Voix Humaine 8

Wow! Quite a special fragrance that I was not expecting to love this much. Well-rounded and unquestionably intriguing. Fresh and prickly while also being deeply resinous and ever so lightly milky sweet; ambered potpourri and smokeless incense, fizzy citrus washed out with classic musk, overall suggestions of vintage chypre and fond forgotten memories of all things holy, pearl necklaces and visions of deep, dark green velvet. There is a massive churchlike quality to this, so much moreso than the fragrances he’s most known for. Voix Humaine is captivating and so oddly comforting, unraveling so many vivid memories of mine... parties my parents threw when I was growing up in the 90s; all the adults looking so grown and elegant, dressed up, the melange of vintage perfumes trailing from ladies in long dresses and earrings glistening in the candelabras, the men looking all cleaned up, fresh with aftershave, crisp dress shirts tinged with cigar smoke... making my way around all the pairs of legs through the warmly-lit rooms. All the big adults so confident and relaxed in their regal forms, their presence so sophisticated and the air so kaleidoscopic with all the heady aromas and warmth and billows of boozy laughter. I thought there must me nothing more luxurious than to be an adult, and this fragrance perfectly encapsulates that mystique, admiration, and comfort I felt as a child on those nights. I am truly touched by this fragrance. It has facets of holiness, but moreover it has such a vintage elegance. Each time it comes across my nose I just see waves of deep, dark green velvet and pearls. I think of Mass, I think of the elegant adults and their chypre and aftershave wafting past me down the aisle for Holy Communion. I think of dinner parties and I think of warm candelabras glimmering in peoples eyes. I think of my childlike pondering of the Holy Spirit and I think of my mothers embrace. This really takes me back to a time and a place. My eyes warm with welling tears. —— Subjective experience aside, it performs extremely modestly for being an extrait. I find myself taking a liberal amount of sprays to even really detect it on myself. It works great in hair for more projection & longevity, and the entire scent remains true whether on skin, clothes, or hair. It dries down to a straightforward amber, similar to Ambra Aurea with less feral qualities but retaining that marshmallowy sweetness found in good, raw ambers. If anyone has a FB or large decant they are willing to part ways with, I would be incredibly interested, as this line is hard to find.

The last one of my series, which I first felt at the opening of Nose in Paris, and which really encouraged me to discover the rest of FS' creations. Which I've been doing ever since. This one is very close to Contre Bombarde, without the caramel (but a vanilla-lemon-scented one, it has that special something). To my nose, the accord here is stronger on the leather, on the dryness, even on this typical (non)smell of dust, which gives it a more cathedral/ceremonial incense aspect. Something warmer, fatter, and more human, perhaps, versus the very musical instrument representation of all the others. A painting of the sacred, anyway. More musky than CB, more citrusy, with a more pronounced drydown. I would be hard-pressed to choose between the two references: it would be worth it to feel them in turn before you decide, if you are ever interested.

In the opening i get fresh zesty bergamot and spicy cardamom Olibanum and incense quickly take over and turn it into a rather sweet ambery and resinous direction The fragrance is sweetened by milk mouse and vanilla addings soft and creamy sweetness There are just little hints of orange blossom peeking through But overall when it's fully dry it's sweet and milky surrounded or rather on a base of sweet incense and olibanum

It’s an interesting churchy incense with strong piny freshness and beautiful creamy vanilla in the base. I think it’s one of the most wearable fragrance in this collection, however you still should be very much into churchy olibanum. Love it! It’s fresh and deep at the same time. Follow me on IG: scent.guide

Wore this fragrance all day long. It was rather tenacious albeit not a heavy-hitter by any means. Sillage was very good for many hours. What stood out the most were frankincense, bergamot, and vanilla. Was it "milk mousse" or just vanilla? I really don't know, but it gave it a gourmand quality. On the whole, the perfume was too tangy for me, reminding me very much of Atelier's Vanilla Incensee, a woody vanilla that is too sour. Except this adds frankincense to the mix; and a little elemi but only in the first 5-10 minutes. That being said, I respect it as a very nice incense perfume and a creative use of frankincense. My favorite is Plein Jeu III-V. It's a tie between this and Contre Bombarde 32 (which I blind-bought and promptly sold) because neither of the other two really "do it" for me. This is great if a creamy, gourmand frankincense sounds appealing to you. Best part is that none of these perfumes seem to contain an overdose of Iso E Super. The ingredients seem to lean more on the natural side. I have to say though--I really love this perfumer!