This is my new perfume. Like the perfect but elusive "perfect handbag," I'm always on the search for the perfect scent. I've always searched for a great scent that smelled like incense. I ordered some samples from www.luckyscent.com and they arrived today. Along with the above mentioned scent I also received two more from the Comme des Garcon Incense line, Kyoto and Jaisalmer, as well as Olibanum from Profumum. Clearly the winner for me is Avignon, but I knew that even before I tried it based on its rave reviews on the website. Here's how I felt about the other samples, in my order of preference:
Kyoto - Nice incense smell, a little sweeter than Avignon; it is something that I would buy later on. Maybe better for warmer weather.
Jaisalmer - Cedar, cedar cedar, with some benign smoke - not like a fire or cigarettes or cigars, but just smoke for the sake of smoke. Smells like a walk outside in North Carolina in November. Also another one I'd like to have somewhere down the line.
Olibanum by Profumum - Definately my least favorite, the first thing I thought of it was that it smelled like a 55 year old woman who was a heavy smoker, who, upon returning to the office from her smoke break, sprayed perfume on herself to cover the cigarette smell. This is not one I will be purchasing down the line. Which is just fine with me as this stinkpot costs $240.
Now for the online reviews of CdG Avignon that convinced me that I would love it even before I tried it. To amuse myself, when the package arrived I did a blind smell test, and picked CdG as the one I liked best as well as predicting which one it was. Now for Avignon's online reviews:
"One whiff of this and I was back being dragged round medieval European churches as a child."
"It smells so much like a church that my partner (raised Catholic) gets flashbacks."
"LIKE HAVING PASSIONATE SEX IN THE MIDDLE OF ST. PETERS SQUARE ON A SUNDAY MORNING. WICKED."
"Each ingredient in Avignon is an intoxication on its own, but together they multiply into a hallowed resinating presence. Warmth, like the sun hitting the tundra while coming down from the Himalaya. Sobering and mesmerizing."
"Potentially it could have a profound subconscious effect upon those who smell it and grants its wearer the temporary mark of a saint-whether or not they are."
How can I compete with such descriptions? I love it and will be wearing it to my gothic church tonight. Oh, and by the way, after I tried it on and fell in love with it, I found out, through the website, that it is the very scent that Morrissey wears! Yet another reason to try it for yourself.
Now, reach forward and scratch the picture of the bottle for a sample of your own. Or just ask to smell me next time you see me.
