Encre Noir Adventures

13 May 2025

Encre noir has arrived.

Straight up smells like antique wood to me. It’s beautiful, but it’s not Ink, and every damn reviewer is a dramatic liar. The most goth description T can come up with is the pews or a confessional in an empty church, but this is more woodworker’s station at midnight.

16 May 2025

The more I experience Encre Noir the less I understand the reviews saying it’s “dark”.

It’s straight up dry wood, vetiver, then something reminiscent of brand new clothes from an expensive store. Makes my clothes smell high class LOL but where the fuck is the dark gothic funeral vibes.

It doesn’t have any sweet, floral, or fruity notes (which is what I want - not a fan of gourmands) so I understand why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s really not dark.

Longevity is insane though. More than 10 hours after spraying I could still smell it on my clothes when I took it off. Hopefully I didn’t overspray and gave someone a headache.

I’m guessing the woody scent, combined with how solemn this feels compared to most fragrances, reminded people of coffins, old (and therefore scary) houses, and (temperate) forests at night.

But my scent association is more: wood furniture from an unused room in a bahay-na-bato ancestral home + expensive clothes = someone born with MONEY.

Encre Noir a l'Extreme, however, smells like a priest taking a smoke break in an empty church.

The specific smoke-incense note reminds me of a memory (not tobacco) but I can’t pinpoint what it is at the moment.