Reviews of Encens Flamboyant (2007)
by Annick Goutal

I love the aggression of the opening – it smells of burning charcoal and the resinousness of the tree gum. To my nose the incense does not come across as an incense made for fragrances, but as more as an environmental incense. I get a definite burning note along with incense, which reminds me of the way incense is burned in the Middle East where the frankincense powder is sprinkled on glowing, smoldering charcoal. I don’t get any spices that are supposed to be in it – the resinous incense dominates too strongly to my nose. The dry down is superb: woody and churchy resinous. Encens Flamboyant is quite linear which makes it a winner from start to finish… I love it.

Annick Goutal Encens Flamboyant

Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal are the creative forces behind Annick Goutal. In 2007 they released three scents called Les Orientalistes, Encens Flamboyant is one of these. The inspiration behind Les Orientalistes is supposed to be the smells of a harem. When I wear Encens Flamboyant I'm not sure the scent picture they want to paint is the one that comes to mind on me. From the top the "encens" is in full force. The note list calls this "frankincense essence and resinoid". There is definitely a liquidity to this incense that makes it feel more lush than most frankincense accords I've sniffed. Nutmeg is also present in the top to lend a sweet rounding to the frankincense. There is almost an oiliness to the way this feels at the top. That quality allows the frankincense to linger and then I get what I would describe as the smell of wet concrete after a spring or summer rain. Some might call it a musty note but to me it is more a wet note which goes well with the development to this point. The concrete phase is fleeting and short before the real star of this scent takes over. This turns into a beautiful woody scent dominated by fir trees. The balsam of this in conjunction with the remains of the incense is a beautiful combination that just lasts on me. At this point I feel like I've walked through a cloud of incense into a fir-lined forest after a spring rain. None of that feels particularly harem-like to me. While Mmes. Doyen and Goutal may have missed in their imagery they have scored a direct hit on my incense sensibilities and created a scent I will add to my growing incense harem of bottles.

this one is confusing to me. the incense was there from the get-go, and is a wonderfully true incense, mellow and soft and evocative, and there was a slightly peppery note which didnt last long. after that however it became 'elderly' on my skin, with an unimpressive flowery-piney-soapy character - i wouldnt mind owning soap smelling of this, and indeed maybe incense or a candle, but the incense/old soapy character was peculiar. i don't know who this would suit - it certainly is flamboyant, but in a way that aging drama teachers can be - like old velvet jackets and lavender soap. the sillage is very good for the first couple of hours, but it did fade to not-muchness after about three.

rich stuff here: obviously constructed with good raw materials (and at this price I'd expect nothing less), but feels uninspired somehow, and soul-less. The hit of frankincense is good, and lovers of that resin should try it.
For me, the frankincense is a tad too sweet. Perhaps this is flamboyant?
Overall, not one of my favorite incense creations. Definitely worth a try, but in these echelons, I want to be wowed, not left wanting. Longevity is decent-- couple hours of solid scent, after which this just becomes a resiny memory, giving the impression that there once was something there.
I'll give it a positive rating, as it is a good scent, just not terribly groundbreaking nor astounding. In fact, I think there is a 10 dollar dram of frankincense essential oil by some hippie company, sold at Whole Foods. Smells an awful lot like that.