Wild Incense isn’t really incense based at all to be honest. It opens with a sharp, resinous frankincense and a boozy cognac note which is both sweet and bitter. The sticky, syrupy dates soon emerge which adds a significant amount of sweetness, alongside tonka bean. A soft, smooth leather runs along the background which is quite pleasant, while the frankincense gives almost a hint of a smoky tobacco accord. This fragrance is quite interesting and enjoyable in the opening, but dries down to something much less exciting. Unfortunately after some time it settles into a basic sweet fragrance with average quality. I was expecting better given the retail price, and the note breakdown got me really excited initially. It’s a nice fragrance, but I think I got my hopes up a bit too much.

I feel like I judged Wild Incense too quickly, as I sold my bottle not long after receiving it to make space for a different fragrance. But now, almost a year later, it’s made its way back into my collection - and I welcome it with open arms. I’m unashamed to say I now love this fragrance. I stand by what I said about this not being incense based at all, it’s definitely a pure gourmand - as well as the fact that it doesn’t smell particularly high quality, but somehow that seems part of its charm. To my nose it smells like fat, sticky dates swirling round a glass of cognac with a brand new leather jacket resting on the table beside said glass. It’s utterly delicious, with a gorgeously creamy base of tonka to finish it off. In the background, a very subtle medley of frankincense, benzoin and guaiac wood seem to give off this dry, balsamic, slightly smoky quality which almost comes across as the faintest whiff of coffee in the distance. Either way, I smell delectable wearing this, and this time it’s here to stay.