Demeter Fragrance's "Incense" -- the v v wordy review

Demeter Fragrance is about as far from an indie perfumer as you can get. You can buy some of their fragrances at Sephora, which is pretty much the kiss of non-indie, as far as I'm concerned. But, still, for all their non-indie status, they're just plain fun, which can be a real treat after the omg srs biznss feeling I occasionally get from places like BPAL and Nocturne Alchemy. Want to smell like Play-Doh? Or maybe Tootsie Rolls? How about a Laundromat or its opposite, Dirt? Demeter's there for you. In addition to the more unusual scents, they also have the mandatory foody fragrances and the boozy ones and a lot of single notes.

And above all? They're seriously cheap, even when you factor in that this is cologne; you get an ounce/30 ml for $20, or a half ounce/15 ml for $6. Shipping's a fairly low flat rate and if you order over twenty-five dollars worth of product, you get a free full-sized bottle--their choice of scents, not yours. Also, they offer other products--shower gel, lotion, body oil, room sprays, candles, soap and sugar scrubs (the last three in selected fragrances only).

Aside from the pricing and the selection, what really pulled me in was a review of "Incense" over at Now Smell This where the reviewer compared it to i Profumi di Firenze's Ambra del Nepal. Now I've never actually smelled the real Ambra del Nepal--too rich for my blood--but I've tried some of the dupes and I have a real love/hate thing going with it. The main notes are amber, vanilla and cardamom, and in most of the versions I've smelled, the cardamom can be just this side of too much. Also, Darkrose really dislikes it, so I've been looking for something along those lines that we can both stand.

Sooooo....

Incense -- there are three paragraphs of description and no notes listed, aside from the fact that their inspiration was copal which, for me, was just one more reason to try it; I love copal.

One of the downsides of being a perfume oil fan is that the first sniff of any cologne or even eau de parfum is going to make you blink and thing "zomg alcohol!" After that, I got a nice ambery scent and a touch of vanilla. Since I picked this up in the smallest size possible, it came without an atomizer, which made it hard to put on. Well, at least until I ended up spilling some on my hand, at which point, I rubbed it on my arms and ran my fingers through my hair, hoping like hell it didn't morph into something horrible since we were about to head out to dinner and another shower would have made us late.

Fortunately, I love it and so does Darkrose. The copal has an amber scent--hell, there may be amber in there too--without any of the powdery dry down that you sometimes get with amber. There's vanilla in it as well, but it's not overly sweet. I don't know what other spices are involved; I think I can smell the tiniest hint of cardamom, although that could just be the power of suggestion. I'm guessing that there's also a touch of champa flower (aka Plumeria or Frangipani), the floral used in Nag Champa incense. What there isn't is anything like a smoke accord; this is the scent of a lovely incense before you burn it.

It's light enough to wear on a summer evening and it has a pretty good throw/sillage. It doesn't last very long, but then, it's cologne, so you can't expect it to. At the price you pay for it though, it would be easy enough to slip a bottle in your bag for touch ups. Incense is available at Demeter's site, but not at Sephora.

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Speaking of Sephora, I'm signed up for their email newsletter. Goddess only knows why since I don't actually wear make up anymore, but it's kind of fun to look at make up trends. So anyway.... Tonight I got an invitation to buy a brand new product one whole day before it launched. What was the product, I see you asking breathlessly.

ÔSCILLATION - Vibrating Infinite Powermascara -- "The first vibrating powermascara by Lancôme. This revolutionary mascara provides 7000 oscillations per minute for ultimate lash transformation. Press the button and experience a breakthrough sensation in application. In one easy new gesture, let the vibrating brush combined with an exquisitely smooth formula wrap every lash up to 360 degrees."

Wow, all that for only $35 (plus shipping and handling)!

Somehow, I managed to control myself and not order it. Although, during my sister's visit next month, she and I are going to go on a perfume sniffing run of both Nordstrom's and Sephora--both places that, I've been told, are generous with the samples--and you can bet I'll be checking out the Vibrating Mascara. Although really, since I can pick up a vibrating lipstick (link could be considered to be not safe for work) for $24.94 (plus shipping and handling), why I'd need the mascara too is beyond me.