Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense Avignon

Incense is a note I have always liked. I won't say love because it's more of a nostalgic comfort thing going on with me. I was altar boy as a young kid and grew up in the Roman Catholic Church.

While wearing Avignon, it truly brought up mental images of the incense holder being held by the priest and being swung outward, only to return and hit the chain holding it. This made a familiar clanging noise and the smoke would waft upwards, filling the entire area with the aroma of incense.

This Avignon creation by Comme des Garcons is a very accurate rendition of incense used in church. Yes, it's been said a thousand times that it is indeed realistic, so now make it a thousand and one. What sets this one apart is that it is very wearable. There's nothing harsh here that is usually attributable to scents of this ilk. The rough edges are rounded down by oriental notes that stay cloaked behind the smoke.

LS has the listed notes as : Roman chamomile, Cistus oil, Elemi, Incense, Vanilla, Patchouli, Palisander and Ambrette seeds.

It comes down to whether or not you want to smell like the inside of a liturgical venue. Personally, I am enjoying the samplings and this is executed so well that it would make a very good cool to cold weather scent. The incense note is completely dominant and the other players serve only to make this wearable. They stay in the background and their contributions basically go unnoticed.

For the price of Avignon compared to other niche releases featuring incense, this is a good purchase. Sillage is very good along with longevity. Avignon is a terrific rendition and wardrobe worthy for those wishing to add an incense fragrance. Thumbs up from Aromi.