Full Incense by Montale

It doesn’t put me off, but I do like it. The name ‘Full Incense’ is spot on, as it smells exactly like that from the very first moment. Initially, it’s potent, but after about five minutes it softens slightly without losing that strong incense essence. Update: reading the comments, I didn’t notice the cola scent (with all due respect, I sound a bit serious, but it’s true: it smells like taking some incense sticks, chewing them up, and sprinkling them over your arm. That’s the initial sensation. I received a compliment hours later once it had dried, something that didn’t happen with the Jasmine from the same brand, which people hated, probably due to my pH.

The scent is very similar to the soft incense from Matière Première or the Oracle from Extra Virgin, a mix of incense and Virginia juniper. Those two have outrageous prices. With Full Incense you get the same for just over €100. Totally recommended.

Besides being a perfume enthusiast, I also enjoy burning incense at home, not the typical Chinese sticks, but pure resin, the tears on stones, so I know the scent of the different varieties well. Well, this Full Incense lives up to its name: it literally smells like tears of Frankincense, but as if they were wet. It smells more like the tear itself, unburnt, than the smoke (though it can remind you of it), so it wouldn’t be accurate to say it smells like a damp church. It’s like pure wet Frankincense incense, whose dampness scent dissipates as it dries until only the incense aroma remains. Its scent is linear and the longevity is decent. I’ve tried it with decants and haven’t bought the bottle, as, despite being an incense enthusiast, I don’t know when or in what occasion to wear it. I find it interesting as an olfactory experience, but I don’t see it as a wearable scent. Now, to each their own.

Super green incense (if such a thing exists).

After searching for so many incenses and having things like Avignon or Casbah in my collection, I’m sticking with Full Incense, a blend of incense and wood soaked in the same. It’s friendly and calls for calm, although it doesn’t project much; on clothes it lasts days and you get its flashes, plus it survives the washing machine.

My encounter with this perfume was casual and fleeting. I walked into a perfumery and, upon leaving, I noticed this bottle on a shelf and went for it. I hadn’t even heard of it. I sprayed it on my wrist, like one does with their last perfume, to savour the moment before leaving, like a farewell without the desire to go. It was spectacular. I didn’t expect it to be inside that bottle. I loved it. I thought: what a good hand I’ve had at the end of this visit, what luck I’ve found. I fell in love. I spent the whole morning smelling myself. I couldn’t believe what I had discovered: a wonderful incense. And it kept going and going there, on my wrist. I’m eager to buy it, it will be my next perfume. It’s a gem. Since I used Ambre Fetiche, I hadn’t smelled anything like it.

Second Montale fragrance I’ve added to my collection, and the best part is that I’ve been finding them at good prices lately. If you’re desperate for incense, this ‘Full Incense’ does not disappoint: it is incense from start to finish, with over 10 hours of longevity and a trail that follows you as you move. To me, it smells like the church of my brotherhood on Palm Sunday, soaked into the marble, the pews, and the steps. While nothing surpasses ‘Relique d’amour’ by Oriza L. Legrand in recreating that atmosphere, this one shares that same pure incense nuance.

Sometimes I think perfumers and electronic music producers do the same thing: they synthesise natural aromas with artificial ingredients. That’s why I don’t mind if it smells unnatural if the composition is original; if it’s boring, not even joking. Pierre Montale doesn’t seek naturalness, but he has ingenious works like ‘Cedrat Boise’. The problem with this ‘Full Incense’ is that it is one-note: it emulates ecclesiastical incense well (to me, it sounds more like myrrh), but the artificiality isn’t accompanied by creativity. I own it because I love the incense note, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. It’s not very versatile and, with that performance, it could be a persistent nightmare if you don’t like it.

If you’re still looking for the Holy Week perfume, buy ‘Suspiros de la Madrugá’ by Darkbeat. It comes in at €19.95 for a 100 ml bottle. It’s the real deal.

I was searching for my ideal Cofrade incense and, tempted by a great offer, bought this blindly. It has hints of liturgical incense, but it doesn’t smell like Holy Week in my homeland. My perfect scent would be the intoxicating Avignon blended with the greyish, bitter nuances of Ambre Fetiche, with the longevity of the latter. Before discussing the perfume, one must distinguish between liturgical and Cofrade incense: the former is for Mass, simple, resinous, terpenic, smoky and dry, smelling of church. The Cofrade is for processions, far more complex, with over ten ingredients like myrrh, benzoin, storax, flowers and spices; its aroma is floral, spiced and woody, varying according to the brotherhood (my experience is from Cádiz-Sevilla). Full Incense is a spectacular liturgical incense, I love it, but it doesn’t smell like Cofrade. It smells linear, from one end of the church to the other, not burnt but natural resins, like sticking your nose in a bag of pebbles; it’s terpenic, balsamic with a hint of Coca-Cola, incredible. This smells of temple and cloister, whereas Avignon smells of Holy Week, just like a part of Ambre Fetiche that Avignon lacks to be perfect. The performance is very good, not as exaggerated as other Montales but up to the house standard. On my skin it lasted over 10 hours, fighting hard, although the trail is low after an hour or two and then drops down until it clings to the skin. It’s for cold and temperate climates, nocturnal, but as it smells, I wore it this morning and enjoyed it immensely, even if it wasn’t fresh. It’s expensive, but with offers it’s well found; I got mine for €66 for 100ml with shipping. What strikes me is how cheap the packaging is for the price: simple box, basic bottle, only the fabric pouch is well made. The official price (€120) isn’t cheap, but if you catch offers like I did, they don’t feel out of place. If you like incenses, it’s very good, but forget smoky notes or Holy Week; it’s simply the scent of natural liturgical incense without burning.

Full Incense by Pierre Montale. It is an oriental fragrance with a woody base, opulent and intense. It opens with a sweet and animalic resin, French labdanum, very refined. It is supported by elemi resin, which adds spice and citrus, creating a resinously sweet and spicy blend. The incense halos add depth. Then it adds an enigma with the earthy sweetness of patchouli, which fixes and adds longevity. Over time, the patchouli calms the intensity and cedar provides a woody, conservative finish. It is versatile and artistic. For those who know amber and incense, it can be intense. I highlight the labdanum and the spice of elemi with the smoky touch. (7 stars). It is a good work, although I hope the house makes it shine more. Lovers of amber and elemi should wear it with pride.

Finally, I got my hands on it. Delicious. Just what I was looking for: incense-like, sweet, with a smell of Holy Week and spring. It is addictive and personal, not very ‘wearable’ or versatile, and not everyone likes it. But that’s what One Million or Le Male are for, aren’t they? Excellent blind buy, like all the ones I make. Best regards.

Reading reviews, I see some people smell Coca-Cola. I don’t see it, but I do feel an effervescent sensation, perhaps due to the mix of incense and resins. I suppose smelling those sweet resins with that effect makes the association. It is quite linear. The incense is perceived with a smoky sensation and the resins that sweeten it. I do not detect patchouli. I am not an expert, but of what I have heard, it is the one that reminds me least of a cathedral and the most friendly. The performance, being Montale, is short, but it lasts hours and can be smelled without problems. I see it as more masculine than feminine and for cold climates. I liked it, but not enough to keep it in my collection. I think it is an easy-to-use incense and nothing cathedral-like. I like the effervescent effect and the slight sweetness of the resins. A point in its favour: it is not excessively expensive.