me of silky, highly polished furniture. Overall I get that sensation from this one...like being surrounded by over-sized dark furniture in a close space. The amber fades with a bit of a dusty sensation so it adds to the atmospheric quality. But mainly it remains woody and vaguely spicy.

[Jheya]

In the vial: Strong incense mingled with woods. This should be interesting considering that none of the listed notes work well on me!

 

On skin: Heady incense with the woods creating an undertone that grounds the blend. Whilst it's all right as far as incense dominant blends go, it hurts my head a little and really isn't to my taste.

 

~40 mins: The incense is still the dominant note, but thankfully it's now calmed somewhat, and it's mellower and less headache inducing than it was before. The incense and the woody notes mingle a lot more smoothly now, combining into a unified scent rather than remaining the separate entities they started out as.

 

~1.5 hours: Soft, slightly powdery incense. The woody notes appear to have faded away completely. Considering that all the notes in this often misbehave on me, this is actually surprisingly pleasant. However, it isn't my kind of scent, and so it's off to find a new home.

[zankoku_zen]

Ooooh boy. This smells almost peppery when I first applied it. And now its just a very incensey blend on me. Very masculine too.

 

Yup. Definitely not my cup of tea. But I have to admit it almost smells like fine tobacco. It's not something I aspire to smell like it, but it's a not an entirely displeasing smell.

[maribouquet]

I don't know which note (or notes) is the the culprit, but this goes straight to play-doh on me.

[savage_rose]

Although it smells pretty in the bottle, it smells like nothing on me. No throw, but even when I sniff it closely I smell something vaguely floral, and that's it. Boo.

[500ml]

Instant favourite. The incense is so lovely and I can detect something slightly sweet yet still a bit bitter which is such a lovely combination on my skin. It is quite a light blend, but I feel that only helps make it more beautiful. I only have half a decant so I'd definitely love some more!

[persianmouse]

It smells very strongly of sandlewood in the bottle and when first applied. But then I can hardly smell this after a few minutes. When at it's peak, it smelled like very sandlewoody baby powder. Like a hippie baby.

 

This might be one for a scent locket, seeing how if fades so fast on my skin.

[copyshopclerk]

In the decant: Myrrh, frankincense, and sandalwood. Very powerful incense blend.

 

On: This is actually the most "church incense" BPAL I've tried so far and it's really nice - much more reminiscent of Catholic Mass incense than Midnight Mass worked out for me. Unfortunately I don't have many blends in this category so I'm not very good at describing it, but if you wanted something like Midnight Mass, try this.

 

Dry: As many resin blends do, it softens somewhat over time, so it's not quite as solemn. Beautifully done.

[anardana]

This blend is everything that I hoped for! The sandalwood was very prominent at first, which was okay, but I realized that the blend had separated - once mixed the resins come out and the blend is totally swoon-worthy! Not too sweet, or too dark. A perfect insence scent for daily wear.

Edited May 9, 2008 by anardana

[suki]

in the vial: a sweet Yule time incense.

 

wet on skin: orange and clove stove scent.

 

dry down: a sweet, woodsy scent, with some amber notes thrown in for good measure.

 

in all: a nice amber/wood-heavy GC, a good day-to-day scent.

[Blood onmy hands]

I really like Heavenly Love & Earthly Love. I've been waffling over whether or not to get a full bottle, but I probably won't ever spring for a 5ml. This is a nice scent. It's mostly sandalwood on me - dry and slightly powdery woods with hints of sweet, resinous incense at its edges. I probably won't end up buying more of it though, because it's such a subtle scent on my skin. It doesn't have much throw or very good staying power. Plus, I still love Midnight Mass a lot more than any other woody/incense blend. I'd probably reach for Midnight Mass, Cathedral, or Faustus over this blend.

 

Heavenly Love & Earthly Love is a subtle sandalwood with hints of church-y incense and resins. I wish that it had better staying power on me. A lot of the Salon blends are very light and quick to disappear on my skin, and this is no exception.

[delicate_fangs]

This is really, really wonderful, with all the incensey goodness. What startled me, though, is the other thing that is hiding in it and apparently amps on my skin: there's a light and flowery grapefruit-like note in there. One friend says it's grapefruit, and another says it's Meyer lemon. To me, it smells like the furniture polish on those church pews someone mentioned above.

 

I love this scent. I need more. More more more!

[Allumina]

Judging by these reviews, I have strange chemistry or no taste.

 

This had a weird sweet note while wet, almost like rotten pineapple. It faded away at the very end and I was just left with incense. Oh well.

[Juushika]

In the vial: Resin, incense, wood. It's polished smooth, golden brown with deep, dark reflections.

 

On me: Much the same as in the vial, though it's warmed and blossomed. These are smooth, deep resins, gently sweet and glowing with hidden luster, paired with warmth from the teak—the scent has the feel and color of wood polished to a shine. It's not too dark, and it's lit by am inner glow. The precise qualities seem to change a bit over time—always resin and incense, but sometimes warmer, sometimes sweeter, as if the different aspects are taking a turn to glow.

 

Verdict: Wonderful. This is a beautiful scent, a triumph of resin and light incense (with remarkably little smoke). It's a bit outside of my usual taste, so I won't wear it often—but I'll certainly keep what I have.

[jewelbug]

Imp: Lots of sandalwood and syrup-y resins.

 

Wet: Same as in imp—lots of sandalwood and sweet resins. There is a citrus-tinged maple syrup quality to it, under the very dusty wood scent.

 

Drying: The polished teakwood note comes out, supported by the syrupy citrus-tinged resins (mostly myrrh, I think). The feel is definitely that of ritual incense. This is all incense and resins, burning even, slightly smoky. The particular resins I smell have citrus (a gentle bergamon/earl grey type of citrus), maple and nutty notes to them. The late (several hrs later) dry down is a dusty incense.

 

Overall: Lasts 9-10 hrs. Its a lovely incense blend, but not something I can see myself wearing. There's something about one of the resins that is odd to me. I've had this happen in other blends, too, not sure what's responsible.

[crebbsgirl]

I'll admit, this blend looked perfect for me, until I read "frankincense". The two of us have a history. I was concerned. But I shouldn't have been. This blend is the most wonderful incense blend I have tried so far. The frankincense behaves and the myrrh adds a depth. The teak note is fantastic in this, and the sandalwood doesn't overpower the blend in the slightest. The benzoin adds a sweetness here. It's complex but soft at the same time. A real winner for me!