Passage d'Enfer

I actually own the Extreme version of this, but I'm leaving my review here as it doesn't appear that it's offered on line.I coveted this fragrance (not the Extreme) for so many years. I was so pleased to see it was reissued, and when an opportunity presented itself to purchase the Extreme version, I jumped. The notes were the same after all. How disappointed I was to find that this was really all about the incense. I had imagined that the lily would be the dominant note, but I couldn't find it at all. It's all church incense to me, and unfortunately, that's not a scent I'm fond of. Myrrh? Yes. Frankincense? Nope. So two stars because it is such a well blended fragrance, but it's one I do not care for at all.

Absolutely amazing. The lily is real, not overdone. After an hour, my skin starts to bring out the spicier elements. It's certainly NOT a passage to hell, nor does it remind me of death. It's the spice of life! The fragrance is very much alive, and a tribute to other fine florientals.

I received a sample of this - tried it, and was so confused - what fragrance did I already own that smells exactly like this? Realized it smells exactly like my toner! The Rejuvenating Frankincense Toner by Neal's Yard Remedies.... made from aloe and frankincense, so it makes sense! It smells pleasant, I actually bought the toner for its interesting, watery scent. But I wouldn't personally wear this as a perfume, just not my taste. In terms of evoking 'stone walls', Relique d'Amour by Oriza L. Legrand does a much, much better job in my opinion - I can barely call Passage d'Enfer 'stone walls' after owning Relique! Still, it's an interesting scent, one that others surely would enjoy. Truly unisex.

Leave it to Olivia Giacobetti to create a frankincense fragrance that's light and airy, so unlike the heavy incenses you commonly find. I get the cool dank stone of an ancient building; fresh water with a mineral touch, like water from the garden hose; a hint of flowers; and a spicy, cedary, lightweight frankincense that dries down with a salty, hay-like feel, similar to one of the distinctive notes in Dzing! (another of Giacobetti's creations). It doesn't carry far and is never strong, and if anything I wish it was a tad stronger and lasted a little longer. But at the same time, I love its gentle and meditative nature, and a heavy fragrance might intrude too much. It's not hellish at all, but is certainly suitable for contemplations on spirituality or the Underworld. This fragrance is fast becoming a big favorite of mine.

It's hard to beat this one. It's generally well-liked. I don't know of a person in my circle that doesn't like this. Everyone has something nice to say about it. On the other hand you have a unique scent that's definitely not mainstream. It's near impossible to find something that carries both of those responsibilities equally well. A five star winner!

This is one of the most beautiful scents I've encountered; and, next to Timbuktu, my favorite L'Artisan. I would give it ten stars but for the lasting power. I literally have to pour it on, and an hour later - it's completely gone. Not even a whisper. I'm so sad about this!!

Before I read the ingredients or anything about this particular perfume, Here are my thoughts: walking into an antique store and sitting in an old heavy wooden high back chair. I should have know there were lilies in there! I love lilies whether fruity, spicy, heady or incense inspired, as in this one. It's likable, but it took the whole 1 ml sample to perfume me up. Maybe I'll stick to Lily and Spice by pennholigans.

This is my favorite L'artisan so far and perfect to wear on a crisp autumn or winter day. Definitely a fragrance for a night on the town but probably not so much for work or everyday. The white lily contrasts nicely with the incense and smoke. Defintely evokes memories of an old church. This one is both dark yet feminine at the same time.

Incense for those who are afraid of incense. It's incense, but somehow soapy and clean smelling at the same time. Soft yet still compelling. Extremely inoffensive and something I might wear every day.

Ordinaire malheureusement dans la mesure où saturent ensemble olfactivement le lys, le musc et l'aloes. le "frankincense" ne dure qu'à peine 10 minutes, timide et evanescent. Dommage vraiment ! Parfum Ordinaire aussi parce que l'aloes prend le dessus sur l'ensemble ce qui donne au parfum l'impression d'une odeur de fond type creme hydratante banale en vente libre en pharmacie. très léger comme odeur, pas suave tel qu'espéré.

Such a perfect fragrance...lilies, incense, cool stone, say in the church where you are walking slowly and soundlessly listening to the organist practice...Faure, then Messaien, from the Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant Jesus; Christmas Eve is coming and the air is cold and threaded with lilies, incense, your desire for this man and the beauty of his hands on the keyboards and stops...This is a fragrance with a breath of great memory.

This is a lovely summer scent. Despite the incense, it has a cold feeling that would probably make it difficult to wear in winter. When I put it on, I can only smell the lily for about an hour, then the incense comes out and lasts 8-10 hours on my skin. It's so calming and relaxing, I can't stop smelling my wrist; I wish I could say it is sexy too, but I don't find it so. This is a perfect everyday scent for me in the hot greek summer. I was close to choose Jaisalmer over this, but in the end this was too unique to pass by.

well! my sister bought it for me. i am SO glad i tried this twice. so clean and fresh and lovely all day into night. perfect for spring summer! perfume is amazing. at first it was not me but now... i love this.

i do believe with our changes in body chemisty you have to always give perfume a second chance. first time i walked away. this time i love it. clean incense. i can enjoy it all day. so always give perfume a second try!

This smells like dill pickles floating in Mr. Bubble on me.

I love l'Artisan ... their scents are so well-balanced and lovely. However, though I WANT to like Passage, I just don't. It is almost pure aloe on my skin ... much too acrid and cold. Perhaps I will try this again on a very hot day, though an "incense" scent seems like a really weird hot-weather scent to me?

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This was my favourite for quite a while, as the first proper incense-scent i ever encountered. However, Passage d'Enfer leads straight to Avignon (excuse the pun) - now I laid it off in favour of Avignon which I'm besotted with. I find it (Passage) way too soapy-light, 'clean and fresh' for my liking. For those who feel a bit let down about it, I'd recommend d'Humeur Massacrante (from the 'Moodswings'(?)-series): it deliveres quite a kick, nut much unlike CdG's Jaisalmier (minus the woodsyness). (BTW the name Passage d'Enfer is simply the name of a small street in the 14. arrondissement where l'Artisan's lab is (or was) located...)

Light and airy, yet sultry and mystical at the same time. For those who have said soapy, I can relate to the clean smell and it is a wonderful clean smell. It’s a nice light floral out of the bottle that dries down to something much more mysterious. Close aura of fragrance. Husband snuggled in close to keep smelling this.