We Three Kings Blogging Project: Myrrh
When asked to participate in We Three Kings, I automatically knew that I wanted to write about my myrrh of choice, Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente (Passionate Myrrh) from the Les Or*entalistes Collection. I like Myrrhe Ardente because it is a comforting scent, verging on gourmand because of the sweet notes of tonka and steamy beeswax. Myrrhe Ardente is passionate. It’s voluptuous. The Goutal Sisters were inspired by 19th century Or*entalist paintings of romanticized “exotic”, voluptuous bathing beauties (I’m thinking something like Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres “The Bath“).
OK, so this myrrh isn’t very Christmasy, but it is indulgent. That’s Christmasy right? I typically like myrrh in fragrance because I like incense scents. Myrrh is a sacred scent for all of the obvious reasons. Well, not some reasons not so obvious for non-Christians. Thank you, Wikipedia! Myrrh is also associated with death since ancient Egyptians used in the embalming process which always fascinated me. It’s used in traditional Arabic and Chinese medicine. I was always told to sprinkle it on my toothpaste as a kid. Move over Colgate! Anyways, what I’m getting at is that most myrrh heavy scents have a “dark” feel to them. But, Myrrhe Ardente doesn’t have that morose or a sacramental feel. Myrrhe Ardente is warm and sensual…indulgent. It’s one of my favorite skin scents to wear in the fall and winter.
When I wear Myrrhe Ardente, I can’t stop sniffing myself. This is a “me” scent. It’s a really simple fragrance, but done very well. Les Or*entalistes collection is meant to be layered but I haven’t done any of that yet. I can see this one being fun to play with. Myrrhe Ardente opens up as myrrh, slightly medicinal but I sniff that in many Annick Goutal openings! This medicinal quality is nice, effervescent but not very prominent. (I’m thinking this is what some people see as the A&W accord, the effervescent and medicinal myrrh). The medicinal myrrh sort of reminds me of oud. It fades and one is left with a creamy myrrh resin…pudding. Like if myrrh was mixed with a burnt vanilla cream and a little bit of booze, amaretto. It wears creamy with faint smoky resin and woods steaming, like a Turkish bath. Even the beeswax in this blend appears to be steamy, rising from cream. I see Myrrhe Ardente as a steamy fragrance instead of smoky. It’s warm, like towels fresh out of the dryer!
Notes listed include myrrh essence, tonka bean, benzoin, myrrh resin, guaiacum wood, vetiver, and beeswax absolute.
Like I said before, Myrrhe Ardente isn’t “innovative” (it’s from a collection designed to be layered!) but it’s well done. I love it because it wears so wonderfully on my skin. It’s effortlessly sensual. But, sometimes it reminds me of a dryer sheet, which many of the modern skin scents do at times. Does anybody else have that issue? I see this being a scent for people that like creamy modern woods fragrances/skin scents or scents like Solange Cosmic, Estee Lauder Sensuous, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Calvin Klein Euphoria, and the other Annick Goutal Or*entalistes fragrances.
The 1.7 oz EDP retails for $135 and the 3.4 oz for $175. Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente can be purchased at Lucky Scent and Harrods.
Want more reviews? Try…
Perfume Smellin’ Things, Perfume Posse, Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin, Pere de Pierre
Don’t forget to check out the other perfume blogs participating in We Three Kings. Thank you Redolent of Spices & Scent of the Day for putting this together. It has been fun!
Product picture from Lucky Scent. Painting Jean-Leon Gerome “The Grand Bath at Bursa” 1885 from www.paintingclassics.com
I love your description! I usually don’t get along with AG, but you’ve made me want to go try this one. It sounds so cozy and beautiful. Did you actually put myrrh on your toothpaste? Is it bitter? Thanks for joining the project, I really enjoyed it.
kjanicki recently posted..We Three Kings- Comme des Garçons Incense Series – Avignon
This one is more linear than other AG, no florals, so maybe it’ll work for you. I think if Musc Nomade worked for you then this one could. It is surprisingly sweet. Does sweet work for you?
Yep, myrrh is bitter but in a pleasant way if that makes sense. We’d even make a rinse with myrrh and clove. We also used it in cooking, mostly bake goods with lots of sugar/honey. I think I’m one of the few people that sniffs myrrh and thinks “gourmand”.
It has been a fun project. I’m still getting around to catching up on everyone’s posts.
Warm and steamy – that captures it perfectly, you just “explained” this perfume to me, I didn’t quite “get” it before, but with that image in my head it makes perfect sense! Thanks:)
Olfactoria recently posted..Heaven Scent – Review- Caron Parfum Sacré
Do you think it smells like clean towels? I don’t know why I get that sometimes, the steam?
Well, you helped me “get” AG Vanille! I didn’t get it before.
I’m not sure about the towels, embarrassingly I have to confess that I have no idea what a dryer sheet is or how it would smell. We don’t have that here, so it is a reference that doesn’t help me at all 🙂
I don’t think it smells clean in that obnoxious every-second- mainstream- fragrance- smells- like- that kind of way. Long answer, but not very helpful, I’m afraid, sorry.
Olfactoria recently posted..Heaven Scent – Review- Caron Parfum Sacré
I want to live in a world without dryer sheets! I don’t use them. They just smell like clean laundry, which I know is very cultural.
I think this is a clean scent in the Turkish bath sense of clean. It’s steamy, right after a bath clean, not mainstream.
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wow! you knocked my socks off with this review. I would love to smell this fragrance.
I understand what you mean by the dryer sheet smell. That is why I changed my frankincense choice from Encens Flamboyant. It smells like fabric softener on me. I briefly got that effect from Fire from Heaven too, but EF was like going to the whole wash and dry cycle.
Hmm…I got that with Encens Flamboyant too. I have a sample of it and I’ve sampled it a few times. I thought it was me, because I started using fabric softener and didn’t put together that it could be EF. Now I need to compare the too. I think Myrrhe Ardente could be straight up dryer sheet if it did not have the tonka, honey, vanilla-sweetness.
I also saw that with CB’s Fire & Heaven too. Is it because these are “steamy” fragrances instead of smoky? Is it our laundry routine? 🙂 Maybe we’re washing our clothes with incense!
If my clothes are going to smell like incense, I’m referring to them as “vestments” from now on. 😉
JoanElaine recently posted..We Three Kings- Thank you
Toothpaste?!
I love this review. It includes so many elements that make me eager to try the fragrance. Pudding, steam, medicinal notes, beeswax… it sounds lovely, and in a gently challenging way.
ChickenFreak recently posted..We Three Kings – Frankincense – Regina Harris Frankincense Myrrh Rose Maroc Perfume OIl
Yep, toothpaste. It’s funny because after sharing that I looked it up, realizing it’s a bit strange. But, there are lots of whacky people out there sharing their myrrh toothpaste recipes.
MA is all of things but somehow simple enough. I’ve read reviews saying it smells like A&W root beer. I sort of see that but on me it’s more “medicinal” effervescence.
MA doesn’t remind me of drie sheet but I found several other scents that smell exactly like ironing clothes and smelling the fabric softener rising from them. 🙂 Which in itself is a lovely scent, but not one I’d like to wear as perfume.
It’s so strange, because only sometimes does MA remind me of drier sheets and it goes away as quickly as it came. I don’t mind it. I like it because it is clean but not too clean, like getting out of a hot bath.
I love the smell of doing laundry (just not doing laundry!). It’s one of those beautiful everyday scents.
Thank you for such a great review. Love this perfume! Agree that it is perhaps not that innovative but it is odd eough to be interesting.
I actually regret not buying all of Les Orientalistes. They are all simple but so wearable. And like you said, odd enough to be interesting.
Reading this review, I couldn’t help but envision a Turkish bath a la Ingres– sweet steam, enjoyment without inhibition, a healthy luxury. Wonderful!
RE: myrrh for brushing teeth — me too! The Ayurvedic toothpaste I used to buy had myrrh along with “neem” and “peelu” and other exotic ingredients that I couldn’t identify. I loved its cola-like scent and tingly taste.
Yeah! I’m not the only one 😉 I didn’t realize that I could just go out and buy it. Now I’m on a search.
This scent was perfectly interpreted by the Goutal gals. They were going for plump Orientalist inspired beauties and they did that oh so well.
Lovely post – a scent for people who like creamy modern woods fragrances sounds right up my alley!
Sounds interesting, but still really wearable.