Geste Humięcki & Graef 2008

I read about it in a thread about clean laundry smells but this is so much more than that. This is reminiscent of Prada Infusion d'Iris, but deeper, with an aromatic-resinous base that makes it stand out and gives it longevity. It is simultaneously clean and warm. Refined, quietly sensual and discreetly present. It is marketed as a feminine scent but could be gorgeous on a man

I have been circling around this scent for a long time. But I could never bring myself to add it to my collection. In my search for my musk fragrance, dear Aura kindly sent me a sample of it back in January 2014 - thanks again, dear! By now, I have completely squeezed out the sample! And recently, I had the opportunity to fish out a leftover bottle and was able to let it work on me in peace once again.

My relationship with this scent is very ambivalent. On one hand, I like it. On the other hand, it annoys me. I find it extraordinarily difficult to describe how it smells now. Fortunately, I have never perceived anything resinous, otherwise it would have been out right away. Geste is fresh, spicy, somewhat musky, simultaneously warm and cool, soft, and has the potential to be a signature scent - and yet all of that is also not true at the same time.

Geste only seems pleasing at first sniff. Hardly have you settled in comfortably, something irritating comes along, almost a bit experimental. Edges and corners, indeed. Because there is an undertone, a very synthetic one, that unfortunately gets on my nerves when I wear the scent for more than a day. And one day is long, as the longevity of Geste is fantastic. And then I felt like wearing Geste again, and it annoyed me once more, and so on…

I tried. But nothing came of us. That's a pity, but unfortunately, it can't be changed. Therefore, it now delights someone else.

Why does this fragrance remind me of my wife? On the surface, it could be due to the older woman/younger man dynamic that the marketing refers to. After all, my wife is a whole month older than I am. But that's not it; rather, Geste, with its strict yet airy, subtly floral-tinged resin, reminds me characteristically of the black currant fig called Pierre de Lune, one of her favorite scents. Do I perhaps have the chance to introduce her to a resinous fragrance with Geste in a camouflage-like manner? That would be an infinitely valuable step towards incense acceptance.

Unfortunately, that didn't work. She somehow caught the resin scent and also claims that I already showcased Geste to her in Lubner's cozy little shop. I know that's not true, but - as all (married) men will surely confirm - it doesn't help to know that. Well, that won't work.

When it comes to describing this unwieldy resin, the only thing that comes to mind is mastic, my only disliked resin variant. It doesn't quite fit either; Geste is not greenish-bitter but rather white-strict. It requires some distance from the skin at the beginning to soften the strictness; moreover, in the projection, a hint of a bright, synthetic-woody note forms. As if the fragrance were saying, "Don't come too close!" Cautious dosing is highly recommended anyway.

And with the required distance, the fragrance surrounds the wearer (I see it more fitting for women according to the manufacturer) with a kind of veil or mist, an invisible barrier. Throughout the morning, this softens a bit in such a way that the term amber is justified. However, this amber - in line with the descriptions - stands completely apart from the other resin note and does not develop from it. Additionally, it hardly manages to bring any notable softness or even sweetness to the fragrance.

In fact, a quiet, secret, yet relentless battle of two resin-oriented fragrance directions begins, lasting until noon. Even then, the battle is by no means decided or resolved. Instead, a kind of completely un-earthy patchouli dustiness now stamps the fragrance, irresistibly pushing the other notes aside, allowing the strictness to recede and replacing it with distance.

In the afternoon (after about eight hours), this dustiness seems completely dominant, only in the projection does it evoke a resinous-woody impression reminiscent of the first half of the fragrance's development. Only in the final phase, after about ten hours, does it become comparatively amber-like and in its initial stages, musky-soft. After a full twelve hours, a sweet amber scent finally emerges. In the end, love apparently always wins.

Conclusion: Phew. Difficult. Geste feels more like an experimental fragrance to me than something I would want to wear myself. As fascinating and undoubtedly special as it is, as bold as I find it, and as excited as I am that such things are being designed, it remains distant and foreign to me personally, and I cannot understand how it could inspire such touching comments. Thus, Geste remains, in both senses, a fragrance of distance for me. That's a shame, but it can't be changed. I'm not overly saddened by it, as I undoubtedly have much more to discover at Humiecki & Graef.

I thank Dobbs for the sample.

We find ourselves in a day in the life of Sissi. Actually Susanne, but only a few know that. Today is not Sissi's day: The eyelash curler is stuck. While forcefully trying to open it, she breaks one of her long, gelled, and pink-painted nails. She shrieks, sheds a tear while whining, and puts a band-aid on it. Then she gets dressed. As she slips into her white patent high heels, her right foot gets wet. Pocahontas, her Chihuahua, has peed inside - again! Sissi screams, looks for Pocahontas, and gives her a treat, telling her to be a good girl.

Today is an important day: Her crush has an appointment with her for a haircut. Today she will let him know that he can ask her out on a date. She just has to make sure he doesn’t see her broken nail… She changes her outfit again and chooses a low-cut shirt as a distraction maneuver. With a coffee and a cigarette, she quickly flips through the new InTouch magazine to have a few topics to talk about. She generously sprays herself with her favorite fragrance, Escada Cherry in the air, even on the blonde hair extensions, which it clings to particularly well.

When she arrives at the Cutting Room, where she works, her boss asks her for a talk. Sissi is excited, she’s sure she’s getting a raise because she’s always so pretty and nice. She doesn’t get a raise. Instead, she receives a warning for incorrectly scheduling appointments and forgetting the supply order. That can happen, she thinks, she shouldn’t be so grumpy, and reapplies her pink lipstick because he is coming soon.

But he has little time today, he lets her know right from the start, he has another appointment that he doesn’t want to be late for. Sissi is thrilled, it must be a job interview, he will earn a lot of money later and they will be able to lead a luxurious life with their two children. Sissi hurries, putting in all her effort, after all, she is investing in her future. He is impressed and gives her a generous tip. As he leaves the shop, she watches him go. He strides gracefully down the street… and straight into the arms of a cross between a scarecrow and a glasses snake. Now he’s KISSING her too!!! Then the two go into a bookstore. Is there now Prosecco available there too?

Sissi is downcast. After work, she gets into her black Mini and drives off. Suddenly, there’s honking behind her. She looks in the rearview mirror to see what’s going on; why is the woman in the car behind her flailing around? What’s lying on the road? WHERE IS HER HANDBAG??? Oh no, she left it on the roof while unlocking the car. BANG! Now she’s also hit the guardrail. Another nail broken. The handbag run over. The Mini even smaller.

Two hours later, she is home. Heartbroken, she calls her best friend Lissi to vent. Lissi has advice: “Look at Jenny Elvers-Elbertzhagen, she’s not having it easy either, now Götz has a new girlfriend, just when Jenny has overcome her alcohol addiction and…” Meanwhile, Sissi opens a perfume sample package that arrived in the mail today “...or that poor girl on GNTM, with her thick hips, she will NEVER get booked…” Sissi sprays a spritz of “Geste” on her wrist “...colour-blocking is out again…”

What is this? It smells like… like… like back in the days on weekends in the countryside, when she was still little Susanne helping her grandma take down the air-dried laundry from the garden. So delicate and pure. Laundry white and violet. Feeding chickens. Bedtime stories. Back then, she wanted to become a veterinarian and always waved away cigarette smoke in disgust. Her best friend had a harelip and she protected him from the other kids when they teased him. “...did you notice Babsi’s terrible shoes? I won’t be seen with her anymore…”

Sissi hangs up. The heart note becomes difficult, herbal resins come in, she doesn’t particularly like this phase, but she doesn’t like herself right now either, so it touches her in a way, it’s so… different. There’s nothing artificial, sticky, or kitschy, just pore-deep pure clarity, a symbiosis of the elements air and earth, which increasingly earns her trust. Earth gives grounding, air gives hope.

Sissi goes to the bathroom and removes her makeup. She cuts off the overly long nails that constantly hinder her and also removes her extensions. Meanwhile, the amber rises from the uncomfortable resins like a phoenix from the ashes, revealing natural beauty, calm, unobtrusive, unstoppable. The heart had to hurt before it could become profound and truly beautiful.
Susanne turns to Pocahontas, picks her up, and promises: “Tomorrow we two are going to the dog park.”
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Dear Mini drivers, a postscript: Sissi received her Mini from her stylish, tasteful, eloquent, and very likeable father. Sissi has totally defaced it with a pink steering wheel plush cover and Hello Kitty cushions on the back seat. Someone should take it away from her! A driver like that doesn’t deserve such a top-class car!

Geste is one of my favorite fragrances, and unfortunately, I only have a decant that I treasure like a gem.

For me, Geste captures the life themes of a woman who is embarking on the second part of her life. This does not mean that it couldn't also be worn by young women or men. For me, it embodies these themes.

The Geste woman is around forty and questions her past, her present, and her future. Who was I, what wishes, dreams, longings, and goals did I have? Who am I now, where do I stand, what have I accomplished, and what do I still want to achieve, what can I still achieve? Was I happy, am I happy, and what do I need to be satisfied in the future? She is not in a midlife crisis and is not like a drowning person searching for a lifeline to cling to, only to find that not enough comes out. She is at peace with herself, she is whole. Although she has edges and corners, she is so balanced that these make her incredibly charming and lovable. She neither needs to assert herself nor does she want to profile herself. She will never bend. She knows her power, which she draws solely from within herself.

Amber makes her very profound and also sexually attractive, resins give her a sweet aura that is both warm and mysterious, but is kept in check by musk. The distinctly perceivable musk component gives this sensual lady with backbone a purity that is graceful. The violet adds a touch of girlish playfulness to this successful blend.
For me, Geste unites very contrasting scent statements that skillfully come together in this fragrance, yet never appear boring or dreary.

Geste is, for me, a work of art that grants its wearer an oversized expressiveness that does not need to be fathomed. Geste is clear, but never obliging. Geste makes every woman a queen, without ostentation and showiness, but rather subtly. Longevity and sillage are, thank God, very good for me, and the bottle does justice to this fragrance and its statement.

Simple, but with a certain something.