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Mepkn649Diobtetty – :
I agree with other reviews: this smells exactly like lipstick and perfumed powder. There is a fruity hint of raspberry that keeps the scent from becoming too much like waxy makeup,but it’s very much a hint only. Fascinating. I really like it but I don’t think I could wear this as a full scent. It’s too much like an actual lipstick. They did it exactly right. Dry down gets powdery from the myrryh iris combo, but it also takes on a licorice edge. I like the licorice edge, but the powdery is that leathery old style powder that can mean ‘old lady’ to some. It reminds me a little of Grandad’s English Leather, frankly
picasso3107 – :
Very sophisticated, high-quality smelling take on the cosmetics bag perfume. Unlike Moulin Rouge Histoires de Parfum or Lipstick On Maison Martin Margiela, the waxy/powdery iris lipstick/facepowder accord is dominant and long lasting here with just the smallest trace of fruit from raspberry (the others are the inverse with more fruity notes than iris). So you have to love the rather grown-up smell of orris and all of it’s strange associations to enjoy Incarnata. This is not a young girl’s perfume but rather a feminine adult woman’s. It goes through a rather soapy mid-phase that I don’t love but the eventual drydown is very nice with a subtle animalic undertone of leather and amber. I’m very impressed by this.
gulechka – :
Is this anything like Valentino Donna? Does anyone know how they compare?
I want to try this so badly! The only place I found a sample was on luckyscent for 4 bucks plus $4 shipping. Kind of high for a tiny sample but I might break down and get it.
futtipfug – :
Since I am a big fan of powdery scents, Incarnata was a wonderful discovery for me. The particular thing is that it is not only orris powder. I find that there are 3 dominant notes that gives this fragrance smooth, gentle and powdery scent: orris root, violet leaf and powder itself.
The raspberry is blended into it just perfectly. It’s not load yet noticeable and makes the scent really pop! Incarnata is quite complex, so even though the other notes are less dominant, they provide depth. All in all this is a very harmonius blend. Incarnata is unique and should be on the list of lovers of powdery perfumes:)I’ll probably make it my signature scent. The quality+longevity are also superb.
PS. I don’t get a make-up vibe and that’s good!
kosta6680 – :
Day 2 of sampling Anatole Lebreton. Today was Incarnata’s turn:
Indeed, it is a powdery lipstick scent (not my cup of tea). I was not able to detect any raspberry at the start or throughout – it’s a pity as I would have liked a bit of tartness.
At the beginning, the lipstick element was very strong and even a little plasticky. Around the 4th hour mark, though, suede started coming through in a major way and I did enjoy that part more. I spent the next two hours smelling my arm.
Longevity is ok, but it did turn fairly quickly to a skin scent on me.
All in all, it’s a meh for me (I prefer the queen Teint de Neige for powder) , but I would recommend it to make up/lipstick scent lovers.
gjrhsirf – :
yes…first I thought …it was just too much, weird , just no. had a shower and forgot about it. An hour later I smelled something so inviting, so sensual and had to conclude that it is Incarnata which literally incarnated from decay into ethereal beauty. It has turned into a rich, raspberry-ambery-leathery seductress…
Actually, this marvellous drydown brought back some memories from the vintage Balenciaga Rumba.
linar1968 – :
A powder powerhouse. The first blast is very compact powder with an old-school floral note and honey, the latter apparently from Rhododendron. The raspberry is an absolutely tart one instead of sweet or fruity, so the perfume also has a tartness to it rather than sweet-powderiness. If I sniff the perfume closely I also get a tinge of myrrh smoke.
Unfortunately not only is the dry down of Incarnata very flat on me but it also progressively turns MINTY. I’m scratching my head wondering why, but there you go. 4 hours in and I still don’t detect any suede or leather. Minty powder is really not my thing, so this to me is unwearable. However it is quite different from other makeup-powder perfumes I’ve smelled, and indeed is an interesting olfactive experience. Bottom line: worth my sample money, but very far from moving me to get a full bottle.
kalinovsky_es – :
I can’t agree more with @goldeneraglamor!
I get powder and lipstick, as well as a mere innuendo of raspberry, only in the first several seconds, literally just seconds, and then Incarnata turns into a freakish herbal, minty perfume. I believe it contains angelica, as I loath the scent of angelica, yet I am quite sure it’s there. I think there is ambrette too, which gives it a vegetal muskiness.
The myrrh that I detect in the heart is opoponax, commonly called sweet myrrh. If you are worried that Incarnata will smell like church incense because you saw myrrh in the notes, don’t worry. It is not incency or churchy in the least. Sweet myrrh is not the bitter myrrh that is burned in church.
In the drydown, the mint dissipates (thank Heavens. I like mint, but I don’t like it in this perfume). The base reveals a smooth, balsamic benzoin, which is quite beautiful. As for suede, well, let’s just say that if I did not see the notes ahead of time I never would have guessed there was any suede in it, but I do notice it when I actually try to notice it.
I like this perfume, it’s certainly very unique, but if you are looking for a makeup/lipstick scent with lots of raspberry and creaminess, I would suggest Lipstick On.
Sillage is low to average, and longevity is a few hours. It is frustrating that longevity is so short because I don’t like the minty, angelica heart phase, and if I touch up, I have to endure it all over again.
Bottom line? Incarnata is not my perfect makeup/lipstick perfume, but I appreciate it anyway. I see it as a casual, feminine fragrance. Think Chanel goes “boho”. If only they could remove the heart notes….
iqzero – :
Makeup-smelling perfumes, I must smell them all!
This one is almost perfect; super suede-y opening melts into endless orris waxiness, surrounded by violet, rose and soft powderiness. Not the ordinary powder-monster, Incarnata smells very authentic lipstick and face cream. Very cool, cold almost. Rich lady after having a facial.
Most importantly, it doesn’t smell vintage like expected (or like MCG Burlesque), more contemporary (to me it has the same vibe as HdP Tubereuse 1, mostly for the leather/floral interpretation).
Personally, it’s almost perfect, except the suede note could last a bit longer and the raspberry note, too screetchy for this cool-waxy diva.
The weird factor: rhododendron?
sanneeekkkfh – :
Perfumes that smell like lipstick have a special appeal. For some they are nostalgic, for others they are a femme fetish. When combined, violet, iris root and rose replicate the swirl of freshly applied lipstick. Musks, vanilla, sweet woods and resins bridge the florals to the cold, powdery waxiness that defines lipstick’s olfactory ‘feel.’
A lipstick ‘note’ has been common to many perfumes since the early 2000s when new, less expensive iris materials came online, even sneaking its way into masculine and ‘unisex’ perfumes like Dior Homme and Histoire de Parfums 1889. Previously, lipstick scents had been the province of girly florals like Yves St. Laurent Paris and l’Artisan Parfumeurs Drole de Rose.
Incarnata follows in the line of a few other lipstick perfumes, namely ELDO Putain des Palaces, Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose and Chanel Misia, but it doesn’t copy them. Incarnata reaches past scent and finds the cold, creamy texture of lipstick. Compared to Incarnata, most ‘lipstick’ perfumes come off as basic variations on the mixed floral. Incarnata is lipsticky from stem to stern, even in the basenotes, by which point most lipstick fragrances struggle to maintain the freshly applied appearance that they had out of the bottle. Floral notes have been used to mask the scent of wax and cosmetic cream. They keep lipstick from smelling like crayons. Incarnata doesn’t mask anything. It smells like a complete vintage dressing table set with lipstick, face powder and cold cream.
The scent of lipstick brings to mind a particular range of color. Putain and Lipstick Rose land squarely in the pink/red spectrum. Even perfumes with a minor lipstick note, such as Guerlain Nahema and Chanel 18 tend to have traces of the same hues. Incarnata takes Chanel Misia’s grey-pink a step further with a cyanotic grey tone that implies a cool temperature as well as a cool palate. The papery iris topnote segues believably into the suede heart and waxy base and give Incarnata its frosty edge.
A friend’s grandmother had an endearing habit of touching up her lipstick as she’d head out the door. She’d flash us a girlishly conspiratorial look through the mirror as if she were tossing down a big sip of a martini and say, “Can’t face the world without lipstick now, can we?” She would have loved Incarnata.
from scenthurdle.com
andybr – :
The unmistakeable smell of suede assails my nostrils. Very animal. I’m sure the orris underlines this impression. I can see what others mean about an old rancid waxy lipstick/cosmetic smell. I then detect the powderiness along with violet and rose. There is barely any sweetness and if there is vanilla in here I can’t pick up on it. Sorry but this is not for me.
Zeta_Igor – :
So my original review was deleted for some reason
but i will state it again,
this does smell like lipstick to me, but in the strange way.
Quite stale smelling and in the dry down all i got was sour waxiness.
edit: trying it again and i am enjoying it a bit more, its thicker and sweeter this time, still overwhelming and gets stuck in my throat, but interesting for sure. I can’t stop sniffing my hand.
osieva – :
This is in the same vein as ELDO Putain des Palaces for me. I don’t get a lipstick scent per se (not like in Lipstick Rose) but the lingering smells of make-up and perfumes in a messy and not very well-ventilated budoir come to mind. I say not well-ventilated because there is a distinct muskiness in Incarnata that makes me think of how one might smell after a moderate workout in a humid climate. Not in an odorous manner but rather erotic actually. The above listed notes of vanilla and amber do not do justice to Incarnata, in which the orris and suede stand out most prominently on my skin. A sweet heady incense and the sweaty muskiness as mentioned above. Sillage is soft and longevity moderate. Once my ELDO runs out I believe I will replace it with a bottle of Incarnata, the latter smells more human and the former more lab based.
eliktron – :
Nope, not only amber and vanilla!
I smell addiction, i smell Iris, violet, and leather. Slight roses and powdery dusty note as well. I can sense something similar in “Iri-del” by Nomenclature with allot of concrete gray white wall!
Oh my.. now i find it, it is the smell of a collapsing house! a destructive area, it’s like the smell of the city that Thomas and his friends were running into getting away from Janson in “The Maze Runner 2: The Death Cure”, Wild, Sunny, and amazingly fresh breeze with allot of concrete walls. It is weird I know 😀
I guess Anatole now captured my senses at max and i guess he’ll become my favorite perfumer.
bond007_33 – :
The ultimate lipstick fragrance. Think of how lipstick smells – would you enjoy smelling like that? Your answer to that question will inform most of how much you enjoy this fragrance.
Most of the contrast in this fragrance is between a dense, pasty iris and a slightly fermented, unsweetened raspberry, with hefty dose of wax. Though I love them both, Misia and Lipstick Rose are prettified abstractions next to this: there’s a certain roughness to the treatment of the softer, more floral smells that brings to mind Rozy VdE, but this is nothing so big and heavy, merely “thick” smelling. There is a soft leather note that rises up in the drydown, but it’s only apparent after some hours: it’s that plush leather, somewhat similar to Cuir Ottoman.
The overall impression is strangely unedited and lived-in, and is a welcome change from the very rote and polished niche releases of late, without being too indie. Best thing I’ve smelled in 2016 so far.
lyoshastep – :
Disclaimer: everything stated in this review is “to my nose”…you may get/have a completely different perception of this scent and others mentioned, so if you are interested in powdery and/or cosmetic-inspired scents, please do give Incarnata a try! I just didn’t want to repeat this phrase throughout the whole review lol.
The review:
It is borderline vile! I do get lipstick waxiness smelling from the vial, but it disappears almost immediately after applying to the skin. I can’t pick out any of the notes beyond the wax- no rose, iris, violet, vanilla, raspberry, etc. It simply smells like a putrid mentholated floral and remains that way throughout wear time. More toothpaste than lipstick. There is no sweetness whatsoever, nor can I detect any fruit. I thought it was a skin chemistry thing so I tested it on a paper strip and got the same result. I wouldn’t call it a total dislike, but I am just not a fan.
The waxiness is reminiscent of scents like Moulin Rouge, Lipstick On, and Ombre Mercure, but again, it fades wayyyyy too quickly, plus the supporting notes are not pleasant. On a side note, Lipstick Rose doesn’t have this very particular waxiness, but it does have this aldehydic edge (which others may perceive as the wax). IIRC iris is not listed as a note for LR…iris usually lends that lipstick feel to me.
Anyway, Incarnata does not resemble Lipstick Rose one bit, which LuckyScent compares it to in their description of the scent. Nor is it anything like Chanel Misia, Drole de Rose, or other rose-violet scents. Oddly enough, the one scent it does remind me of Amouage Fate, another scent that I thought I’d adore but didn’t. Fate smells infinitely better though. I compared the two to validate the resemblance and was quite surprised. Fate is spicier and not minty, plus it lacks the wax.
All in all, I was sorely disappointed by Incarnata, as a major makeup/cosmetic-inspired perfume fan. Though not my favorite, Moulin Rouge is the cream of the crop of the category IMO.
Canette – :
To me, this the ultimate “makeup/powder/old lipstick all thrown in an old leather purse” fragrance. It’s got this vintage feel that others miss. The search is over.
Bravo Anatole !
And yes, some of the notes are missing.
qq11 – :
I just last evening finished up my sample of Incarnata. Yes, the notes listed (as of 12/11/15) are incorrect. Moodypaws has them as they should be in his review below.
If you’re looking for a strong, long-lasting, feminine scent, you’ve found her. Terrific makeup vibe. Lipstick and powder, pretty florals and a bit of fruit, deeper undertones. Excellent. Just placed my order for a FB today.
12/22/15 ETA: I’ve had my bottle for some days now. This is marvelous! If I were to have a signature scent, I think this might be it. Yes, it is quite powdery, but an interesting powdery, tinged with amber and a most incredible suede note. It keeps interest, as it morphs a bit while wearing. It is really not quite like anything else I’ve smelled. Very sensuous and alluring.
sten023 – :
Amber and vanilla, Fragrantica? Below are the complete notes:
Raspberry, Violet, Rhododendron
Make-up Accord, Iris, Myrrh, Rose
Amber, Suede, Benzoin, Vanilla.
It is mainly a play between raspberry and iris, with the other characters playing supporting roles very discreetly.
Very pleasant, deliciously retro, rather close to the skin but with enormous tenacity – over 12 hours on my skin.
Although not normally concerned with gender discrimination, the evident lipstick/make-up vibe makes this more suited to the ladies in my opinion but lovely stuff nonetheless. It came as a free extra when I bought the sample set from Anatole, so thanks to the perfumer for the chance to smell this 🙂