Les Absolus Encens Mythique Eau de Parfum

1 Review

1. 

   blissfulAbalone5

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   This is a beautiful olibanum (frankincense) fragrance and it just transports me, mesmerizes me. I love the natural smell of olibanum, there is a liquidambar forest in my country and olibanum is a well-used aroma in soaps. I have always loved this balmy, sweet but serene smell but the usual frankincense note in fragrances does not satisfy my cravings as I find that too woodsy and smokey. Encens Mythique has that realistic and naturally balmy, sweet and deep olibanum smell just as if Guerlain provided you with a candle full of this essential oil. It is quite similar to the myrrh note in Serge Lutens’s perfume with that name – but less minty, and somehow airier. Encens Mythique opens with a blast of balmy olibanum, as if you were smelling some creme, and a beautiful creamy, oriental pink rose manifests on this balmy bed. These two could be terribly suffocating I guess, but IMO Thierry Wasser has struck the perfect balance here. My perception of this fragrance has been different from what is said on Guerlain’s website. They say that frankincense is ethereal here and the real sweetness comes from ambergris. If that is so, all the better because this may be one of the few perfumes where I like ambergris – it runs the risk of smelling too flat or tired on my skin. Again, with this particular fragrance and with the entire collection actually, I finally understand what people like when they like saffron in perfumes. It just adds that warm, skinlike depth to the rose and sweetness here, saving both from becoming an oriental jam I suppose. This transitions into the animalic base very nicely and expertly, making Encens Mythique a very well-made fragrance. The animalic base is still a Guerlain animalic, you get the sensual depth but there is no risky, edgy stench there. I don’t think Encens Mythique is everyone’s cup of tea. The closest thing I know is SL La Myrhhe and that, too, has been a solo experience for me. (Perhaps this is cultural, such orientals are not preferred where I live, and people often make fun of them in some way). Encens Mythique is more wearable and blends better with its wearer I guess. I’m planning to buy a bottle very soon. Very good sillage and lasting power.