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Helpful Review
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.
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.