Crying of Evil

Crying of Evil continues my descent through the house of Stéphane Humbert Lucas, leaning fully into darkness, tension, and provocation. This is a fragrance that feels deliberately confrontational, built around spice, shadowed florals, animalic leather, and resinous depth that never aims to comfort. There is a sense of unease woven into its structure, where beauty and menace exist side by side, creating something that feels emotional rather than decorative. Crying of Evil carries a reputation for being intense, dramatic, and unapologetically niche, the kind of scent that challenges both the wearer and the space around them. Let’s step into the wearing experience and see how this darker impulse begins to cry out once it’s let loose onto skin. Opening: The opening is fruity, leathery, and spicy. The primary notes I get are red berries, leather, spices, and violet, with the red berries and leather leading. The red berries hit first as tart, dark, and restrained rather than bright or sugary. They smell like crushed berries with their skins intact, giving off a sharp, slightly acidic sweetness that feels tense and almost biting. There is nothing playful or jammy here. Instead, the fruit feels shadowed and serious, more like a dark stain than fresh juice. The leather joins in almost immediately as a dark, supple, and subtly animalic accord. It smells like worn leather that still carries warmth and life, with a gentle but noticeable bite beneath the smooth surface. The animalic edge is controlled rather than dirty, giving it a lived in, slightly feral quality without becoming harsh or challenging. It reminds me of the leather found in fragrances like CH Men Prive or Armani Code Elixir, but rendered in a more natural and expensive way. Spices then emerge as dry, warm, and slightly abrasive rather than cozy or sweet. They feel blended rather than identifiable, creating tension and heat with a faint peppery sharpness that never turns stinging. Instead, it feels deliberate, almost like a controlled burn. Violet comes through last as cool, powdery, and slightly muted, adding a restrained floral softness. It has a cosmetic, suede like quality with a faint dryness that keeps it from feeling airy or sweet, lending a quiet melancholy that fits seamlessly into the darker tone of the opening. Dry Down: The dry down is balsamic, leathery, and smoky. The primary notes I get are olibanum, leather, amber, and spices, with olibanum and leather remaining the most prominent. Olibanum takes on a dry, smoky, incense driven character, smelling like burning frankincense rather than raw resin. It carries a smoldering quality that feels atmospheric rather than sharp, reading as dark and slightly ashy without any brightness. The leather remains consistent from the opening, holding onto its animalic, worn character without softening or changing direction. Amber enters as a dark, warm, resinous presence rather than anything sweet or glowing. It feels dense and slightly sticky, adding weight and depth without turning comforting or plush. There is very little sweetness here, as the amber stays shadowed and restrained. The spices persist into the dry down but sit further back, still offering a faint nose tickling warmth that adds energy without dominating. As the dry down progresses, the balsamic sweetness of the amber and olibanum becomes slightly more noticeable, giving the fragrance a rich, smoky warmth that briefly reminded me of Boss Bottled Elixir. Performance: In the first hour, projection is very strong and easily capable of filling a room, immediately announcing its presence. Sillage follows with a dense, heavy trail that lingers confidently behind you. After the first few hours, projection remains largely unchanged, showing little to no noticeable drop off, while the scent trail softens slightly but remains clearly perceptible. Around the seven to eight hour mark, projection begins to dial back to a more moderate range of 3-4 feet, and the trail becomes lighter yet still noticeable. It finally settles close to the skin around the ten hour point, demonstrating strong projection and solid longevity that places it firmly alongside God of Fire and Sand Dance. When to Wear: Crying of Evil is best suited for fall and winter and truly comes alive in the evening. Its bold, dark, and pensive character makes it an excellent choice for special occasions like date nights or anniversaries, where its intensity and depth feel intentional. It also carries a sense of complexity and quiet regality that allows it to work surprisingly well in formal settings, especially those that call for something dramatic and commanding. That same intensity, however, makes it a poor choice for casual wear, where it would feel overly serious. It is also not appropriate for office environments, where its projection and animalic undertones would likely feel overwhelming and out of place. Blind Buy: Crying of Evil is not a safe blind buy. The combination of animalic leather, dry smoky olibanum, and persistent spice creates a profile that is intentionally bold and can be polarizing for unseasoned fragrance wearers. This is not a composition that eases you in or plays to mass appeal. Instead, it leans into darkness and intensity, which will immediately narrow its audience. There is also very little in the way of familiar sweetness or freshness to soften its edges, making it especially challenging for those who prefer cleaner, brighter, or more modern designer styles. When you factor in the high price point, blind buying becomes difficult to justify. Sampling is strongly recommended, as wearing it on skin is the only way to know whether its commanding, confrontational character resonates with you or feels like too much. Final Verdict: Crying of Evil stands out as one of the more compelling and self assured offerings I have encountered from the house so far. From the opening, it commands attention with its tension filled blend of tart fruit, animalic leather, and spice, setting a tone that feels deliberate and unapologetic. As it moves into the dry down, the fragrance deepens into a smoky, balsamic composition that feels rich, dramatic, and thoughtfully constructed, carrying an almost incense drenched gravitas that brings to mind the weight and seriousness of classic niche perfumery. Performance supports that presence, delivering strong projection and longevity that comfortably match God of Fire and Sand Dance. Taken as a whole, Crying of Evil feels confident, mature, and uncompromising, a fragrance that knows exactly what it wants to be and never backs away from it. It is bold without feeling reckless, artistic without becoming unwearable, and for me, it earns its place as a standout release and a definite addition to my collection. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 9/10 Versatility: Average Compliment Factor: Average Gender: Masculine Value: Fair

What, so few reviews?! Well here I come! So, a kind perfume seller made me test this perfume today and I love it. First of all, this is the first Stephane Humbert Lucas that I have tried. I knew about them, but also knew that they are very expensive - this here costs 200 euros per 50ml. So that's a LOT. But onto the review. Without knowing the actual notes, this on me evolved like this: first, smoke and incense with very little sweetness; then, I started smelling oud as well, on top of the previous notes, which here isn't listed. Then, the oud disappeared progressively, leaving room for some leather, amber, patchouli and sweet vanilla - not too sweet though. Something flowery too, but very slightly, probably the tuberose. The thing is, on my skin vanilla tends to go either powdery or bubblegum-like. And tuberose can be bubblegummy too! I am not saying this has a bubblegum note, at all - in fact I love the vanilla note here, as it stays vanilla. But my nose sometimes has a hard time discerning tuberose because it links it to vanilla lol. Anyway. The perfume becomes then a incensy, boozy vanilla - I swear I got some rum here! - with the previous notes peeking here and there, then the booziness subsides and it becomes a smoky, ambery and musky vanilla. From start to finish, it smells smoky, smoky sweet, smoky boozy sweet, smoky musky sweet. However bear in mind that when I say sweet, I mean slightly sweet. It gets sweeter in the drydown, but it isn't a gourmand. I love how the incense is ALWAYS present from start to finish. Also, the incense is a bit churchy - I like it a lot in this perfume, kinda like Avignon - but never excessively so. It is a very expensive perfume and sadly I won't be able to buy it, but I recommend it because it is beautiful. You can tell it is high quality! It is perfectly rounded, blended. Never harsh or burnt or acidic or synthetic. Really really good. It evolves a lot and even today, in the scorching heat, it didn't choke me at all. Performance-wise, it's great. I have had it for like 6 hours and it is still noticeably there. Smells nice, musky, smoky vanilla. Obviously it is better for the colder months, but again, today it's really hot but I wore it like a champ. The sillage is not enormous, but it is strong. The guy sprayed me 3 times lol, I thought he was gonna make me pay for it ahahah! Now, last but not least, what does it remind me of? My mom said, you have one like that at home. Lol I wish I did! But she was onto something. The oud note I got reminded me a lot of Black Afgano, even though it is not as strong here in Crying of Evil, plus, to be honest, Black Afgano is a much harsher perfume. I love it, but I am not kidding myself here. Afgano is blunt, this one is like a hug. The boozy note instead, was uncannily similar to... Dolcelisir by L'Erbolario! Like what?? I was shocked, I mean, Dolcelisir is super nice but is waaaaaaaay cheaper than this. Obviously they are not dupes by any means. However there is a bit of Black Afgano and Dolcelisir in Crying of Evil. Which made me happy because, since I can't afford this beautiful perfume, at least I'll console myself with the ones I already have ahahahah. So, try this. It's great. Edit: oh and also, the bottle is to die for!

Luckyscent sample reviewed. SHL somehow manages to make mostly synthetic creations sexy. His perfumes always has a definate personality, and CoE is no exception. This fragrance is a dominant leather fragrance. It has the familliar pairing of violet to texturize the leather as well as a slight rose component. The fruity berries and tuberose open up like a long distant relative of Poison, then the core of leather and oilbanum asserts itself. Its not smoky. The oilbanums texture is almost a gritty woody, green element. Sandalwood adds a light powdery creaminess to smooth down edges. What gives this fragrance its super sillage and forceful nature is IsoE Super. Its here in quantity to blend all the components together. Patchouli and musk ground the fragrance. It is to be noted the leather does stay into the drydown. Wear time is 6hrs in my testing. If you like sweet fruity leathers its a great pick up for fall and winter. Lovely creativity. Unique

Dark and Mysterious. This is my first entry into Stephane Humbert Lucas, admittedly the bottles are what drew me in. Initially God of Fire popped up on my radar due to the hype and me being a fan of fruity ouds but this one seems like the next best choice. I really like it, it's very dark and gothic to me bit still sweet and pleasant enough. A very soft leather that I think is pretty unisex. Not sure how else to describe this one other than being a very soft dark scent that I find very enjoyable. It's still new to me but it's definitely growing on me. Kind of reminds me of Gucci's Voice Of The Snake only frutier and less burnt. It has Tubereus listed which I normally hate but i dont get it much in here so its a non issue Beautiful presentation but very expensive for only a 50ml. Looking forward to trying more from this house if I get the chance, this was a complete blind buy and turned out to be right up my alley.

I initially tried this last year and really didn’t like it. I found it sickeningly sweet, flat and like a jam paste. Fast forward to winter and I’m now wondering how I disliked it. I didn’t get the Amber, spicey, tobacco or leathery notes last year. The fruits feel like blackberry and it’s my favourite berry note as it’s so nuanced. This is radiant (not shrieky) deep and warm. The bottle colour is so right. This scents smells of all shades of purple from eggplant to mauve, limned with low lights of black and highlights of amber and gold (if scent was colour). I’m huffing the back of my hand and as I’m heading out to brunch am pleased I smell so good (imo). Once again my approach of resampling the same scent at different times of the year has shown me that things can change dramatically for the better (usually). Now on the large desire list 😁

Really hard to imagine anyone not liking this gem. After reading some of these prior reviews I'm quickly reminded how sensitive ones perception of "a good fragrance" can actually be & why I NEVER base my decision to buy a fragrance off the opinion of a complete stranger. This fragrance is absolutely gorgeous from start to finish. Opens up with a slight fruity smokey suede with a perfect touch of spice... followed with a hint of this rich amber & a hint of musky florals. Really hard to describe such a gem but definitely get your snot locker on this bad boy & you can thank me later!

One of my favorites from SHL. This one opens up fruity and sweet with leather, it's slightly animalic and it smells quite unusual in a good way, that's why i love it so much. Tuberose is the main player here, you'll smell it from the opening till the dry down, I thought that The tuberose was gonna make this scent lean a bit feminine but it's the total opposite, this is quite masculine but still unisex, this will smell good on a confident woman. I really love this, I'm looking forward for more great releases from SHL.

plumy smoky leather on amber and sadalwood. what a leathery scent should be and pleased my expectations very well. the leather is completely smoky be incense and highlithed by boozy fruity nuance of berries which made it delight full while its dark heavy specially animalic aspect of leather there then it stumble upon a nice amber making it sligjtly sweet and delicate creamy sandalwood decline its heaviness and darkness. its my favorite from the line. potentialy a top shelf leather fragrance.

Opens with spicy berries with a hint of leather. As time goes on, the leather gets stronger, smokier, and sweeter. I'm actually trying this during the summer, and it seems to work just fine. It's deeply evocative and it definitely is a date night fragrance. It's thoroughly unisex, but whoever wears it has to own it for it to work. I'm looking forward to wearing this in the winter, which is supposedly when it would work best.

Crying of Evil Stéphane Humbert Lucas – 10/10 One of the best I've ever smelled. I can’t decide if I like this or Mortal Skin more, but they’re both masterpieces. Crying of Evil is mysterious, smooth, and a little dark in a very, very sexy way. It’s blended beautifully and feels really well thought out. Performance is great too. I seriously recommend trying this one if you’re into deep, unique perfumes.

I need you to think of Althaïr. Now imagine that scent if it becomes more serious and attends a Catholic Christmas mass service. Now you have Crying of Evil. I pick up on a much smokier (almost incense) vibe than what the notes describe. Now, it leans more male, but that subtle sweetness makes me wear it as a woman. Serious b*tch vibes. idk

Oriental vibes. A special offering from SHL. Starts of boozy, dries down into a warm, spicy, oriental scent which I've come to love. It does indeed somehow resemble Sand Dance here and there, only much less sweeter, and the patchouli can be felt stronger when dried down. 10/10.

shl. THIS and mortal skin??? oooooh shl i know what you areeeeee edit: the way they named the purple and gold one "crying of evil"? that is a clear reference there. ok so i put a blotter of this into my cigarette box and now they taste faintly like purple static. iykyk<3.

Love it. Dry, spicy and resinous dried fruit vibes. Ever so slight smokiness. Something very tastefully floral to give it lightness and lift. Full bottle worthy to me. Strikes me as fairly unisex as well - leaning masculine.

Very artistic composition. The leather here is animalic yet seductive—dark yet crisp. There are many contrasts, yet it blends beautifully. If *Tuscan Leather* is the highest level, this is the final boss.

Dark, sweet, and unsettling. Burnt sugar, oud, and thick resin rising like heat in the night. Seductive but dangerous, smooth yet oppressive. The tempter. The sinner. The animal within.

What a masterpiece of a dark fragrance. It has a sort of creaminess to it that really fuels my addiction to it. It lasts all day long as well. Great job SHL!

fruity boozy leathar at the begining ambery faset smooth it a little but beware it settle on a waxy smoky suede like smell.

10/10 i love this so much and need a full bottle

Ah Crying of Evil, this one gave me mixed feelings. To begin this review I would like to say that for the first 10-15mins there's an animalic and smokey leather accord that dominate the fragrance along with the violet, its not as harsh as some animalic leathers I've experienced in other fragrances but I wish it were tamer / less prominent which it indeed does become less prominent after that 10-15min mark, where it takes a bit more of a back-seat to the floral aspects but remains a big part of this composition even so. You have to like your strong leather in fragrances to appreciate this one, for my nose its acceptable in small quantities which it becomes more to my taste in the dry-down.... but not quite enough personally. This fragrance has a slightly gothic vibe for me, I therefore feel this one to be the least mass-appealing of the new 'La Serpent' collection, a fine fragrance nonetheless but I don't think this is an everybody pleaser the same way the others from this collection are. (a bit more on the niche acquired taste side) Therefore try before you buy. The smell of this scent fits its dark purple colour, if you use your imagination a little... Final words are I like this fragrance, its not a love... if the leather was a bit tamer and the floral notes bumped up (the violet) I would definitely rate it higher. Would I buy: 50/50 on it. I don't think I would reach often enough to justify it. Recommended: To sample - after all its an interesting scent.

I have to start with this and Mortal Skin have to be the most interesting and worth trying scents from the 777 collection of SHL. Now going back to the scent, I feel like most if not all the hype this brand has goes into the bottle design and I get it, because when you hold the bottle in your hand it feels very luxorious and well made but going into the scent this is just very overpriced considering the latest price increase they had this is not something you want to blind buy or just get cuz it has a cute bottle. The opening is very weird I cannot read any of the notes or get anything specific , there are no florals just some faint sweet smell , the beauty of this perfume is happening during the middle notes to drydown where the leather pops in. This is not an ombre leather type smell like new car with leather seats this is a brand new pair of leather boots or leather jacket that is VERY animalic and raw and was not heavily processed and you can still smell that animalic aroma infused in it and you just love it for what it is. If you are a fan of raw animalic leathery notes with a touch of sweet this could be your style but coming back to the price you would much more get a better bang if owning a cool leather jacket....not to mention the versatility of this perfume is close to none I could not see anyone wearing this without a leather jacket....

This is a fragrance that feels completely immersive. Spices, dark florals, animalic leather, and resins form the core of its structure. From the first spray, red berries, leather, and violet arrive very directly. The red berries are not sweet; they have a sharp, slightly acidic edge typical of dark berries. The leather carries a clear animalic character, while the violet leans toward a powdery tone. As it develops, the scent gradually moves toward balsamic and smoky elements. The incense feels dry and subdued, almost like the smell after something has finished burning. The amber becomes dense, and the resinous smokiness grows more pronounced, while the animalic leather continues throughout the composition. Projection is quite strong. The ideal setting for this fragrance is night, especially during autumn and winter evenings.

Red berries and incense are basically this scent profile on the paper strip. Obviously, with the SHL , I get a snake/reptile skin if I were to imagine this scent. Interesting, it's spicy and slightly fruity sweet. I wouldn't wear but a great olfactive experience. Overall a 8/10.

Sex in a bottle. Mystic, alluring and seductive.

What a beautiful bottle..right?! well, purple is my favorite color...so maybe biased. This scent is interesting. Thick, rich and deep are best descriptors. Top note of smoke and spice. Definitely a heavy leather undertone. It smooths out to a creamy oud-like note with a constant of cinnamon. It's a strong crossover male/fem but leaning into the handsome.....like its creator.

Comme souvent avec les parfums de Stéphane Humbert Lucas le parfum est tellement bien fait et mélangé qu'il est impossible de reconnaitre les notes utilisées... C'est la signature d'un parfum réussi Néanmoins et cela reste personnel, je n'ai rien trouvé d'exceptionnel à cette reference. C'est un beau mélange boisé épicé cuiré ( cuir tres doux ) Performance moyenne

@Myrtillajus Me? I ... ummm... Thank you! 😳 What a lovely thing to say to a passerby! You have earned a song as well as a balloon: Serge Gainsbourg - Baudelaire (Le serpent qui danse).

Crying of Evil is a dark, smoky and spicy perfume. Overall smells like charcoal burning, warm spicy incense. I couldn’t get much of the fruits and florals listed because the leather and smokiness is almost overbearing. I gave it a few tries, maybe depends on temperature/skin, I get a hint of crushed berries in the opening and a little bit of rose when dried down. The leather, incense and spicy are dominant here. I easily picture a black smoke in the opening, then like a hot crackling fire, brought thanks to the spices. Sexy, dark, leans masculine. Very good projection and sillage. Overpriced, I understand this brand has a story behind every perfume, color, bottle design, but at the end of the day this scent is just another smoky/woody/spicy perfume to me, especially at dry-down. _____ Sillage, longevity, projection : 9/10 Originality : 3/10 Quality, value : 3/10 5/10

Initially interesting spicy and leathery fragrance with a smoky base. However it dries down to literally a cigarette smoke on dirty, wet clothes accord, and once that mental association was made, it was impossible to not smell it as that. Very strong and long lasting, but I would not want to smell like this.

Oh this is loud and heavy. It smells to me as if something quite burnt. I don't like it, it's too much. -

Poorly constructed floral gourmand that seems imbalanced and synthetic. The scent opens with strong cherry and tuberose with hints of violet and cinnamon. The heart is rose and leather with slight sandalwood. The perfume settles on powdery ambroxan, heavy synthetic musk, patchouli with slight incense. The unisex slight feminine leaning scent has moderate to strong sillage and very good longevity. Sadly this is not at all pleasant on the skin. A very sad downturn for this once sophisticated and classy perfumer.

I just got this fragrance, and it's honestly beautiful. At first, it smelled very similar to the opening of Venom Incarnat (I only have a decant). I'm Mexican, and in Mexico there's this old-school homeopathic medicine that smells like a mix of herbs, lots of honey, rum, alcohol, and something else that I definitely wouldn't want in a perfume. The opening smelled almost exactly like that. I was already getting disappointed, but after a few minutes that medicinal smell faded away. Then I started getting these subtle berries and leather notes that come to you in little waves through the air instead of when you smell your skin up close. Those little scent trails are seriously addictive. If I smelled it right on my skin, I could still detect that herbal medicinal vibe, but it kept getting weaker and weaker until it was almost gone. As it dried down, it became a soft, sweet, slightly leathery scent, but nothing as bold or intense as Ombré Leather. This is a completely different kind of leather—much smoother, softer, and way more addictive to me. I can't really comment on the performance yet since I just got it. After about four hours, the projection dropped a lot. I'm not sure if I went nose blind or if it actually became a skin scent, but I could barely notice it unless I smelled my skin directly. That was a bit disappointing because I'd heard it lasts and projects like crazy. I'll keep testing it before making up my mind. So far, all I can say is that once it settles, it's an incredibly addictive scent. Sweet, slightly leathery, sensual, and very easy to like. I honestly can't imagine anyone being put off by the way it smells once it reaches the dry down.

The first book of poems I bought was Les Fleur du Mal, by Baudelaire. His personality has always fascinated me, but also the contrast between Spleen and the ideal, understood as the evil of living and boredom (called, precisely, spleen) and the beauty of life, expressed through art and poetry; and then madness, a state of mind that serves to distance oneself from reality; the correspondences between things, wine and all those that are artificial paradises, as the only way to calm that pain of living. Crying of Evil is inspired by this collection of poems, and exudes voluptuousness, shadows and magnetism: sugary, spicy and sensual notes alternate, I perceive the red fruits, the floral part, in this case withered, intense and slightly smoky. Beautiful creation, full and seductive. “A flash... then the night! – Fugitive beauty from the look that immediately made me reborn, Will I only see you again in eternity? Elsewhere, very far from here! Too late! Maybe never! Because I don't know where you're going, nor do you know where I'm going, you who I would have loved, you who knew it!”

My favorite from the line, I can't get enough of it, this one should have been mortal skin imo. A beautiful floral and spices in the opening. Think of those fancy fall candles or scented fall decors; now add the complexity soft leather and an intoxicating rose. It is very sensual and mysterious, it really has me sniffing every minute or so. Give it a try if you're into soft leather scents with a twist of florals. Ideal for fall-winter or night time. Longevity : 6-7 hours becoming quiet soft after 1 hour but loud the first. Projection/sillage: AMAZING you will get wafts as you go on throughout the day and this is on skin, ig double all if worn on clothes.

9/10 scent personally but I would expect a 7/10 from a regular person that isn’t interested in perfumes, this is because of it being a little intrusive (invades a persons personal space in a unwelcome manner) but if you get to know the fragrance it’s intimate and cherished almost like when you dislike a person at the beginning but when you get to know it’s personality it becomes your best friend. It evolves from a grumpy fragrance to a relaxed fragrance. Also please acknowledge the fact I love amber scents...

I have a sample of the perfume and I really like it. As soon as I wake up tomorrow morning, I'm going to buy it. It's really good and it's also my second favorite perfume by Stephane Humbert Lucas. Of course, the first is Mango Kiss, which I like more than God of Fire. So in short, I really like it. It's a beautiful perfume. I highly recommend it.

Amazing aroma. Due to its sweat content, beautiful leather is sent while maintaining its popular appeal. This scent is similar to Dark Rebel by John Varvatos.

This juice lasts 24 hours on skin and smells incredible. Very dark and mysterious. In the same genre as Carlisle and Red Tobacco. Really impressive.

I get strong Oud Cadenza vibes from this one, but this may be a little better. SHL has some fantastic offerings.

Oud Cadenza’s smokier older brother.