Springtime Incense: Santa Maria Novella Incenso (short fragrance review)

photo borrowed via pinterest

Incense scents are a beloved genre that reads well in springtime for me. Santa Maria Novella's Incenso is one such. In Incenso, we have a great fusion of personal introspection and pleasurable outward accountability; the composition reads as both zen for a spiritual mood, but not too ecclesiastical or sombre. Beginning with a dense myrrh and rosy-spice mélange that is not very distant from the chord in Messe de Minuit, it is already ripe and airy, with juniper and patchouli, as well as woody, serene, and earthy, evoking soil and plants growing in a cloistered monastery. It feels buoyant and airy, like a pigeon's feather traveling on the wind, blowing in some secret garden, hiding beneath the walls of the Florentine city.

The scent in Santa Maria Novella's Incenso begins with a dense myrrh and rosy-spice mélange which is not very distant from the chord in Messe de Minuit. It is already ripe and airy with juniper and patchouli as well as woody, serene and earthy, evoking soil and plants growing in a cloistered monastery. Both facets are evocative of the traditional uses of incense and protective amulets for the body, the way that perfume worked as a prophylactic tool before the sanitation of Western cities. It then dries down to pure frankincense, yet still spicy, with a hint of cloves and cinnamon alongside the officially noted nagarmotha (cyperus) and cool, earthy vetiver. This furthers the attractive, deep quality of the blend, instead of the chillingly cold facet, reminiscent of the crypt, as presented in the astounding La Liturgie des Heures.

To me it seems that the fragrance has not benefited from much positivity in the perfume sphere because it is a strange, unusual beast; a pleasant incense which is not indicative of haute tastes. But there is no reason to snub one's nose on something that marries centuries-old traditions with contemporaneity. One can enjoy things our milieu enjoys as well. I will take my book and gallivant the caliginous gardens of the Medicis next time I travel, wearing Santa Maria Novella's Incenso. Sounds like a plan.

Incenso by Italian niche brand Santa Maria Novella from Florence was launched in 2024. Top notes are Cardamom and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Frankincense and Cypriol; base note is Vetiver.

PerfumeShrine in the Top Blogs on Feedspot

 

photo via pinterest

Another welcome distinction for PerfumeShrine and my work here. Feedspot alongside its readers chose PerfumeShrine for the top blogs distinction on its populated platform. Hurray! 

At its core, FeedSpot is a content reader that consolidates everything you want to follow into one organized space. Free of charge and practical for its users, the platform includes valuable directions into a plethora of subjects. PerfumeShrine has gained a place of respect in the consciousness of perfume lovers across the world for several long years now, since 2005 in fact, and the fact that it presents genuine and personal human writing and not AI-drivel is another distinction that keeps it afloat in the sea of content across the web. Thank you Feedspot and valuable readers alike!  

Oscars (Academy Awards) 2026 beauty commentary

 

2026 ACADEMY AWARDS were a blast and everyone is talking about them, I suppose, now that the awards, the speeches, the missing speeches and the red carpet gowns have set in in our minds. The looks were very tastefully done this year, I think, and the quiet glamour enhanced the performers' inherent attributes, whether that was sheer talent, sultry warmth, cool elegance or sensuality and come hither. It was all mostly classy; at least what I managed to view in snippets and videos online, since the awards show is beyond my time zone, I'm taking my beauty sleep at the time it's broadcast (sound advice, mind you!). 

 Louis Vuitton has taken an inordinate amount of promoting for their Beauty division lately (and take a look at their pricing policy, if you dare), but the Academy Awards are one of the few occasions when I can see the need for a splurge. If only it concerned me personally that is. Still the beauty break down is interesting and I succumbed. What pretty faces, what lovely colors. So, why not? Let's divulge. 

 Emma Stone, Chase Infiniti, Renate Reinsve, Ava DuVernay and Wunmi Mosaku unveil beauty looks with La Beauté Louis Vuitton and we stand and watch, noting down shades and products for when the fancy (and the affluent pocket book) might strike. On the occasion of the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, House ambassadors Emma Stone and Chase Infiniti with Friend of the House Renate Reinsve, alongside Ava DuVernay and Wunmi Mosaku revealed beauty looks created with La Beauté Louis Vuitton. 

LV lippie in Passport to Paris

 For the occasion, Emma Stone enhanced her look with LV Ombres 150 Beige Memento, paired with LV Rouge 102 Passport to Paris, a sophisticated Bellini rose with warm undertones. 

 Chase Infiniti opted for LV Ombres 450 Cosmic Dreams, a captivating palette blending plum hues with shimmering violets, complemented by LV Ombres 150 Beige Memento. The look was finished with LV Rouge 101 Kiss the Sky, a lipstick reminiscent of a delicate peony in cool tones. 

the lovely Chase Infinity

 Renate Reinsve wore LV Rouge 602 Vuittamine, a luminous poppy-red lipstick infused with warm notes of orange and yellow, bringing a fresh radiance to the look. 

 Ava DuVernay combined LV Ombres 650 Waking Dawn, a luminous quartet of warm shades, with LV Ombres 950 Sky is the Limit, a bold palette of blues accented with subtle touches of taupe. The look was completed with LV Rouge 104 Beige Machina, a delicate mauve rose with cool undertones. 

Ava de Vernay tastefully dons blue in her eye makeup to enhance her superb gown 

Wunmi Mosaku paired LV Ombres 150 Beige Memento with LV Ombres 951 Force of Nature, alongside LV Baume 030 Tender Bliss. Her lips featured LV Rouge 104 Beige Machina and LV Rouge 112 Rumbling Stone.

There you are. I will come back to beauty products and fragrance shortly. I have surprises for you. 

GranadAroma 2026: indie artisanal perfume exhibition in Granada, Spain

 One of the pleasures of communicating with artisan creators is the warm rapport. Ricardo Ramos, of the Perfumes de Autor brand invited me to Granada in Spain for the upcoming GranadAroma 2026. 

"Right now I'm in the final stretch of GranadAroma, preparing a series of activities for the perfumers and the guests I'll be hosting this weekend, we will visit La Alhambra, have wine tastings, and visit historical places. People here are very excited about having the very first artistic perfumery event in town."

It is with joy that I'm therefore sharing with you the details. 

GranadAroma is an event born as a tribute to the historical legacy of Granada and Andalusia in the history of perfume and the decorative arts, to commemorate its past as one of the great historical epicenters of fragrance, both in antiquity and the Middle Ages, and its Andalusian heritage in later periods. Its aim is to reclaim for the city of Granada its rightful place as a benchmark in the history of European and international perfumery. It is the very first event exclusively dedicated to niche and artisan perfumery in Spain, with the aim of building on the city of Granada's olfactory culture and heritage. The list of exhibitors can be reached HERE. 

DETAILS:
Location and dates: Granada Chamber of Commerce C. Luis Amador, 26, Beiro, 18014 Granada 

06 March 2026 from 10 am to 10 pm 

07 March 2026 from 10 am to 2 pm 

Free access to the perfume exhibition Free access to the conferences until capacity is reached 

Instagram @granadaroma_

Estee Lauder Cinnabar: fragrance review & notes on inspiration

 

Cinnabar by Estée Lauder needs no introduction, really. It's well known at least by name to most perfume collectors. Its magical name accounts for much of its mystique, but the scent, bold, spicy, dense, plush is also cause for its reputation. 

photo borrowed via pinterest

 This is a perfume inspired by the natural pigment made from high-purity cinnabar mineral (HgS, Mercuric Sulfide) originating from China, which is characterized by its intense red hue. Cinnabar was mentioned by Theophrastus in the 4th century BC, and known in Greece as early as the 6th century BC as a natural red pigment. It was widely used in Greco-Roman and later painting, as well as in frescoes, portable icons, and Renaissance manuscripts. But the orientalized use is what stuck to the collective unconscious, and hence the name and references were perfect for an Far East fantasy of fragrant spices and all the rich tales of the Silk Road.

photo borrowed via pinterest

  Cinnabar was Lauder's stake at the end of the 1970s into the spicy oriental race which also gave us the legendary Opium. Developed however without direct influence from the YSL fragrances, although the packaging does indicate references to YSL's idea of the inro with the tassel, but rather from the progenitor of it all, Youth Dew by Lauder again.

With its intense cloves and spicy lily heart, Cinnabar therefore harkens back to Youth Dew and its mellis accord, but lightens the balsamic base notes by focusing on the incense-y tonality and the patchouli which nicely sidekicks the spices. The recent repackaging into the Classics collection, in the oblong bottles, is supreme, retaining the essence of the original and projecting like an amulet of spicy delight. A legend unto its own.