Noir Encens Eau de Parfum

Noir Encens is based on the scent of Mad et Len's beautiful Noir Encens potpourri ? little nuggets of resin and wood soaked with frankincense essential oils ? as well as the smoky, balsamic incense of an earlier release, the 2010 No. XLIII Encens. The 2018 Noir Encens takes the austere frankincense oil of the original and thickens it up with powdery tonka bean, velvety amber, and the rich booziness of amaretto, thus replacing High Mass with the coziness of a fireside on a cold winter's night, book in hand and cat on lap. The almondy heft of the tonka bean is both bitter in the cherry-amaretto sense of bitter and sweet in the marzipan sense of sweet - so perfectly balanced that you're never quite sure whether you're smelling the poison or the cure. One thing is for sure, though: Noir Encens is far more sensual than any incense scent has a right to be. Smelling it triggers both the desire to hibernate and to bite into someone's neck, so be careful. If you're driven to distraction by the balsamic, smoky, nigh on edible sexiness of fragrances such as Fève Délicieuse by Dior Privée, Hypnotic Poison by Dior, or Le Baiser du Dragon by Cartier, then you can't afford to miss out on Mad et Len's 2018 Noir Encens.