Masque
Masque
144 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Frankincense and nutmeg create an almost medicinal opening, sharp and slightly green-tinted, with angelica adding an herbal bite that feels almost peppery. The spice is unadorned, refusing to play nice—this is incense before the sweetness, resin before the smoke settles.
As the top notes fade, the cardamom and cinnamon emerge with surprising warmth, their sweetness tempered by cedar's cool ligneous quality. Clove darkens everything, whilst cistus adds an unexpected floral whisper—just enough to prevent the composition from becoming purely aromatic, creating an almost contemplative, almost liturgical middle phase.
The fragrance settles into a deep, smoky embrace where myrrh's resinous warmth meets oakmoss's cool, green earthiness. Sandalwood and ambergris create a soft, almost suede-like finish that clings close to skin, becoming progressively more intimate and meditative as it fades.
Masque II-II Mandala announces itself as a deliberate confrontation with restraint. Frankincense and angelica collide in the opening moments with the sharp bite of nutmeg—not sweetened spice but the austere, peppery kind that catches at the back of your throat. This is a fragrance for those who view the skin as an altar rather than a canvas, one that demands active participation rather than passive projection.
The genius lies in how Christian Carbonnel threads the heart notes through one another: cardamom's warm, slightly mentholated quality keeps the cedar from becoming austere, whilst cinnamon and clove add a dusty, almost funereal solemnity. Cistus intervenes like a whisper of dried rose petals found in a closed book. There's something decidedly sacerdotal about this composition—it smells like you've just walked through a temple where resin has been burning for hours, where the air itself feels thick with intention.
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4.0/5 (368)