To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
shuhero4ek – :
I’m stubborn and I don’t like being converted, but I have to admit that this is superior to Avignon. Cardinal has a rich, palpable depth to it that is missing in CDG’s original. I’ve been comparing a couple of samples of Cardinal with my bottle of Avignon for a few weeks now, and the truth is plain to see. The original was brilliant, but like all of CDG’s products, it suffers from cheap, synthetic chemical ingredients. When my bottle of Avignon runs out, I’ll replace it with Cardinal without a second thought.
Ezra Pound remarked that there are only three kinds of artists: Inventors, Masters, and Dilutors. Duchaufour gets the credit for inventing this composition, but Heeley deserves credit for mastering it. If Olivier Creed ever decides to have a go at this, I’ll probably have to fork out again for another upgrade.
Scent: 10/10
Longevity: 6 hours
Sillage: arm’s length
Originality: 1/10
bratyha – :
Glorious, strong incense! yes, it somehow reminds me of a church too, be it the myrrh together with all this abundant incense..
Everything else has been said about this unique experience of a perfume! Bold and daring, i may add…
183
demaTeams11 – :
It’s a Gothic cathedral on a Monday morning in early spring. No tourists, just a handful of locals, quietly paying respect to this sacred place. Bright light flooding through the colored glass windows. Drawing parallel lines into the air as the light hits the otherwise almost invisible incense smoke. There’s no room for darkness.
I own Cardinal for half a year. Still I am puzzled how one can pull off a fragrance that starts with a crisp, white linen vibe, then turns into incense and ends as a vetiver after 8~10 hours.
Masterpiece of perfumery. Amen.
Alex611005 – :
Ethereal patchouli scent. And I have to mention that it is also a poetical perfume.
footballtion – :
beautiful scent, sweet church incense, absolutely love it, the only problem is it’s not concentrated enough, have to spray loads and doesn’t last beyond 3 hours, sits too close to the skin. Is it, therefore, worth the hefty price tag? your call.
wwx398JeomiWogkig – :
Cardinal is a Catholic Church light incense very evocative of Christmas during the holiday season. You can smell a fresh incense with some evergreen trees, Canadian fir maybe…It’s a bit masculine but very beautiful indeed.
yagyara – :
too soft.
kinoflo – :
Smells exactly like a Spritz drink!
Mebyr821InsuffBooni – :
I adore this perfume! I find myself longing for it, but as I have just a sample (for now!) I have to pace myself.
I find it “cold”, kinda haughty, austere, but all these adjective are used with the most positive meaning!
It always makes me think of Gary Oldman in the 2012 Prada collection, with his sexy steampunk look!
HeebyPypedomo – :
A beautiful bright incense based perfume with amber, vetiver and floral notes. Sorta like Avignon but think much more brighter and cheerful. Its a striking, shimmering and mystical fragrance.
djstyleproject – :
One of the most pungent fragrances that I have ever smelt. The smell of this fragrance is so that that I had to literally change my clothes as I was unable to stand it.
Ksirdsa – :
For me personally Cardinal isn’t a smell of frankincense per se. That’s how mineral frankincense and myrrh smell like, before mixing them and before being burnt. That’s the smell of the inside of the abbandoned and forgotten wooden church.
It’s better than Montale Full Incense and better than Jovoy Paris La Lituirgie des Heures. Better than Comme des Garcons Avignon as well. Why? It’s more airy than all three. More transparent, a little lighter and maybe brighter.
Longevity is 12 hours, sillage is moderate.
I love it but still I love Armani Prive Bois d’Encens more.
lerchiki – :
Based on all the positive feedback and my own love of incense-centric scents, I’ve been wanting to try Avignon by Commes des Garcons for ages.
On a recent trip to San Francisco, I finally got my nose on Avignon… nope, not for me. It seemed one-dimensional, very straight-forward.
The next day I had one of the best fragrance smelling sessions ever at Barneys in San Fran.
That’s when I got to try Cardinal. Instant love. This is perfection. More nuanced than Commes des Garcons’ Avignon which it’s often referenced to. Quite different to my nose.
There’s a light, bright, airy top layer to Cardinal that takes it up a level, hovering above its deep, dark incense heart.
I’ve sniffed out a great many incense fragrances. For me, Cardinal is quite simply the benchmark of the genre.
Magnificent, worth every penny.
Dohlik1109 – :
بالزامیک بخوری کمی ضعیف تر از رقیبان از جووی، کام د گارسونز و مونتال
———–
Scent & Qualiy: 10/10
Longevity: 8/10
Sillage: 7/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 9/10
Affordability: 5/10
———–
Overall: 7.8/10
LevMotion – :
You enter a small church somewhere on a beautiful Italian island. It is late summer afternoon, the sun is shining through the stained glass windows, the church is empty, airy, serene. As you sit in one of the pews to take in all the beauty of the moment, you hear footsteps approaching you from behind. A young and attractive priest is walking through the aisle, a rosary around his neck, a stack of bibles under his arm, his freshly pressed, immaculately clean robes rustling softly with every step. For a brief moment your eyes lock, your heart skips a beat and you are overwhelmed with thoughts you should not be thinking. At least not in the church. He just smiles and nods slightly before he disappears in the sacristy.
Woody and incensey with crisp and clean undertones, absolutely intoxicating.
Геннадий88 – :
A few years ago I walked in to a store and asked them if they had anything that smelt like a Catholic Church. Ever since that day I have been smitten by Cardinal. It’s the most wonderful, long-lasting scent I have ever worn. It’s rich, warm and totally on point for that Catholic Church feeling. It’s not for the faint hearted though, as it is fairly strong. Being expensive I wouldn’t blind buy this, but trust me when I say, if you are after a Catholic Church scent (and I grew up in the UK and Central Europe – maybe other Catholic Churches smell slightly different) then this one is for you. It really does lift your soul to a higher place. Highly recommended.
tiffemioriect – :
This is NOT a Catholic church incense like Annick Goutal’s Encense Flamboyant. This is a sweet incense like Lush’s Karma or Andrea Maack’s Craft. It’s a skin scent and lasts a nice while. Reminds a little of incensey coca cola.
wolfsan – :
Ordered some samples from James Heeley website and this was one of them. Finally got a chance to test it out last night before bed. Three sprays on the hand at around 10:30PM. Woke up around 6:00AM and it was a skin scent by that time.
This is very nice. I know some people complain about longevity, but honestly how long do you want a fragrance to last? Granted, I wouldn’t spend money on something that only last 2 hours, but 6+ isn’t that bad. Would I buy it? Probably. Only time will tell.
gzm923speagoessenda – :
I’m definitely not an avid churchgoer and my experience of Catholic Masses is very limited. However, I think there’s something so deeply subliminal about this scent that it’s instantly recognizable and evocative. Cardinal is basically a smoky, woody and slightly soapy incense. It’s warm and noble and it makes me feel secure. The “ambiance” of this fragrance might be better suited for chilly weather, but it’s not overly heavy or oppressive. Altogether, quite enjoyable!
It’s linear and stays pretty close to skin after the initial bang (which I think is actually a good thing with this kind of fragrance). Cardinal hums along peacefully, but quite tenaciously.
Sibland – :
Unlike other reviewers, I think this is different than CdG Avignon and Montale Full Incense.
Cardinal is nicely blended and ethereal, clean and airy. It is not gloomy, musty or gothic. It is woody, peppery and mild, less resinous and austere than many incense fragrances, and it lacks the acrid, metallic synthetics of the CdG range. It is nicely counterbalanced with vetiver and patchouli, and the amber adds a touch of sweetness, warmth and depth without becoming heavy.
Longevity is about average and it sits close to the skin — more of a personal scent. I think it is suitable for most occasions and locations. Try Cardinal side by side with the others and I think you’ll agree that this is a special one, a contemporary interpretation. 9/10.
ciopenzoninja – :
Your Eminence,
You are a cruel lover indeed.
At first, you seduced me with whiffs of childhood memories. I gave in within ten minutes of flirtations, falling, tumbling head over heels.
But now you open with metallic aloofness, making me wait, quivering, full of expectations, for that moment that I’m searching for, that moment that I need. That moment where all your potential comes into bloom, develops, envelops me, makes me happy.
Then it comes and goes, fleeting moment, leaving a hint of patchouli only perceptible to others but not to me, and you’re gone, off to do your Cardinal business I guess.
I get that we have to keep our affair a secret, I understand that I cannot be the center of your life, and I will always love you, always be yours.
I just wish you could spare a tiny little bit more time for me…
realgaara – :
I love incense perfumes. I own Bois d’Encense by Armani, one of my top favourite. I read that Comme de garcons produced a line of incense perfumes and I tried Avignone. It is not bad but I also tried Cardinal and the SA suggested I walked around at least 30 minutes before deciding. Avignone was almost completely gone after half hour, while Cardinal was very much hanging around. Also, quality/price Cardinal is a winner: 139 Euro for 100ml, while Avignone would have been 192 (the 50ml bottle costs 86 Euro). The main difference with the Armani scent is that Cardinal smells to me almost like pure incense, while Bois is a tad more woody. Anyway, I love them both and they are both quite long lasting. Pricey (very much so) but good quality for money.
Griha0105 – :
I’m pretty sure that for those of you who’ve grown up in the Catholic tradition, this will be immediately evocative.
I was never a church goer though, so my first real experience of frankincense was at an art event in an enormous dark converted Victorian tramway building in Glasgow, where a contemporary work inspired by Catholic music was played by an orchestra dispersed around the room.
While the music played, I watched as three dancers wearing 30-foot-long gold cloaks climbed brick by brick up the 30 foot high wall. Eventually their cloaks cascaded all the way down to the floor, shimmering in the candle light. Meanwhile, smoke from burning frankincense billowed out across the darkened room from huge brass incense burners that hung on chains from the ceiling – by the end of the performance I was distinctly mind altered! I even had an odd telepathic experience followed by unsettling deja vu.
Ever since that event, if I want to float above the dull routines or disapointments of life I’ll light pure frankincense on a charcoal burner until it’s billowing smoke throughout my house
Anyway, to get to the point of all this preamble, Cardinal is like a portable version of that experience for a good hour. It’s perfect, blended with smoky dry vetiver and incense to enhance the feel of wafting smoke, brought to life with pepper so it sizzles lightly on the skin, lent sweetness with myrrh.
Mostly it speaks of burning frankincense – salty, pure, meditational and tranquil. Into dry down it becomes softer, something hay-like which must be the flax, also I get the slight animalic scent of labdanum in dry down, which is inspired as it blends really well with frankincense, then it fades to skin scent in two hours
karic1881 – :
Cardinal builds an artwork of catholicism: vestments, gold, and communion – and then further promotes a more abstract idea of reverence, ceremony and priesthood. For one, it maintains the idea of male-freshness through the transient use of an eau de cologne structure in the classical style; the incense is then employed over this, giving body. Cardinal is a papal vestment post-celebration, featuring the merging of a fresh tenacity, dusty linen, and layers of incense.
Attributed to a colour, Cardinal is a blinding white light (like sunlight) with a rosy and healthy flesh-toned pink at the centre. It is a gentle warmth, with a high level of potency. To open, the sourness of the aforementioned eau de cologne, whisked with the sweet spice of both black and pink peppercorn, achieving an enhanced vividness to the scent with a sensualness that feels near sinful. It is tender, unorthodoxly hinting at a playfully louche quality, unexpected of both an incense scent and a young member of the clergy.
Aldehydes at the top aid in the impression of the linen effect, and a short mention to Lauder’s White Linen or Chanel No. 22 offers all the explanation required. When dosed generously, aldehydes alone give an impeccable crispness with undertones of soap and citrus. Technically, and of course paradoxically, increased additions of this material enhances the overall lightness, detracting from its overall density and giving vast room to breath. The impression of grand, spacious cathedrals then could be attributed to the space this perfume mimics, as if there was an element of ‘non-scent’ present amongst the aromatic molecules. It takes what is usually balsamic and thick, and deconstructs its density without removing it from the composition. It is a refreshingly modern take on the ancient note.
The cycle found in Cardinal is a two-toned one, with a citrus freshness diffusive and approachable in all directions, then combined with the accord of incense. Myrrh, cistus labdanum, and frankincense create a liturgical idea of incense; however the smoke it projects is very clean. It is then warmed with a base of amber, patchouli, and woody vetiver, giving a slightly oily, mildly vegetal slick over the composition of the scent. It is a purified, meticulously filtered incense further calling to mind tints of white over any notion of darkness.
Heeley’s Cardinal then doesn’t smell overtly luxurious, because it is a discrete work with a sensibility and ambivalent chaste. Its charming, slyly, and cute pinkness entices, as its arctic swirls resemble the magic of the aurora as a mystical display of luminosity – but then it pulls back into a region of order, ceremony, and refinement.
Palamandx – :
When I first smelled James Heeley’s Cardinal there was something so incredibly intriguing about it, but I could not quite put my finger on what it was. I did a little research and I discovered that initial sharp clean note in Cardinal was in fact white linen. As it dried down I began to smell the most luxuriously smoky incense and spicy black pepper. Images of Cistercian abbey’s came to mind with their stunning gothic architecture, pointed arches and flying buttresses. Religion aside, I find catholic churches to be very beautiful and I think the essence of that atmosphere was captured in this scent. It transports you back in time like a memory or a photograph belonging to a different era. I went back and forth trying to decide if I should buy a bottle of this or not. The final verdict was yes! There is an irresistible allure to this fragrance and I was not sure if I could get away with wearing Cardinal, but I think it will be perfect for fall when there is a cool breeze and a nip in the air.
duttope – :
Another “frankincentric” (my word for “revolving around frankincense”) perfume that will appeal to those who seek a nearly literal version of Catholic incense that is burned in church. I have smelled a lot of other incense perfumes of this type but with massive projection, to the point of suffocation, as they are so intensely bitter and true to the resins. What I like about Cardinal is that it smells literal too, but it has an ethereal quality that makes it much more approachable/tolerable/acceptable to wear on ones body. And by ethereal I do not mean that I detect gobbs of Iso-E-Super, which I am grateful for, even though it is entirely possible that this is loaded with Iso-E-Super.
This literal frankincense-and-myrrh style of perfume is not one that I would want to radiate from my body for all to notice, everywhere I go, all day long. This type is for my nostrils only. Thankfully, Cardinal stays close to the skin, yet it lasts a long time. I counted a solid 12 hours. Impressively it did not seem to fade and instead maintained its integrity all day long. Well done.
phantom777 – :
I will buy this. But I living in finland. Can You help me? I love this liturgic scent.
Dima101397 – :
I’ve been trolling around hoping to expand my usual fragrance wardrobe a bit. Realized I like incense fragrances but OMG!! Heeley Cardinal is nice enough (I guess) but just not for me!
Frankincense, myrrh, labdanum, amber (or cedar)…church!
Liturgical and church-y…this is the truest Roman Catholic Holy High Mass or funeral scent I have ever smelled. One reviewer on another perfume review site summed this up so aptly, he made me laugh…”swinging censor”…says it all!
I LOVE the incense that radiates from the censor and I love the smell inside of most Catholic and Orthodox churches, I really do. But I do not think I want to walk around all day smelling the way I did upon applying Heeley Cardinal. Something about it just seems too weird and a bit too odd for my tastes.
The only fragrance that compares to this in its intensity, longevity and authenticity (regarding church-y incense fragrances) is Comme des Garcons “Avignon.”
Church church church. A nice enough fragrance but not for me. And I think definitely more suitable for a man.
Lerik-69 – :
Nice incense fragrance. Polite, wearable and not over the top. It smells a little sour to me, so I though there are some citrus here. Reminds me of Shanaan M. Micallef, but Cardinal feels more sheer and lightweight.
gubskiymax – :
Avignon-2002-Duchaufour – 1.7 oz – $95
Montale Full Incense -2010- P. Montale – 3.4 oz -$170
Cardinal – James Heeley- 2006- 3.4 oz – $180
The prices are via Luckyscent. These are basically the same scents with very little differences. The Montale and Heeley project a bit more but Avignon was the 1st of it’s kind. It all comes down to what house you prefer most as the prices are about the same. I prefer the Montale and Avignon.
zadornov – :
Nice catholic incense. Similar to Avignon, indeed, but not in the dry down. Avignon is sweeter and mustier, while Cardinal is zestier. I can detect vetiver here, reminds me of Terre d’Hermes a little. The composition is well-balanced, nothing loud, nothing screechy; it smells liturgical, but perfumey. I like it.
sanzelo – :
Extremely similar to Avignon, which makes me acknowledge the impact that Avignon has made on the industry so almost every other incense scent wants to smell like it (except a few : Sahara Noir, Bois d’encens, Robert Piguet Casbah and Norma Kamali incense).
I like Avignon and i also like Cardinal, but as a fan of frankincense and as a person who burns frankincense regularly at my house (for air perfuming reasons, not religious reasons), i don’t find them to be role representatives of that smell. They might “remind” someone of going to church yes, but i personally see them both as very wearable perfumes with accords of incense as opposed to being representatives of the genre.
In other words, i see myself buying them because they smell good but NOT because i want to smell like incense.
unholly – :
If this is what a Catholic church mass smells like then I want to go! Cardinal is medieval and captivating! Woody, smokey, memorable – as beautiful as a Gregorian chant . . . I can picture the soaring stone cathedrals with dark cool interiors filled with glints of gold and tapestry. Cedar is one of the strong notes and it has a powdery incense undertone. Unfortunately on my skin it disappears in under 10 minutes and the sillage is minimal. I have to continually reapply to smell this gorgeous fragrance. I am hoping that when the weather cools down in the fall, my skin will amplify and retain more of Cardinal.
Update – cooler weather today and Cardinal is spectacular. Still close to the skin, and longevity still wanting, but it is so beautiful that I am ordering the FB.
karisha1284 – :
Cardinal opens up in a very characteristic way: your nose is hit by the mix of aldehydes and frankincense. Later on it gets a little sweeter, thanks to labdanum. But the aldehydes still are here. In the base I could feel a little vetiver, but again – this was a woody vetiver, not green at all.
Longevity is very good – the average result on my skin is 9 hours.
I’d say the smell of Cardinal is something between Avignon and Full Incense – but it’s not as woody as FI and not as dense as Avignon is.
Overall score – decent. It’s not my choice because of a big load of aldehydes. If you like them in perfumes – it’s a must try for you.
irkmen – :
I received my sample today. As previously reviewed, it does smell like the Avignon twin. I would call it Avignon’s stepsister. True, it starts out almost identical to Avignon, but it doesn’t last nearly as long. The price is too high for what you get. Avignon is a much better price point. Stick with the master of Incense scents, Avignon. You can’t go wrong.
shelby – :
This review is based on a decant. Upon spraying, it immediately reminds me of Incense Avignon by CdG (and also Full Incense and La Liturgie des Heures) with the prominent smokey incense and myrrh. All the other notes are well-blended I feel. It’s fairly linear, which doesn’t change much from opening to dry down. It wears close to the skin with moderate projection but good longevity on my skin.
ice1682 – :
oh 🙂
i remember when i meet James when he was visiting & told him that i didn’t like this perfume as he was explaining each of his perfumes.. oh my, he almost ate me alive when he replied “well, I LOVE IT” i didn’t mean it laterally but i prefer the “cuir pleine fleur” as it was quite good and leathery 🙂
when i smelled this perfume again after a few months later.. honestly i liked it. i remember as he said “it was the essence that i always smell in the church when i was young”.
it is a good perfume.
iva58071034 – :
Astonishingly beautiful!! Perfect blend of sour lemony notes with a lingering incense note that is unique among the incense scents. Its so optimistic and uplifting that it makes this fragrance one of my favourite! Longevity is great, sillage also as it remains lingering but never agressive and never pushy. It shines like the morning sun at the Vatican! Total and absolute masterpiece!!!
kentiro45 – :
This brought me right back to my days as an altar boy at Traditional Latin Mass, inhaling the jars of liturgical incense stocked in the sacristy cupboard.
The myhrr isn’t smoky, but fresh and lemony, which is an aspect of the resin before it’s burned. The pepper and aldehydes give it a zinginess and the vetiver and amber provide a soft sophistication.
However, things do get a little bit darker and muskier in the dry down, once the labdanum gets involved, which is a pity because the freshness is the best part for me. It is very similar to “Misiones” by Fueguia 1833, yet the latter manages to carry that fresh lemony myrrh note all the way through, so it’s far better in my opinion.
“Cardinal” will resonate with anyone who likes the smell of Churches. I think it is only a fragrance for nostalgic contemplation, to be worn alone, or when travelling, maybe. It’s immensely comforting and spiritual to me. But it won’t be for everyone.
gmaximail – :
If you expect a dark and dusty incense fragrance then Cardinal is not for you. Cardinal is light, sharp, with a subtle lemony vibe. It’s similar to the incense used in catholic churches but it’s less smoky. I read someone complaining about the longevity but to me is pretty good.
ololo – :
It really is a twin brother of CdG’s Avignon. And since, as I assume, it’s a younger one ( 😉 ), it’s nothing new and original. It’s still nice, though, if you like the smell of labdanum. (I don’t.)
6/10
wwwkkkjjjqqq – :
Nice, generic woody scent. I don’t get a lot of smoke, spice or amber. The drydown reminds me of essential oils, maybe cedar and sandalwood, which don’t appear in the notes. Very nice, but a little bland and generic on me.
Edited to add that this is bright, soft, clean wood. Nothing is burning, so if there is incense, it’s still in the box, pre-smoulder. As amber is perceived as so important in ‘notes according to votes’ I’m suprised (and happy) that I get little amber, just the gentle sweetness of cedar. Cardinal gets sweeter/richer in the drydown, so perhaps that’s where it’s hiding. If you like CdG Wonderwood, this should be right up your street.
kisliiavto – :
Cardinal is just like smelling the incense I used to smell at Catholic churches when I was growing up. It is church incense in liquid form. Cardinal smells heavenly.
This is a fragrance of love. In other words, you must like church incense to really like Cardinal. I don’t know if it is a fragrance that other people would like to smell on me. I would wear it for my own enjoyment at home or for special occasions…or to go to church…(punt intended)…but definitely not a fragrance I would wear for romantic dates, business, or work.
Cardinal smells almost identical to Commes De Gascon’s Avignon and Montale’s Full Incense. Ounce per dollar, Cardinal is slightly more expensive than these other alternatives. The longevity could be better. On me it projects well during the first 2 to 3 hours, then it goes skin thereafter.
centikxxx – :
It’s official: the man formerly known as “The Pope” has left the Catholic Church flapping in the wind. There is no pope, as of today at 7pm GMT. In honor of this historic event, the first of its kind in six hundred years, I have decided to don Heeley CARDINAL.
How could the pope leave the Catholic Church with no leader? one might well ask. Does this not demonstrate that an acephalic structure is perfectly adequate to the needs of twenty-first-century people? Or even twentieth-century people. Or even nineteenth-century people? Remember the Protestant Reformation? The “man on the street” has access to the Almighty every bit as direct–or not–as the leaders of the church? Is this not an iron-clad proof of what anarchists have been trying to say all along? That’s right, we now know with complete certainty that the sky will not fall without the pope. There is life after the pope. But if the Catholic Church can go a few hours or a few days or a few weeks without any pope whatsoever, does this not show that there really is hope in the post-pope period? I leave these questions for the reader to ponder.
Heeley CARDINAL is an incense perfume. Very churchy, very Catholic, very medieval smelling. I agree with my comrades (see below) that this perfume fits right in with the Comme des Garçons Incense series. Looking at the note hierarchy, one might expect more complexity, but everything here is blended together seamlessly. I really smell incense anchored in labdanum. Is there a “linen” note? To my nose, the linen is about as present as the pope. But there is hope in the post-pope period. It can be found in perfume. This CARDINAL can stand all alone.
Is the world now pope-less, or is it pope-free? I ask most sincerely.
pushurok – :
gorgeous scent, countdown starts, 10, 9, 8, 7… 6… oh how nice… 5… 4… reminds me of Avignon although not as nice… oh… 3… 2…. wait… where is it? 1… 0…
chupacabra278 – :
Ottimo sui tessuti o nell’interno di una borsa. Purtroppo sulla pelle non offre grande longevità. Dopo un’ora, a volte anche meno è completamente sparito. Purtroppo ancora non ho trovato il vero incenso liturgico… nè Avignon, nè Messe de Minuit e nè altri… Sono pallidi mix che ricordano la sacralità. Peccato!
kurtika – :
This faded really quickly on me. I love Avignon, and this seemed pallid in comparison, and much less complex. Much too expensive.
andreyspro – :
This fragrance needs to be tried on skin for a few hours more than once in order to really evaluate it. I tried this juice on my skin a number of times before making any decision about its merits. It is sharp in the beginning but I like that. I found it dry and rather chilly in the topnotes which I think is a wonderful counterpoint to the usual over-warmth of incense scents. The incense here is well done and very lovely. The scent reminds me of a cold Gothic church on a Saturday when the monks, or, if it’s an Anglican church, the ladies of the altar guild, are cleaning up and censing the church for the next day.
I love the woody notes, you can smell the wood and mustiness of the church. After a few hours on your skin it does warm up and the resins and amber come in but that spareness in the opening is quite lovely.
By the way, Heeley has a lovely website which allows you to get samples like Tauer’s website. Very user friendly but it is Paris based so be sure and notify your credit card company if you are in the U.S.
I am a huge fan of Heeley’s scents- the iris being my favorite. Heeley’s scents have a spareness to them that is almost medieval in spirit, like medieval one dimensional paintings and they really appeal to me. I don’t mean to imply that his scents are one-dimensional. Au contraire, I think they are beautifully complex and well developed but they come across spare and lean like a monk who has been fasting for a week. I look forward to seeing what else Mr. James Heeley has for us in the future.
Deroxpcgsl – :
If you’ve always wanted to smell like an altar boy after Easter High Mass you’ve found your scent. An astonishing job of reproduction. Not much of a job of perfumery.
Sillage: Winchester Cathedral
Durability: For now and eternity Amen
Fabulosity: the Pope’s big hat
Value to price ratio: poor
2/10
xenifer – :
Crisp, fresh perfume with woody peppery undertones. Yes incense adds to the smokiness that develops shortly after. Aldehyde is the most powerful note here, and by that I mean it smells like a church, hence the name Cardinal. The scent softens with time, and beside holy-like resemblance, it is a clean smell or should I say pure.
Unisex with excellent longevity!
Will outlast The Sunday Mass:)
karneliuss – :
After trying a sample I loved the smokey incense in the drydown, but it is outmuscled by the powdery/flowery notes.
dengod2 – :
too faithful to the resins using Muslims and Catholics to the rituals of prayer.
Suggests meditation, quiet, maybe I would have liked a little less sweet, but above that could remain on the skin over an hour ..
LKylrewE – :
Beautiful, spacious scent of church incense. A typical catholic mass incence. Dinstinctive, intriguing, peaceful, elegant. Unfortunately, very weak on my skin and disappears too quickly.
kommax – :
Not much to add other than it’s a soapier Avignon with half the lasting power. Still a nice representation of the sunnier side of frankincense.
arshavin1995 – :
As much as I love liturgic-frankincense fragrances and I never get tired of them, I still find Cardinal to be among the weakest in this genre. It clearly moves in the same direction of Avignon or Montale’s Full Incense but it’s nowhere close neither to the magnificence of the former nor to the strong lasting power of the latter. Overall smells fine but lasts nothing. Sort of Avignon Eau De Cologne emphasized on the clean-lemony aspect of the biblical resin…
Rating: 6/10
navigator33 – :
A weaker Avignon.
ignatio – :
This is a very nice literal incense. It takes me back to sitting in mass with my parents and lighting candles to Our Lady! I bought the Matthew Williamson incense a while back for a paltry £7.00 (!) and this one, though a little icier and more interesting, is not quite worth the price tag.
bukivedi – :
I keep coming back to this. With the initial spritz, I imagined getting unsolicited advice on feline continence management, but after a few minutes it softens down and the amber and a whiff of patchouli make their presence