Angélique Encens 1933

Version from 1933
Angélique Encens (1933) by Creed
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8.3 / 10 48 Ratings
A popular perfume by Creed for women, released in 1933. The scent is powdery-floral. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Powdery
Floral
Spicy
Oriental
Animal

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AngelicaAngelica TuberoseTuberose
Heart Notes Heart Notes
FrankincenseFrankincense AmberAmber
Base Notes Base Notes
VanillaVanilla
Ratings
Scent
8.348 Ratings
Longevity
7.634 Ratings
Sillage
7.133 Ratings
Bottle
7.638 Ratings
Submitted by Bergamotte, last update on 10/31/2024.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Angélique Encens (2019) by Creed
Angélique Encens (2019)
Rhizome 05 by Rhizome
Rhizome 05

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8
Scent
Cryptic

24 Reviews
Cryptic
Cryptic
Very helpful Review 8  
Remembrance of Things Past
Angélique Encens serves as a haunting reminder of how much has been lost in perfumery because of the decline in use of animal-derived notes. AE was created in 1933 as a tribute to the iconic, androgynous Marlene Dietrich and her role in The Blue Angel. At the time, perfumes with lusty, animalic notes were all the rage. The 20s and 30s saw the launch of Joy, Shocking, Chanel No.5, Shalimar, etc., and civet, deer musk and ambergris were commonplace in fragrance.

Today, these classics are often disparaged as urinous, fecal and "old lady," in part due to the change in preference of the average nose in favor of the clean, the fresh and the unrelentingly sweet. In addition, many of the old natural fixatives have been replaced by synthetics, such as Ambrox, Cashmeran and Iso E Super, which is a positive development from an animal lover's standpoint, but a blow to fans of the classic carnal notes. Ambergris, being a cruelty-free byproduct of sperm whale digestion, is the exception to the animal rights crusade against cruel natural notes, and it is the substance that renders AE so glorious.

AE was discontinued several years ago, so information on its notes is scarce and contradictory. According to my humble nose, it opens with a great vintage bergamot note accompanied by the green and mysterious angelica. Sources can't seem to agree on the florals present in AE, which is reasonable, given that they only serve to soften the dryness of the incense and aren't featured prominently. As a result, AE resides comfortably in unisex territory, making it a fitting tribute to a woman who looked as elegant in a tuxedo as a ball gown. The highlight of AE (for me) is the sensuality imparted by the ambergris, which is a little salty, a little greasy -- like anyone would be if they just rolled out of bed. The interesting combo of the rather ascetic incense and the carnal ambergris brings to mind a courtesan like Madame Du Barry at High Mass.

In a likelihood, AE was pulled from the Creed line due to the shortage of whale excrement washing up on the beach as opposed to the IFRA's Reign of Terror, so props to Creed for refusing to compromise this perfume. If you dislike the Creed line and haven't tried this one, you might be pleasantly surprised, as it is radically different from the other Creed feminines. AE wears close to the skin but is quite long lasting. Well worth a sniff if you happen to come across it on eBay or in an antique shop.
0 Comments
Digindirt

47 Reviews
Digindirt
Digindirt
5  
Bow Down
This is a beautiful, beautiful floriental with finely blended incense and vanilla. This is so different from the bombshell tuberose fragrances I am used to that plop down in your face screaming "look at me" I can't really say I smell tuberose here but I smell Jasmine and Roses for sure. This actually smells like flowers, creamy, dainty little flowers that act as servants. Servants that continuously run to your beck and call as you crave for more.

The vanilla is ever present as the notes play ring around the rosy but they never fall down. They stand to fulfill your craving and you cannot get enough of the seamless intertwining of all the ingredients that are mixed by a master for sure. The incense is just right, not bossy or masculine, rather reserved like a sharp dressed man.

As a Queen rules over her castle, Angelique Ecens rule over her subjects. You may feel the need to courtesy but I recommend taking a bow.

Thank you ever so much to the kind member who gifted me this precious fragrance.
0 Comments
6
Scent
Drseid

821 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Helpful Review 2  
Wonderful Frankincense, Not So Wonderful Powder...
Angelique Encens opens with a blast of aromatic tuberose and radiant frankincense, with a touch of supporting nutmeg-like ginger and slightly bracing herbal angelica. Moving to the early heart the tuberose gradually recedes as the frankincense takes over as star supported by soft powdery vanilla and remnants of the herbal angelica. During the late dry-down the frankincense remains in support though heavily diminished, ceding control to the dry, soft powdery vanilla that is sole star through the finish. Projection is very good and longevity excellent at over 12 hours on skin.

Angelique Encens is one of the few Creed compositions that had stayed under my radar, only surfacing when a friend asked if I had ever tried it. Having answered that I hadn't, I quickly sought to rectify the situation, as the composition certainly has a significant following. Having now worn the composition a couple times on skin I can't say I understand all the hoopla. The open really is impressive, as a lovely natural smelling tuberose joins excellent frankincense, meshing perfectly with the ginger and angelica acting more as binder than anything else. So far, so good... Then the powdery vanilla from the base arrives and to a degree ruins things. This powdery vanilla really is pretty dry and lacking sweetness, forming a soft powdery cloud that integrates with the frankincense very well, yet still seems to soften the effect rather than enhance it. By the time the composition reaches its late dry-down, it is pretty much an all powdery dry vanilla affair that has been done many times before just as well as here. In all fairness, this is a vintage composition, so maybe at the time the composition was created it was considered innovative, but I doubt it. In the end, Angelique Encens opens strong but deteriorates as time passes, leaving one shrugging their shoulders as to what all the fuss is for. One thing that should be mentioned to the composition's credit is Angelique Encens smells nothing like the style of most Creed compositions today, proving along with some of the other early house offerings that Creed used to have some more interesting stylistic range. The bottom line is the $1120 per 250ml flacon on the aftermarket discontinued Angelique Encens is a welcome departure to the Creed compositions of today, but while it has some excellent ingredients and polish, its soft powder takes away a lot of its positive impact, earning it an "above average" 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5 rating and a solid neutral recommendation if one ignores its lofty price tag.
0 Comments
10
Scent
MrGuerlain

4 Reviews
MrGuerlain
MrGuerlain
1  
Discontinued
Angelique Encens is one of the best fragrances ever created by the house of Creed. I would do a murder to get hold of a new bottle! I so love the deep ambery green notes in this fragrance. Unfortunately it has been discontinued.
1 Comment
Mlleghoul

440 Reviews
Mlleghoul
Mlleghoul
1  
lipsticked and rouged facades masking dark, dramatic pasts
This is the unsettlingly mysterious woman in the film noir who is instantly pegged as the murderer because she’s beautiful and slightly “off”. You later find out she is hiding a terrible secret that has nothing to do with the murder, maybe her twin sister drowned in Monte Carlo and she has stolen her identity in order to escape a lecherous suitor or something like that. It smells of some sort of enigmatic green flower whose essence has been preserved to deepen and darken before it is crushed with a handful of strange, sweet herbs and left in an antique potpourri dish in a dusty lady’s boudoir. A beautifully strange and enigmatic scent, for lipsticked and rouged facades masking dark, dramatic pasts.
0 Comments
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