Amber
Ambergris
Ambre 83 accord
Frankincense
Orris root
Rukeri tea09/09/2024
SaschaM
5 Reviews
Translated
Show original
SaschaM
5
Incensum sanctum
### Intro (can also be skipped):
Most people probably know Balmain (pronunciation: Ball-ma) from one of the most successful H&M designer collaborations or simply because they are interested in French haute couture and luxury pret-a-porter fashion. Since Olivier Rousteing has been in charge of all design decisions, a lot has changed in the traditional house over the last thirteen years. Everything is younger, fresher, more extravagant. Only the price is still the same. If you're interested, you can browse through the online store https://de.balmain.com/ (but be careful, you're guaranteed to catch your breath not just because of the beautiful fashion).
Immediately after the news that Balmain wanted to revive and relaunch some classics and new fragrances on the market, I ordered the Discovery Set on the EU website https://www.balmainbeauty.eu/. The package arrived just one day later via UPS. So shipping was very fast. As with some high-end brands, the true sender is not written on the address label, only a service label, probably to prevent theft. Parcel opened, in typical Balmain style, elegant matt black filler paper with golden PB (Pierre Balmain; founder of the brand) sticker Inside then the Discovery Box and two extra 1.5ml additions Sel d'Ambre and Carbone (2024) which are both also found in the set. More helps more.
The set is in black glossy textured paper and golden Balmain logo. Also looks quite luxurious. Inside, the eight 1.5ml samples are lined up and secured in black foam.
The samples come without a cap but I haven't seen any samples for 1.5ml that have one. So now we come to the essentials:
### Fragrance:
Sel d'Ambre really starts off very intensely with a full load of woods and incense. With two sprays you are in an oriental spicy cloud that takes over everything. To be honest, it's a bit too much of a good thing for me. So one spray is enough. In terms of consistency, the perfume is also a lot oilier than the other fragrances in the collection. So there is no shortage of perfume oil here. Overall, it is very comparable to the Full Incense.
As with the other fragrances in the series, there is no great development. You can like it or not. Notes such as ambergris and amber are present but are completely overshadowed by the incense.
### Longevity / Silage
The fragrance radiates quite strongly for several hours and lasts forever. Even after 24 hours you can still smell it. A real incense breaker. That gives it plus points.
### Price performance
In view of the exuberant silage and durability, the fragrance certainly has a better price/performance ratio than some of its colleagues.
The only reason why this perfume could be priced lower than the RRP is that there is hardly any development in the fragrance. Which in turn suggests a synthetic formulation. On the other hand, frankincense as a natural ingredient is also very linear and penetrating. That is why I do not want to accept this objection here. Instead, I would prefer to cite another argument that makes the price seem too expensive. And that is the alternative Full Incense which you could buy for just 130€/100ml. Half the price and twice the content. Smell almost identical.
### Conclusion
According to Balmain, the perfume should lead to inner peace. That works. As long as you don't spray too much. Because after three sprays, you start to panic. Those who are used to incense will be pleased.
A few other fragrances from the range also stand out. It's worth giving them a try. However, and this is how it is slowly crystallizing for me, is that all fragrances in the series carry a dominant synthetics with them, which you can now find good or bad. It is probably up to the nose of each individual perfumer to assess this.
Thank you for reading through! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me :D
Most people probably know Balmain (pronunciation: Ball-ma) from one of the most successful H&M designer collaborations or simply because they are interested in French haute couture and luxury pret-a-porter fashion. Since Olivier Rousteing has been in charge of all design decisions, a lot has changed in the traditional house over the last thirteen years. Everything is younger, fresher, more extravagant. Only the price is still the same. If you're interested, you can browse through the online store https://de.balmain.com/ (but be careful, you're guaranteed to catch your breath not just because of the beautiful fashion).
Immediately after the news that Balmain wanted to revive and relaunch some classics and new fragrances on the market, I ordered the Discovery Set on the EU website https://www.balmainbeauty.eu/. The package arrived just one day later via UPS. So shipping was very fast. As with some high-end brands, the true sender is not written on the address label, only a service label, probably to prevent theft. Parcel opened, in typical Balmain style, elegant matt black filler paper with golden PB (Pierre Balmain; founder of the brand) sticker Inside then the Discovery Box and two extra 1.5ml additions Sel d'Ambre and Carbone (2024) which are both also found in the set. More helps more.
The set is in black glossy textured paper and golden Balmain logo. Also looks quite luxurious. Inside, the eight 1.5ml samples are lined up and secured in black foam.
The samples come without a cap but I haven't seen any samples for 1.5ml that have one. So now we come to the essentials:
### Fragrance:
Sel d'Ambre really starts off very intensely with a full load of woods and incense. With two sprays you are in an oriental spicy cloud that takes over everything. To be honest, it's a bit too much of a good thing for me. So one spray is enough. In terms of consistency, the perfume is also a lot oilier than the other fragrances in the collection. So there is no shortage of perfume oil here. Overall, it is very comparable to the Full Incense.
As with the other fragrances in the series, there is no great development. You can like it or not. Notes such as ambergris and amber are present but are completely overshadowed by the incense.
### Longevity / Silage
The fragrance radiates quite strongly for several hours and lasts forever. Even after 24 hours you can still smell it. A real incense breaker. That gives it plus points.
### Price performance
In view of the exuberant silage and durability, the fragrance certainly has a better price/performance ratio than some of its colleagues.
The only reason why this perfume could be priced lower than the RRP is that there is hardly any development in the fragrance. Which in turn suggests a synthetic formulation. On the other hand, frankincense as a natural ingredient is also very linear and penetrating. That is why I do not want to accept this objection here. Instead, I would prefer to cite another argument that makes the price seem too expensive. And that is the alternative Full Incense which you could buy for just 130€/100ml. Half the price and twice the content. Smell almost identical.
### Conclusion
According to Balmain, the perfume should lead to inner peace. That works. As long as you don't spray too much. Because after three sprays, you start to panic. Those who are used to incense will be pleased.
A few other fragrances from the range also stand out. It's worth giving them a try. However, and this is how it is slowly crystallizing for me, is that all fragrances in the series carry a dominant synthetics with them, which you can now find good or bad. It is probably up to the nose of each individual perfumer to assess this.
Thank you for reading through! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me :D
