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| Second review - scroll down for earlier |
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| First review |
I briefly paused reviewing Bhagwan for a while while exploring other incenses. Then I had a few messages from Eugene about some incenses he'd ordered not being of a good enough standard so he was withdrawing them. And then there is a complex issue with ORS, which Eugene has spoken about to me, and which I'm not going to get into here (or, indeed, anywhere). These things meant the pause extended longer than I intended. I'm returning now, but only for a short while, I have a variety of other incense I want to work on for a while, especially some Elebenzauber samples I've been sent. So my intention is to finish what I have on my desk, then come back to Bhagwan probably in the new year. Meanwhile, SamsaSpoon (Irene) over at Rauchfahne (Smoke Trail) has done a helpful write up of Bhagwan, and also intends to do some reviews next year.
The first incense I picked up was a delightful smelling Lemongrass, but on lighting it there was clearly something wrong, as the perfume vanished, and what remained was the core material. I checked my emails, and sure enough, this is one that Eugene has withdrawn as below standard.
I then picked this Lavender Bliss, as I thought it might have something in common with Cory's Absolute Bliss Exotic Lavender because of the name, but it doesn't. These are 8 inch sticks with approx 6 to 6 1/2 inch charcoal paste hand rolled onto a plain bamboo splint. I think there's a purple tinge to the paste, but I'm not entirely sure - that could be my imagination. There's a pleasant scent on the stick - reminiscent of the Fougère accord, so it smells a little bit like men's cologne, especially Brut by Fabergé, which has a lavender top note. The scent on the burn is a little thin, and few details of the accord on the stick makes it into the fragrance. On the burn it presents as more musky and sweet, with vanilla tones. I'm getting little if anything of the lavender. It's a pleasant scent, but rather modest and limited, and the whole presents more as a perfumed incense than a masala incense. Which, of course, raises questions as to when does an incense transition from being a masala to being perfumed. I suspect people will have different opinions on this. For me, just for clarity, a perfumed incense is one which relies for most of its scent on a perfume rather than solid ingredients such as woods and resins. I don't differentiate between synthetic or natural perfumes, though I know others do. My experience with perfumes is that there is a sliding scale between synthetic and natural rather than an abrupt line, and many top class scents, such as Chanel No 5, are a blend of both; and a number of even very traditional incense makers, such as Shroff, blend natural and synthetic scents as the cost of natural scents can be prohibitive, while top class synthetic scents can be very beguiling. I know that Paul Eagle of Happy Hari was very positive about synthetic scents.
This stick reminds me of Primo/Madhavdas incense I've had. I find Madhavdas incense variable, and for me tends to present more as perfume-dipped than masala, which this stick does. Looking back in my reviews, I've not really got to grips with Madhavdas as I don't think I've burned that many, and of what I have burned I don't think I get on with the more everyday stuff, which this Lavender Bliss appears to be. Some of the Madhavdas formulations work, but I think that's when they put more oil in the mix so it better survives the burn. I've read speculation that they use different qualities of oil rather than different quantities, and that may be the case.
The first incense I picked up was a delightful smelling Lemongrass, but on lighting it there was clearly something wrong, as the perfume vanished, and what remained was the core material. I checked my emails, and sure enough, this is one that Eugene has withdrawn as below standard.
I then picked this Lavender Bliss, as I thought it might have something in common with Cory's Absolute Bliss Exotic Lavender because of the name, but it doesn't. These are 8 inch sticks with approx 6 to 6 1/2 inch charcoal paste hand rolled onto a plain bamboo splint. I think there's a purple tinge to the paste, but I'm not entirely sure - that could be my imagination. There's a pleasant scent on the stick - reminiscent of the Fougère accord, so it smells a little bit like men's cologne, especially Brut by Fabergé, which has a lavender top note. The scent on the burn is a little thin, and few details of the accord on the stick makes it into the fragrance. On the burn it presents as more musky and sweet, with vanilla tones. I'm getting little if anything of the lavender. It's a pleasant scent, but rather modest and limited, and the whole presents more as a perfumed incense than a masala incense. Which, of course, raises questions as to when does an incense transition from being a masala to being perfumed. I suspect people will have different opinions on this. For me, just for clarity, a perfumed incense is one which relies for most of its scent on a perfume rather than solid ingredients such as woods and resins. I don't differentiate between synthetic or natural perfumes, though I know others do. My experience with perfumes is that there is a sliding scale between synthetic and natural rather than an abrupt line, and many top class scents, such as Chanel No 5, are a blend of both; and a number of even very traditional incense makers, such as Shroff, blend natural and synthetic scents as the cost of natural scents can be prohibitive, while top class synthetic scents can be very beguiling. I know that Paul Eagle of Happy Hari was very positive about synthetic scents.
This stick reminds me of Primo/Madhavdas incense I've had. I find Madhavdas incense variable, and for me tends to present more as perfume-dipped than masala, which this stick does. Looking back in my reviews, I've not really got to grips with Madhavdas as I don't think I've burned that many, and of what I have burned I don't think I get on with the more everyday stuff, which this Lavender Bliss appears to be. Some of the Madhavdas formulations work, but I think that's when they put more oil in the mix so it better survives the burn. I've read speculation that they use different qualities of oil rather than different quantities, and that may be the case.
The blurb on the box says: "Tranquil and ethereal floral notes of lavender are balanced by a touch of earthiness and comforting vanilla."
Anyway, this is a pleasant musky incense on the burn. Quite acceptable, though not on target for being a lavender incense.
Date: Nov 2023 Score: 28
See also:
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| (HMS) Blue Pearl Lavender Sept 2023 - Score: 37 |
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