To Lesbia

[zankoku_zen]

A vivacious carnation incense.

[abejita]

On my skin, this is straight up incense. It's a very nice incense, but I'm not getting the carnation. I'll put it aside awhile and see if it balances more in the future.

[zankoku_zen]

Dark, smoky carnation and a whiff of incense. Good throw and wear length.

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: Carnation. Then incense. Then INCENSE. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's for sure a lot of incense, but I can detect the carnation underneath. As it dries, more of the same.The incense stays at the forefront, but the carnation doesn't disappear. It's smoky and spicy and resinous and just a hint of carnation's silkiness. 

 

It holds pretty steady on me. I like this a lot. I have a lot of carnation and clove scents, but not any carnation incense scents. This could be a bottle for me. 

[VetchVesper]

This is GLORIOUS!  I do LOVE me some incense though. 😍 

I get plenty of carnation from this.  A big blast of the spicy, clovey kind right up front.  It's a bit much for the first 15 mins, but then the spicy aspect calms down, and carnation's creamier, sweeter aspects come into play.  The incense plays back up singer, making the whole thing hazy and smoky, creamy and clovey.  I think there's some copal in here.  I don't smell any nag champa.  Actually, the incense in this (though the overall blend is quite different) reminds me of a Possets perfume, Sacred Smoke, which mentions incense with sandalwood, fragrant burning oude, a hiss of clove essence, and a bit of burning green bamboo.  So maybe some sandalwood and non-funky oude?  
 

If you are wanting a demure, sweet, floral carnation, this is not her.  This is a ball-stomping, bra-burning, clove cigarette smoking carnation who will NOT shut up, and I love her.  Just give her a little dry down time to grow on you.    Back up bottle for sure.  
 

ETA - Something about this also reminds me of Crimson, which would support the sandalwood and oude suspicion.  Mmmmm.....

Edited April 4, 2020 by VetchVesper

[feyofthefellwood]

This is so nice! Gentle, sweet incense over an almost green carnation. The carnation's spice gives this a nice spark, although overall this is pretty understated on my skin. I think I prefer There's No Bliss Like This for my spicy carnation needs, but this is also a good one for carnation lovers.

[theseagrows]

yep, this is carnation incense. this incense lies somewhere between subtle japanese incense and the headshop kind. at first it seems the incense is the stronger note, but after being on the skin awhile, the carnation becomes more prominent. i like this one a lot, it has a classic feel to it

[Lucchesa]

One of my all time favorite Lupers is Delightful Visitor Among Haystacks (chrysanthemum incense and red carnation) and To Lesbia is the closest thing I have found.  Like VetchVesper, I don't smell any nag champa, which is the one incense note I cannot do.  Instead it is more of a Shunga-feeling incense with a spicy, smoky carnation.  Really nice.  

[Rayleigh]

If you like carnation and you like incense, have I ever got good news for you!

 

This is a big, full bloom, living carnation, mingled with a dark, rich incense. I can't identify what makes up the incense, but it's deep and smoky and complements the spicy floral. The carnation starts off almost bitter in its strength, but it rapidly intertwines with the incense and finds a balance. One never overpowers the other from there on out, and this sticks around a long time -- this is one of those blends that I applied in the afternoon, and could still smell faintly after waking up the next morning.

 

I had high hopes for this one, as carnation and incense are among my favorite notes, and this easily lived up to expectations. Gorgeous.

[Jenjin]

A smoky, Japanese incense bomb upfront. It's alot like straight up smelling a joss stick, maybe sinking your face into the whole box. This is the good stuff, think the ultimate Shoyeido, all aromatic woods, resins and spices. I'm getting myrrh, frankincense and Egyptian amber along with the floral, a goth lover's dream. After a few minutes the blood red carnation opens it's dewy petals, swirling around with the deep-dark background in a magnificent way. I could definitely see this in the OLLA collection. Meditative and relaxing, I want to languish in this scent. Lazing around on brocade cushions with bamboo wind-chimes,  the breeze blowing through carnations in the garden dreaming of long-lost love. 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Jenjin

[tinyvulture]

Beautiful, deep incense. The peppery carnation is one of my can't miss floral notes. It works wonderfully here as a dry incense. As theseagrows said, it's in between subtle Japanese and bold headshop incense. Love it!

[Dancing Raven]

Wet, and for several hours thereafter, it is a beautiful, spicy carnation. For a brief period I get the creamier aspects, but for the most part it is warm, clovey goodness. This is no shy wallflower. It packs a big punch. After a couple of hours I begin to smell opoponax mixing with the clove. The final stages are warm and balsamic. I am thinking there may be some peru balsam in this. I believe there may also be some labdanum. Wet, I got a fleeting whiff of what I thought was frankincense, and labdanum can start out like frank on me. I am also getting an effervescence like sasparilla/cola that labdanum sometimes does on my skin. This is yummy!

This is a very warm, spicy, resinous scent. I have a ton of oils with this scent profile, but I am keeping this one, too. I'm hoping the creamier aspects of the carnation will come out more with aging after the resins have time to settle down. Even if it doesn't, I am totally ok with that.

5 out of 5 stars. Absolute spicy, balsamic perfection!

[storme]

Lush, spicy carnation. Very warm, very resin-y. Turns a bit powdery after a few hours but not in an unpleasant way.