Cardinal 
Heeley (2006)

I have owned bottles, decants, and samples of the some of the biggest players in the High Mass corner of the incense genre, and my personal favorite is Cardinal (Heeley). Compared to Avignon (Comme des Garcons) and Full Incense (Montale) – the two other High Mass scents with which Cardinal is most often grouped – Cardinal smells like incense from the priest’s censer wafting at you through shafts of sunshine, fresh air, and white sheets fluttering on a brisk breeze.

Though it is very dry, it is not tremendously dark or smoky, and therefore, not forbidding. The aldehydes lift the spirits as well as the scent itself, and the papery-sweet benzoin makes me think of vellum sheet music soaked in vanilla, strung out over a line to dry. I appreciate the elegantly-slanted, sideways approach to church incense that Cardinal employs because it gives me the vague whiff of spirituality without dragging me back to Mass.

It's either this or CDG's Avignon. Their qualities are similar; it's that churchy peppery incense. Feels natural and high quality, and doesn't have a synthetic feeling. It doesn't feel as dry as Avignon, but it's still a light incense, with no heaviness.

The price between the two are pretty much the same, per ml. Avignon offers a 50ml bottle for around $95 so that's an option if you don't want to pay $180 for a full 100ml bottle of Cardinal. It's worth a sample, but I don't think I'm going to pay for a full bottle.

My initial review was completely wrong. I gave Cardinal a second try, and I love it. A beautiful incense. I was correct that it smells a lot like Avignon, but wrong that Avignon is cheaper. They're about the same price ... although Avignon is stronger and more lasting, so...

one of the lightest and most refreshing incense fragrances I've smelled...a lot of nice little nuances...but overall a very nice and fragrant churchy smell, but very subdued and gentle...I like it a lot...an incense you can probably get away with wearing to the office....

This is a very clean incense - there's a lot of aldehydes and frankincense. It reminds me a bit of EL White Linen crossed with CdG Avignon. It is very bright and light, longlasting and linear. It stays quite close to the skin.