Parfum Lucifer No.3 Damien Bàsh
18
Top Review
A Lustful, Opium-Intoxicated Satan
From the line of Lucifer fragrances by Damien Bàsh, this one is - in my opinion - by far the best. And it does not shy away from comparison with the countless incense fragrances that have been so popular for a long time, because unlike most that peddle the scent world of the sacred while flirting with the sinful and sinister, this fragrance has something truly pleasurable and satanic.
So do not expect a light and airy, transparent and clean incense scent like ‘Comme des Garçons 2’, or a smoky-woody one like ‘Avignon’ from the same label. No, ‘Lucifer 3’ is neither light, nor transparent, nor airy. But it is woody, and how. Yet different from what one might expect: not dry and harsh, but balsamic, almost sweet.
Under the influence of fine incense aromas and intoxicated by heavy opium clouds, one indulges in these most sensual sandalwood notes, bathed in milk and anointed with soft Elemi resins - it is worth it!
Nowhere is the scent of sandalwood more flattering and creamy accentuated and staged than here, in ‘Lucifer 3’ - not even in Diptyque's wonderfully plush ‘Tam Dao’. However, while Diptyque's fragrance merely presents sandalwood as finely polished and as soft as possible, ‘Lucifer 3’ goes a good way further, placing the note in an expanded sacred framework: together with myrrh and incense, it forms a trio of incense materials whose religious-ceremonial use extends from the Christian West to the East and further to India.
Behind this serious and dignified, consecrated and cold facade, ‘Lucifer 3’ reveals the hidden side, the supposedly ‘sinful’, the sensually flattering and seductive. Yet this is not dark at all, rather warming, yes, glowing red. As if it were all about something happening behind an altar after a celebrated, incense-filled mass. The official fog of the institution meets the scent of desire, uniting in ecstasy. This encounter of seemingly irreconcilable opposites and their surprising harmony makes this fragrance so special for me: one feels the coolness, yet experiences warmth; one senses the darkness, yet sees only light.
Creed achieved something similar decades earlier with ‘Angelique Encens’: like ‘Lucifer 3’, ‘Angelique Encens’ is an erotically charged, oriental incense fragrance. However, that one by Damien Bàsh is not quite as opulent and glamorous, and it also lacks the delicate gray amber in the base, as it is generally quite sparing with animalistic hints. However, ‘Lucifer 3’ is characterized by a note that I have rarely experienced in this intensity: laudanum (opium tincture), not to be confused with labdanum (the resin of the rockrose).
While I cannot say with one hundred percent certainty how opium smells, neither as a tincture (in sweetened form also called ‘opium wine’), nor when smoked. However, if I compare ‘Lucifer 3’ with another fragrance that is supposed to carry distinct laudanum accents - ‘Fiori d´Ambra’ by Profumum - I can roughly guess which note might be meant: a note that fluctuates between heavy sweetness and smoky-aromatic nuances.
Probably because I know that opium is extremely addictive, I also perceive a clear addictive potential in the note that I supposedly isolate as laudanum. But I am not sure. In any case, this note smells damn good, especially in combination with the Elemi resins, which faintly remind one of the scent of conifers and pines, combined with fresh, citrusy accents.
Thus, there are ultimately four facets that characterize this fragrance: incense, sandalwood, opium, and elemi. A bit of ylang-ylang can also still be recognized at the beginning of the fragrance development, but it does not significantly shape the scent; it merely adds a small floral touch, which is quite pleasant amidst all the resins and smoky clouds.
For an Eau de Toilette, ‘Lucifer 3’ has enormous longevity and a presence that is anything but shy. So be careful with the dosage.
Both men and women can wear it equally, as similarly to Creed's ‘Angelique Encens’, the fragrance is androgynous in the classical sense - albeit with some diva or divo potential.
So do not expect a light and airy, transparent and clean incense scent like ‘Comme des Garçons 2’, or a smoky-woody one like ‘Avignon’ from the same label. No, ‘Lucifer 3’ is neither light, nor transparent, nor airy. But it is woody, and how. Yet different from what one might expect: not dry and harsh, but balsamic, almost sweet.
Under the influence of fine incense aromas and intoxicated by heavy opium clouds, one indulges in these most sensual sandalwood notes, bathed in milk and anointed with soft Elemi resins - it is worth it!
Nowhere is the scent of sandalwood more flattering and creamy accentuated and staged than here, in ‘Lucifer 3’ - not even in Diptyque's wonderfully plush ‘Tam Dao’. However, while Diptyque's fragrance merely presents sandalwood as finely polished and as soft as possible, ‘Lucifer 3’ goes a good way further, placing the note in an expanded sacred framework: together with myrrh and incense, it forms a trio of incense materials whose religious-ceremonial use extends from the Christian West to the East and further to India.
Behind this serious and dignified, consecrated and cold facade, ‘Lucifer 3’ reveals the hidden side, the supposedly ‘sinful’, the sensually flattering and seductive. Yet this is not dark at all, rather warming, yes, glowing red. As if it were all about something happening behind an altar after a celebrated, incense-filled mass. The official fog of the institution meets the scent of desire, uniting in ecstasy. This encounter of seemingly irreconcilable opposites and their surprising harmony makes this fragrance so special for me: one feels the coolness, yet experiences warmth; one senses the darkness, yet sees only light.
Creed achieved something similar decades earlier with ‘Angelique Encens’: like ‘Lucifer 3’, ‘Angelique Encens’ is an erotically charged, oriental incense fragrance. However, that one by Damien Bàsh is not quite as opulent and glamorous, and it also lacks the delicate gray amber in the base, as it is generally quite sparing with animalistic hints. However, ‘Lucifer 3’ is characterized by a note that I have rarely experienced in this intensity: laudanum (opium tincture), not to be confused with labdanum (the resin of the rockrose).
While I cannot say with one hundred percent certainty how opium smells, neither as a tincture (in sweetened form also called ‘opium wine’), nor when smoked. However, if I compare ‘Lucifer 3’ with another fragrance that is supposed to carry distinct laudanum accents - ‘Fiori d´Ambra’ by Profumum - I can roughly guess which note might be meant: a note that fluctuates between heavy sweetness and smoky-aromatic nuances.
Probably because I know that opium is extremely addictive, I also perceive a clear addictive potential in the note that I supposedly isolate as laudanum. But I am not sure. In any case, this note smells damn good, especially in combination with the Elemi resins, which faintly remind one of the scent of conifers and pines, combined with fresh, citrusy accents.
Thus, there are ultimately four facets that characterize this fragrance: incense, sandalwood, opium, and elemi. A bit of ylang-ylang can also still be recognized at the beginning of the fragrance development, but it does not significantly shape the scent; it merely adds a small floral touch, which is quite pleasant amidst all the resins and smoky clouds.
For an Eau de Toilette, ‘Lucifer 3’ has enormous longevity and a presence that is anything but shy. So be careful with the dosage.
Both men and women can wear it equally, as similarly to Creed's ‘Angelique Encens’, the fragrance is androgynous in the classical sense - albeit with some diva or divo potential.
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8 Comments
I could actually order the scent blindly after your comment... ;-)