01/26/2024
ScentNebula
18 Reviews
ScentNebula
1
The incense that isn't incense
Many years ago, a coworker gifted me a scented candle from the same range as this perfume.
I loved the candle so much that I repurchased it several times over the coming years, and once I got interested in fragrances, I naturally wished there was a fragrance form of this scent. Luckily, they make this fragrance oil - but it took me ages to get hold of one as it’s so often out of stock!
To me the perfume oil smells identical to the candle. But of course, it has added complexities when in contact with the heat and chemistry of your skin. I find this scent stays mostly the same throughout, it does not have distinct top/middle/base stages, but different notes seem to come and go in intensity. The most dominant notes are lavender, nutmeg and patchouli with a background but ever-present citrus freshness.
It opens very citrussy, and to be honest the opening also smells like candle wax to me - but maybe only by association. Then, a bit of nutmeg spiciness comes out, followed by lavender, patchouli and… I could swear there’s jasmine in there but I guess that must be the ylang ylang. As time goes on, the nutmeg becomes more dominant, and then hints of woodiness emerge as well. Unexpectedly, the late drydown has something about it that reminds me of the drydown of my beloved Serge Lutens La Religieuse. Perhaps the ylang-frankincense-nutmeg combination resembles the jasmine-incense-musk of La Religieuse.
The oil takes some time to soak into the skin and leaves a significant sheen at first. It does not project at rest, but - as is usually the case with oil based perfumes - movement causes it to bloom and, with this one, I particularly find that it leaves a scent trail, as I can wave my arm through the air and then inhale the sillage afterward. Longevity is excellent - I can still smell it strongly on my skin the next morning some 20 hours later, and not just as a skin scent but actually projecting when I move around. The box my old scented candle came in still has the scent clinging to it after many years, so I imagine the fragrance would be eternal on clothing.
The overall impression of this fragrance, fittingly for its name, is incredibly spiritual and uplifting…ancient, certainly. Classic, definitely. This is a spiritual smelling scent that would be just as at home in a church as in a metaphysical new age store. It has the effect of incense while not being recognisably Catholic incense or nag champa, so it suits any kind of meditation, prayer, ritual or spiritual practice you might be into. It is simply relaxing, beautiful, and uplifting in a serious way. It is hard for me to shake the association with candles, personally; if I smelled this on someone I would think “oh, that person smells like a lovely candle”. But this is because I smelled the candle version first, and not because there is anything inherently “candley” about the scent. In any case, I love wearing it. For under 30AUD this is absolutely one of my favorites in my collection.
As a side note, before I discovered that there was a perfume version of this scent, I thought I would have to find a dupe of it elsewhere, and the closest I came was Aeon by Filigree & Shadow. I’ve not actually smelled this fragrance yet, but the notes list and branding seem to suggest a similar inspiration and scent profile. If you want to try something similar but don’t live in Australia, Aeon could be worth a sniff, albeit at a much, MUCH higher price.
I loved the candle so much that I repurchased it several times over the coming years, and once I got interested in fragrances, I naturally wished there was a fragrance form of this scent. Luckily, they make this fragrance oil - but it took me ages to get hold of one as it’s so often out of stock!
To me the perfume oil smells identical to the candle. But of course, it has added complexities when in contact with the heat and chemistry of your skin. I find this scent stays mostly the same throughout, it does not have distinct top/middle/base stages, but different notes seem to come and go in intensity. The most dominant notes are lavender, nutmeg and patchouli with a background but ever-present citrus freshness.
It opens very citrussy, and to be honest the opening also smells like candle wax to me - but maybe only by association. Then, a bit of nutmeg spiciness comes out, followed by lavender, patchouli and… I could swear there’s jasmine in there but I guess that must be the ylang ylang. As time goes on, the nutmeg becomes more dominant, and then hints of woodiness emerge as well. Unexpectedly, the late drydown has something about it that reminds me of the drydown of my beloved Serge Lutens La Religieuse. Perhaps the ylang-frankincense-nutmeg combination resembles the jasmine-incense-musk of La Religieuse.
The oil takes some time to soak into the skin and leaves a significant sheen at first. It does not project at rest, but - as is usually the case with oil based perfumes - movement causes it to bloom and, with this one, I particularly find that it leaves a scent trail, as I can wave my arm through the air and then inhale the sillage afterward. Longevity is excellent - I can still smell it strongly on my skin the next morning some 20 hours later, and not just as a skin scent but actually projecting when I move around. The box my old scented candle came in still has the scent clinging to it after many years, so I imagine the fragrance would be eternal on clothing.
The overall impression of this fragrance, fittingly for its name, is incredibly spiritual and uplifting…ancient, certainly. Classic, definitely. This is a spiritual smelling scent that would be just as at home in a church as in a metaphysical new age store. It has the effect of incense while not being recognisably Catholic incense or nag champa, so it suits any kind of meditation, prayer, ritual or spiritual practice you might be into. It is simply relaxing, beautiful, and uplifting in a serious way. It is hard for me to shake the association with candles, personally; if I smelled this on someone I would think “oh, that person smells like a lovely candle”. But this is because I smelled the candle version first, and not because there is anything inherently “candley” about the scent. In any case, I love wearing it. For under 30AUD this is absolutely one of my favorites in my collection.
As a side note, before I discovered that there was a perfume version of this scent, I thought I would have to find a dupe of it elsewhere, and the closest I came was Aeon by Filigree & Shadow. I’ve not actually smelled this fragrance yet, but the notes list and branding seem to suggest a similar inspiration and scent profile. If you want to try something similar but don’t live in Australia, Aeon could be worth a sniff, albeit at a much, MUCH higher price.