Reviews of 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.

For the longest time, I've resisted wearing this scent. The name of this frag just turns me off. But what a lovely surprise when I actually spritzed it on me. I don't much care for the lavender opening but the drydown on my skin is just superb. Dark, brooding and absolutely unusual. This and Cuba are two favorite of Czech & Speake.

great one from C&S, rich and luxurious as rhodes22 said, quite linear on me, it doesnt change much from start to end, and it doesnt bore me

Great product, poor name. Beautiful citrus to woods, with just a hint of the namesakes. Could it be that more would not have been better? Not that it really matters; appropriately named or not it remains a 10.

Fans of incense perfumes obviously can’t ignore this one.

Dark, warm, resinous and very spicy; it smells like it is on fire although it isn’t particularly smoky.
It has a wonderful, slightly rubbery structure; it smells deep and sticky. It has an odd, “flexible” aroma.


To my mind and nose this is very true incense and myrrh scent. In only addition, I see this dark religious duo slightly lightened up here by the glittering shades of not gold but; yellow chamomiles.

I like several of the Czech & Speake colognes, particularly No. 88, but I was very disappointed with this fragrance. Both frankincense and myrrh generally please me, so I don't know what on earth happened here. To me it smells like an old man's aftershave from the 1980's. Deeply unpleasant - I was relieved to wash it off.
Just shows how differently people react to perfumes I guess.

One could never accuse Czech & Speake of producing dull and nondescipt fragrances, but as yet, I have not found one that I have bonded with immediately. Frankincense & Myrhh is probably the most accessible of their range, and I especially enjoyed the freshness of the opening. The citrus components seemed to be there as facilitators, rather than as dominant parts in their own right. Consequently, the Sage and Basil gave me a particularly dry and fresh introduction, which blended well with the slightly sweeter middle notes. Longevity is not great, and I struggled to get beyond five hours with my morning application. The drydown is sweet, baked and extremely masculine.This may not be as exotic as other C&S fragrances, but it is my contention that this is probably the most usable. I enjoyed this stimulating medley of diverse components enormously.

rich and luxurious - stays put

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.

To me, F & M isn't that "churchy" as I expected. I the top note, the camomile is very dominant, then it develops to a deep, bright, balsamic fragrance with Vetiver, Lavender, Orris and a bitter Myrrh accord. Like all Czech & Speake scents, an excellent composition; very distinctive and long-lasting. Not everyone's cup of tea, for sure - but I love it. Thumbs up!

My holy grail for some years, and I still really like this one!
First, I don't really know where other people find lavender here, I strongly disagree.
That said, I totally agree with heresjohnny that it a mellow and "nice" fragrances.
It has notes of orange and oriental spices, but all rather chary and warm. Very smooth, light and balsamic, fits perfectly all day, all season. Very special and male, but in a understating way.

Frankincense? Myrrhe? Where??? This is a lavender fragrance with a tiny hint of frankincense. Maybe if it was called Lavender Incense or something to that effect I wouldn't have panned this...but I was expecting a good strong incense fragrance with two heavy resinous hitters like Frankincense & Myrrhe. If you like Lavender then give this one a try....or at least expect a lavender fragrance.

A very nice, intoxicatingly mellow fragrance. The light hint of the frankincense and myrhh are a pleasant experience all day. I see a bottle in my future.