Relics of Herself

[keileya]

Peru balsam, myrrh, frankincense, and ashes.

This is a beautiful light frankincense/myrrh resin incense, with the balsam keeping it from being too much like a Catholic church (seriously, sometimes with the right frankincense/myrrh blend I find myself looking around for a pew to genuflect in, but thankfully not with this one) and an underlying hint of ash -- not wood ash, but incense ash, the sort of scent that lingers when you've burned some resins on a charcoal.

As it dries on my skin, the balsam starts to get more prominent -- up close, the balsam's pretty strong, although the edges of the throw keeps that nice incensy resiny vibe. It's a medium throw, present without being overwhelming.

Overall, this is kept from being a true 'love' because my skin is amping the balsam a weeee bit too much, but that's just me being picky. If you, like me, love resins and are still on the quest for a good frankincense/myrrh incensy blend that doesn't send you into childhood flashbacks of Mass, give this one a try.

[Myria Jean]

This is light, slightly sweet, and really does smell like incense ash. It stays close to the skin and unfortunately disappears quickly. It's really beautiful though and I'm tempted to get a bottle or two and reapply often. It makes my other scents smell loud and garish in comparison.

[annemathematics]

I'm realizing that when some scents do a certain "bpal thing" to my nose, that it's beth's magic with frankincense that I'm picking up on. that magic is here. this is a lovely frank and myrrh scent. the balsam adds a warmth and richness but it's subtle to my nose (I love balsam subtle or strong). the ashes note smells exactly like the aftermath of when a candle's been snuffed out. that smoke that rises with a trace of wax and warmth of scent. this is beautiful to wear and smell. as mentioned above, it stays very close to the skin and disappears after a few hours.

Edited December 28, 2014 by annemathematics

[Atrous]

With frank and myrrh in this I expected it to be a lot stronger.

It stays surprisingly close to the skin.

I'm going to echo other reviews in saying this smells like sweet incense ash and snuffed out candles. But, it doesn't smell like a church.

I'm in love with Relics and will have to purchase a bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Myrrh and frankincense. The ashes add a smoky component to the blend. It smells like incense and ashes.

 

Smoky, myrrh and resin.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Interesting. I smell something sweet and tangy, almost grapey - nothing like what I expect a frankincense/myrrh blend to smell like.

 

Wet on skin: Ah, there's the frankincense and myrrh. It's possible I was getting a whiff of something else I was testing when I held up the imp. This is a soft ashy, incensey blend.

 

Dried down: Still soft and sweet, powdery and peaceful.

 

Throw: Not much throw on me at the moment.

 

Verdict: **** I like this one a lot, too. I think I'm going to want at least one bottle of this... but I might have to find it secondhand.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: All the notes, almost one at a time!

 

Wet: Starts out a bit like camphor but quickly settles to an ashy incense note.

 

The dry-down: The sweetness of the balsam returns, bringing the scent back to life, as it were. The myrrh and frank are just present enough so that, in the end, this is a spicy sweetness. But all the notes are faint; very much a skin scent where one huffs their wrist every so often.

[Balame]

I LOVE this!

 

I'm still waiting on an old set of Anniversary decants, but since they're down on the site and bottles get increasing hard to find, I tracked down the blend I thought I would enjoy the most... this one.

I'm glad my assumptions were right! Thank goodness for the other reviewers too because their impressions are spot-on.

 

This is exactly like PenitenceLite, which is perfect. I like Penitence a lot but sometimes it's a little too heavy and oppressive when I just want a calming incense blend. Here the frank and myrrh mingle gently while the balsam keeps everything light and sweetly oily (I know that might sound gross but it's awesome, I promise - like anointing oil or something). The ash is more apparent to me while this is wet, but it's still hinted at in the background when it dries. It is indeed like smooth incense ash in a church and snuffed candles.

 

It reminds me of all the peaceful moments of prayer and meditation I used to have rather than the self-loathing which was fostered later (haha, sorry, bitter ex-Catholic speaking). Relics is a gorgeous, airy incense blend with none of the bitterness of Penitence.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Balame

[Roogna]

strongly peru balsam and frankincense, maybe powdery myrrh underneath

it's pretty well balanced, no morphing, but it's seems the pb and frank are just not quite right for me

[milo]

Yup, balsum of Peru and frankincense. It seems odd to wear resins on a hot day. I like this. It would make a great atmosphere spray for meditation.

[tinyvulture]

Sweet myrrh is the star here, partnered with its BFF frankincense. I can't pick out peru balsam (wish I had a single note to compare!)

 

A lovely simple, resinous incense blend, and yes, it does have a dry/ashes aspect, like when your incense stick burns down to that last little bit. That's what distinguishes it from other similar blends such as Penitence.