All Saints'

[Vega]

Based on a venerable French pontifical incense blend: monastic frankincense and myrrh, Damascus rose, Russian gardenia, cassia, and lily of the valley wafting on a chill Autumn wind. A celebration of the glory and suffering of the saints and martyrs of the Church.

Reviewing the 2004 version.

Sniffed: Incense, with a warm, nutty note that I can't quite place.

On skin: Deep, solemn frankincense and myrrh, mixed with the bright clarity of the florals. All Saints' is very similar to The Ecstasy of St Theresa, except that it also has a prominent orange-brown, nutty note that wafts through the entire blend. I'm not sure if it's cassia, the "autumn wind", and/or something not listed -- but whatever it is, this nutty note does really evoke autumn and the season of Halloween. All Saints' is warm and solemn floral-incense, pious yet grounded deeply in the autumn season. Over time the nutty note fades in and out, allowing the clear-but-deep floral-incense to emerge. I suppose that is the autumn wind indeed, blowing through with reminders of the season...
Colour impression is a dark, rich maroon touched with a strong shade of nut brown.

Verdict: All Saints' is just like The Ecstasy of St Theresa, just with a nutty, autumnal note -- which I don't really like. I'm a little disappointed, but I have the Ecstasy and won't miss swapping this.

[Lanolin]

I don't know what year this one is, because the imp is second-hand and doesn't have its original label.

 

I'm not normally a fan of rose, but in this it's lovely. It's a rose-heavy blend, but the frankincense and myrrh deepen it to where it's not powdery. The gardenia adds an undertone of sweetness, which is very welcome.

 

Overall, it's a balanced floral-incense with good throw. I like it.

[Poenari]

A very brief review based on the notes I made on my spreadsheet after trying my decant way back in 2006. That decant is all used up so I can't re-try it and update my original thoughts:

Strong, soapy rose and an early indication that rose doesn't work on me, despite the incense.

 

Perhaps if it returns in 2011 I'll give it another chance.

[mymymai]

2010 vs. 2011 version

 

ITI: The patchouli in the 2011 is much stronger than in the 2010 - I'm sure this accounts for the darker oil color as well. The fir needles are less detectable than the previous version.

 

Wet: The nutmeg is stronger in the 2011 version on my skin. I'm still getting a woosdy, fir scent from the 2010, but it's just a touch "colder" than the 2011 version.

 

Dry: Once dried, the two versions are nearly indistinguishable.

[mistressfizz]

[2006 Version]

 

Sniff: Ah, soft resins, very quiet & smooth

 

Wet: Florals come out, mostly rose. It's a deep, dense rose with just a hint of spice. There's just a tiny bit of sweetness. The resins get dustier.

 

Dry: And this finishes to soap. A pleasant dusty floral soap, with undercurrents of smoke. Soothing and gentle.

[EphemeralFey]

2014 Version:

 

Purchase: Directly from the Lab

 

In the bottle: I have finally found you, my beautiful rose floral incense blend! The perfect blend of dark smoky incense gently sweetened with flowers.

 

Test Area: Inside crook of elbow

 

Wet: Mostly rose with some of the other florals in the background. I’m really hoping the incense comes back soon.

 

Dry down: The rose has blended in with the other florals and the incense is coming out again! This is going a little powdery on me, but the nice throw makes up for it.

 

1 hour later: This flip flopped between having stronger floral or incense notes during the hour, but ended up settling on a very slightly powdery version of what I got in the bottle. I continued to get a wonderful throw with this!

 

Thoughts: I think I found one of my HG scents! The BF thinks this smells like potpourri, and I do see how he gets that, but I still love this dearly. I’m tempted to hunt out an earlier year and see how it compares to this year.

[stellamaris]

The 2014 version for me is surely the best one.

It's a gorgeous glorious floral, a no brainer.

[keltiejean]

If you're a fan of Rose Jam from Lush, then you'll probably love the 2014 version. The dry down is totally Rose Jam, to my nose! It's that rich, Damascus rose that's so dripping and gorgeous!

[schneagl]

2014 Version

 

In the bottle: Sweet and spicy, then a rose floral.

Wet on my skin: Airy, light rose, some resins in the back.

Drydown: Rose. Which I amp, so not surprising, but I really would like more incense! I can barely pick it up, though the boy says he can make them out more. On him, I can pick up much more spice, so clearly a skin chemistry variance coming into play.

The throw was average and stayed clearly discernible for hours. It lasted for most of the day, which is pretty good stats for me. Personally I want the spices and rose balance reversed, but I'm sure it will work out well for others.

[zankoku_zen]

2014 version

 

All Saints to me you're an airy resin with a touch of rose. It's pretty much sweet, slighly incensey with a touch of rose. Low throw and low medium wearlength.

 

In fact, my skin ate this up after about 45 minutes.

 

So, pass, since it doesn't seem to last.

[Magycmyste]

2014 version:

 

In the imp: Rose sweetened by incense. Very nice.

 

Wet on skin: Same.

 

Dried down: Same. Almost a little sweeter floral, like the gardenia's coming out a little.

 

Throw: Not a whole lot, but my nose is still a little stuffed.

 

Verdict: **** 1/* I really, really, like this scent, but it does fall a little short of being truly special on me. But... I think I still want a bottle of this this year. Maybe two, because I think my mom would like it a lot.

[Minh Scent]

2014 version

 

I can barely pick up the frankincense and myrrh. The florals come in play very early, but although there is more than just rose, that is what is center stage. If you are a fan of rose, It is a pretty scent, no doubt about it.

[Teamama]

2010 version, from a forum swap. Oh yessssss! Frankincense & rose & a lot more, but c'mon, FRANKINCENSE & ROSE!

 

I love this blend. On wet, it's frankincense forward. The myrrh is pretty subtle. Rose & lily are present, & move forward as the frankincense becomes less prominent.

 

The rose is rich and fruity, my favorite kind. Lily stays in the background.

 

2022 update: with age, the 2010 version has gotten drier. More resinous, less floral. Still beautiful, but I may start layering it with a rose blend.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Teamama
2022 update

[theredkilt]

2005 batch:

 

This is very dense and oily. It's hard to discern the drydown. There's defenitely frank and myrh but the florals are just non-descript.

[CathedralOfRoses]

2010 version. This is a realistic rose bomb, and I'm in heaven. The frankincense comes out a little bit to balance the almost-syrupyness of the rose, but it's still primarily ROSEROSEROSE and a tiny bit of incense smoke. Glorious. Cannot wait to layer this with Iago.