Holy Smoke
by Demeter Fragrance Library

As my mother said, this fragrance is "pure Catholicism"--the good and the bad. The scent is fairly true to what mass really smells like--except for the acrid synthetic finish. It's also lacking in the smoke department. Plenty of incense, but not enough smoke.

16th March, 2011.

I'm neutral on it. I love dry incense scents. I recognize that Demeter is an inexpensive spritzy line, so I don't expect too much. But I have to say that there really isn't much incense here. It starts with light wood tones, they appear right at the start. Then follows a slight synthetic smell. It is not really unpleasant, reminding me of rubber tires and garage notes, in other words a sort of industrial chord. But where's the incense? The scent is not sweet, heavy, or obnoxious. The dry-down is OK, and here if I REALLY use my imagination I can pretend there is the faintest whiff of incense.
My advice -- if you want incense, pay the bucks and get a high-quality fragrance. Bois D'Encens and Bois D'Orage come to mind. Sure they are expensive. But they are an incense experience! The Comme des Garcons line is also good. Life is too short to stay stuck at this basic level.

23rd September, 2008.

Incense and smoke: This does remind me a bit of the incense in Catholic churches, but I think there is more to Holy Smoke than just Catholic Church incense. At first I get a lot more smoke than I get incense and there is a background of some nice smelling wood in there, along with a suggestion of spice. As the scent progresses, the incense becomes more prominent than the smoke. It’s a very pleasant fragrance, especially because of my church flashbacks. I had supposed that Holy Smoke would last much longer than the usual Demeter… it lasts a little longer but not much.

22nd August, 2008.

A very nice fall scent, heavy and thick [without being overpowering] with a nice amount of staying power. I have tried this one and fireplace and I lean towards this one more for that smoky-incense feel.

12nd April, 2008.

Holy smoke is the exact smell of the incense used during Catholic mass. However there is a slight synthetic smell when first sprayed. The drydown is a light Frankincense that seems to stay on for many hours. I wanted to like it, but just couldnt. Now I use it as a room pick-me-up spray which I use during the night, which evokes a mystical-spiritual feeling.

24th April, 2007.

Not exactly what I was hoping for, but not exactly terrible either. This strikes me as unlit stick incense, after the South Asian style, combining florals, light spices, sandalwood, and something like dried fruit or honey. For me, it's too sweet and perhaps borders on those cheap, quasi-exotic, oil-dipped incenses with names like "Egyptian Midnight" and "Lovers Ritual."

28th March, 2007.