Cardinal

Saaaaadly the longevity is no good for the price point...very similar to Eau Sacree by the same house but that has more myrrh. Very, very similar to Essenzialmente Laura 'Incenso Bianco' but that has more life and breadth and the longevity of that is infinitely better.

I love the smell, it's exactly like entering a catholic church. Unfortunately the longevity is not satisfying.

On me, primarily myrrh with a dash of labdanum and black pepper. It dries down and begins to fade shockingly quickly, and I’m left with the “linen” (white musk) aspect. I’m rarely one to complain about longevity, as I don’t necessarily mind reapplying something if it’s beautiful. But this settles into vague amber and white musk within an hour’s time for me! Overall, even with better longevity, this wouldn’t be for me. I need the sharper, colder frankincense to balance out the sweet, warm myrrh. I like my incense a little spicier is all.

incense smell that i loveeeee. it reminds me of an antique shop

These are all of my favorite notes, but together in this iteration somehow they just smell like melancholy. They evolve into something more beautiful as they go and that beauty really lasted all day and well into the evening for me.

I keep forgetting that I should adore this fragrance but always end up disappointed! After trying it again and again, I remember how lovely it is at the start and then disappears without a trace. I’m sure it’s my chemistry but I DO HAVE my incense gem which is Encens Roi!!

This literally smells like I've just stepped into a church. Had to wash it off eventually. Not my style at all but I can appreciate the quality of the ingredients and the blending. It’s a photorealistic dull citrus, slightly smoky incense churchy vibe scent it’ll be an absolute banger for the right person.

This was meh for me. I enjoyed the incense qualities, and the black pepper came through well, but I found that the dry down was disappointing, and overall projection was kind of weak.

Smells similar to Avignon but not a deep a bit fresher but not fresh if that makes sense

I love it. It’s one of the very few incense fragrances I know that works well in summer. It feels clean and refreshing, while still retaining that sacred incense character.

Anyone selling? please and thank you

#1788 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this decant from scentsplit.com. For me, combining myrrh and olibanum almost always produces a nice result, I have more than seventy scents that feature that combination. But overall what I love about this scent is I detect nothing artificial. I’m not an idiot. Of course something here came out of a chemistry set, but everything smells very natural, like stuff you could encounter in an open air market. It’s a moderate scent overall, but I don’t care much. It has a warmer feel than most of other cathedral fragrances I own. This is a churchy scent I’d wear to a suit and tie office, but it’s cuddly enough for date wear. Cold weather scent. Runs $165-185. eBay sellers are shameless enough to charge double that. As I said, I hae ore than sventy scwent sin this category already, so I’m not a buyer, but if I didn’t have a churchy scent this would be a top pick. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

A sour incense scent, in common speak the classic churchy type. The resins are in their pure unburnt form, meaning if you have olibanum and myrrh little chunks at home and haven't lit them yet, you can smell a much superior version of those two's scent here. In these kinds of scents I love Sancti (more aromatic and soapy) and Lavs (evil incense), but I love to smell them, not wear them... and this one will be among the ones I love to smell because its atmospheric side is strong. The pine note isn't listed but I'm getting something similar to it, airy, sharp, fresh and cold. There's vetiver with its herbal and dry side too, but no matter what, the incense is in the lead role. The scent's drydown is obviously superior to its opening. Still, sorrowful, cold as stone. Tag(s): raw incense, resins, clean, fresh, airy, cold, serene, melancholic

Smells 1:1 like a European church. Not in a bad way, but smells like pure myrrh and black pepper.

In a heavily similar vein to Avignon and Full Incense no doubt, but decidedly brighter, and for lack of a better term, “juicier”. The common threads of cool incense, mineral and balsamic are present, but with the quiet rose and peppercorn it becomes something more comforting, charming and lifelike. Between the two aforementioned incenses, this is the best one. Supremely wearable.

Comprato nel 2012, la mia boccetta è ancora quella. Leggo che forse la formula non è più buona come quella. La mia fragranza è veramente bella, un aroma che riporta a qualche ambiente ecclesiastico di secoli fa, caldo e freddo assieme. Ci sono aromi di incenso bruciato in lontananza,senso di freddo e pulito ma poca preghiera... mi vengono in mente preti porcelli che fanno cose erotiche...

Sacred modernism at Vence Cardinal treats incense with an unusual sense of light, freshness, and architectural clarity. Pink pepper, black pepper, green notes, and the impression of pressed white cotton create an opening suspended between sacred ritual and contemporary refinement. Rather than evoking a dark cathedral, the fragrance recalls the atmosphere of the Matisse Chapel at Vence: luminous, minimalist, and quietly sensual. Frankincense, myrrh, vetiver, and patchouli gradually dry the composition into an elegant mineral incense whose austerity never becomes severe. Yet Cardinal’s real achievement lies in its cultural ambiguity. Sacred and secular, spiritual and materialistic, disciplined and seductive, the perfume feels culturally porous, almost faintly sinful, in the way it dissolves traditional boundaries between ritual, aesthetic culture, and urban life. Grey amber eventually softens the dry down into a warmer finish that can become slightly sweet in excessive heat or with overapplication. A remarkably modern incense perfume: bright, sensual, and spiritually unresolved.

Reviewing a sample from 2025. Cardinal by Heeley was released in 2006. Cardinal is a clean cold incense fragrance. It is fairly linear fragrance consisting mostly of cold soapy myrrh and olibanum. A touch of pepper to start with a synthetic clean linen and then cold incense . The supporting basenotes are MIA. No smoke , no sweetness. Overall a cross between Avignon and Andrea Maack's Craft. Quality 3/5 -reviews suggest better formulation in the early releases but I did not try this in 2006 to confirm Unisex Performance-4/5 I expected more from this based on older reviews although those post 2020 suggest a lighter/soapier fragrance. There are better incense fragrances out there with Eau Sacrée being a better option from the brand. If you think you might like a cold clean soapy churchy scent - this may be for you. 7/10

Quite like this one

Beautiful and versatile churchy incense. Clean, airy, fresher than you'd expect while retaining a distinct incense feel. Perfectly balanced sweetness that is never too much. It's dry, but not as dry as Avignon.

I was looking for a church incense and this one is really beautiful and authentic but it collapses into a white powder on me and its too chalky.

A mix of wood polish, raw ginger, and hints of incense. It does smell a bit like an old church/cathedral. Overall, it's an interesting take on 'church' fragrances. However, the potent ginger note prevents it from being wearable for me.

YUP, smells like catholic church!

I blind bought this because I was raised very Catholic, and I’ve been searching for that scent memory. I was intrigued by Cardinal because several people have mentioned that it could be worn as a warm-weather incense… I couldn’t imagine how this was possible, but they’re right! This is a chic, minimalist Catholic scent. It is not dusty, dank, smoky, or spooky in anyway. It’s the man, not the building. The Jesuit priest you can actually trust (impossible?). Is it offertory? Yes, a bit. But it’s primarily clean and effervescent. The linen brings an airiness to the frankincense and myrrh, the amber brings depth and a little drama. … I love it.

This is HEAVEN in a bottle. I feel like others have articulated how it smells better than I could, but I love this. It has a very realistic incense note, but it's neither too smoky, or heavy, nor too cool, like some incense scents sometimes get. I think the myrrh is quite prominent, which I LOVE. I was a bit afraid of the patchouli note, but after getting a sample I can confirm that it simply rounds out the fragrance, and it isn't overpowering even if you don't like that note. It's a beautifully blended and balanced perfume, and agree with people that it's super, super, sacrilegiously sexy. On paper I thought it was leaning slightly masculine first, but on skin it's truly unisex. I honestly feel like this is the perfume I've been looking for in the past few years after I parted ways with my beloved Meharées (due to wearing it too much and personal associations). That is supposed to be a dupe for Musc Ravageur but I always got a ton of myrrh from it. Cardinal doesn't smell like it, but I think people who like one might like the other. In any case, Cardinal has a high chance of becoming my new all time favorite. The longevity is great, and you only need a few sprays to surround yourself with the perfect scent bubble. I'm really impressed. Do I need it? No. Did I order a FB a few days after I got a sample? Yes.

Upon first spray, the fragrance opens with a dense and heavy smokiness touched by a subtle sweetness. The sweetness has an almost energy drink quality, somewhat reminiscent of Red Bull, blended with a strong and slightly harsh smoky accord that may feel overwhelming at first and not especially pleasant. After about an hour, the smokiness fades considerably. What remains is a cleaner and softer composition centered around a sweet apple note with a light soapy character, giving the scent a fresher and more approachable finish.

One of the safest incense perfumes and because of this I am not wholly impressed. I can definitely see this being a holy grail for those who prefer cleaner scents that are more appropriate for office wear. It is slightly metallic upon opening and dries down very cozy. The amber and linen notes make this feel very soft and inviting. A great scent overall and one I would appreciate anyone for wearing but I will not be purchasing a full size for myself.

Clean Frankincense and smoky. A bit like hajmola though but must be the pepper note. Loved it.

This has to be one of the best incense perfumes I've found. Instead of a choking smoke, this burns airy, luminous, and soft. I think that linen note really pulls of something spectacular, making this a delicate incense perfume, rather than a harsh burning one (as is often the case). I'm curious how this would hold up on summer... I think it could do well because it isn't so suffocating. Unlike many incense perfumes, it also isn't a bomb, which makes it even more discrete and secretive... As far as longevity, I sprayed myself maybe four times throughout the day yesterday, showered, and still smelled it faintly, so it has lasted for me. Immediately upon spraying I was thinking of sex, sex, sex... It's so, so sexy, sensual, and perverse, due to the intimate softness of an otherwise unreachable liturgical scent. Romantic human sacrifice... The balance between sancity and sacrilège is absolute. A beautiful, hypnotic fragrance

Fresh Fizzy Frankincense. I can't wait to be wearing this for spring.