En Sens de Bois (2005)
by Miller Harris

En Sens de Bois is a very cool and moody incense fragrance. It is a fascinating scent because the mood created is quite mysterious and thought provoking but also very solitary. This is an incense of cold isolation and a solitary struggle through the dark night of the soul. It sounds grim, but the fragrance is very cold but there is a purity about it that is intriguing.

What gives these notes of En Sens de Bois its cold earthiness? Very prominent are cedar, vetiver, patchouli, iris, and carrot. The carrot seed oil and iris are particularly noticeable with an icy coolness that lands on a patchouli and cedar chilled vetiver base. The cedar adds to the woodiness of carrot which is quite noticeable. I think this incense is built primarily around iris with carrot seed oil as an accent. Although amber, santal and ambrette seed are mentioned as notes, they are completely dominated by the colder, damp, grey and wood notes.

I give this one thumbs up because I do like it. However, this is not a fragrance that many people will want to wear on a regular basis. It is just too severe.

I like this incense quite a bit but find I can only wear it on rare days when introspection and solitary purity are my challenge.