Oliban

Grisens

Phaedon 2011

Testing Phaedon GRISENS essentially blind, with no knowledge even of the house's name (my sample vial indicated only "Grisens"), I first detected citrus, then vetiver, then a kind of vague greenishness. After a few minutes, the incense quality of this composition settled in, and I felt that there was some sort of blanketing base--musk? labdanum? a combination of the two?--to which the incense became attached. It smells rather nice to my nose and also has a kind of comfort scent effect.

GRISENS is primarily an incense perfume, but I think that its texture is less dry than most of the others I've tried, and I do not believe that the notes listed above are complete. I find this composition to be slightly more masculine than feminine, but it's definitely still firmly situated in unisex territory and worthy of testing by any incense or woody perfume lover.

This definitely delivers what it claims... You get sandalwood and cedary incense... Nothing more, nothing less. It is quality juice certainly, but it just seems like the composition is lacking. I wish I could write more on it, but really it just left me completely cold and I found the stuff entirely forgettable. I expect so much more for the cost of a bottle of Grisens. To compound the disappointment, projection and longevity were both rather minimal. Grisens gets a very average 2.5 stars out of 5, but a 1 out of 5 for its relatively poor value. I recommend seeking out something like Tam Dao for your sandalwood fix instead of this one. It is better, IMO, and less expensive.

Oliban / Grisens is a fragrance that does not boom, that does not weigh heavily on one, yet it carries a very gentle undertone of the Orient within. An oriental scent that radiates much beauty and has a soul as bright as very few in this group. Learning to appreciate that is something you have to write down somewhere very clearly. The Orient doesn't always have to crash and completely daze you to the point where you can hardly escape from clouds of smoke.

Although it is somewhat cool and quite spicy from the very beginning, it doesn't take even a few minutes for this coolness to fade away. Frankincense is a major theme here, and it has been very well crafted. The frankincense is not the kind that drifts around in some abandoned churches, but one that you can perceive in many bazaars. I like this essence. I like how it radiates a coolness on one hand while maintaining such beautiful clarity on the other. It is not complicated. You don’t need much to understand it. Perfumes should not always be a riddle. With Oliban, you know right away what you have gotten yourself into. A clear frankincense that intensifies over the course of the fragrance but never clouds your senses, accompanied by a lovely spiciness, entwined with soft resin that shines in the sun. Furthermore, the perfume has an extraordinarily fine woody note. Freshly chopped wood where raindrops have settled. That’s how you should imagine it. And again, these drops shine in the rays of the sun.

A perfume made for autumn and also for the winding down of winter. For the awakening of spring. A soft soul that lays upon you like a feather. If you ask me, it’s a caress for everyone.

It doesn’t linger on me for long. No more than six hours. I don’t find that annoying, because even in those six hours, I have time to dive into dreams throughout the day and float somewhere above the clouds. - but for me, it is the perfume that enlightens me so. I love it!

And I zoom, zoom at a brisk pace...

First thought: Coconut.
Second thought: Artificial coconut-honey aroma
Third thought: There had to be at least one…. After all, not every incense scent from the beautiful package by Ergreifend (thank you very much!) can be a hit. How similar our tastes sometimes are can remain delightful, it doesn’t have to be disturbing.

Thus: I like Oliban less. The gentle sandiness that I soon identify also feels too synthetic to me. Perhaps it’s not just the openly mentioned Ambroxan that is involved. Be that as it may, I find this appearance more disturbing than delightful once again. However, I do enjoy my occasional impression of a pine idea. It’s a pity that it is limited to the specific.

As the scent progresses, it hardly changes. Alongside the wood, a honeyed, softly spicy incense note remains for hours. I usually like such a note, after all, Rundholz 03.Apr.1968, one of my absolute favorites, has a similar honey-orientation; only Oliban fails to leave behind what I consider an overly artificial aspect.

The scent reaches its finest phase in the second half, then the synthetic undertone and sweetness recede a bit, and Oliban brightens up with woodiness, the smoke becomes sharper. Of course, this is merely nuances and is only enough for me personally for a slightly better overall impression. Somehow, the whole thing now reminds me of Carbone & Co, just a bit sharper. By the fifth or sixth hour, I would have guessed Immortelle, by the way. Surprising in the previous context, but not unwelcome.

Already after two hours, the scent is very close to the skin. Nevertheless, it remains reliably present for a day, so the restraint is likely intentional. A test tip for fans of softly sweet incense scents or perhaps just for Carbone fans. I’ll pass.

First of all, it won't get more gripping than gripping.

I can only agree with her, this olibanum incense captivates in a very subtle, light, shallow way.
No herbal bomb, no drug associations, and even the church doesn't collect taxes on this.
A fine woody cuddle-shell incense, from which you can already notice the Ambroxan, but this does not detract from its enjoyment;
on the contrary, the chemistry serves as a fixative for the delicate little plant; it must be so, it all makes sense. Very well crafted, Mr. Guillaume.

And without wanting to sound arrogant, I would like to add that a touch of Iso E Super might have provided a hint more freshness in the underbrush;
but nonetheless, I think we should all take a moment to praise each other with this.