High Frequency

Initio is one of those houses that are shrouded in mystery, and it translates that into its fragrances. Over the last two or three years I delved deep and long into the world of Niche Perfumery, and I think I reached a depth where it was difficult any more to find or research more challenging houses past that of the offerings of Papillon, Malle, Gaultieri's Orto Parisi and Nasomatto, Crivelli, Xerjoff and Tauer, to name but a few, and yes through the process of elimination of hundreds of bottles in order to find that elusive 'perfect and usable' collection I got rid of OfG, Side Effect and Rehab, but Initio alongside it's sister company PdM both were able to stand that test and I still love them, but more so Initio. This was I think my 2nd Initio frag, I now have Blessed Baraka, Absolute Aphrodisiac and Paragon, and I love them, and they sit there in my top ten favourites. Straight off the bat, this hit me as feminine leaning, and reminded me of the original Poison by Dior many many moons ago, and as a child remember my Mum wearing Poison, and possibly that is why I feel this as a comforting fragrance, one that I wear to please "me" as opposed to please the crowds, and it does both so wonderfully, and I can not see me parting with this at all Anyhow, the reason for my first paragraph was because the point I was trying to get at was that although Initio technically sits in the land of Niche. However to me it sits on the fence between designer and niche; none of their fragrances are challenging, all their fragrances are crowd pleasers to an extent, they mostly all share a common DNA which is pleasing and comforting irrespective of how the fragrance evolves. To me all their fragrances are very well blended and rounded off with no sharp edges, they are winners no matter from which walk of perfumery life you come from, or at least thats how I see myself and the majority of perfume lovers reviews. And this fragrance is no exception, and I feel that even at their steep price, they are worth the risk of blind buys. I think Rehab was the least liked, OfG just didn't have a place in my collection, and nor did Side Effect, even though I consider them amazing, Blessed Baraka holds the number one sport in my Initio collection, followed closely by this one. I think once you smell this, it's like one of those frags, that it's a no brainer to just have as a stateple in anyones collection, if that makes sense? I do not have the artistic verbal capacity that many of you have, and therefore I leave the descriptive art to those more learned in the ways of creative description, and I shall end my driving waffle there :) I wish you all great fun in the journey of perfumery, and don’t forget that it's not about finding that perfect fragrance or collection, it's the never ending journey that's the joy, so relish in that journey whilst your travels take you to lands that only exist in our imaginary eye, God bless :)

If there is perfume niche brand out there that knows how to deliver, it's Initio. Every offering from this house is a work of pure genius and art combined. I might add that I don't dislike Psychedelic Love as much as I dislike other powdery scents out there and that's saying a lot. Now, High Frequency! What an apt name for a fragrance with an amped up Almond note that I have come to realise is my absolute favourite even above and beyond the beach-y coconut-ty vibe I often find myself gravitating towards. Perhaps, my olfactive senses are elevating. Whether it is that or not, it can be said for anyone just starting out in fragrances to connoisseur, this scent is perfection, at least to me! Right from the beginning it envelopes you in a cozy warmth that doesn't leave you start to finish. The robust almond note makes its presence known with oomph over a bed of earthy freshness which I am assuming comes from Hedione. This scent becomes you. If you are an almond scent lover like me, this one is a no brainer. It is not a rollercoaster ride morphing into different identities through the top, mid and base which is what I love. I want my fragrance to grip me and stay that way just like I want it to captivate a blissfully unaware passerby leaving them with a mystery about who might be more alluring the wearer or the scent itself. Only microscopic thing that I wish was better is that is that the sillage is low. The longevity is moderate so I find myself sniffing my arm constantly as this is so addicting. I am so impressed with Initio. The next one to try on my list is Absolute Aphrodisiac cause the other scent note I am completely impassioned by other than almond is the immortal Vanilla!

High Frequency is one of Initio’s more playful yet psychologically “engineered” fragrances, built around the idea of emotional impact rather than traditional structure. It centers on a magnolia note paired with almond, which creates a creamy, slightly sweet floral profile that feels almost addictive. Unlike heavier Initio releases, this one is airy and uplifting—more about mood elevation than dominance. The opening gives you a bright, almost luminous floral tone, but quickly transitions into a soft, milky sweetness from the almond, which smooths out the composition. What’s interesting is how it sits between categories: it’s not a typical gourmand, not a pure floral, and not woody—it’s more of a soft-focus aura fragrance. The performance is moderate compared to heavier niche scents, but it leaves a noticeable scent bubble that feels clean, modern, and subtly seductive. Conceptually, Initio markets it as something that can influence emotional states, and whether or not you buy that, it does have a calming, almost euphoric vibe. The weakness is that it can feel a bit simple or even synthetic to some noses, especially if you’re used to dense, resin-heavy fragrances.

Wow, I’m so glad I decided to test out all of my Initio decants before completely writing them off. Most of Initio failed to wow me. A good number of them I straight up disliked. I was sure I had bought into the hype I had read on here. But High Frequency. WOW. This was the last decant I had to sample. I actually love this one. Funnily enough, this seems to be one of their less popular scents. It’s a gourmand white floral. The almond note is super sweet, almost reminiscent of tonka. It’s beautiful. Very light and flirty. Definitely more feminine than masculine. It’s almost like powdered sugar on almonds. The magnolia peeps through to say hello on the dry down. Jasmine (hedione) and marzipan are the stars of the show here though. People say they wish something more resinous was put in this to “balance” it, but I think this is perfect as is. Anything else and it would be too heavy and lose its flirtiness. Some perfumes are better when they’re simpler, and this is one of them. My main gripe is I hate how expensive this is. I’ll probably get a 10ml decant and call it a day.

Magnolia is my favorite white flower, and this is so far my favorite magnolia-centered perfume. I wouldn't say this is an almond scent, as you might think based on the notes. The almond is only there to enhance the flower, as the previous reviewer stated. This is a super creamy magnolia, slightly sweet and strongly addictive. To me, magnolia, like many other white flowers, can go into the "clean-dated" direction, as so many of us were used to smelling our mothers and their products full of jasmine, tuberose, lily, and magnolia, but this is such a well-blended contemporary take on it. This is the amazing woman who has nothing to lose and everything to win. Her attitude is unbeatable. Her vibe is so contagious that everyone wants a piece of her, even if they don't even like magnolias. Again, like with psychedelic love, I wouldn't give away this one to a woman under 30; it is not that "safe" for everyone.