2022 Generation Homme
Stéphane Humbert Lucas (2013)

You wanna Hawaiian Punch? Well, this opens as if I spilled a pitchers worth and its filling my nostrils. This does settle down, Beavis, not to worry, falling into place with a black currant and mint and foreshadowing of the "oud." The falling into place eventually turns into a falling apart at the seams and the only thing holding this tragedy is a shoddy stitch of Iso E Super.

The oud base feels much like the pre-made ones I've examined from IFF, Firmenich, Givco, and the like, overdone and overbearing, but mercifully not too loud. It matches the aesthetic of the house, down to their ghastly, garish bottles. This one is taking a one way ticket out of town on the "nope" train.

I liked the idea of this one, with the blackcurrent fruitiness balanced against the darker woods and resins. But it ultimately went too sweet and powdery on me, which just didn't work on my skin.

I gave this uber-exotic citrus-wood scent a try. Its price and presentation are quite steep, and it drew me to sample it nonetheless!

I looked forward to the yuzu-based opening to 2022 Generation Homme, which sits beside the dominant black currant and Cambodian oud notes. Sweet, powdery, a more woody agarwood, and the presence of cinnamon and nutmeg (non-descript "spices" note listed in the triangle) to give a pleasant aromatic touch.

This ends up being a smooth, rich oud scent, after all the notes settle up into place. There is a complexity that I detect in 2022 Generation Homme that I respect greatly!

Definitely decant worthy.

This is one of the few fragrances I've tried that I just don't comprehend. I don't understand the aesthetic here - I am trying. I have heard others champion this scent as a bold creative representation of new Arabic taste. But for me, it is too intense and maybe too sublime. Possibly I just don't understand this expression. Is it too new? It has the tone of a high pitched chant or mantra heard from a distance as it is spiraling ever inward on its mystic journey. A mandala of scent vibrating in an ever increasing focus on yuzu, blackcurrant, saffron, anchored by soft amber - this combination creates an acidic dry tartness which begins high ptched and slowly descends on a spiral path leading to more of the same experience. Very one pointed.

All of the SHL fragrances have elements of cultural depth, excellent ingredients and unique combinations which create sublime and mystical wonder. I have missed the sublime and mystical aspect of 2022 Generation Home. I have five SHL scents in my collection now - I am a big fan this work - but this one misses the mark for me.

Opens with a nice bitterish fruity flavor...oud qickly kicks in...not a trace of barnyard or bandaid...a dry smooth slightly smoky oud with a little discreet sweetness to it....very Oriental, but at the same time has a western aspect that makes it easy to wear...I , personally would not hesitate to wear this to the office...gets just a little sweeter and resiny as it dries down...throw and lifespan are excellent...

A super expensive but just a tad more than mediocre new synthetic oudh under my profane nose. Packaging and main concept welcome you almost ceremonially but the impact sometimes fades and the overall effect is just like an haggard lightning in a sweet summer night. Stephane Humbert Lucas 2022 Generation Homme opens like a Guerlain Santal Royal's creamy-fruity (orangy-peachy) photocopy before to develop (more wildly by its synthetic woody gassiness) its hyper common accord of Iso E Super woods, saffron and rose (plus a tad of fruity musk) which you can find easily around (in dozens of new oudish synthetic fragrances) in a far cheaper way (buy for instance an ordinary Dueto Parfums City Oud and "your problems are definitely solved"). The most disappointing part is anyway dry down with its linear woody-saffrony gas supported by soapy rose and almost anything else. I was expecting a remarkable turn towards a more mysteriously subtle velvety (kind of arabic) lushness while I must cope again with this frankly overly boring gasseous western woodiness. Amazing luxurious bottle, pleasant dark balmy-woody-fruity/spicy juice (kind of plummy-peachy) but for this huge price you'd expect something more.