Gaudete omnes et laetamini! Incense - one of the most ancient, magical, and mysterious of scents. The term incense derives from the Old French encens “sweet-smelling substance”, which itself derives from the Latin incensum literally “something burnt”. Indeed , in a related way, perfume takes its name from the Latin “per fumare” which means“through” or “by” smoke. Incense has always had both sacred and secular uses and connotations. The Japanese had "Koh-Do" - "The way of Incense, which had a complex ritual for burning and appreciating the different scents that burning incense could bring. The ancient Egyptians buried their pharaohs with incense. In the sacred space incense has always been considered an offering, carrying praise and prayers to the heavens in clouds of sweet smelling smoke. It was believed in ancient times that the only thing that could cross the barriers between heaven and earth was the smoke of incense. Cardinal by Heeley borrows heavily from that use of incense in a sacred space. Unlike some incense fragrances, Cardinal is not dark or heavy, no Gothic cathedral here Think of a chapel in the country with clues of incense highlighted in the light pouring in through stained glass windows. Cardinal starts of light, with the incense notes masked somewhat by a clean linen note. There is a hint of spiciness, perhaps a pepper note, albeit faint. Cardinal, to my nose,takes me right to a Catholic Vigil Mass, it's that nice. After a few minutes on the skin, Cardinal is full-on incense, with frankincense and myrrh taking the lead. Cardinal does we're close, though and even though one thinks it has faded, it has the surprising ability top waft back at you hours later. This is not a scent with overpowering projection, but rather a personal space scent. It lingers and beguiles. To sum up. Cardinal is one of the nicest incense scents I have tried. While projection and sillage are not its strong suits, it lasts in ones personal space for quite a while. The only (and slight) downside is that depending on one's skin type, one may need to apply it a bit more liberally than normal. This ones on my keeper short list. Well worth trying it, if one has an interest in incense based fragrances.
