The Lowdown on Incense & Resin - The Best Recommendations

[forspecial_plate]

Hmm...I don't see that anyone has mentioned The Scales of Deprivation yet. I just tried it a second time and I'm liking it a lot.

 

"Thin, dark, and shadowed. A scent that offers no sustenance, comfort or satiety: lemon peel, white sage, frankincense, lavender fougere, sandalwood, vetiver and labdanum."

 

If I remember correctly the first time I tried it, the sandalwood came out and took over on dry-down. Sandalwood is funny on me so it kind of turned me off. Right now I'm getting lots of resin from it, though. It's sexy and complex because I can pretty much pick out all or most of the notes. This is a good one! I just hope the sandalwood behaves this time....

[angharad]

*peeks in*

 

Just wanted to say that out of ivyandpeony's list, I've tried very few of those scents (6 to be precise), and only one of them is still in my possession (or at least still in my "MINE" box and not the "Get thee out of my sight!" box). I like my Seraphim. But Snake Charmer, Bastet, Rose Cross, Nefertiti, and Gypsy Queen just didn't completely agree with my skin for one reason or another.

 

[juniperus]

I can't do honey, or vanilla, ior vetiver, or jasmine, or lots of othernotes that make resinous blends fail on me (All Saint's is still my greatest heartbreak, as far as this is concerned) - from Ivy & Peony's list I can wear the following (that I've tried, I haven't tried maybe 1/4 of them):

 

Bastet

Cathedral

Crossroads

Dee (meh)

Haunted

Hexennacht

Hymn

Mantis

Medea

Midnight Mass

Nefertiti

Penitence

The Pit and the Pendulum

Rose Cross (meh)

Shub Niggurath

Sin

 

 

Also, FWIW, I can wear these others with a strong resin presence on me (I'm considering, specifically, amber, myrrh, and frankincense) in addition to other the notes (often florals or musks). I find that resins with woods seem to work very well on me, and that the woods work on my skin to really lay a nice foundation for the resins:

And There Was A Great Cry In Egypt

Anne Bonny

Aureus

Black Lotus

Blood Amber

Brinsingamen

Coyote

Fallen

Fenris Wolf

Hecate

Lilith (meh)

Magus

Phantom

Psyche

Resurrection of the Flesh

Spellbound

Titus Andronicus (meh)

The Lion

Wicked

 

The other notes involved are always the downfall. Alas.

[styro]

I'm so glad to see this thread pop up! I ran into a bit of incense/resin confusion myself just yesterday while reading the favorite scents by scent family thread and trying to figure out my own.

 

In a case where the scent description doesn't include any helpful "incense" or "resin" keywords, and the notes involved are resins that can be used in incense...how do you decide whether a scent is "resiny" or "incensy"? Do you go by the "feel" of the scent (e.g. brighter/more translucent vs. smokier/more solid)?

 

To return to TroubleDoll's original question...

I love earthy, second-skin scents. I love warmth and mystery, like a room full of heavy drapes, golden light and dripping candles. (I hope that makes sense, I am very visual) I also like churchy scents.

 

I'll second the rec for Aureus, then. I haven't tried it myself, but if you check out the reviews of it, you'll find that they draw on exactly the imagery you're using here.

Edited September 12, 2006 by styro

[Precis]

The Caterpillar is at least worth an imp's try, I think. I got it as a frimp in my very first order from the lab and it struck me immediately as incense, although other people seem to be having bad luck with the jasmine in it. I wouldn't have picked the note from it myself, but wearing Hollywood Babylon prompts people around me to ask, "What smells like incense in here?" As a caveat, it's a sweet scent that doesn't make me think of burning incense sticks or anything like that (but it's a very nice scent in its own right and one of my favorites).

 

I love earthy, second-skin scents. I love warmth and mystery, like a room full of heavy drapes, golden light and dripping candles.

I just tried Morocco for the first time today but this description brings it to mind (or maybe the fact that it's still on my arm brings it to mind?). It's a very warm scent and it makes me think of a bustling bazaar with elaborate drapery. I don't know how helpful that is because the only connecting image is warmth, really, but I'm throwing it out there anyway.

 

That imagery and "second-skin" in particular make me think of O, but I wouldn't call it earthy. Skuld is very like O to me as well and the musk in it might sate your desire for an incensey smell while you're at it.

Edited September 12, 2006 by Precis

[sarada]

Oh crap, I always forget Aureus! Definitely warm, gritty, earthy resins, candlelight and glorious amber. Oh yes, Aureus indeed!!! I have a whole bottle and I keep forgetting.

 

If you can go with a little honey and herbs in with that scenario, Anubis too maybe? Honey comes out smelling sweaty on me unfortunately in all but a few blends.

[portalkat]

OMG - Aureus! I've had that sitting in one of my boxes and had never tried it until this thread...................this is wonderful and slightly sweet (not floral) from the resins and nice and woodsy. Oh, crap - my wallet is going to hate me, especially when I seem to be coming up with a new love daily

[hologhost]

Carfax Abbey looks like it might be a winner for you. Have you tried Umbra?

[portalkat]

Carfax Abbey looks like it might be a winner for you. Have you tried Umbra?

 

I wasn't sure if this was directed to TroubleDoll or me, but I'll comment

I ordered Carfax Abbey unsniffed because the description sounded so perfect for me. I haven't tried Umbra, but just reading the reviews made me long for an imp. Almost everyone commented on the incense notes so I think that anyone who is looking for incense or resins should try it. I can't wait to get the Carfax Abbey.

[ivyandpeony]

I knew I was forgetting something SIGNIFICANT... Aureus! It tends to go a little too woody on me but I have heard so many resin fans sing its praises. I haven't rid myself of my imp, though, which tells you something.

 

I am really looking forward to Carfax Abbey, too. There are so many times that I have thought, "oh, I won't order that because it's too much like X" (last time? didn't order The Pit and the Pendulum because I thought it would be too much like Midnight Mass) only to regret it.

[coulrophobe]

Maybe I'm just overly literal... but I bifurcate the incense/resin conundrum (oooh, look at those big words! I've had wine and I'm trying to compensate for my resulting stupid) along tactile/sensory lines:

 

Incense - airy, smokey, dry

Resin - rich, sticky, wet

 

And that probably only makes sense to me.

 

In my scheme, something like Al-Azif would be an incense; things like Sloth or Jacob's Ladder would be resins.

[TroubleDoll]

Hm, I like rich, sticky and wet. Maybe I should be stalking resins and only those incenses made from resin.

[Kittyflop]

Incense - airy, smokey, dry

Resin - rich, sticky, wet

 

And that probably only makes sense to me.

 

That *totally* makes sense to me.

 

And I've had whiskey, not wine, but I think we're in tune here.

[sarada]

Just had to add: I put on Aureus tonight (after bathing with Lush's Tramp) and OH GOD do I smell good!! Thanks for reminding me how much I love this, everyone!

[forspecial_plate]

I bet Aureus ages really well too....I really need to pick up a 5ml of that! : )

[coulrophobe]

Incense - airy, smokey, dry

Resin - rich, sticky, wet

 

And that probably only makes sense to me.

 

That *totally* makes sense to me.

 

And I've had whiskey, not wine, but I think we're in tune here.

 

Bwahahaha... great minds think alike, my dear Floppy.

 

*hijack* What kind of whiskey? I almost busted out the Redbreast tonight, but had some dry Gewurtz that needed to be finished off before it went off.

[styro]

Maybe I'm just overly literal... but I bifurcate the incense/resin conundrum (oooh, look at those big words! I've had wine and I'm trying to compensate for my resulting stupid) along tactile/sensory lines:

 

Incense - airy, smokey, dry

Resin - rich, sticky, wet

 

And that probably only makes sense to me.

 

In my scheme, something like Al-Azif would be an incense; things like Sloth or Jacob's Ladder would be resins.

 

No, that does make sense and it would certainly simplify things imagistically to focus on the idea of a resin in its "sappier" state. And that would explain why Jacob's Ladder keeps coming up as a favourite in the "resin" scent family: besides being a lovely scent, it really exemplifies that idea of rich wetness.

 

I'm going to have to go back and re-sniff some of my favourites--those that fall into the confusing centre of the resin/incense/spicy/woody Venn diagram--and really pay attention to what I'm smelling and what the dominant notes are to my nose.

[portalkat]

I just tried Dee and it is a nice mix of sweet wood and resins. Rather than a dry wood scent, it is more resinous and the sweetness is helped along with the tonka

[forspecial_plate]

I just tried Dee and it is a nice mix of sweet wood and resins. Rather than a dry wood scent, it is more resinous and the sweetness is helped along with the tonka

 

...and I read your review and added it to my wish list! : D

[cuervosueno]

So far I've been avoiding anything that lists incense because scents like Urd and Centzon Totochtin went WHAM! incense on me. So much so that I just stink like an unwashed hippy.

 

Hey, that's what some of us are going for! (needs an emoticon of an abashed-looking hippie). I've been burning incense nonstop for 20 years to cultivate that!

 

Yeah, me too! I want to smell like that!

 

I generally love resins and incense scents, but the fact is, a lot of the BPAL resins actually DON"T work for me (though some other resin perfumes do). One of the things is that the myhrr is too dark and bitter on me. That's probably because the myhrr I'm in love with is not true myhrr but the sweeter resin...now I'm forgetting what it is called....opponox I think.

 

A lot of those on the list as resins just wouldn't work for me: aureus, midnight mass, pentitence, etc.

 

But I do well with the nag champa/champaca ones. Three cheers for Midnight on the Midway!

 

I also agree: resins seem heavier, stickier than incense. And yes, incense can be almost anything. I love the Caterpillar, but I get more jasmine than anything else. Jasmine incense!

Jacob's ladder=amber=rich, heavy, sticky. Same with all the dragon's blood scents for me. I can do BPAL amber, DB, and frankincense, but not myhrr...

 

trying to think of some other resins....oh, copal! I love me some copal. I suppose what this rather rambling post is pointing out to me is that I like the sweet resins.

[forspecial_plate]

Myrrh sort of confuses me. I worked in a health food store where we had actual myrrh in a big jar, in the bulk herbs section. I like how that smells. Then we had myrrh essential oil, and I like that smell too, but it smelled sort of different. Then there is myrrh in Bpal which I have yet to really recognize on its own. I would love to get a hold of a Bpal myrrh single note just to educate my nose. : D

 

ETA: I did a search on the Bpal site for myrrh, and out of the 35 results, I've only tried 5 of them. So I do need to try more different blends.....(not to mention there are probably a few with notes not listed that contain myrrh).

Edited September 13, 2006 by Forspecial Plate

[theseagrows]

i was happy to find this thread when i did a search. i still don't understand my skin chemistry in regards to incense notes. i tend to be all over the board, some incense blends are my absolute favorites, while some were stomach-churning with my skin chemistry.

 

of the list posted earlier these work:

Bastet, The Cracked Bell, Dia de los Muertos, Gypsy Queen, Haunted, Love in the Asylum, Sin, Snake Charmer, Wanda, Xiuhtecuhtli, midnight on the midway (if it's indeed considered and incense blend.)

 

these are ones that didn't turn rancid but weren't my cup of tea:

Anubis, Crossroads, Kathmandu, Les Infortunes de Vertu, Mantis.

 

the following were really bad with my skin chemistry:

Cairo, The Caterpillar, Cathedral, Dee, Jacob's Ladder.

 

i think incensy-florals work for me and churchy-incense blends do not. i think myrrh works on me sometimes and frankincense turns to pencil shavings nearly all of the time. anyone have any other insight?

[sterlingspider]

This is a fabulous thread, the reccys are all greatly appreciated.

 

I love the incense/resin family, but my chemistry is so picky that it's hard to find scents that don't have one spoiler note or another. I pretty much can't do any florals or musks (I just amp them to headache-ville), BPAL amber turns to baby powder bomb about 3/4 of the time, and dragons blood turns to cherry cough syrup.

 

Personally I could bathe in Pit and the Pendulum, especially wet when it's really woody, before it sweetens up all the way. For me that's just about the epitome of an incense blend and I'm hoarding it like a madwoman. What I'm direly wishing for is something with that same set of base notes, but as dark and smoky as the Cathedral or Midnight Mass are sweet. I look at those three as a sort of "Ecclesiastical incense continuum" and really hope there will be more along those lines, but like I said in the darker direction.

 

If you really want to smell like a head shop, slather on some All Souls and then wash it off with unscented soap. The floral component in it was too strong and was making me sneeze, but there was this really distinct "rack of fresh incense" side to it which stayed even after a fairly vigerous washing. The minute my arm dried I smelled exactly like my local one stop hippy/goth/punk superstore Utopia, I almost kept the imp based on that alone.

Edited November 18, 2006 by sterlingspider

[forspecial_plate]

For a while I thought that nag champa and champaca were the same thing...but they're not. From wikipedia:

 

"Nag Champa is a fragrance from India. The scent is reported to be very conducive to helping to achieve a calm and meditative state. It has a high concentration of sandalwood. It is most frequently found in the form of incense sticks and cones, but soap, perfume oil, scented candles, and massage oil are also available.

 

Nag Champa belongs to the "Champa" class of Indian incense. Champa is actually a flower. Champa incenses contain a natural ingredient indigenous to India called "halmaddi". Halmaddi is a semi-liquid resin taken from the Ailanthus Malabarica tree. It is what gives Nag Champa its characteristic grey color. Halmaddi is hygroscopic which means it absorbs moisture from the air. This can cause Nag Champa incenses to have a wet feeling to them"

 

Champaca, however, is from the magnolia family. More info: from wikipedia, and Pacifica candles' take on the scent.

 

I'm posting this in case anyone else had any confusion about the two. Specifically I'm thinking of Dr. John Seward, which has champaca flower, but also sandalwood, opium smoke, etc....it's more floral than incensey to me (but I still love it).

[curlykitty]

Does anyone know of a scent that smells like the incense that they use in a Catholic funeral rite?