Frankincense & Myrhh (1984)
by Czech & Speake

I have read that burning frankincense or myrrh produces much different scents than those used in perfumery. Honestly, I have no idea what either smells like burned. I do know that I really like this fragrance. A lemony incense I would say. Longevity is about 4 hours... even for some of the top notes. This really is a pleasant surprise but don't be fooled by the namesake.

Top: orange, lemon, basil
Mid: frankincense, myrrh
Base: sandalwood, cedar
Several reviewers have mentioned lavender, but I don't get that note. There is a good basil-herbal aromatic note which goes well with the lemony-citrus opening. The frankincense and myrrh are well done: dry, resinous, slightly sharp. There are good wood tones, sharp and dusky sandalwood. If you like a dry, aromatic woody-incense scent then I think you'll like it. It is exotic but not heavy, not the usual rich oriental style. No vanilla or amber here! In fact, to my mind this is a perfect austere oriental.

This one for me is unusual in that, after three wearings, I'm liking it less each time. First thing to get out of the way is the name, which many newbies get fooled by. As others have mentioned, I would firmly agree if you are looking for a church incense, this is not the one for you. On my skin, I describe it as more of a light floral type, not one you need to worry about being too feminine. Also, smells a bit chalky on drydown. Not bad at all, but I'm glad I didn't spring for a bottle after my first wearing.

Frankincense and Myrrh is another fragrance that seems to be very sensitive to skin types, and, I’ve found, maybe even sensitive to times of day. In my wearing of it several times in the past three weeks, it has performed in three different ways. Most often, in the opening, I get lavender — it opens with a pleasant lavender—a basic, non-spectacular accord with a soft creamy lavender whose main potential is that of putting me to sleep from boredom. The lavender has almost no sillage and stays very close to the skin. Nothing happens for the longest time and, after I’ve checked the bottle of couple of times to make sure I actually sprayed FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH, I’m ready to write a review like Buffalo_Gals’ only not as polite. After about forty-five minutes, I start to get a trace of bitter orange, and an hour and a quarter after first spraying it gives me the full, well rounded accord of lavender, bitter orange, chamomile, and the frankincense and myrrh. A lovely full, smooth, and rich accord it is, and it behaves itself nicely by remaining judiciously close to the skin.

It’s the dry down that makes this a superb fragrance. The frankincense and myrrh take almost total dominance of the base. They provide a discreet and rich incense accord that, again, stays close to the skin, lasts forever, and provides the CDG Incense Series experience in an elegantly toned down performance. Its subtlety makes it incredibly versatile and lovely.

this is ok but nowhere near the showstopper no 88 is and for what it's up to I think there are more enticing versions, like some amouages... as far as "frankincense and myrrh" goes, you really can do far better elsewhere. . .

Funny, I find this is not so much an incensy fragrance - rather, a more balanced and complex version of No.88 with incense in it. The floral mix is exactly like No.88, but less aggressive here, rounded by the incense notes. A highly unusual , but also very clean and wearable fragrance.