New Perfume Review: Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Black Gemstone + Maleficent in the Mirror Draw

AngelinaJolieasMaleficentandBlackGemstone

 Angelina Jolie as Maleficent via eonline.com and Black Gemstone perfume

If Maleficent wore a fragrance, it would be Black Gemstone by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777.  Although the numbers in the brand’s name stand for good luck, this scent has an undeniable demonic power that burned a photographic image of Disney’s greatest villainess in my brain.

StephaneHumbertLucas777Collection

Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Collection

Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 is the new eponymous line from the nose behind Nez à Nez and SoOud.  Introduced last year in the luxury niche category in Europe, Russia and the Middle East, it has just come to the shores of the US thanks to Osswald NYC.  M. Humbert Lucas is said to be a synesthesic perfumer and that claim appears to be entirely true based on Black Gemstone, the dark jewel in the crown of this collection. According to Osswald, top notes of Black Gemstone are an infusion of three cedars and lemon; heart notes are myrrh and tar, and base notes are incense, teak and tonka.  I don’t dispute that any of those ingredients are present, but go back to the first paragraph of this review and you’ll find the operative word is burn. 

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 Sting in movie poster for Brimstone and Treacle, 1982

Black Gemstone presents as a cauldron filled with burning black licorice and asphalt; the title of another very dark movie, Sting’s 1982 acting debut Brimstone and Treacle, also comes to mind.  For me, the fragrance is stylishly hellish and mesmerizing.   Licorice/ anise are among my least favorite notes but I could not stop sniffing this for hours. 

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 Ruven Afanador for Elle Italia, November 2008

Black Gemstone is a dangerous potion.  A definite work of the dark arts, it manages to be wearable (with excellent sillage) through the contrast between smoke and sweet.  In this version of the fairy tale, the sacrifice is successful and the black mirror finds the evil queen the fairest of them all after all. Over many hours (for me, it was still noticeable overnight and after a shower), the sharp edges of the gem are polished and it mellows into a more traditional oriental.  It is lovely at this later stage, but the extended opening was the most striking fragrance experience I ever had.  At $340 for 50 ml, Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Black Gemstone is in the upper stratospheres of niche fragrances, but it is truly worthy of a queen.

— Nancy Knows, Senior Editor and Beauty Editor

Disclaimer: Review based upon sample provided by Osswald NYC.

Thanks to the generosity of Osswald NYC, we have a deluxe sample of Black Gemstone available for one lucky U.S. reader.  To enter, please leave a comment indicating  what it is about Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777  Black Gemstone that intrigues you and your favorite Evil Queen. Draw closes June 3, 2014

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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32 comments

  • cdb73110 says:

    Been dying to try this line. I love all the dark notes in this fragrance. Tar and licorice….Wow. Loving this.

    Queen of the Damned – Akasha evil, evil, evil…….

    Thanks for this excellent draw.

  • Tami H. says:

    This is am Insanely good fragrance. The opening is a wild ride bit the dry down is well worth it. The incense in this is amazing.
    I live in the U.S., thanks much for the draw!’

  • Steve A says:

    I’m intrigued to smell asphalt in a fragrance.
    The evil queen from the Cinderella Disney cartoon is the only one I really know.
    U.S.A.

  • Devon H says:

    Brimstone and treacle? Smoke and sweet? These are magical words that have me dying to try this! The bottle is gorgeous as well. My favorite evil queen is Snow White’s evil step-mother. 🙂

  • Maggie Bruno says:

    i always lean to the smokey dark scents. this would be perfect, i can only assume. would love to try it. 🙂

  • leathermountain says:

    Argh, I can’t stand these ridiculous price points! But I swoon for both anise and smoke, so I’ll take a tiny freebie if I can get it. I’m in the US, and my favorite evil queen is me. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

  • Sandi L says:

    Nancy great review, I’m with leathermountain Price Points :P. Seriously what intrigued me was your comment “the extended opening was the most striking fragrance experience”. Lot’s of buzz on this in the groups. I’m in the US and Thanks to Osswald NYC for the draw.

  • Joyce says:

    Maleficent is my most favored evil Queen. I am fascinated at how it can have a burn factor? This is certainly intriguing to me. I am in the US. Thank you for this review, I enjoyed reading it.

  • Kim Morgan says:

    The idea of a scent that conjures “black” so thoroughly is fascinating. I’d love to give it a try! US resident — thanks for yet another fantastic review!

  • Jennifer witt says:

    I would love to smell a perfume truly worthy if a queen! My favorite evil queen is Maleficent (love those cheekbones) and I live in the US.

  • Nemo says:

    Incense and black licorice sounds like an amazing combination 🙂 My favorite evil queen (sort of) is Livia from the tv series I, Claudius. I am in the US.

  • Tati says:

    Mmmm I love dark, smoky scents and this sounds positively wicked. My favorite evil queen has to be Maleficient. I live in US. Thanks for draw—Tati

  • ringthing says:

    Oh, big fan of dark, smoke and licorice, so this sounds mesmerizing. I can’t get past Disney in thinking of evil queens – not sure she is a queen, but Ursula from the Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney meanie 🙂 thanks for the review and the draw, I’m in the US.

  • johnjd says:

    I like the various resins in this fragrance. The smoky vibe this exudes with a battle of sweetness. Mmmm what’s not to love. Look forward to this try. The Red Queen in Alice and Wonderland was crazy evil. In US thanks a million.

  • Ramona says:

    “…hellish and mesmerizing”!! Count me in, I am in the US. Thanks for a chance to try this as otherwise it is way outside my financial comfort zone 🙂

  • Patty P. says:

    Drawn in by the THREE cedars and lemon. 🙂 Queen Frostine from Candyland, is she evil? USA

  • julesinrose says:

    I’m a big fan of licorice and anise, but haven’t found one yet in perfumery that I could wear. I’m betting Stéphane Humbert Lucas knows how to pull it off perfectly. His line is exquisite, and I’d love to sample another scent in it!! My favorite evil queen is The Queen of the Damned, Akasha, of Anne Rice’s vampire series.

  • Claudia says:

    I do not want to be entered since I own this fragrance. It is a stunner on me…opens big and with a punch on me and dries down to the most beautiful warm Incense with smidges of Tonka making its appearance softening this beauty. On me this is almost leathery but tinged with Tonka, dark and alluring an at least must try for everybody.

  • Valentine girl says:

    The cedar, tar, incense & anise notes sounds like an amazing combination and I would love to smell how this works with my body chemistry. Favorite evil queen has to Mary I of England aka “Bloody” Queen Mary. I live in USA.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    it has cedar and incense , notes i like and have been investing in a lot lately including getting discontinued Gucci Homme 1 and now eyeing Bois D’ Encens..it may turn out to be another winner..i feel this line will be even more popular than Nez a Nez and SoOud…i am in USA

  • The Perfumed Veil says:

    I had high hopes for this brand. The bottles are stunning. So far, the one that I tried left me underwhelmed. I hipe to win this sample so I could fall in love with this new collection. I’m in the US.

  • Laurels says:

    I love a heavy, smoky oriental, and would love to try this one. I’m in the US, and my favorite, or at least most feared, evil queen is definitely Maleficent. I remember seeing Disney’s Sleeping Beauty as a small child and being absolutely terrified by her. Walking through the castle at Disneyland as an adult and seeing her in diorama form still sent a chill down my spine.

  • Hunter says:

    I’ve wanted to try this since the first review I read on Kafkaesque. I live in the US and would love to be entered in the drawing. I’m especially intrigued by the heavy use of licorice in this scent, as I love the smell of it and can never get enough.

  • shannon says:

    I adore dark, smoky fragrances. Licorice? Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn’t. Anything described as “hellish and mesmerizing” MUST be sampled!

    Favorite evil queen? Yeppers, Maleficent has to be evilest of them all.

    Thanks for the draw … I am in the US.

  • jiminy says:

    Myself being a fan of cedar, what intrigues me most of Black Gemstone is the cedar blend and how it will interact with the tar.

    My favorite evil queen is Maleficent, of course!

    I’m in the US – thanks for the draw!

  • Ferris Égoïste says:

    Myrrh and tar? hmmmm. i wonder how that smells. im intrigued already. my favorite evil queen is the Evil witch from the Snow White story. i forgot her name. im in the US and thanks for the draw!

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    Wow! This does sound dark and dangerous. I love complex fragrances that evolve during the wearing and where applied. My favorite evil queen is Akasha (Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned)

  • mim says:

    The tar and teak and smoke/sweet aspect of 777 appeal to me the most! I would love a chance to try this…upper stratosphere indeed. It only bothers me when the scent is unworthy of the hype and price. Does not seem to be the case here–if it’s good enough for Maleficent, it’s good enough for me!
    I like all the evil queens. Maleficent, of course, and the White Witch (who I think was a Queen) in Narnia who enticed with Turkish Delight. Ursula the sea witch was deliciously terrifying to me as a child.

  • Holly F. says:

    The darkness of the scent, the contrast between sweetness and smokiness, and and the complexity all intrigue. I’d love the chance to try this. My favorite evil queen is Queen Grimhilde from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I’m in the U.S. Thanks for the draw!