Cardinal is a recent fragrance release from the niche line Heeley, and the notes include incense, cistus, grey amber, patchouli and vetiver.

Cardinal is easily my favorite scent from Heeley so far. As you might guess from the name and the notes, it is a take on church incense, and so immediately invites comparison to what I think of as the industry standard, Comme des Garçons Avignon. Like Avignon, Cardinal starts off rather strong, but it has nothing like Avignon’s uncompromisingly gloomy stance: it is brighter, smoother, and not quite so bone-dry, although I wouldn’t go so far as to call it sweet. The dry down is soft and mildly earthy, and like many incense-focused fragrances, has a meditative quality…

Read the rest of this article »