The Lowdown on Incense & Resin - The Best Recommendations

[Cattastroficka]

Incense and resiney smells are my fave although I do tend to like them with floral.

 

Here's one for you, I don't think it's been mentioned.

 

RPG Series, Cleric: Rose amber, frankincense, myrrh, champaca flower, Peru balsam, cistus, palisander, cananga, hyssop, and narcissus absolute.

 

 

The champaca is at the perfect level. Not too much or too little.

[Circaea]

GC's: Sed non Satiata, Cathedral, Cairo, Al-Azif.

 

Decants: WILF.

[Sabir]

Anne Bonny

Bengal

Cathedral

Kabuki

Magus

Ogun

The Lion

[stellamaris]

Did anyone add Omen? I don't see it. Also Perversion. And Debauchery.

[bolmasaur]

Hi everyone! I'm brand-new here, and new to the world of scents as well. I've had trouble with scents in the past, as many seem to really irritate my nose. I'm a big fan of green scents and "clean" citrus-y scents, for the most part, because I don't tend to have trouble with them.

 

In this case, though, I'm looking for something different, and something very specific.

 

I used to be Catholic, and I was an altar server at my former church for about five years. I love the smell of the incense used in Catholic mass, which I believe at my church was largely myrrh. I'm looking for a scent that combines myrrh with candle wax and a basic "churchy" smell, maybe with a small hint of a smoky smell as well. I've done some reading here, and I've heard Cathedral and Penitence might be something like what I'm looking for. I've also heard that Midnight Mass is good, but I see it's a Yule scent, so I'm not sure whether it will be available anytime soon. I'm wondering if there are any other fans of the Catholic church smell out there who might be able to help me choose one of these scents over another, or direct me to one I haven't read about yet.

 

Thanks so much for your help!

[taramarie]

Welcome!

 

Yes, Midnight Mass would be good, hopefully it'll be back this year. I love Penitence and I'm not crazy about incense normally. Anubis is another good one for myrrh. Also Loviatar.

[IridiumFlash]

Yes, Midnight Mass is a Yule scent, but this year's Yule scents should be going up in a few days. Midnight Mass has also appeared in several years' Yule collections, so even if it doesn't get brought back this year, you should be able to find an imp or a bottle. Check the Sales and Swaps sections of the forum.

[malibusunny]

Midnight mass would probably be perfect! If they don't do it for Yules this year, someone will have a bottle. I have one, but I'm not parting with it at the moment. LOL.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Welcome!

 

Midnight Mass is a good one, but try to find one on the forum that's aged. When I bought a bottle last Yule, the frankincense was very sharp and it took almost a year of aging to mellow it out. Cathedral is lovely but there's a "wood" note with the incense. Heavenly Love & Earthly Love is another incense scent (sweeter and lighter than Midnight Mass) but it's not sold on the bpal website, it's sold at the Whole Foods somewhere in GA I think. You can post an ISO in the Wanted section...someone may have a decant for you to test.

[lookingglass]

Mix any of the above with Lights of Men's Lives and you're good to go. The Blasphemer's Reliquary came down with the Carnival but hopefully will be back with it's kick ass myrrh. Phantom has a bit of dark rose, but the incense notes are creamy and awesome.

[bolmasaur]

Thanks so much for all the replies! It's really helpful. I've found a sample of Midnight Mass, so I'll get started with that, and with all of the other suggestions I've got plenty to keep me [my wallet] busy!

[Numanoid]

I too am a fan of the incensey type perfumes....I don't like floral too much, so I was recommended Midnight Mass, which I hope comes out this Yule. I tried Midnight Bell ( a Dark Delicacy exclusive) and that didn't work for me. As for non BPAL scents, Arcana's Holy Terror is a wonderful church like incense oil. It doesn't seem to be out this Halloween (unless it is a Yule as well?) But you might like that one if you can find it.

[melrose]

Cathedral is dead-on to me. It smells just like the inside of a Catholic church.

[Amoraexcena]

What's the most benzoin-heavy BPAL? I love Death Cap's almost-all-benzoin drydown, but the initial dirt+cedar isn't really my thing.

[stellamaris]

I am a big incense fan, I have discovered at this point in my BPAL journey that it is right behind musks for me.

There are two of the new Tanukis that are incense heavy for me, Amiuchi and Jibiki Danuki.

But my new top favorite is Night Raven. There are not words to describe how good Night Raven smells I me. I could not love Night Raven anymore.

[ClareN]

I'd love recommendations for anything similar to No. 93 Engine - lots and lots of resins please?

[stellamaris]

Here's another one, Gothic Horror, and it's friend, German Expressionist Horror for resin.

[sunqist]

So I am freaking out about incense all of the sudden. All Souls was shockingly good, except for the cake which disappears immediately anyway, so I've been looking for more like that. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear All Souls has rose in it, which is very exciting because normally rose is soap hell for me. Also, in my research, it looks like most things described as "incense" have sandalwood. Sandalwood often just smells like plywood on me, though. So I'm wondering what the secret ingredient is, or at least what's worked for other people, especially if there's a rose component that also works. The only thing mentioned on this thread that I've tried that really smells like incense to me is is Seraphim, and that's got too much of a white floral to really be of use in my daily life.

 

Things previously mentioned in this thread I've tried that have not worked:

The Caterpillar

Anne Bonny

The Lion

Antikythera Mechanism

Blood Kiss

Hymn

Penitance

Tezcatlipoca

 

Things previously mentioned in this thread I've tried that I like but don't smell like incense to me:

Scherezade

Snake Oil

Hollywood Babylon

 

Things coming in my next order, or waiting on decants:

Midnight Mass

Practical Occultism

Cathedral

Morocco (which I've tried before and I don't especially recall liking)

Uruk

 

What else should I be looking at? I'm trying to buy a bottle of Khajuraho right now, in hopes that sandalwood + rose = happiness, but I'd love to get some additional recommendations.

[annemathematics]

So I am freaking out about incense all of the sudden. All Souls was shockingly good, except for the cake which disappears immediately anyway, so I've been looking for more like that. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear All Souls has rose in it, which is very exciting because normally rose is soap hell for me. Also, in my research, it looks like most things described as "incense" have sandalwood. Sandalwood often just smells like plywood on me, though. So I'm wondering what the secret ingredient is, or at least what's worked for other people, especially if there's a rose component that also works. The only thing mentioned on this thread that I've tried that really smells like incense to me is is Seraphim, and that's got too much of a white floral to really be of use in my daily life.

 

Things previously mentioned in this thread I've tried that have not worked:

The Caterpillar

Anne Bonny

The Lion

Antikythera Mechanism

Blood Kiss

Hymn

Penitance

Tezcatlipoca

 

Things previously mentioned in this thread I've tried that I like but don't smell like incense to me:

Scherezade

Snake Oil

Hollywood Babylon

 

Things coming in my next order, or waiting on decants:

Midnight Mass

Practical Occultism

Cathedral

Morocco (which I've tried before and I don't especially recall liking)

Uruk

 

What else should I be looking at? I'm trying to buy a bottle of Khajuraho right now, in hopes that sandalwood + rose = happiness, but I'd love to get some additional recommendations.

 

some that come to mind (doing little to no research prior to jumping in with my FEEBLE memory) are

 

skekzok the ritual master

little pythia

village legend lives long

cleric

feeding the dead

all saint's

al-azif

valentine of rome

relics of herself

venerable priestess of the wood

[Mellifluous]

I second the rec for Little Pythia! I wasnt very interested in the notes initially due to the rose, but once I tried it on ♥ ♥ Very incensy, but not in a sharp headache-y way, and I've found rose can be beautiful on me if paired with incense. Eldritch Dark was another winner for the same reason.

[Balame]

So I am freaking out about incense all of the sudden. All Souls was shockingly good, except for the cake which disappears immediately anyway, so I've been looking for more like that. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear All Souls has rose in it, which is very exciting because normally rose is soap hell for me. Also, in my research, it looks like most things described as "incense" have sandalwood. Sandalwood often just smells like plywood on me, though. So I'm wondering what the secret ingredient is, or at least what's worked for other people, especially if there's a rose component that also works.

 

All Souls doesn't have rose in it as far as I know... it's not listed and I didn't pick it out when I tested it. Maybe you're thinking of All Saints? If you don't like most florals (I don't either) I'm not sure how much you'll like Khajuraho, as it was very floral to my nose. Hopefully that won't be the case on your skin.

 

It seems you might like richer, deeper incense blends which often have frankincense and/or myrrh. Sandalwood alone can be quite a dry wood, it's true. Though if you want something with a non-overpowering rose Lacus Solitudinis (Meditative white sandalwood with rosewood, Roman chamomile, white lavender, marjoram, Himalayan cedar, and oudh) is very good. The sandalwood is obvious in it though, so I wonder if it might be too airy for you.

 

I think you'll like Midnight Mass in your current order. It's a very deep, sexy and churchy incense blend. There's also Penitence from the GC which is just frankincense and myrrh. It's a bit ashy to me but still nice. Herodotus' Phoenix (A fragrant shroud: myrrh from Yemen, Oman, and West Africa with a touch of copal and frankincense) is an awesome, richly sweet blend which I can see as somewhat similar to All Souls.

 

I just rec'd this to another person but I should also plug Following Instructions (South Indian sandalwood, amber-encrusted wood, white grains, massoia bark, and hops). It seems really underappreciated for some reason, but I love it. It's a fairly dry but powerful incense, and smells just like aromatic spices from Indian cooking (sweet ones, not hot) and temples.

[forspecial_plate]

Try Blood....often dragon's blood is too floral and not in a good way, but Blood is the perfect balance of spice and incense IMO.

[annemathematics]

I second the rec for Little Pythia! I wasnt very interested in the notes initially due to the rose, but once I tried it on ♥ ♥ Very incensy, but not in a sharp headache-y way, and I've found rose can be beautiful on me if paired with incense. Eldritch Dark was another winner for the same reason.

 

 

little pythia is :heart: :heart:

[sunqist]

Okay, I'll keep an eye out for the things that seem doable (which is to say, I think Herodotus' Phoenix seems like a pipe dream). It's definitely All Souls I'm thinking of, but I could be very wrong about it having rose. I can't tell if it actually smells like rose or if it just reminds me of rose, if that makes any sense. Little Pythia sounds like something I could find and that would be pretty great, and I've got some Eldritch Dark hair gloss coming, so I'll see how that goes. Thanks for the info!

[bheansidhe]

These new Yules seem to have a lot of incense heavy blends. Haigophobia and Psychodynamic Discharge strike me as very incense-y.

Edited December 16, 2014 by bheansidhe