Fumari
by Ava Luxe

Maybe it was the sample, maybe it was my skin chemistry ... but I found no incense, woods, or smoke in this one. My trial notes say "clean, soapy, not particularly compelling". Last OK, but it's not in the same league as her Midnight Violet, Cafe Noir, Fig Wood, Feu de Bois or Kretek (all of which I highly recommend).

19th March, 2007.

Fumari is an odd one. Very incensey, dry, resinous, woody, and slightly smokey. If you want a true incense smell, sort of a "head shop" style incense, this is the way to go. Much more incensey to this nose than either Passage d'Enfer (which is too sweet and vegetal to smell like incense) or Messe de Minuit (which smells more like a musty couch surrounded by yellowed textbooks). Fumari starts off with lots of cedar. The cedar fades and the incense comes into the picture. It smells like a mix of frankincense, myrrh, and something smokey, at this point the cedar is in the picture, but not as much at the front as it was in the beginning. The dry down is more of the same - maybe getting a tad sweeter. I don't know that I personally would wear it, but someone looking for this type of incense would probably find this much to their liking. BTW, Ava Luxe's Luxe Editions really do seem to be better blended, more complex, and of a generally higher quality than their (her) other scents. They're worth checking out.

5th February, 2007.