I have been thinking about writing a review on various incense sticks I have gotten myself in the past eight months, since my incense stick love was revived and I started experimenting with aromatherapy.
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~
Tulasi: Jasmine
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.
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
First thing I got is the METAL AF Lip Gloss in Cherry Pie by Medusa. I always wanted to try this brand, so I was ecstatic to get my hands on one of their lip glosses. It's a dark reddish/brownish metallic that dries matte and doesn't come off. It is quite drying though. It cost €9 and it's got 6ml in it. Not bad, but not great either. The applicator is a bit bizarre though and you got to work the product to get it right on your lips.
Next, we have another brand I've been keen to try, Lunatic Cosmetic Labs. I got their popular Cream Lip Slick in Coven. Beautiful unique greige colour, creamy and lightweight. However, you get 6ml for €14.50, which I personally find extremely expensive. The applicator is the standard applicator. This colour will actually look amazing on pink/neutral pale skin. I've been looking for a very long time to find a colour like this, without yellow undertones.
I've been dying to dye my hair a colourful hair again, and I've been feeling like blue lately. I was browsing through different brands and blue dyes and Sapphire by Crazy Color spoke to me.
I wanted to get a mug since teas season has arrived. I feel in love with this witchy treat. It also came in a cute eco-friendly box. It was €5.56 which is fair. The colour has faded in certain spots, but I don't mind it that much.
I also got myself some Stamford incense sticks. For anyone who doesn't already know, Stamford is my all time favourite brand for incense sticks. If you want details on my favourites check here.
I grabbed myself a little Black Agate necklace for €5.56, which isn't bad at all. I have to say it's tiny though and the string it comes with is cheap.
