So here it is: A review of all the incense sticks I have purchased in the past eight months.
Every individual review will comprise of an image, a couple of sentences on the scent of the sticks, and a rating.
In the end of this blog entry you will find my final thoughts and my top 5 favourite incense sticks from the ones reviewed.
Enjoy! x
Reviews:
~Stamford~
Stamford: Angel Dust
This one is one of those scents that I don't mind once in a while, but it's way too intense to use it often. It's supposed to have a lily scent.
Rating: 6/10
Stamford: Sandalwood
At some point I was obsessed with this scent! It has a wood, earthy feeling to it, so if you don't like that maybe Sandalwood is not for you. I personally love it when I want to meditate and relax.
Rating: 9/10
Stamford: Demon's Lust
I absolutely adore these! The scent is described as green oriental and I do find it has this sensual undertone that tingles your senses. Great if you have a special someone over and you want to set the mood. Bare in mind there is an earthy scent to it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Stamford: Vampire's Kiss
I find this scent extremely sensual, even more so than Demon's Lust. But it's also quite refreshing at the same time. It's described as a musky scent comprising of a variety of perfumery raw materials (as all Stamford incense do).
Rating: 9.5/10
Stamford: Fairy's Mist
This is a refreshing yet gentle scent of white rose. I do enjoy burning those incense sticks after a long day at work.
Rating: 8/10
Stamford: Witches' Curse
I have used them for sometime without realising their scent was Aloe Vera -which is my new obsession. I usually use these when I'm really pissed off at someone and negative energy lingers in my room. Such a powerful, yet calming scent.
Rating: 9.5/10
Stamford: Unicorn's Grace
Another Aloe Vera scent. This one has lower energy and in my opinion has a floral undertone to it. For some reason I have related it to Angel's Dust.
Rating: 8/10
Stamford: Pixie's Dance
These have become one of my favourite incense sticks! They have a vanilla scent -which I am in love with. I am a vanilla scent girl though, so no surprise there. Good for when you need a calming moment, or to just change the energy in your room.
Rating: 10/10
Stamford: Mermaid's Love
Another past obsession of mine! When I first burned those, I couldn't get enough of them! Another white rose in the Stamford collection, only this one has a sensual yet fresh undertone to it.
Rating: 9.5/10
Stamford: Werewolf's Bite
Frankincense and Myrrh. I was a bit hesitant with these incense sticks, but they grew in me with time. An interesting combination of power and calmness. I believe they could be used with spells or to enhance one's spiritual dreams.
Rating: 8.5/10
Stamford: Angel's Touch
Even though I'm generally not a fan of floral incense sticks, these ones are lovely. They have a sweet powdery floral aroma. Perfect for changing the energy of your room, and burning them could be a good way to start or end your day.
Rating: 6.5/10
White musk. It is not often that I find incense sticks that unbearable, but I am contemplating throwing these away. I just cannot seem to find their scent attractive at any time or situation.
Rating: 1/10
Stamford: Fairy Dreams
As I've mentioned before, I'm a vanilla scent girl. This is one of my old time favourites. The sweet vanilla scent of those incense sticks is perfect for dreaming, relaxing and taking a bath. I usually burn them right before I go to sleep. (This scent reminds me Pagan Magic by a different company -it came in purple packaging).
Rating: 10/10
Stamford: Dragon's Blood
Dragon's Blood. I am not too bothered by this scent, but I am not in love either. I do enjoy burning these when the energy in the room feels dull.
Rating: 7/10
Stamford: White Sage
I was always curious about white sage, as I had heard and read a lot about it. At some point I was obsessed with these incense sticks! I use them to block negative energy from my space, cleanse the space and my energy. I have to admit if you use them too much, you do get a bit tired of the scent.
Rating: 9.5/10
Stamford: Vanilla
I don't like to repeat myself, but yeah, as you've noticed I am fond of vanilla scents. I usually burn these sticks when I want to relax or change the overall aroma in my room.
Rating: 9/10
Stamford: Pagan Magic
I actually thought this was the same Pagan Magic that came in a purple box and I had discovered years ago, but unfortunately, this is a very different scent. One I cannot stand. Apparently these specific incense sticks have an aphrodesia musk aroma.
Rating: 1/10
Stamford: Prosperity Another sandalwood scent from Stamford. I burn these incense sticks when I'm not feeling very lucky or when I want to feel the energy flow in my room change. Not as heavy as the Sandalwood incense sticks, they have some fresh undertones to them.
Rating: 8/10
Stamford: Dragon's Fire
Roses. A gentle and discreet fragrance which fills the room with a pleasant vibe. As all Stamford incense sticks that come in a black box and red lettering it has a sensual, mystical undertone to it.
Rating: 9/10
Stamford: Egyptian Musk
Musky, earthy and with a hint of something ancient and sacred. These incense sticks are some of my favourites to burn when I want to meditate and relax.
Rating: 9/10
~Tulasi~
Way too strong for me.
Rating: 5/10
Tulasi: Sage
Quite a strong scent of sage, this one is not as soft and smooth as White Sage by Stamford. Still, you can use it to cleanse a space.
Rating: 6/10
Tulasi: Lemongrass
I had never smelled lemongrass incense sticks before. Way too earthy and uncomfortable for me. They literally smell like burnt grass.
Rating: 1/10
Tulasi: Lotus
I do enjoy this scent, but as it is extremely strong, I don't burn Lotus incense sticks that often.
Rating: 6.5/10
Tulasi: Sensuality
Patchouli, nutmeg and ylang ylang. This strong yet sensual combination of scents is great for an erotic session with your partner(s), a sensual massage or meditation. As it is so intense, I cannot burn those incense sticks too often.
Rating: 7.5/10
Tulasi: Moon
I am not sure what scent these incense sticks have, but it is not floral and it is not sensual. I can't really describe it. I have burned them in the past during the night, as the scent does feel right during that time.
Rating: 6/10
Tulasi: Night Queen
I am not a fan of floral scents usually, unless they are soft and/or sensual. And this incense sticks are exactly that. Again, like the Moon ones, I do find them more enticing during the night. Especially before I go to bed.
Rating: 8.5/10
Tulasi: Meditation
Vanilla, sandalwood and chamomile. An extremely strong blend that is perfect for meditation. I personally do not burn these incense sticks often due to the aroma.
Rating: 7/10
Tulasi: Sandalwood
Another earthy incense. This is very strong and woody. Way too strong for my tastes.
Rating 4.5/10
~Various Brands~
As this post is too long already, here I will mention epigrammatically a few other incense sticks I did not enjoy due to their extremely strong scents.
Hem: I tried their Amber incense sticks which I did not like at all as they had a strong wooden/earthy scent, and their Almond ones, which I don't mind as they smell like almond, but wouldn't buy again.
SAC: I tried Pine which did actually smell like burnt pine (or like a forest on fire) and Night Queen (not to be confused with Tulasi's one) which had an extremely heavy floral scent (to the point of causing me a migraine). Didn't enjoy either.
Sital: I tried Violet, which has a perfume-esque scent to it -if that makes sense. Very strong violet/floral scent, which I personally cannot stand for too long.
Lastly, I was trying to find a good vanilla incense stick -apart from Stamford's- and I decided to try GR's Royal Vanilla and Flute's Vanilla. The first one smelled nice before you burned it, but was way too strong as it was burning. The latter had a very bizarre and unpleasant vanilla scent, almost as if it had something else in it as well. Unfortunately, they didn't work for me.
I have also tried a few Chinese brands, but the letters are in Chinese, so I cannot find them in English.
Final thoughts and favourites
It seems that the font colour and box colour in Stamford incense sticks isn't a coincidence. My understanding is that the ones that come in a black box are more aetherial, sensual and kind of gothic if you'd like, whereas the ones that come in a white box are more floral and intense.I personally enjoy the ones that come in a black box a lot more as I am not fond of extremely floral scents.
Moreover, I feel the ones that come in a black box and have red lettering are more on the sensual side, and usually, these are some of my favourite incense sticks.
Even though I do like some incense sticks by Tulasi and other brands, I do feel Stamford is the one I am more attracted to.
My top 5 at the moment:
- Sandalwood
- Vampire's Kiss
- Fairy Dreams
- Witches' Curse
- Pixie's Dance
Lastly, I would suggest trying the 'mini-collection' versions like the Mythical Collection by Stamford.
This way you can try various scents before you commit to buying the larger versions (the mini ones have 8 or 5 incense sticks each usually).
Sources and suppliers
I wasn't able to find an official retailer website for the incense brands that were mentioned, but I am including a list with suppliers and also pages where I found the information about the scent details of each entry.
- Ebay supplier
- Scent details and information (amazon retailer)
- Scent details and retailer
- Google (for images)
- Scent details and retailer
- Scent details and retailer
Conclusion
I hope you found this list useful. Remember, this is my personal opinion. Other people may have a completely different reaction towards these scents.
I have actually buyed everything on this list with my own money, a.k.a I'm not sponsored.
I will keep updating the list with every new scent I purchase.
Peace
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