Blask Humięcki & Graef 2011

Bottle Design Bel Epok

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

7.1 / 10 140 Ratings

Blask is a perfume by Humięcki & Graef for women and men and was released in 2011. The scent is spicy-woody. It is still in production.

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Sweet

Floral

Fruity

Fragrance Notes

Bay leaf

Red wine

Walnut

Floral notes

Perfumers

Christophe Laudamiel, Christophe Hornetz

Ratings

Scent

7.1140 Ratings

Longevity

7.9112 Ratings

Sillage

7.3103 Ratings

Bottle

7.497 Ratings

Value for money

6.510 Ratings

Submitted by TrueBlood, last update on 10.04.2024.

Interesting Facts

The fragrances of Humiecki & Graef each refer to an aspect of human emotionality. In case of Blask it is trust.
The name Blask is Polish and means brilliance and splendor.

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/12/2019

7
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Leimbacher
421 Reviews

Translated Show original

Leimbacher

Top Review 16

Red Red Wiiiine

"Blask" did something with my nose and my taste that I hadn't had since my early days in this hobby: he walked with me the complete way from "Fie" to "Fie". At first I found it quite repulsive, rotten, like old fruit mixed with a wine cellar, a few nuts and a scented candle/polish next to it. But with time he convinced me with his "otherness" and his courage, so that I can only stress again: sometimes it is just your initial "enemies of scent" that you learn to appreciate/love most in the end. It doesn't always have to be Love at first sniff. Every fragrance, especially the more interesting, polarizing designs, deserves several chances. Because also hate loves can have advantages...

To the fragrance: "Blask" is a "wein "erlicher fragrance, one might say. Red wine stains on a nutty forest floor, a bay leaf decorates an old barrel. Everywhere there is light muff and overripening in the air. But somehow captivating and quite interesting, with little to nothing comparable. Sharp, edgy, scandalous. Nothing for pussies. A character scent. Perfect for the next red wine test evening by the fireplace. Or not because it's too distracting?! Who knows... One thing's for sure - he'll sweeten my (golden?) autumn a lot. Crushed fruit - bitter, juicy, oily, alcoholic, pleasant. Fervent, once you've found access. This may take a while. But it's worth it. The autumn "pulp"?! Demanding but praiseworthy. Almost a little bizarre and bizarre.

Flacon: simple and typical niche
Sillage: clearly too strong for the office, clearly too weird for the club?!
Durability: very solid seven hours

Conclusion: Nothing for the wise... like overwinding Royal Oud. It took some getting used to - but then I learned to love him. Very fine and definitely different, unique. A special, slightly musty-lazy delicacy from the ruins of the red wine town.

03/11/2017

8
Bottle 8
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Pigfarmer
11 Reviews

Pigfarmer

Very helpful Review 7

beautiful weirdo

We fume junkies are all familiar to some degree of “The Classics” – a classic chypre is Guerlain Mitsouko, a classic oriental is Opium, florals have Patou Joy, fougere has Azzaro pour Homme, leather has Cuir de Russie, etc etc…. And it seems that most modern fragrances seem to replay, tweak, scramble and otherwise stay within these pigeonholes of the classic categories simply because it’s safe (ish) and generally familiar to the public. Whether they are successful (chypre: Jubilation 25) or an abject failure (oriental:

But what if a brave perfume company wants to break free from this constraint of unwitting commercial-driven homage to The Classics? Such risks are relatively rare even these days, but badass/badboy nose Christophe Laudamiel and his bosses Sebastian Fischenich and Tobias Muekschat at Humiecki & Graef know no fear!

H&G is considered by many to be one of the most consistently and successfully cutting edge perfume house around. “Difficult” frags like Skarb, Candour and Multiple Rouge can really polarize opinion; they smell like virtually nothing else and hence can’t really reference The Classics. They are what might be called “The Weirdos”, fitting into no discernable category and seeming to exist for the singular task of challenging all who smell it. Having been called one once or twice, I feel an affinity for these perfume oddballs. Today we’re going to look at what I consider to be the truly beautiful freak in the H&G line: Blask.

The folks at H&G HQ have made it clear in their ad copy that each of their frags is meant to evoke a specific mood or a memory of a mood. The excellent, astringent Askew is meant evoke fury, the calm Bosque contentment, Clemency pride, etc. Blask is meant to be about trust. That’s a bit ironic because when I look at the notes listed for Blask I don’t trust what I read. They tell me I’m smelling

“….pungent bay leaf oil with the full-bodied elegance of rich red wine. A woody, balsamic walnut note…. A selection of floral notes…. A distinct new interpretation of an oudh scent…”

This does not jive with what my nose is telling me. In fact I don’t exactly know what the hell I’m actually smelling!

One reason why I wanted to review this fantastic fragrance was that is extremely difficult to pin down its constituent parts. So please bear with me while I do my best to convey the experience of Blask in so many words…

My wife refers to Blask as ‘the candy perfume’ when I wear it and it does indeed go on sweet, very sweet in fact, but doesn’t ever cloy. It’s a sweetness that comes from beyond honey, vanilla, benzoin or patchouli, as in The Classics. It’s a sweetness that feels organic and seems to float despite its saccharine intensity. The closest reference I can muster to describe this intense sweetness is a very well-aged sauternes desert wine from the Bordeaux region. But that’s a white wine, not red as stated in the official description. So much for trust! But it’s a sweetness that is affable and warm even on a cloudy, cold Dutch morning. That alone makes it worth wearing at least once. The rest of the scent makes it truly compelling.

I don’t know about the reference to oudh because I simply don’t smell any. Nor any By Kilian style oudh accord sans oudh. Maybe it’s a silent partner that has presence rather than visibility. But I do get wood, but not sure if it’s walnut,; could be, could be oak, definitely not the cedar that is seemingly ubiquitous these days. It is a warm, sensuous wood that perfectly integrates with the odeur de sauternes. As time passes, the intense sweetness gives way not just to wood, but to a slight acidic sharpness, as you might encounter as the sauternes is being prepared for bottling at its must stage. Wow, the net effect is to make this combination quite bright. After 15 minutes on skin, Blask is so bright it feels and smells like it is actually glowing!

What makes Blask so special to me is that this glowing sensation last for about 9 full hours. That’s one impressively wonderful weirdo.

Although Blask remains essentially linear throughout the day, this isn’t the whole story. After about 90 minutes some wan, shy florals do peek out through this wood-wine sweetness. It feels like violet, perhaps with geranium, but that doesn’t matter. This secondary floral element feeds the all-round positive vibe of Blask, giving depth an ensuring that the wearer never fatigues from the experience. Instead of evolving, it shifts the perception of weight in the wine-wood-floral accord and this is itself a testament to technical and artistic mastery.

While same H&G frags want to push one’s limits of what smells good, Blask is there to lift the mood and keep you centred in the most positive way a fragrance can. There is no category to place this Weirdo, but sometimes the strange and wonderful belongs on its own, glowing uniquely for those who venture past the done and the mundane.

12/07/2011

7.5
Longevity 8
Scent

Apicius
222 Reviews

Apicius

Helpful Review 4

Almost Oud

There is an interestant interview on YouTube: the two nice guys from Humi?cki & Graef thoroughly discuss their new issue Blask. The story is a bit confusing: of course, they also have noticed the oud hype, and they have a specific problem with it. This fungus-infected arab wood with the fustid harem scent does not fit to this brand at all. At Humi?cki & Graef they strive to reflect on the emotional life of today's western people in a more modern way. On the other hand, the little word „oud“ currently seems to be the Open-Sesame to the wallets of many perfume customers.

Travel bug is a strong motivation for food but also for perfume preferences. The answer of Humi?cki & Graef to this challenge is to issue a perfume only in the style of the current oud fragrances which does not contain any oud at all. So, we may expect an opulent, deep black fragrance that touches the same chords as i.e. Montale's Black Aoud – and is particulary different.

IMHO this plan worked out perfectly, although I do have some remarks. Instead of the classic rose-oud-combo we encounter a wild interaction of notes reminiscent of red wine and a tart walnut accord in the top. This is really something and it has not been done before as far as I know. It may not necessarily have an overwhelming sillage, but it definitely has high impact on whoever smells it – just as any decent oud perfume.

For the top note – if you may call it like that – we have to praise the perfumer at any rate. But: at Humi?cki & Graef they generally want none of the classic scent pyramid. According to them, these fragrances unfold themselves radially! Well, nothing is for ever, and this accord quickly reveals itself as a pretender. The further fragrance development is of a different kind – I discover something rare, yet familiar to me.

There are very few perfumes, where I have already met this note before that is coming up now. For me, I have named it „black shoe polish“. I do not intend to depreciate it with that name, even if it sounds a bit pervert - but aren't oud perfumes a bit pervy anyway? It is this pervading scent of black shoe cream from the past – younger customers might not have too many chances to come across it. But it is indeed a sensual delight to polish your Martens boots with such stuff.

This beautific note can also be admired in Volo AZ 686 by Profvmvm Roma, where it goes into extremes with gardenia, cocos and lots of vanilla. A lot more discreet, but still with oud-like intensity is it handled in Ajaccio Violets by Geo F. Trumper. Also, Pierre Guillaume scents it out in „Bois de Copaiba“. This french perfumer releases so many perfumes, but at his desk on the Düsseldorf' perfume fair it was his shoe-shine fragrance that he pointed out to me (although it was not a new release at that time). He might have regarded this German visitor as easy to impress with a „Wow“-effect!

I hope it becomes clear: Blask is end-to-end spectacular, more is hardly possible. It will find its customers, and if you look closely enough, you may discover the little $$ characters in the eyes of the two guys in the interview video. We sincerely wish them all the success that they hope for!

As far as I am concerned, I am beyond these kind of fragrances. Spectacular and excentric perfumes do not open my wallet any longer. I payed my obolus for fragrances with „Wow“-effect that end up in the drawer not being used. Buying perfume is emotional business – but as long as you can think straight you should make up your mind about the occasions that you would like to wear a perfume like Blask.

06/18/2014

4
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Gold
541 Reviews

Gold

Helpful Review 4

Magnetic

A fabulously warm and spicy fragrance, rich, tenacious, sensuous. It uses woody and leathery ingredients to achieve a deep and long-lasting impact. Once it settles on you, the underpinnings of patchouli and labdanum will throb in the background, far more personal and intimate than you'd normally expect, while fascinating accords of blackberry and mossy accents take the lead. I've never bought a Humiecki&Graef fragrance before, most of them are highly individual scents, very original creations, but not 100% my cup of tea. The new "ABIME"-fragrance is a perfume I enjoy, the outspoken woodiness is gorgeous and reminds me of a discontinued powerhouse fragrance by Guy Laroche, "J'ai osé". Very compelling to me and magnetic to others (two people wanted to know what I was wearing). Can't quite make head or tail of the name "Abime", meaning "abyss" or "deep hollow" in English. A bit too dramatic, I'd say. But maybe the creators wanted to express that their fragrance is dramatically good. And that's true.

10/22/2013

10
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 10
Scent

SchaumB
10 Reviews

SchaumB

Individual & Effortlessly Superb

Challenging to describe however on my skin it initally opens very fresh and you can certainly detect the wine note. After around 10 minutes or so the scent starts to develop even further and becomes sweeter with the oud coming into play. This scent certainly stands alone in it's individuality neither trying to be oud or floral etc just effortlessly superb in it's own right. I would say this scent can be worn anytime of the day although better suited to the cooler seasons. Excellent scent in my opinion, well worth a try!

Statements

Write the first Statement for Blask!

Charts

Images

12 fragrance photos of the community

More images

Popular by Humięcki & Graef

Eau Radieuse Edition Limitée by Humięcki & Graef

Bosque Edition Limitée by Humięcki & Graef

Clemency Edition Limitée by Humięcki & Graef

Geste Edition Limitée by Humięcki & Graef