ETRO  MESSE DE MINUIT

Divine Midnight Incense

The opening blast is sensational: orange, petitgrain and bergamot with a strong underlying spice blanket. Without further ado a beautiful myrrh comes to the fore, which remains the core of the spice in the drydown, accompanied by a gorgeous cinnamon of the highest class. This myrrh-cinnamon duo is a beautiful combination, and like the pillars of a cathedral it hold the whole fragrance together.

In the base labdanum and a musk is added, but towards the end the cinnamon prevails, and the scent becomes lighter and less spicy, as if the showdown gradually resolve. The end is much less dark shows more levity.

The performance is very good,  with splendid sillage and projection, and an excellent longevity on me - around nine hours. 

This is indeed a wonderful autumnal incense scent for evenings, which is quite rich, nut without the overwhelming heavy incense load that some other specimens of this genre display; at times it is more on the elegant side, especially towards the end.  This fragrance might please incense lovers who do not like it to heavy.  The only drawback are the transient moments when a synthetic undertone breaks through too strongly.

Overall 4/5