Description
Series 3 Incense was launched in 2002 and was devoted to the five main spiritual teachings of the humanity:
Avignon – Catholicism
Ouarzazate – Islam
Zagorsk – Orthodox Christianity
Jaisalmer – Hinduism
Kyoto – Buddhism and Shintoism
Each of the fragrances is named after the cities significant for those teachings.
Zagorsk presents Eastern Orthodoxy. It is named after the Russian city that was, until today, one of the influential Orthodox-Christian places of Russia.
Zagorsk is light, a bit melancholic fragrance, the smell of Russian monasteries placed in endless snowy Russian planes, the odor of light birch and dark pine tree woods, and northern red forest fruits. The main notes of this composition are white frankincense, pine tree, red hot chilly pepper, violet, cedar, iris, Hinoki cypress and birch.
The nose behind this fragrance is Evelyne Boulanger.
Deroxmwofc – :
I am getting a strong clove note, but I know that it is not listed in the list of notes. Maybe the incense note is clove incense? but there is also a coniferous chord….. b-flat. Just heavenly.
Sokolsatory – :
As I liked the Kyoto scent of the same line, I was eager to try “Zagorsk” when I read the ingredients, conifers, woods, and iris combined with incense – sounds fantastic.
When I sprayed it on I first really liked it, as there really were conifer trees, birch, a hint of incense smoke, very nice. But sadly, after 10 minutes, this scent turns in an almost pure vetiver scent, I mean a real vetiver bomb actually. I like vetiver, as one of my husband’s favourite scents for years has been Guerlain’s “Vetiver”. And Zagorsk actually turns in a Guerlain Vetiver twin. So, this is a really good scent, but I’m a bit annoyed that vetiver isn’t even listed in the ingredients while it is the dominant part in that scent. And for me it’s definitely a masculine scent, a Guerlain Vetiver-clone and I just don’t want to smell exactly like my husband’s EdT. So, if you’re a vetiver lover and into more masculine scents, try this, if not, steer clear.
Armanyo – :
“Вся комната янтарным блеском озарена.
Веселым треском трещит затопленная печь”.
“Мороз и солнце; день чудесный!”
Я вижу кустодиевскую тройку и березы, которые шумят. Здесь много холода, бескрайние снежные просторы, церковный ладан и cвежевыжатый морковный сок.
Очень понятный “загадочной русской душе” сосново-березовый аромат: генетически родной, православный.
svv_ahtirka – :
Nothing from CdG really works for me. Everyone seems to be getting coolness and pine and incense, but I’m getting all the other notes. It smelled pine-like for maybe ten seconds, but it quickly became more like light leather, iris and cinnamon. It has an underlying sweetness to it that, mixed with the pimento, creates this sweet cinnamon effect. I find it sweeter than Avignon as I get no sweetness in Avignon at all. They are such different fragrances. I’m Roman Catholic, and smelling this makes it hard to believe Orthodox could be even remotely related. I get no frankincense at all, and it really smells nothing like any other type of incense I’ve ever smelled. It’s not a bad fragrance, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. Its not soothing, meditative, tranquil or thought-provoking as incense fragrances tend to be.
qwert1181 – :
Much less sweet than Avignon, has a cooling effect. Prominent herbal, slightly medicinal bitterness and evergreen notes, which remind me of Guerlain Vetiver, although I can’t distinguish any vetiver note per se. Vetiver seems to “dense up” compositions with a kind of mineral earthiness, but this one seems to be quite airy. It doesn’t remind me of any church, Russian Orthodox or otherwise. To my mind, Avignon conveys this mimetic effect much better.
korostashoff – :
its beautiful smell but doesn’t last very long at all. Little bit better on the clothes but on the skin poorly
even604 – :
Evergreen, smoky, aloof – a more cold and outdoorsy incense than the warmer, enveloping Avignon – but still beautiful.
But. Either it vanishes within minutes on me, or dabbing from a small tester ruins its projection and longevity. I’d happily buy this – it has certain piney delights in common with Fille en Aiguilles and Wazamba, which I ADORE – but I’ve got to be able to enjoy it! I’ve had the same problem with CDG Blackpepper – which again, I really liked, but it was gone in 50 minutes. Yet other people describe this as powerful and lasting. Skin chemistry, or needing an atomiser, or what else? What gives?
lozaren – :
The entire series is a must have for incense lovers. This one is a woodsy incense with cedar, pine and birch added. It is not overpowering and very mystical. Moderate projection and sillage.
Yanez341 – :
Zagorsk isn´t an incense fragrance.
All I get is pure vetiver.
The projection is surprisingly good.
Radiates like a powerhouse.
If you are into fragrances like encre noire, try it.
isonsenoivy – :
Oh wow, lovely! Tons of woods, and cool fresh air. Has a saltiness too that reminds me of a shipboard sort of wood, washed in clean air and seawater, with a hint of tar and wood smoke. Crisp and beautiful. Not the greatest staying power, but it does at least last a couple of hours. And I don’t quite get the pine everyone speaks of; my nose still insists it’s incense and cedar with a sea-air zest. Which is working fine for me.
BalvasD – :
Firstly, Zagorsk, also named Sergiev Posad, it’s a russian city that it’s said that it’s the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox church. This fragrance it has a melancholic vibe like it’s Russia hehe. Mainly, I perceive rather a dark green woody aspect that balmy. I detect the incense but not too much intense if not slight.
IMO it’s versatile since it’s not overpowering. Although, more suitable for Autumn and Winter. A very evocative fragrance!!
Scent: 8
Longevity: 7
Projection: 6
Sillage: 6
Uniqueness: 7
Versatility: 7
Overall: 6,83
cnfhjcnf – :
Hmm, where to begin here? I know… the CLOVES! They reach out and smack you in the face with their clovey cloviness right away, and that impression lingers throughout the longevity of the scent. It’s also got some nutmeg in there, a la pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving pumpkin-flavored everything. Smells like spicy prune juice and mulled Christmas wine…
Over time a deep smokiness and incense begins to emerge.
My wife said that it reminded her of her mom and kindergarten, which most likely has to do with her Catholic upbringing.
jenaplana – :
This is very dry, and indeed there is an aspect of coldness to it, not fresh, in spite of the smoke and resins. Even though Avignon is my favourite I can’t help but admire its concept. There is an almost otherworldly aspect to it. Brings to mind an extract from my favourite book:
“This time i remembered I was lying in the oak closet and I heard distinctly the gusty wind and the driving of the snow; I heard also the fir bough repeat its teasing sound and ascribed to it the right cause: but it annoyed me so much that I resolved to silence it and I rose to unhasp the casement. The hook was soldered into the staple.I must stop it nevertheless! i muttered knocking my knuckles through the glass; instead of which my fingers closed on the fingers of a little ice cold hand!… I tried to draw my arm and a most melancholy voice sobbed ‘let me in- let me in!’ …..’Who are you?’ i asked struggling meanwhile to disengage myself. ‘Catherine Linton’!! …it replied shiveringly, ‘i’m come home:i d lost my way on the moor!’….’let me in!!!!’….
‘Begone!!!’ i shouted, i ll never let you in, not if you beg for twenty years’. ‘It is twenty years’, mourned the voice:’twenty years….I ve been a waif for twenty years……’ ”
Emily Bronte, “Wuthering heights”.
BaZXeno – :
Woody from the very beginning, slightly smoky note of birch revealing a hint of green pine needles. I was expecting the typical refreshing resinous pine outburst but in reality this note only gives you a general feeling of green plants releasing their smell in the woods while you are stepping on thin wood and leaves. Then the olibanum kicks in with some sweet resinous hint. It makes me think slightly of incense but a very woody one, not the typical incense they burn in Catholic Churches. All in all an interesting fragrance although I would not know when to use it. The smell of wood is very good but in this fragrance it can become slightly stale after a while.
zaripov60 – :
It’s a mistake to assume that every CDG Incense is, like Avignon, an attempt to replicate the actual smell of a given church; not that I’m familiar with Orthodox churches at all, but Zagorsk definitely does not give off an indoorsy vibe. Rather, thanks to the dominant pine sap note in particular, it feels distinctly natural, full of the sort of at once robust and mysterious smells you’d imagine accompanying a druidic ritual. The incense is really not what you come to see with Zagorsk, but it’s the perfect foundation to tie it all together.
That said, it does the same thing after about an hour on my (relatively dry) skin as every other CDG I’ve tried thus far, which is to fade away into a soft, incense-y shadow of itself. I suppose some people might welcome this, if they’re inclined to think of the opening as too strong, but for my part I always find myself hoping that a nominally niche fragrance will be more resistant to settling down so safely. That’s just me, though; those of you who don’t want to reek like they’ve rolled around on the forest floor all day long will probably be fine with it.
gogatrax – :
Zagorsk is not my favorite cdg incense but it’s damn good. I picture a russian church, blanketed in snow, surounded by coniferous trees. The opening is very interesting. There is spiciness but overall it smells remarkably cold to me. Almost slightly metallic, like cold metal. The pine incense combo creates a strangely transparent, almost clovey airiness over top. This opening lasts a very long time, almost hours but eventually the pepper and other woods emerge from hibernation and it becomes much more inviting. The drydown is interestingly contradictory. Theres the cold airiness of the opening but theres also a spicy coziness. In the opening you’re trudging through the freezing taiga. After hours of walking you finally see in the distance a large, gothic cathedral. The drydown comes as soon as you enter it and slam the large, heavy door closed. You can still sense the cold, biting air outside, but it is muted by the heavy wooden door and the warm scent of incense and a cozy fire within. While I love this, for some reason I dont feel the urge to wear it very often. Maybe it’s a little too serious, lacking in charm. Performance is on par with the other incenses, being above average in both duration and sillage. All in all this gets a 7.5/10 from me for its transportive, if overly sombre qualities.
medayonen – :
Overall: 9/10
Here’s Why:
Sad. Rustic. Dreary. Slow Burn.
I’ve never smelt something like this before.
It’s transporting. It tells a story.
The Pine and pepper linger behind a strong birch and frankincense. Iris and Violet take the backseat.
It’s masculine, but young. fresh and stale at the same time.
It’s a beautiful and polarizing smell.
The juice is wonderful, and it tells a story. It’s deep and layered, bitter and sweet. It’s full of contradictions and it shouldn’t work.
for my skin, it was magic.
Does not play well with others.
A little too morbid to wear daily, but it’s special.
Pheno – :
dusty old book of magic in a greeny English fern secret garden. i can still sense Comme des Garcons stamp in this.
DieprireTam – :
A deep, austere, slightly sweet scent that brings to mind a snowy, Russian forest. My second favorite behind Kyoto, but like most of the incense series, Zagorsk isn’t an easy wear. I’ll be sure to reach for it if I ever want to sit in the woods and read Dostoyevski.
Aerohopleneridui – :
This one is better for the colder seasons, I think, but it’s surprisingly fresh for a scent with this much (frank)incense. Those smoky notes dominate on my skin, but they dominate subtly, if that makes any sense; they’re balanced out so beautifully by the greener notes. The smell evokes a walk through a nordic kind of forest in the fall: lots of pines and birch trees and dark wet earth, and somewhere nearby someone is burning incense. It’s great, cold and warm at the same time. So I guess I’m experiencing this like it’s meant, maybe with some help from the suggestion of the name: it does remind me of (an idea of) Russia or northern Scandinavia.
v-2952 – :
I don`t know about the other commenters and their experiences, but this scent is so nostalgic to me, and smells exactly like churches of my childhood in my homecountry — the insense mixed with the cold stony smell of the old church walls…to me it hits the nail on the head with Orthodoxy. I love the scent, but I am not sure if I would really ever wear it; this is for someone really bold and confident to be worn as a perfume, but then again, that is what the Comme des Garcons perfume philosophy is all about – avantgard, excentric, unexpected, unusual. I think I will eventually purchase it and experiment with wearing it.
TRIAFFOCOREOR – :
I like Zagorsk, but what I feel in it is not listed in the official notes breakdown.
First spray on my skin and… Cloves. I feel like I’m at the dentists at the moment sitting at the chair. Strange, isn’t it? It’s somewhat similar to “cloves factor” in Loewe 7, but less synthetic, or rather less in your face, I’d say. It soon gets softened by mild florals(I guess these are iris and violet but I might be wrong). The pine is there too, but it’s not one of the main compounds, it rather plays supporting role. Later on incense swoops in, but it’s also very “7-ish”. I know that Zagorsk was released first, but I know 7 longer. The later, the more I’m starting to feel “Coca-Cola” like smell. Weird, isn’t it? Coca-Cola, pine, cloves and incense. Strange and interesting.
Well, I attend to the catholic church each week and smell of Zagorsk in not “that” type of incense, for sure.
Will update soon.
cgiofaiSAZr – :
Great review below from Dr Kool. 🙂
I have no idea what authentic Orthodox Russian church incense smells of? I’d assumed CDG had done some research? maybe they had? Perhaps the sample churches they chose smelled like this? or maybe a cock up and this incense range was labelled incorrectly? maybe zagorsk is supposed to be jaisalmer as he suggests….I love this one all the same and has been a recent addition to my wardrobe but I can’t wear it yet as for me it’s not warming enough for winter…will be lovely in spring I reckon.
Mityay – :
This is possibly the best of the pine fragrances I’ve tried so far, which include Sugi, Fille en Aiguilles, and Hinoki. By “pine fragrances” I mean the ones that have very prominent pine or cypress notes. In this case, the perfumer has managed to prevent it from smelling like household cleaning products. Regarding longevity, I put on two sprays one morning and my girlfriend could smell it when I got in her car 8 hours later.
As good as this fragrance is, it doesn’t smell like Russian Orthodox incense, and I will explain: Russian monasteries use a lot of benzoin in their incense, which is why it’s so sweet. The benzoin is added to powdered frankincense resin and whatever oils are in the particular blend they’re making. These include rose, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, cinnamon, and many others. In fact, Comme des Garcons Jaisalmer (the Hindu fragrance from the same series) smells almost identical to Russian Orthodox incense (and smells nothing like Indian incense!) To be fair, I suppose we shouldn’t assume it was the perfumer’s goal to mimic liturgical incense. Also, the birch and pine notes do reflect the trees found in Russian forests, although a truly Russian fragrance would also have beeswax, honey, and castoreum, which were some of the Kievan realm’s main exports in Medieval times
I should also mention that this is cold pine, which is probably the effect of the iris note. This is a solemn fragrance. If you like pine but want it warm, go for Fille en Aiguilles.
stas.. – :
Being a Russian Orthodox Christian, living in the US for many years, I miss the scent of my church in Moscow and tend to look for it in perfumes and aromatherapy. I was so excited to find out about Zagorsk. But it fell somewhat short for me. Initially I smelled gauze bandages, now the most prominent scent is beeswax candles that are used in Orthodox church, however, that is not how my church smells like. Maybe Zagorsk (now Sergiev Posad) monastery smells like this, I do not remember (I only visited it once). Seems like a tiny village church might smell like this. I like Zagorsk enough to keep it, yet, it is not reminiscent of my Orthodox church experience in Russia and I do not crave it.
Edit: despite all that, Zagorsk became my fragrance of choice to wear to church. It seems to be the most appropriate scent from my wardrobe, most perfumes seem out of place there.
lovenebo – :
Boy, tough break for Zagorsk considering how much everyone loves the other four! It’s definitely got the deep, dark pine forest going on right from the first whiff…makes me think of Polo almost. I find it to be a very natural, organic confer scent, even after it moves indoors, into the log cabin, losing some of the brisk coldness after a minute or two. This is what life smelled like in remote Hudson Bay Company forts in the wilds of 18th century Canada, pipe tobacco and all. It’s slowly getting sweeter, with a single sweet note, almost like grassy vanilla, that stands out like the spring shoots reaching up through the last of the snow in March. But after the woods from the top notes dissipate more, this grassy vanilla note does get a bit one-dimensional, almost like a He Wood flanker. The dynamic, fresh-hewn log cabin smell ages a few hundred years to leave that sweeter but heavily-worn remnant that you smell when you visit that same old fort today, on a tour at a national park. If you took all the gourmand elements out of Zirh Corduroy, or maybe even out of Rocabar, you’d be left with something like this. It’s much less “my thing” than some of the others in the series, but I’ll still give it a thumbs up because I think it’s well-balanced for the sweet antique wood genre.
zjbiprogr – :
This is a serene, peaceful fragrance…the pine and birch tar perfectly complement the frankincense, this is the last stop on my CDG Incense trail and it’s been an eye opening, whistle stop tour around the world.
I’ve reached the conclusion that I love incense when surrounded by other notes in complex compositions the likes of Amouage epic, memoir and interlude. Another reason I like them is they have a smokiness, I honestly couldn’t describe any of these as being smokey with the exception of Kyoto and Zagorsk which have a mild smokey texture but I was expecting more.
Again, not that I’m complaining this collection has more than delivered and educated me about different faiths and the smells associated with them.
Hats off to Comme de Garçons!!!
schulerrcarmelina2 – :
This peaceful fragrance is perfect for an aromatherapy, especially when one needs concentration, as it keeps the mind clear (actually, it’s an effect of olibanum, which could be purchased as an oil or in it’s pure form).
The question is, where to wear such a “spiritual fragrance”, as an association with the church is too evident (especially for those who live in the countries with dominating Orthodox or Catholic churches).
So I just enjoy it as an abstract aroma, not as a perfume.
Frodo-Max – :
Wow… Give me few minutes. I take a slap in the face, and then, I’ll review it ! O_O
asoev – :
An old stone church deep in the mossy woods just after a rain. I put my nose to the lichen-encrusted stone wall. How can a perfume smell like damp stone? I don’t know, but it does. There is light smoky incense there too, but it is the damp stone that stands out for me. Not something you would buy to wear around town or to work, but wonderfully evocative and I must salute Comme des Garcon for releasing such a unique scent.
afigennij21 – :
Violets and birch tar and young pine needles. And frankincense – rather light and therefore not really typical for an idea of truly depicting an atmosphere of orthodox church. This is for me a smell of an abandoned village church – slightly musty and dusty, a truly melancholic smell of neglect and desertion – and I’ve had a vast experience with Russian Orthodox churches – both grand and neglected.
Nevertheless, I do like Zagorsk: it is much more original compared to Avignon, the projection and silage in both is equally rather moderate on me.
videoxchat – :
I am standing in a forest: it’s a cold, overcast day. The smell of smoke or incense is wafting from somewhere in the distance…I decide to put my nose right up to a birch tree and take a big whiff!! I’m not sure why I would stick my nose up to a tree, but that is exactly the sensation I get with Zagorksk: cold, dry, in-your-face birch wood.
As it dries down, more of the sweet frankincense emerges. The dryness of the top note along with the sweetness of the incense note call to mind the contrast between the spirituality of nature and spirituality found in a place of worship built by human hands. It smells very sacred…and a little eerie…I don’t think I want to be in this cold forest by myself anymore…
Overall, I feel the same way about Zagorsk as I feel about Annick Goutal’s Encens Flamboyan — a very intriguing scent that evokes strange places and pensive moods, but not something I want as a personal fragrance.
neron13 – :
I have never been in a Russian Orthodox church, but I used to attend weekly Catholic Mass with my family and sometimes the priest would burn incense on certain days. This reminds me a lot of that scent, which I found very pleasant and comforting. This conjures up memories of being a child and sitting cozily between my mom and grandma at Mass. It also reminds me a lot of a cold winter day, and sometimes I will get a whiff of what smells like a campfire. It’s very smoky, but on my skin, no pine scent really appears.
I like this quite a bit for its originality, but I agree with the reviewer who said this is a scent she’d wear at home for herself and not out. I don’t think I’d have the courage to wear this in public, but at home it’s nice and calming, especially before bed.
murzilka1107 – :
Peaceful, transcendent, unique – perfect perfume for colder months, especially cold winter. It reminds me of snow, cold, frost, pines, small wooden church somewhere in the forest.
On my skin, unfortunately, too much violet and flowery notes appear. Moreover, some people say they smell carrot.
wolgenn – :
This indeed smells like Russian churches, the smell evokes fear in me, some kind of melancholy. This is a great fragrance but not for outside use, only for your self at home.
allexssiik – :
I cannot get my mind past the smoky opening. It lasts for hours and I do not like it. They say it is unisex, but I guess it´s too masculin for me. I´ll try it on my bf, see if he does like it.
shsa – :
I love the incense range! This is just beautiful! On me it’s absolutely a comforting scent. I smell the pine, the resins and sap of trees, I smell frankincense and the earth of a forest floor. It’s very sweet too, I do get the iris on me, but thankfully no smokiness. Want one now!
grafinist – :
The opening smells smoky, bit like Guerlain Vetiver type of smokiness. I also get tones of pimento. After few minutes there is a woody smell, rather than the common fragrance wood such as cedar wood or sandalwood, you’ll smell the same type of wood that you would smell when you open a furniture kit from IKEA. Pretty unique scent, but I can’t relate it to incense nor see my self wearing it.
demura – :
I tried Zagorsk several months ago and thought “meh, mace.” My least favorite out of all the CdG incense. Opinions aren’t interesting. Observations are.
Here is the scene from last night: an American and two Parisians are sitting in the guest flat in for an international artist residency in a remote concrete suburb of Yerevan, Armenia. Littering the table around which social life revolves are boxes of cigarettes, coffee cups, a plate of chopped tarragon, a colander of radishes, eggshells, a 100 gram bag of what appear to be little quartz rocks purchased from the battery and pencil section of the local supermarket, and a roll of cylindrical basalt-colored briquettes that beckon from an open package cryptically bearing a single line in English: “charcoals without problem.” Ah, Russian. Your literal translations never cease to enchant.
A briquette is placed on a cast iron dish, as if it were an after-dinner mint one were preparing to offer a pot-bellied stove, and this is placed on the table. A sprinkling of the quartz rocks tops the charcoal that is thought to be so unburdened by worry and a match is struck and held close. We wait. Defective? Suddenly sparks fly and a column of white smoke erupts toward the ceiling as we all dive for cover. Windows are flung open and the smell hanging in the room is Zagorsk.
wakejj – :
Something about Comme des Garçons Incense Series 3 ZAGORSK does not sit well on my skin—or in my lungs. There can be no denying that this is an incense perfume, but it hits me quite a bit differently than KYOTO. ZAGORSK, too, is not very oily or resinous, but the wood of the incense seems more bitter than burnt and slightly rubbery as well.
Like KYOTO, ZAGORSK is also devoid of detectable floral notes, but this composition seems quite a bit more masculine to me. The sillage is rather big for a masculine scent, but this will be perhaps welcome to those who like the peculiar quality of the composition, although I’m wondering how many people would really want to be around other people who smell like this.
I do not mean to suggest that ZAGORSK is repellent, but on the other hand I myself do not find it very appealing at all, and my distinct impression is that, if over-applied, this fragrance might have a mildly suffocating effect—something like breathing at high altitude where oxygen is in short supply or inhabiting an old building with traces of asbestos in the attic. Désolée.
twereda – :
One word – pews. And why not? There’s nothing wrong with pews. I like perfumes that transport me somewhere else. It’s lovely but not as easy to buy as Avignon which is sweeter- very nice too but personally I find zagorsk more enchanting.
evoc – :
I don’t know if this perfume reacts in a very peculiar way on me but I smell almost none of the listed notes, and smell a whole lot else.
Firstly I do smell pine, and possible cedar too, but instead of any of it’s floral notes what I get is constant and intense smokiness. I get hints of birch tar and burnt paper, and also a strong wiff of freshly extinguished matches. I don’t get any Iris or violet.
After a while this perfume (which despite it’s oddness I do rather like) becomes damp and mouldy smelling, like an old mahogany closet in the attic. There is something haunting and weird and elemental about Zagorsk which it took me time to adapt to. After a while it transported me to some tumbledown ancient wooden orthodox church in Siberia where the trees crowd about darkly, and the snow melt dampens everything and where wood and the smells of charcoal, earth, lit tapers and clean dirt and dust fill the air.
This is a very unusual and very magical scent which is worth owning even if one cannot wear it often. It’s certainly not as wearable as Avignon (which I adore), but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than Kyoto or Jaisalmer.
Like the rest of this range it’s sheer and light and its sillage is only fair, as is its longevity, but the bottles are a handy size to carry about so you can always re-apply.
xxxmarcusxxx – :
Wintery. Cold, damp earth in the middle of a forest.
ahel09 – :
On my skin I mainly get birch and carrots, not much incense at all which surprised me. It’s a silent, cool scent that tells a story in a way, it calms my nerves. I come from the northern parts of Sweden, so I totally get this minimalistic call of nature. It reminds me of climbing trees as a child, the woodsy, sappy parts of this scent really resembles the woods where I come from. It also reminds me of my mothers homegrown carrots, pulled from the soil, brushed off and piled in the fridge. The smell you get from snapping an ice cold homegrown carrot in half is right there. Zagorsk is an amazing composition of scents that really touches my heart.
mqzkmooesg – :
My ex boyfriend wore this one…to me it is like an evergreen, fresher and less sweet Avignon. Love the collection, but Avignon is the absolute, quintessential incense out there. Zagorsk smells clean in all of it smokiness, but something sterile comes from it that leaves me totally cold.
UbiycaEnotov – :
It’s quite an intense incense fragrance. I smell a lot of olibanum, cedar, and pine, but I can also feel a subtle sharpness from the pimento. Fortunately, I don’t find the pimento to be a prominent note on my skin, and as an olibanum lover, I appreciate how this intensely woody fragrance makes me feel grounded. There is also something unexpectedly cool and fresh about incense scents in the intense summer heat. I suppose they remind me of winter!
dimondallas92 – :
My favorite.
Sring. Summer. Fall. Winter.
Drog_96 – :
If you like the hinoki cypress smell I think Zagorsk is a much better interpretation of the theme than it actually is Monocle Scent 01 by the same house. A dark-green coniferous base (pine and hinoki) mixed with the most chilling and stark frankincense around. Minimalistic and austerely distinctive but incredibly compelling as well. One of my favourite incenses of all time. Highly recommended!
Rating: 8.5/10
dasdas – :
I must have a skin chemistry issue here because I mainly get chilli, but more vegetal than spice. The incense is smoky and reminiscent of the forest camp fire and is just lovely. I only wish I had more of the pine resin others speak of. Interesting comination but I like my incense perfumes to be cosy. This on me is too unbalanced so I find myself somewhat distracted by it rather than comforted.
Thanks Scorpiosheep for this sample. It’s been a great ride!
665770 – :
All about pine and fir balsam with a tiny curl of incense smoke, the opening notes of Zagorsk really do evoke the image of a tiny Russian church in the middle of a huge dark fir forest on a cold snowy night. As the scent warms a little it becomes greener and the image changes to the inside of the church, constructed out of fir wood, decorated with freshly cut evergreen branches, and scented with the smoke of a small amount of subtly spicy incense that’s being burned for a ceremony.
As time goes on, it warms even more, revealing a soft violet/iris scent that’s still very green, becoming progressively sweeter and spicier. To me, this phase evokes pastel colored violet flavored candies. There’s quite a bit of sillage, especially in the violet phase. Zagorsk does a complete about-face, evolving from a cool and stark evergreen-laden woody incense to a violet floral that’s sweet and soft, although it does maintain an undercurrent of evergreen leaves and wood.
I love the first act, with its woody incense, but the second act with its sweet violets becomes cloying after a while, especially since it has amazing staying power.
Sergeykin116 – :
This one went all the way where Prada Infusion d’Homme chickened out. It is based on the same bitter herbal note (which is parsley to me), but this note is here complemented by manly and sophisticated mixture of leather, tobacco and incense. The tobacco note here is definitely the one of smoked tobacco rather than dry leaf (read “cigarette butts” – but in the best possible sense).
nina15 – :
I am underwhelmed by this…not because of the quality per se but probably because I put it on too high a pedestal in my expectations. Honestly, at first it reminds me of classic “Grandma” perfume – omnipresent cough-inducing sweetness. After a while I could almost sense the “snow/cold” note a lot of people mention – but it was so fleeting I didn’t know if it was my imagination. Incense, yes…especially in the way it pervades everything around you like a veil of olfactory fog(you can almost see the smoke when smelling this). But the only “Russian” association I got from it was mens’ aftershave from the soviet union. It’s not unpleasant by any means…just for me feels absolutely nothing like the description.
Alex5500715 – :
Classic incense, right down to the resin and smoke. I’m told it smells like a Russian Orthodox church. It’s lovely, but probably too close to real incense for most people. Still, I like it very much for it’s evocative atmosphere.