Frankincense & Myrrh (1984)
by Czech & Speake

Not too bad. I had orginally sampled after washing with a scented body wash. This (of course) threw off the test. Second test was much better and I can actually get the incense and myrrh this time. Dry down reminds me a little bit of Safari. Pretty good stuff and I find the sillage to be above average.

Frankincence is the staple note in most of the "incense" fragrances I've tried. That other biblical luxury, myrrh, is something I come across much less often. It appears perhaps most famously in Serge Lutens's excellent La Myrrhe, where it is set in the context of a bright, crisp, aldehydic floral-oriental. Czech & Speake's Frankincense & Myrrh casts it's two leads in a much simpler bubbly-sweet citrus eau de Cologne formula. As a result, the incense ingredients throw aside their accustomed gothic austerity and take on lively supporting roles in a fundamentally sunny, cheerful composition. The idea woks well in that the myrrh's inherent astringency adds a layer of nuance to the citrus accord, while the frankincense extends the life of the scent far beyond that of the traditional eau de Cologne formula.

If there's a downside to all the resultant good cheer, it's that the scent comes off as a bit simplistic. When the incense sheds its goth trappings it leaves its mystery behind as well, and smelling Frankncense and Myrrh reminds me that it's the air of awe and remoteness that makes other incense fragrances like Dzongkha, Jubilation XXV, and Zagorsk so compelling to me. So while it's unquestionalbly well-made and attractive, Frankincense & Myrrh also winds up being just a little bit dull.

It has the familiar synthetic "bleachy" frankincense that is used so well in Heeley's Cardinal, only instead of being blended with real Boswellia Serrata oil like the heeley and Tauer's Incense Extreme, this Frankincense note is blended with very dated and familiar masculine scents that really don't evoke Myrrh or frankincense.

Another dissapointment for me from Czech & Speake.

A wonderfully festive scent if I might say that was rich wwith warm woods and a reminder of mulled wine. On first whiff, I detected strong resinous woods which overshadowed the typical floral-citrus notes that are mainstream in Czech & Speake's scents. There was definitely the impression of attempting complexity with different woody notes as I was smelling cinnamon and pine cones in addition to the frankincense and myrrh. Definitely a great contrast to the typical citrus or "ocean" scents associated with men.

The dry down continues to echo the wood elements and smelt like freshly lacquered chinese rosewood combined with a dry, hay like quality.
It was an enjoyable scent to test, but unfortunately not something that I would wear daily. Too festive in my opinion. But in a good way.

One of the more interesting C&S scents indeed.

Based on what the name implies, I found this to be almost devoid of these accords. It’s largely a fleeting soapy affair with only faint traces of incense and myrrh.

To be awfully frank, my dear boy, if you’re looking for something more substantial, it’d be a jolly good idea to look elsewhere…

Well, I'm not sure if I should embalm or annoint someone with the myrrh but then I can't say I spot a myrrh note. Let's be honest, I wouldn't know a myrrh note if it punched me on the nose. I do recognize frankincense but I don't smell it here, except in minute quanities towards drydown. Did someone forget the gold? Never mind. C&S have come up with No.88, Cuba and Neroli; so it's forgivable if some mad scientist in tweeds working for this venerable house comes up with a weird one now and then. This one can be fun, if you're also fond of strange experiments. Not bad smelling by any means, just um . . .Anglo avante-garde? I tend to picture Bertie Wooster wearing it, even though Jeeves expresses his misgivings.