5 Humiecki & Graef samples reviewed:

I agree on the Vibskov...abysmal. Biehl is very erratic, ranges from total crap to fantastic...what have you sampled? And what exactly from CDG?

H&G has some pretty cool stuff (e.g. Skarb and Blask)

I can't wait to try Blask, myself. I've tried all the rest of them. I actually blind bought Skarb as it was on sale for over half off - luckily I love it. I would love to own bottles of Askew and Geste and maybe even Bosque but I think I'll live with samples or decants as they aren't remotely close to scents I'd wear regularly. Still, I love'em! Heck, Eau Radieuse is a wonderful once in a while scent, too. Green bananas, lemons, and a wide open sense of space. There are days when that scent would blend in such a synergistic way as to make magic.

It's interesting that you pick up watermelon in Skarb. I've never gotten such a vibe - I get more of a sweet chamomile along with lemony incense in the opening along with a bit of 'brown sugar' from the myrrh/carrot seed/orris combo. My skin brings out the salty herbal elements of Skarb and make it a great great great late summer early autumn scent. It evokes the thought of golden leaves and dry, yellow fields. Grain and earth. Salty and human.

Speaking of salty and human, Bosque really does capture the essence of - well, have you seen the marketing picture they use for it? It's very post orgasmic in a sense. The slightly tangy grapefruit and salty vetiver notes mingle with the milky accord to create a smell evoking the essence of a woman, while the chlorinated marine notes and again the milky accord combine quite well to create the slightly sweet smell of the essence of a man; all of that on a bed of grass. Bosque, a quick romp in a summer meadow. Carefree and joyous.

Some time ago I drove sculpture_of_soul nuts with my claim that Skarb is all about the chemical 'helional' and less else. I have to apologize. There's a lot more than that. But, helional is the star of the show. I get the same vibe from Byredo M/Mink. It resembles - no offense - gherkins, the Polish variant. The aroma I remember is a mixture of lactic acid (plus its natural companions), vinegar, seeds of mustard, dill and much bay leaves, honey to sweeten it just a bit. Since gherkins must remind Polish guys of her families, doesn't that fit the ad copy? The soul and tears thing I think of.

On the other hand, CdG - same relies on 'saffraleine'. Insense Ultramarine goes for 'pharaone'. Once one has smelled the kind-of-plastic raw materials in high concentrations these ingredients won't hide any more. Particularly chemicals that are designed to give a whole palette of olfactory sensations with only one molecule. May be I'm too critical ...

Thanks for the kind words FF. My suggestion is actually to give a second chance to a bunch of stuff you already sampled. I don't know which Tauers you tried but, usually, they need some time to be properly appreciated. He also delivered some forgettable compositions such as a couple of the Pentachords, Eau Epices and Orange Star (at least to me), but fragrances like, for instance, Carillon Pour Un Ange may deserve a second chance...

I actually quite liked AL02 but like it better AL03 which is bsically an imporvement on the 02 with the addition of a considerable animalic base. The rest of the offering is quite unremarkable...

As for CDG, my suggestion is to have some patience with the Stephen Jones. Yes, cloves are definitely there, but unless you're really hypersensitive to them, they're kinda overwhelmed by violet leaves and aldehydes and not so prominent...

Don't even think about it, a true rip-off. If you want to eperience a "different" take on Avignon go directly for Preludio D'Oriente.

"It's interesting that you pick up watermelon in Skarb. I've never gotten such a vibe - I get more of a sweet chamomile along with lemony incense in the opening along with a bit of 'brown sugar' from the myrrh/carrot seed/orris combo. My skin brings out the salty herbal elements "


The description You refer to sounds pretty much like 'helional' (http://www.iff.com/custom/iff/books/.../324382196.pdf , page 44). May be all that development - which is impossible for a sole molecule - is a game with otherwise developing contrasts in the rest of the fragrance. Skarb is special; it reminds me of Polish ghurkins which is a peculiar effect if You know Poland from first hand experience. The Slavish man ... ...

The price is rediculous, though. I could not buy it without feeling bad. Too bad.


<edit> helional is also known as 'floramelon' - so there has to be a melon-y aspect ...
- http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1007731.html

Thanks! And - I took the time to write a 'review' for Skarb in the directory. Know what, Alfarom considered a similarity of a certain aspect of M/Mink and Skarb too. Despite both fragrances being conceptually quite different. Some chemicals seem to have a very special signature without being too weird.

Hmm, the weird thing is that now that melon has been mentioned, I can sort of smell it if I try when sniffing the top notes. I wouldn't say that melon is the predominant note by any means, but there is a facet of it up there along with the rest. Interesting! I don't doubt that helional is there indeed.

Question to those who've tried both: Is there any similarity between Skarb's fresh/watery notes and Profumum's Acqua di Sale? If I recall, I think Turin described AdS as "helional alone."

All of that being said, Helional's substantivity is listed at only 64 hours over at Good Scents site, while any base note (look up say, Sandalwood, Labdanum, etc) is always listed at 400 hours (it must be the most they measure as I've never seen any higher number there, despite different base notes having different - but very long - substantivities.) So surely it's not "just helional" as the longevity would be pretty bad if that were the case (note that the 64 hour listed longevity is on paper and in 100% concentration.. I've found that you need to divide that number by at least 10, and probably more like 20, to get a realistic "on skin" time).

The stuff persists quite a time. It regularly overpowered even immortelle / straw flower in the end.

Of course Skarb is not just helional. The dry down has some musk for sure. By that it avoids - to some degree- to become too one dimensional in the end. Just today I smelled the breathtaking sillage of a friend, who prepared to stumble into a new team. Contemporary fragrances are mostly quite predictable, and their utter simplicity is as obvious as their synthetic origin. Skarb is nothing of that kind.

I'm afraid I spoiled Your fun with it. When all these people started to discuss various aspects of Skarb, which I considered typical for helional I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Bad boy!

I gave it a thumbs up. At least it has a funny story behind it, say mothers home made ghurkins, at least to me. And technically the idea to center a scent on a specific complex smelling chemical is not that revolutionary any more, but here it is worked out quite well.

It's been a while since I've heard of much discussion of Humiecki and Graef.

Has anyone spent some more time with this line? I'm really curious about Askew, Bosque, Blask and Skarb.

I just received samples of Askew, Bosque, Blask and Skarb. I guess I'll post my impressions here...

Well, I'm wearing Blask right now, and quite frankly, this is one of the best fragrances I've tried in a long, long time. That doesn't mean it's easy to wear though. To me, it smells pretty much like the notes in its official pyramid, but the red wine comes off more like red apple (likely some sort of tannin smell). Official notes are red wine, bay laurel, walnut wood, floral notes and oud. All in all, I'd say it smells like sweet red apple candy (but smooth and good quality) over a touch of bay leaves and walnut wood. I don't really smell the oud, but there's a very nice and clean/floral musk in the base that smooths everything over very well. There's seriously nothing out there that smells like this! It's unique, clean, sexy and youthful, but it doesn't smell cheap. At the same time, it doesn't smell luxurious either - you could smell this on someone and you'd have no idea it costs 200$ for a bottle.

I don't get the Straight to Heaven similarities, but I am detecting something that reminds me of Le Male! It's weird because Blask smells NOTHING like Le Male, but I think I'm smelling a powdery, clean musk used in both fragrances.

Anyway, this is a very special fragrance, and I'll definitely be wearing more of it this week. My hat's off to the "Christophes," the perfumers who created the Humiecki and Graef line. This is really a refreshing and unique composition - modern perfumery at its best.

I get a solid dose of calone in Skarb which was the only reason I rejected it. I dislike calone strongly, but I definitely respect Skarb's uniqueness and integrity of concept. Askew was also off for me but not easily dismissed -- very unique too. I think H&G has a lot of integrity as a company considering the speed of releases.

H*ly sh*t I haven't even given these a lot of time, but I'm sniffing Skarb and Askew and they're simply genius. I haven't been this excited about a fragrance line in months.

SO UNIQUE, and SO GOOD. Christophe Laudamiel is by far my new favorite perfumer.

Skarb is this comfy, earthy, dewy, rain-y barley and carrot seed fragrance, while Askew is electric, like the air before a thunderstorm, yet so well-calculated, sexy and sophisticated. It's like Abercrombie's Fierce but 10 years down the line, with more class.

I tried Bosque yesterday, but I was a little underwhelmed by it. It was like a mix of fresh and ozonic notes, buffalo grass and clean synthetic musk. The buffalo grass note is awesome though.

Glad to hear you love them L'Aventurier. You seem to be into the modern avant garde scents, so that doesn't surprise me too much. Laudamiel (and Hornetz) are arguably the masters of that genre.

I too love Skarb and Askew. I need to get a bottle of the latter. It is so truly alive - it is just perfect to wear as the snow is thawing and spring is returning.

I noticed you own a bottle of Skarb - it's such a great fragrance. It's a shame it doesn't get more positive attention on these boards.

The only other fragrance I own by Laudamiel is S-ex. I really love that one too, it's so modern and unique. Very avant-garde!

I'll have to keep an eye out (or a nose) for Laudamiel and Hornetz's next fragrances together.

If you notice Askew on sale somewhere, like Luckyscent or something, let me know and I'll do the same. I'd love to own a bottle too, I'm just a bit hesitant to pay the 220$ price tag.

It's only available at First in Fragrance as far as I know. And yeah, it's hard to cough up so much for it - but not because it's not worth it. Yeah, it doesn't come across with the 'opulence and splendor' most would demand of a $200+ perfume, but I don't care, it has a true vitality to it that so few perfumes have. I'm just hard up for cash as of late :P.

Regarding Skarb, I actually blind bought it last year for my birthday as I found it for sale for about half off - and it was the last bottle in stock according to their site (and it actually went out of stock after my purcahse so they weren't actually misrepresenting their stock to make a sale!) A great blind buy. The earthy incense is like nothing else; the closest comparison might be a lighter take on the basic theme of Yatagan, but even so there are many differences.

Well said, SOS. I was just thinking that - the H&G fragrances aren't loud and luxurious, which, for some reason I expect from higher price tag fragrances. The Humiecki line still stands out, but in a reserved and confident way. Like saying something witty and intelligent without shouting.

I'm definitely going to purchase one of them, either Skarb or Askew. I really enjoy Blask, but it doesn't really suit me. I'm wearing Skarb today and it's really enjoyable. I'm getting kind of a salty-ozonic vibe on top of the barley, which smells so natural, yet modern and clean. It reminds me just a little of Erolfa in terms of the ozonic saltiness.

You got an awesome deal on Skarb! That's a pretty crazy blind buy, but I guess there's a lot to be expected from the Christophes these days.

Hey forfreddie, I actually really enjoyed reading your reviews on your blog. I wanted to thank you for that, since you're the reason I chose to sample the Humiecki line in the first place. There weren't many reviews on the net about them, and you did a great job describing them. It got me really interested in trying them.

Considering your blog and the fragrances you reviewed, it's obvious you've got good (and eclectic!) taste with an appreciation for the art of the perfume/fragrance.

I'll give Bosque another shot this week. The other fragrances are so good that I can't imagine that one being anything short of amazing too.

I just spent a few days with Bosque. It's a quality fragrance, no doubt. Truly unisex, inoffensive and perfect for anytime, weather or place.

I love it, but there are a few caveats. There are certain things I don't like about it, namely that it smells a bit generic, and it also smells like something I would use to clean my carpet. I hate saying that, but it's true. I might still buy a bottle one day, but it's hard to jump in when it costs so much.

In terms of what I smell in Bosque, I mostly get a kind of sweet and ozonic, bluish-green accord (like a gust of fresh air, violets or cucumber) mixed with the smell of new plastic, over buffalo grass and white musk. There are other really interesting facets, like a kind of milky skin smell and a touch of something salty. It's very clean, with nothing animalic, though it still has character and doesn't smell antiseptic. It's uber-soft ALL THE WAY through, with no harsh or sinus-tingling notes and everything is impeccably blended into one big soft, fresh and comforting accord. It smells to me like a pillow that my girlfriend would sleep on after washing her hair with some fresh cucumber-scented shampoo.

I wore it for 3 days in a row, a testament to how interesting it is to me, but I'm still left undecided about it. I really suggest trying it if you like modern, fresh and airy scents that don't offend. For those looking for fragrances that make a big statement, I'd suggest Askew, Blask or Skarb over Bosque in a heartbeat.

Loving the conversation here.

Just as a random aside, for anyone who likes Eau Radieuse but finds it too expensive, do give (and don't laugh!) Derek Jeter Driven by Avon a try (the original, with the blue juice). I got a sample of Driven by a friend whose mother is an Avon lady, and immediately upon trying it thought of Eau Radieuse, despite not knowing the notes of Driven. After looking them up, it makes a lot of sense - it shares citrus, bamboo, mint and rhubarb notes. Driven's dry down is a bit different, going a bit 'cooler' and woodier while Eau Radieuse stays warmer and has more of a sense of space throughout, but they are close enough that if you like one you'll probably like the other, and then it's just worth seeing which one you like more.

I do like Eau Radieuse a bit more thanks to the differences in the dry down, but there are things I prefer about Driven, too, such as its lesser projection, and toned down citrus elements in the early stages.

I was just participating over on a Bond No. 9 thread and it occurred to me that while I don't wear much from either house, they're almost opposites.

• H&G are conceptual perfumes, designed to be wearable (not by many, perhaps) but provide a story with each wearing.
• Bond are proletarian and meant to be sprayed, sort of olfactory paint, though their colors are bright -- garish? -- indeed.

• H&G seem to release new perfume about 1x/year?
• Bond have released about a dozen in the past 18 mo

• H&G: classic, understated visual design
• Bond: loud, brash visual design

• H&G: appeals to the aesthete?
• Bond: appeals to the status-obsessed?

Bond is kitsch. There, I said it. I also wear 1 Bond and 0 H&G's. What does that say about me...

MonkeyBars, I wouldn't get too analytic about it in terms of what it says about you hahah

Bond has some great scents, and although I think there's a lot of rubbish released per year, they've prob got as many gems as Humiecki and Graef (overall).

On a side note, I spent some time with Askew, and although I love the way it smells, it kind of grates on me. It's super "spiky," like the fragrant equivalent of a metal workshop, full of sparks and the smell of iron being grinded with iron. I don't think it's very wearable for me, even though I like the idea it presents. I also think that, it's a better deal to just buy Abercrombie and Fitch's Fierce, as they share the same metallic, bitter cedar basenotes. I do prefer and appreciate Askew, but it's similar enough to Fierce for me to buy a bottle of Fierce instead.

I'm still really enjoying Skarb and Bosque (surprise, surprise!) though. I'd have to say those are my favorites, with Blask not far behind.

Where'd you happen to snag a sample of Blask? I am DYING to try that scent.

Isn't the shipping charge something outrageous to have them ship samples to the US?

That's where I got mine from. The shipping wasn't so bad, and I bought about 7-8 samples (all stuff that I couldn't get anywhere else), so it made the shipping costs less painful.

Well, that's the reason I didn't buy Blasque, Bosque or Skarb - they're wayyyy too expensive. I appreciate and love all of them but didn't feel that I needed them enough to warrant the price tag.

If you love a fragrance enough for you to buy it though, then go for it! Who cares what other people think. You could always keep the price a secret anyway

Well, you have to give Candour a try. This is not for everyones nose. The initial citric/herbal blast might scare off some but over the drydown its reveals nutty notes/raw olive greeness. Very complex but worth a sample for sure.

If you love it and you'll wear it often, I say get it! A fragrance's FBW viability should not be determined by the credibility of the house or its standing here or in the fragrantosphere, but simply by the enjoyment it provides you.

I've got a full bottle of Skarb and someday I'd like to pick up Askew, too. Still have yet to try Blask or Candour. Blask, especially, sounds like one I'll love.

- - - Updated - - -

Btw, this may sound like a random suggestion but I find Givenchy Play Sport (which i've been wearing for the last 3 days now) has a number of similarities with Bosque. It's not so spermy (although I did pick up a latex like note in the drydown of play sport once!) but it follows a similar smooth citrus/mint combo into a white musk/white woods dry down. I think Bosque is more unique but my nose prefers Play Sport.

The funny thing is that the expectations of the community and blogosphere in general have created this sort of narrow band of what is 'acceptable' niche. It's really just as predictable as the mainstream market, imo, and just as rife with brand identity and all the things that the fragrance snobs stick their noses up. The hypocrisy of it! Then you get a house like H&G, who does something just totally different - some truly unique, very modern and mainstream-but-with-a-twist scents - and they get ignored. All the while, the perfumistas want something 'different and unique' but what they really want is more of the same; more Jubilation XXVs and Ambre Sultans and what not. It would be funny if it weren't so frustrating.

Enjoy the Bosque! I'm going to have to wear it again soon. I think it is perfectly executed conceptually (one of the few H&G's where the emotion or feelings the scent triggers in me is the same as they portray in their ad copy, unlike with say Skarb supposedly being melancholy, or Askew angry. I find Skarb very grounding and Askew is more full of life, or rather, life blossoming again after a thaw. Vitality and vigor, maybe, but not fury as they claim. Well, that's my take.)

Heck, I even really like the way Bosque smells, although I just don't think I'd wear it often enough to make it FBW. It is, however, one of the few scents that truly strike me as happy. Maybe now that I've gotten my life in order again and am finding more and more happiness, I'll be inclined to wear happier scents more often. I definitely feel less pull to wear my darker and more introverted scents as of late.

Ok, I better stop. Sorry for the ramble. Enjoy the hell out of Bosque and talk up H&G whenever you can! The house definitely deserves more praise than it gets.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and how could I forget to congratulate you on the purchase of M/Mink?!

What a wonderful scent. Although I have to be careful because if I'm not in the mood for it I find it to be a bit sickly and annoying - at least the first couple hours. The mid to late drydown is just pure magic though. I wish it jumped right to that phase.

I've never gotten any negative remarks about it, either. My ex actually really liked the way it smelled, and I've had one other girl smell it closely (sprayed it for her on a card and asked her opinion; the only girl I'm really close enough to do that with comfortably) and she didn't love it but didn't hate it. I think it's one of those scents that doesn't really work on paper though; it needs context. By context, I mean, it needs to be smelled in the air and then associated with the image of the man wearing it; ideally a bit mysterious, dark, or aloof.

I also get a wonderful evergreen aroma in the scent and find it delightful to wear this time of year. M/Mink fits like a glove in the winter, and summer heat brings out the animal in it.

Enjoy!

Excellent essay forfreddie. THAT! That connection. That emotion. That need to attempt - always in vain, but necessary all the same - to translate ineffable emotions from a deeply moving olfactory experience into concrete words... that is why the true fragrance fans are here. That's why I still come to BN, 6+ years into the journey.

Do not apologize or fear that your words are 'insane' - no sad smiley needed. Hell, save the sad smiley for those who might think it insane - for it is they we should feel sorry for. They're missing out on a whole 'nother world.

Everyone should go read his essay. Seriously - everyone; if only as a reminder to why we're really here.

Quick question for you forfreddie,

What are new bottles of H&G going for over there?

And also - is it possible/easy for you to get samples? If you can, PM me and maybe we can work something out. I really want to try Blask and Candour.

Wow, freddie. Now THAT'S what I call a review.

I was just over at a local stockist last week & tried a few H&G. Was pretty impressed with Blask and Clemency. And Eau Radieuse looks set to be a crowd pleaser imo. Too bad I was in a hurry so I didn't get to try Bosque. Perhaps I should return next year. The only niggling problem I have with H & G is the bottle's gawd-awful-bland looks (yes call me shallow, lol). It remind me too much of Lacoste Essential, sans 'embossed crocodile'.