Herrera Confidential : Gold Incense
Carolina Herrera (2017)

Imagine a fallen angel, sitting alone in an empty temple, her face half in the light and half in the dark. This duality is very sensational to me.

A very well blended scent. Begins with a beautiful angelica note blended with hot yet smooth frankincense and other spices including cinnamon, cardamon, all blended seamlessly with a synthetic but appropriately judged for the effect sandalwood and vanilla.

Gold Incense is for artists and loners, it is a little Gothic. Good performance. Thumbs Up!

I dislike being among the first to review a fragrance. However, it is easier when the fragrance is lovely. Upon applying Gold Incense, I IMMEDIATELY noted similarities between this perfume and By Kilian "Incense Oud." Initially, I was super-excited because to date, Incense Oud has been out of production for at least a couple of years.

IMO, Gold Incense is VERY similar to Incense Oud, with perhaps a few minor exceptions. So, take a look at the notes profile for each fragrance:

By Kilian Incense Oud:
Top Notes: cardamom, pink pepper, Turkish rose, geranium, grapefruit
Heart Notes: cedarwood, patchouli, Indian papyrus
Base Notes: incense oil, incense absolute, sandalwood, oakmoss, cistus labdanum, musks

Carolina Herrera Gold Incense:
Top Notes: bergamot, cinnamon, Angelica seed, marigold
Heart Notes: cedar, labdanum
Base Notes incense, vanilla caviar, sandalwood

So, yes Incense Oud may be somewhat more complex, more floral, dirtier, bolder and overall "fuller" than Gold Incense. However, Gold Incense is intoxicating in its own right.

Gold incense is exotic with an initial, full blast of cinnamon & smooth (not fizzy) citrus. Within minutes, IG develops a beautiful smoky & slightly resinous incense note that seamlessly meshes with emerging sandalwood. While not as deeply resinous, or dirty as By Kilian Incense Oud, Gold Incense develops a beautiful dry-down with smooth incense, light vanilla, effortless florals and more sandalwood...I also detect amber.

As incense fragrances go, Gold Incense is quite wearable because it doesn't approach the linear levels of "church incense" type fragrances, say Comme des Garcons Incense Series. Yes, the churchiness (think frankincense, myrrh, some woods & green) is present but any one of those notes blend well with other emerging notes. TBH, about 5-10 minutes in, the incense note is temporarily shrouded by emerging middle & base notes.

I am not a fan of vanilla based fragrances and fortunately, Gold Incense never smells sickly, cloying or bakery sweet on my skin. In MANY incense forward perfumes I've tried, where balance of the smokiness and churchiness of the incense is attempted with sweet notes, the fragrance turns gourmand and cloying...sometimes to the point of nausea. Oftentimes, in an effort to smooth out deeply resinous notes, a perfumer washes out those notes with sweetness (or in some cases, florals...usually rose). Not so with this fragrance!

Gold Incense is beautiful, it truly is. I definitely see this fragrance as unisex, yet it actually leans feminine IMHO. Longevity is pretty good at 6+ hours, silage is moderate.

And I should be ecstatic that I can walk around smelling this spectacular-smile since Incense Oud is unfindable. But it seems after wearing Gold Incense for a few days, I may have moved beyond this type of fragrance. I still adore incense forward fragrances when they are blended well with other interesting notes. But at the price point of Carolina Herrera Gold Incense, I'm not yet ready to purchase a full bottle.

For fans of Nasomatto Black Afgano, Tiziana Terenzi Gold Rose Oud, The Merchant of Venice Vinegia, Tom Ford Women's Oud Wood and to a lesser degree, Chanel Coromandel, Gold Incense is DEFINITELY worth a blind buy! This perfume is awesome.