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08/01/2015
GothicHeart
86 Reviews
GothicHeart
Helpful Review
6
Messing with the Mass...
Unique? Yes. Bizarre? Absolutely. Wearable? It depends. I'm using incense sticks for a couple of decades now, but I don't like incense fragrances very much. First of all I think there's a huge vagueness in defining what an incense note is, because there are literally hundreds of different "incense" scents out there. In Christianity "incense" is mainly associated with myrrh and olibanum, while in Buddhism it's associated with more exotic substances, like sandalwood and benzoin. Not to mention the multifariousnees of incense sticks, which come in virtually every scent imagined. And as is the case with anything coming in a great variety, our subjective point of view dictates that there are specimens to love and specimens to hate. But I take it that "incense" in perfumery usually means a church-like olfactory quality, cause churches and temples are usually the places where this kind of smell is more likely to be encountered. But despite the fact that an Eastern Orthodox church and a Buddhist temple smell nothing alike, I'll take it for granted that La Liturgie des Heures is an incense fragrance the way such an one is perceived by Christians. All the more that it displays myrrh and olibanum amongst its notes.
However, there's no way I'll follow the "Why would someone want to smell like this?" cliche. Just because! As Latin wisdom has put it centuries ago, "De gustibus non est disputandum." Because the one to whom this question is addressed, could very easily reverse it and ask the one who asks it the very same thing about her/his favourite fragrance. "Why would someone want to smell like a cupcake?". And to be perfectly honest, I never liked smelling like food, thus incense fragrances have a clear lead against gourmands in my book.
Now, if Avignon or Cardinal smells like Bernardo Gui's religious habit in "The Name of the Rose", then I imagine that La Liturgie des Heures is the way Adso's of Melk robes smelled like. Pious, yes, but not yet pious enough to have every hint of mirth exiled in the purgatorial fires. It's the difference between an old, cantankerous and cold-hearted bishop, probably disappointed that the world does not understand his "rightfulness" and a young and sanguine monk, who still thinks he can make a difference. This doesn't mean that La Liturgie des Heures is a joyous and playful fragrance. God forbid! It just means that this aspiring novice enjoys equally delving profoundly into the ancient manuscripts in the monastery and quaffing a couple of pints in the local tavern. Walking the dense coniferous forests surrounding both in the meantime, and taking a nap on the ground every once in a while.
Oh, and for those who expected a Sean Connery association to be included, this emblematic Scotsman will always be beyond genres and classifications, thus Guerlain's Jicky will always do the trick for him. Monkish or not.
However, there's no way I'll follow the "Why would someone want to smell like this?" cliche. Just because! As Latin wisdom has put it centuries ago, "De gustibus non est disputandum." Because the one to whom this question is addressed, could very easily reverse it and ask the one who asks it the very same thing about her/his favourite fragrance. "Why would someone want to smell like a cupcake?". And to be perfectly honest, I never liked smelling like food, thus incense fragrances have a clear lead against gourmands in my book.
Now, if Avignon or Cardinal smells like Bernardo Gui's religious habit in "The Name of the Rose", then I imagine that La Liturgie des Heures is the way Adso's of Melk robes smelled like. Pious, yes, but not yet pious enough to have every hint of mirth exiled in the purgatorial fires. It's the difference between an old, cantankerous and cold-hearted bishop, probably disappointed that the world does not understand his "rightfulness" and a young and sanguine monk, who still thinks he can make a difference. This doesn't mean that La Liturgie des Heures is a joyous and playful fragrance. God forbid! It just means that this aspiring novice enjoys equally delving profoundly into the ancient manuscripts in the monastery and quaffing a couple of pints in the local tavern. Walking the dense coniferous forests surrounding both in the meantime, and taking a nap on the ground every once in a while.
Oh, and for those who expected a Sean Connery association to be included, this emblematic Scotsman will always be beyond genres and classifications, thus Guerlain's Jicky will always do the trick for him. Monkish or not.
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