№ 06 - Incense Rosé Tauer Perfumes 2008

I love Incense ... especially the churchy Frankincense kind from my days as an altar boy, swinging the censer like a fabulous gold Judith Lieber handbag whilst enveloping myself and everyone around me in clouds of perfumed smoke :).

Do I like Tauer's Incense Rose? The answer to that question is puzzling ... because it's "not enough". There is no doubt that this is a masterfully blended fragrance possessed of top quality ingredients. I've been after trying Tauer for the longest time becoming interested because of all the hype surrounding his creations. I was lucky to receive samples of this one and also Rose Vermeille in a recent swap.
What bugs me about Incense Rose is all the citrus, which on my skin becomes the prevalent idea for at least the first hour or so. I prefer my Frankincense unadulterated by 'freshness' ... to my mind it needs to be more serious and a touch melancholy (By Kilian's Incense Oud does a very good job of this and is one of the few from that house that I truly like) ... I find the Tauer version to be more like listening to Enigma's 'poppy' renditions of Gregorian chanting than the King's College Chapel Choir singing Allegri's Miserere Mei.
I was also disappointed that I didn't get as much Rose as I was hoping for ... the combination of Rose and Frankincense sounds intriguing to me and I don't think it's been explored to it's fullness here. A good dose of incense develops eventually, but by this time Incense Rose lives very close to my skin and doesn't project anywhere near to what I would want it to.

In saying all of this I can appreciate that Incense Rose is a beautifully crafted fragrance, just not one that I would be interested in wearing.