Yes, the prices are really crazy at that house. Especially since they always show prices on the website without taxes, so you can always add a nice 20% on top :D
I can clearly tell that HJ is very focused on not scaring off their affluent clientele with "extreme" scents. Oud is great, but it needs to be packaged in a way that doesn't offend the refined noses.
*Oh HJ... this just isn't going to work out for us. Essentially, this is a classic Arabic rose-oud with French craftsmanship behind it. The only difference is that the rose has been replaced with a sweet-sour rose geranium, the oud has been toned down to a level that's more comfortable for Western noses, and the synthetics are better hidden than in other houses. It's not a bad scent, but personally, I would have preferred a nice Damask rose and a more prominent oud. The drydown does impress me, dominated by woody-sweet oud along with amber. It's all not bad, but qualitatively it's miles away from what you usually find in that price range (just over €20/ml) from Ensar/Agar Aura/Jinkoh, etc. HJ makes fragrances for a specific customer base that I don't belong to, and that's okay.
Many thanks to Schoeibksr for the testing opportunity :)
Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Many thanks to Schoeibksr for the testing opportunity :)