Cardinal Heeley (2006)

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8.2 / 10 285 Ratings

Cardinal is a popular perfume by Heeley for women and men and was released in 2006. The scent is smoky-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.

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Perfumer

James Heeley

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Linen, Pink pepper, Black pepper
Heart Notes	Labdanum, Myrrh, Frankincense
Base Notes	Ambergris, Patchouli, Vetiver

Ratings

Scent

8.2 (285 Ratings)

Longevity

8.0 (214 Ratings)

Sillage

6.9 (214 Ratings)

Bottle

7.6 (195 Ratings)

Submitted by Andi136, last update on 04.07.2020.

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Reviews

06/23/2020

7.5
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 8
Bottle

Benedikt2019

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Benedikt2019

Very helpful Review 10

Smoking men

I don't know which one of you still knows the good old smoking man that they put up at Christmas time? That immobile little man, usually with a part and a pipe, could be opened in the middle and an incense candle could be placed inside. The candle was lit beforehand and so the finest smoke came out of our protagonist's mouth. As children we loved this incomparable scent, which was smoky but not stuffy and unpleasant. Apparently there were other scents in it that I couldn't identify at that time.

Now, when I tested "Cardinal" by Heeley a few days ago, it was there again, the smell of the smoking man. And as authentic as it could possibly be.

So it smells of frankincense and myrrh, which makes the associations of the previous speakers with the church interior - especially the Catholic one - understandable. In addition, our Cardinal smells really spicy, with pepper standing out above all. It must be said, however, that the smoky notes do not get the upper hand. So if you think that this could be the "Interlude Man", don't worry, that's not the case. The spice seems to have the smoke well under control, so that the overall impression is one of a balsamic feel-good fragrance. Just the way it is mocked when you light an avenger or incense sticks. This meditative aura of well-being is created immediately. This also remains on a linear level for a relatively long time and finally leads to a delicate veil of scent carried by ambergris, which is very pleasant. In total, Cardinal remains on my skin for about 8-9 hours and is easily perceptible in the first 2-3 hours.

Conclusion: A meditative smoke scent that invites you to think, relax and switch off and creates a feel-good atmosphere. The smoke is directed into pleasant paths, so that even "smoke lovers" should have their fun. Endurance and projection are also in the upper level. So if you like the smell of incense sticks or the good old incense man on your skin, you might find your luck here. In the end, for me Cardinal is "only" a good scent or a nice room scent, because I don't like to smell like our bearded-smoking wooden figure at Christmas time.

8 Replies

06/04/2020

8
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Leko

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Leko

Very helpful Review 10

More subtle than the church allows

If the Catholic Church and its dignitaries were like this scent, one would not have to worry about this institution. For me a subtle fragrance, with a lot of sensitivity, with great care, accuracy proceeding or executed; going into the subtleties; differentiated.
...but in a church-related situation... finely structured, making it difficult to see through and understand. That too means subtle.

Every personal evaluation is always subjective, deserves respect and acceptance. Even if the feeling and evaluation sometimes elude one, the other person sees and smells it that way and that's it.

Here now my subjective feeling...
Perhaps this Cardinal is so finely structured and so difficult to see through that one would like to imagine that where there is a lot of incense on it, there must also be a lot of soft smoke in it.
Because other components do not dominate and everything is so finely woven, do you look for components? I felt like this and with the Holy Spirit, I have already perceived scents that were clearly smokier (Tyrannus, Norne, Precious Woods, N°. XXII - Black Afghan, even Oud Muataq, just to name a few).

That this fine fragrance Cardinal should be so smoky, I explain to myself only with the fact that the other components are difficult to recognize and incense is at least finely perceptible, very fine. Linen, slightly citrusy, fresh, creamy, mildly spicy and sweet, I still perceive, everything rather subtle. Otherwise it is really difficult for me to decompose this scent. I want to leave it at that, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Cardinal is a very soft, fine, light composition, which I would like to see and let it affect me as a whole.
A work for the quiet, sensitive and empathetic times of life.

6 Replies

07/29/2019

8
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 7
Bottle

Floyd

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Floyd

Top Review 15

Cleaning of the robe of linen

Dear Franz,
i know it's not appropriate for a church dignitary, but I want to complain. When I left my linen robe to a novice for cleaning at the last cardinal meeting in Rome, I got it back in an at least questionably strange condition. Not that she was dirty, because my robes are never dirty anyway, no, it was more her smell that made me trim.
When I dressed, there was this unusual, slightly peppery, rubbery note that mixed with the linen smell I was so used to. I don't want to be quick-tempered, but the Vatican cleaning is hopefully not to hang the robes of the dignitaries on the Milan ring road for ventilation. Fortunately, this slightly disturbing impression disappeared after a few minutes and gave way to the familiar scent of my robe. It then smelled again mainly like linen, clear and pure, but next to it I now perceived a light, slightly sweetish resinous scent of incense. I thought to notice balsamic fine, spicy-sweet as well as sweet honey-like notes beside the incense. Has Labdanum and Myrrh recently been used for purification in the Papal States? I know about the antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect of myrrh, but linen cleansing was unknown to me so far.
This impression of light linen scent paired with minimal sweetish resinous-balsamic incense lasted a good two to three hours before I clumsily stained a small bag of popcorn over my robe in my refuge. Fortunately, the impression that something of it could be smelled in the dress made me feel a bit fleeting, only a few times. After about two hours the whole fragrance retreated noticeably, giving way to a slightly ambry earthy impression, in which my beloved linen fragrance was still recognizable, but now accompanied by fresh vetiver. After another three hours, however, the smell had vanished.
My dear Franz, I certainly don't want to cause any inconvenience to anyone with my letter, and I certainly don't want to give the impression that my own robe is closer to me than the really moving themes of the Church and the world, yet I thirst for an explanation for the smell of my robe, which I find quite pleasant, at least in spring and autumn It greets you surrender
Your friend Reinhard

7 Replies

07/07/2016

9
Scent 10
Longevity 7
Sillage

Silverfire
130 Reviews

Silverfire

Helpful Review 3

A Longlasting Purity

Cardinal is best of what you expect - a clean incense intertwined with something else clean - lily-of-the-valley or perhaps linen. It echoes Passage D'Enfer by L'Artisan, but the latter is a deeper, more mysterious incense. Cardinal I enjoy quite a bit, but not enough to own both it and Passage. They both inhabit the same medieval mental space, however.

It is linear with slight variations - every once in a while it smells slightly dirty, slightly sweaty, or slightly cleaner. It befits the name, and it is expensive, but it's quality for what you get. It emits 6" to 1', and the duration is immense - 1.5 days.

If you're in the market for a clean incense scent and you can afford the entrance price, Cardinal is an excellent option.

02/28/2013

7
Scent 7.5
Longevity 7.5
Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 6

Hope in the Post-Pope Period

It's official: the man formerly known as "The Pope" has left the Catholic Church flapping in the wind. There is no pope, as of today at 7pm GMT. In honor of this historic event, the first of its kind in six hundred years, I have decided to don Heeley CARDINAL.

How could the pope leave the Catholic Church with no leader? one might well ask. Does this not demonstrate that an acephalic structure is perfectly adequate to the needs of twenty-first-century people? Or even twentieth-century people. Or even nineteenth-century people? Remember the Protestant Reformation? The "man on the street" has access to the Almighty every bit as direct--or not--as the leaders of the church? Is this not an iron-clad proof of what anarchists have been trying to say all along? That's right, we now know with complete certainty that the sky will not fall without the pope. There is life after the pope. But if the Catholic Church can go a few hours or a few days or a few weeks without any pope whatsoever, does this not show that there really is hope in the post-pope period? I leave these questions for the reader to ponder.

Heeley CARDINAL is an incense perfume. Very churchy, very Catholic, very medieval smelling. I agree with my comrades (see below) that this perfume fits right in with the Comme des Garçons Incense series. Looking at the note hierarchy, one might expect more complexity, but everything here is blended together seamlessly. I really smell incense anchored in labdanum. Is there a "linen" note? To my nose, the linen is about as present as the pope. But there is hope in the post-pope period. It can be found in perfume. This CARDINAL can stand all alone.

Is the world now pope-less, or is it pope-free? I ask most sincerely.

6 Replies

02/06/2012

7
Scent 7.5
Longevity 5
Sillage

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 5

A religious affair

Incense, especially the dark, atmospheric kind, has been a rather new interest for me. Since falling in love with Chanel Coromandel, I have been so eager to find other well-done incense based fragrances.

Cardinal by Heeley has been suggested a few times as being true church incense. I'm not a big church-goer, however I do love the smell of a chapel full of smokey incense and mustiness.

Cardinal opens rather strong and masculine, with a somewhat dirty earthiness coming to the fore. Pepper, patchouli and vetiver tend to stand out on my skin the most. The aldehydes provide a smoothness in texture and smell, which is both intriguing and a little strange.

I was a little disappointed that the incense didn't seem to feature so readily in the first hour or so. However the more the fragrance settled, the less green and earthy it was and the smokier it became.

I can understand how some see the sweetness here, however it's more of a dusty and resinous cedar chest smell to me, with that delightful incensey goodness.

This fragrance does however sit lightly on my skin, without making its strong presence known. I'm actually anosmic to this fragrance at times, which is woeful.

Cardinal tends to lean on the more masculine side of things, however a woman that enjoys wearing rich woodsy or primarily patchouli and vetiver based scents will enjoy this.

I can't say that this is my favourite incense fragrance, however it was extremely enjoyable, nonetheless.

01/04/2012

7
Scent 7.5
Longevity 5
Sillage 5
Bottle

Flaconneur
49 Reviews

Flaconneur

Top Review 7

CARDINAL by Heeley

Cardinal, created by British designer James Heeley, is loaded with a churchy incense vibe and a touch of modern gothic. It conjures up visions of grey stone cathedrals, a bit of dank gloom that's swaddled in white linen. If you love that type of fragrance concept, you'll love Cardinal. It's warm powdery labdanum and light smokiness make it an interesting choice for the cooler months.

The opening of Cardinal is very bright and sharp. Baie rose is sprinkled with a spicy black pepper and aldehyde gives this spicy confection strange cleanness. Once the labdanum, ciste, frankincense and myrrh make an appearance, it’s a little like a fresh cut christmas tree decorated with ornaments coated in pepper, very spicy and very mystical. There is a smooth smoky incense that rises between a subtle herbal note. Cardinal is rounded out with a strong patchouli base, which combined with a veil of vetiver and sweet amber, prevents the patchouli from being too earthy.

Cardinal is most commonly compared to Comme des Garçons' Incense series Kyoto and Avignon. If you are a fan of either of these fragrances, you will enjoy Cardinal's smoothness. I will warn you, Cardinal does not seem to have the longevity of Avignon from Comme des Garçons. In fact, Cardinal is probably one of the weakest in this scent classification. It is a tamed version of Avignon with a little more sweetness. Cardinal has a mild sillage, it wears close to the skin and the longevity is average.

Cardinal is a great fragrance for those who don't like overpowering incense fragrances. It's easy on the nose and give just a hint of churchiness. Overall, Cardinal is a well behaved incense fragrance that leans a bit more towards modern in its interpretation of gothic.