Iris Rebelle

So, I finally succumbed and purchased a big 200ml bottle direct from the Atelier Cologne website (along with a 30ml bottle of Santal Carmine). My love for Iris Rebelle is non-conventional as I did not love her at first whiff. It must have been two years ago or more that I first encountered her and found her a little too quiet and plain and dare I say it, ‘girly’. I am a huge fan of iris scents but Iris Rebelle ranked quite low on my list. And yet how strange the change with the passing of time that the nose can change its opinion. I continued to sample her whenever I came across her at the department store (and although still not too enamoured, my nostrils did linger longer at my wrist) and then bought three small ‘purse’ sprays that I found for a good price. It was on a certain long coastal walk earlier this year that I truly fell in love with this little rebel. During lockdown long walks in nature have saved my soul and sanity and I always took with me several perfumes to help with the experience. I am the type of person that likes to change their perfume throughout the day; sometimes once, sometimes twice and sometimes more. The British Isles are famous for the unpredictable weather. Like the clouds that shift and change and the breeze the blows in from the sea, my moods can wax and wane like the moon and I can truly experience four seasons in one day. Colognes are perfect for me for this very reason, I can change my perfume within a few hours if I wish and I relish the experience of the previous dying scent amalgamating with the new. Irish Rebelle became my favourite scent on my coastal walks and I very quickly used up my small sprays. The rendition of iris is so pure, so fresh and yet still has some of that sense of earthy roots. There is just the perfect balance of flowers and guaiac wood to compliment the iris. I find Iris Rebelle a very meditative, calm and almost spiritual scent. She comforts me like a silent friend. A friend that allows me to be self-indulgent with my moods, a friend that doesn’t try to influence or judge me in any way. A friend that somehow always brings me gently back to a sense of calm and balance and to my true self. Irish Rebelle is a scent I could wear at anytime of the day or time of the year and with any mood. I could wear her when I go to celebrate the birth of a new family member and I could equally wear her when the time comes to say forever goodbye to those I love the most. That’s what a really good friend is, someone who can witness your ecstasies and your agonies. When I am sitting on the rocks with the waves crashing at my feet while watching the storm clouds rising over the horizon, and while the winds of change blow through me, I will hold my wrist to my nose and listen with deepest intent in the way that only the nose can and I will hear that which can not be heard by the ears and I will smile and a teardrop will no doubt run down my cheek to rejoin the sea; salt to salt. Iris Rebelle, I didn’t always know you but you always knew me.

Update: I'm kind of blown away by the longevity complaimts. Sprayed one spray on my elbow and it's just as strong after 12 hours as it was in hour two or three. Again, it's not a huge projector, but I wouldn't like it if it was. Also, I don't get carrots at all, but I think what people are describing is the slightly vegetal earthy sweetness, like when you cut into a raw carrot, which I love, not mushy cooked carrots. A couple more wearings have cemented my affinity for this. I'm a fairly masculine brown hair and beard type of guy, and I absolutely love this. Dare I say it's exactly what I've been looking for in a floral scent. It smells like a flower without being sweet (kind of like a brut champaign vs. dry) or decidedly feminine. It's restrained and mature and I think leans more masculine than you'd expect from the marketing. In fact, I think a lot of the negative reviews are coming from women who are turned off by what I believe are the positive points I just outlined. Silage is fine (about average) if you prefer a little subtlety like I do. Longevity is moderate to good too. Sprayed 4 or 5 sprays at 645 am and still catching regular wafts at noon. Dry down is very linear (not sure why that's a bad thing-it means that the top notes are persistant), but after a few hours the iris fades some and is replaced by light musk but that's about it. Weirdly, I can still smell the iris on my skin a day or two later. If you're looking for a floral that is sweet and bright, or one that has a heavier leather/cocoa/moss/etc base, or a beast-mode silage monster, look elsewhere. Personally, his has jumped to the top of my cue of full bottle purchases.

I think it's so amazing to see how varied the reviews are on this and most other Atelier fragrances. I bought a box of samples from their website to try every single available scent as of 2018, and this one is really spectacular for me. Based on what I've tried so far, my experiences with the fragrances have been very different than the reviews I've read here, so I thought I'd say my piece. My suspicion is that they rely heavily on body chemistry, so everyone will get a different smell. When I spray it, I get a scent of fresh beets, garden smell, which after a few hours dries down to a nice woodsy iris white musk. I love it, I think it's a fantastic scent and it has excellent sillage and longevity on me. Compared to most other atelier scents I've tried so far, it has a better sillage and longevity. It's a very interesting fragrance, although the white musk and patchouli are very commonly used in mainstream perfumes it's true.

Of course, there may be people who don't like Iris Rebelle, or any iris scent for that matter. But for iris lovres it is a real gem. It's different from most scents we know on iris, from the Prada's to Dior Homme, from Iris de Nuit to Terre d'Iris, from Bois d'Argent to Iris Bleu Gris but ... but very close to 31 Rue Cambon. If... if the Chanel Exclusif is too much for you ( it's not for me althought it is thick and a bit gloomy... funereal, says Luca Turin ) Iris Rebelle must be a good choice. It is as though Chanel had made an eau de colgne version of Rue Cambon, the same scent, the same smell, the same quality but light and airy and quite cherfull, also. And 31 Rue Cambon IS one of the best iris scents around ... I couldn't be happier.

I really wanted a feminine yet confident scent for work. The citrus and pepper notes in this really makes what seems like such a floral perfume leap out at you and definitely turns it into something very complex. I would describe it as sexy somehow, but the imagery is more of a chic popped collar, first two buttons undone powerful female CEO kind of sexy rather than the more conventional idea of female sexy. It dries down into a lovely floral musk and has my friends repeatedly sniffing my wrists asking what it is I'm wearing. Some people have commented that it smells like carrots and I really never noticed until now. Initially it does have a sort of bitter carrot vibe but it's not bad and it definitely fades.

This one is a jewel on me. It starts out vegetal, and I get the garden carrots at the beginning, which I find inspiring and comforting -- like being in my small garden after an early spring rain. Then it turns to floral, light, and clean. This one is light enough to use when I meditate. In a 45 minute practice, the scent can lead the way. I am using it in the winter (-17 to -35) where fresh vegetables, flowers, workable soil have been long frozen over. It takes me to the Spring for a moment. Any scent that can carry me off to a specific moment is a keeper over here.

I got this as a sample and tried it on clothes. I wouldn't wear it myself because I think it leans feminine. But gosh I would love to smell this on a woman. It may be a bit conventional, as other reviewers have stated (well, it's mainly iris and rose, what did you expect?) but IMO the pepper and bergamot add that extra bit of freshness and sharpness that would suit a confident woman and make you say "Wow" when you walk past her. (Assuming you smelt it, because its projection is just moderate.)

What is it about a good iris sent that evokes the emotion of love in me? Iris Rebelle smells exactly like when I kissed the new born head of my niece for the very first time. Innocence and beauty. She grew up to be a rebel too in the sense that she didn’t go through any of the typical teenage angst but rather found love with a good man and has both a beautiful boy and a gorgeous girl and is the happiest person I know.

I have it and love it. Almost nobody else does, except for a friend from a distant past and my brother, which I find funny. They say it is weird, earthy and carrotty. They do not understand why I enjoy it and pay good money for, too (considering my not-so-costly collection). Still, I wear it when I want to feel up-beat. This is the closest perfume to a signature for me. Makes the things I do feel like a song.

I wouldn’t call this a pretty fragrance, or a sexy fragrance, or a cozy fragrance. I don’t wear this around my husband or kids. I wear this to work when I want to say, “I’m the boss and I’m here to work. You’d better be here to work, too, or we can step into my office and have a conversation.” I don’t know if anyone smells that message, but they certainly infer it from the attitude this fragrance gives me.

Several Sephora fragrance reps I have spoken with have described this scent as polarizing, confusing, and quirky. For the people it works with it wears beautifully and dries down into a gorgeous fragrance. Sillage is much better in warmer, humid weather. During autumn and winter I only apply it over almond oil on my skin to balance out the reduced sillage and quieter scent in that kind of weather (NYC).

I don't know whether it is discontinued or no, but it would be shame, because iris in here is very beautiful and natural smelling. Carroty iris is a main star here. Iris Rebelle is in some ways also similar to original Dior Homme, it is airy, light, woody, but also it has better sillage and longevity on me that Dior.

This is a magical composition which contains real orris butter. Iris Rebelle is an charismatic composition which refletcs iris's woody facet with the bright citruses. It was the love at first. Bravo!

Good stuff. Extremely wearable all year round. Great layering scent. I get carrots but on my skin it starts to smell like a rubber-note. Which I don't mind at all. 10/10.

An elegant and timeless musky-iris scent. It was long-lasting after 2 sprays. My mom had it and she loved it!

I’ve got this sprayed on the back of one hand and Dior Homme sprayed on my other hand. This is a showdown of Iris fragrances from a young(ish) man’s perspective. Immediate opening: Iris Rebelle smells a little like a freshly cut root vegetable, mostly carrot. It doesn’t bother me, in fact quirky elements make perfumes unique and memorable. Both fragrances take you to Iris heaven. I said before that Dior Homme can come across as feminine, but here it is definitely the more masculine of the 2. Iris Rebelle is unisex through and through. An hour later, I’m finding that Dior Homme tells more of a story and is more likely to impress others. But the carrot opening of Iris Rebelle has toned down a bit and the fragrance itself is starting to stretch its legs. I pit these 2 side by side because I thought the Iris fragrance for my collection would come down to these 2. I thought Dior Homme was the one for me, but 4 hours in and I can actually see room in my collection for both of these. Dior Homme is a classy men’s fragrance that I would love to wear on social occasions, and Iris Rebelle I would love to wear on a spa day or lazy Sunday - basically any occasion devoted to relaxation. Considering I’m more likely to spray perfume on just before going out for a social occasion rather than to lazy around in, Dior Homme would probably get more use. Plus it’s much cheaper. Despite both being iris bombs, they’re very different fragrances for very different occasions. This was a challenge that I thought would put Iris Rebelle to bed, but instead, it’s made me appreciate it even more. 8/10

OK So it’s not performing especially well in terms of projection - it’s a bit more intimate (to be expected if it is cologne strength) - but it’s one you can spritz throughout the day and I’d let a bit layer on your collar, sweater or scarf... However There is something a bit magical and deeply comforting about this Iris-Lavender-Musk which really works First - I get Iris right from the start and it’s a really beautiful Iris which I feel is much more accessible for a mass audience than a lot of the many other Iris in my collection. The Iris is perfectly balanced in that waxy-carotty spectrum ... which is both at once earthy and yet very fresh and clean (and never veering too close to violet) ... being support as it is with all those other fresh citrus and floral notes ... I feel it even leans a bit towards barber shop and vintage soap in the heart. Waxed jacket and new carpets. For me it’s like stepping into a brand new car, wearing a new wax-proofed rain jacket over freshly laundered cotton clothes, on a damp autumn day after a walk in the woods.... Clean, sombre, elegant, eternally modern and contemporary, .... If they can pump up the concentration levels then this would be perfect. This is an easy to grab and go spritz... and I don’t mind that it leans feminine of unisex - it’s never cloying or sickly. So if you like Chanel 19 Poudre but want something a little less ‘evening dinner’ and something more ‘Sunday brunch’ this is the scent for you.

I adore iris in perfume, and was keen to try Atelier Cologne's take on iris (now that Silver Iris seems to be discontinued). As is the tendency with Atelier Cologne, the opening is easily the best part. The iris here is top-notch. Iris Rebelle opens with a sublime powdery iris note - dry, earthy and dark. It is wonderfully melancholic, reminding me of Chanel 28 La Pausa. I get the vegetal carrot-y note mentioned frequently below. It enhances the earthiness of the iris to perfection. Some tart bergamot adds freshness, while aromatic lavender rounds it out, playing second fiddle and letting iris take centre stage. I get warm woody notes in the background from the very beginning. As it dries down, a barely-there patchouli-rose accord emerges, nice but generic. I would have preferred the focus to be on the iris, which is the best part as well as the focal point of this scent. It fades quite quickly to a musky skin scent still with a hint of woody iris, and this skin scent hovers for an hour or two. Sillage is intimate and the longevity is fairly weak. IR features a great unisex take on iris due to the great combination of notes and lack of sweetness. As is my repeated gripe with scents from this line, the performance leaves a lot to be desired, given the price. Still, IR is a beautiful iris scent made from high quality ingredients. Not rebellious at all. 3/5.

The opening of Iris Rebelle would probably put a smile on many iris fans: an almost buttery orris kisses the skin, leaving a subtle smear of her violet lipstick. However, this phase is sadly very short-lived. Within minutes, the carrot-like earthy nuance of iris briefly makes its turn, before the fragrance swiftly settles into a standard floral woody musk base: a clean, vegetal, ambrette-like white musk with fresh neroli nuance and a vague, slightly peppery woody undertone. Iris Rebelle then remains this pleasant skin scent until the end. The sillage is mostly soft, while the longevity is around 6 to 7 hours. Overall, I find Iris Rebelle a very pretty and adequate floral woody musk, and I quite enjoy wearing it. Although the orris is not as luxurious as I would have liked, its overall transparent, clean, modern approach is perfectly in accordance with Atelier Cologne's "cologne" aesthetics. I would recommend it to those who enjoy iris-neroli fragrances such as Prada Infusion d'Iris, or iris-ambrette fragrances such as Diptyque Fleur de Peau, but would like a more prominent orris note in the opening.

Neither soft powdery and charming à la Bas de Soie nor soapy and clean as the Prada’s ready-to-go infusion iris. It’s not even that ghost from the enchanted frozen forest I imagine Iris Silver Mist to be. AC’s iris is earthy and cold, more in the vein of Hermes Hiris but without being so austere. Maybe cold is not even the right word: it’s ethereal and reserved more than cold and there’s a delicate graciousness in it due to the woody/floral final part which makes me say it leans more on the feminine side. Longevity? None. After surprising me with Cafè Tuberosa’s “monstre” longevity for a cologne, AC goes back to what they do best: lovely fragrances that disappear within one hour, so all you have to decide is if you want to focus on the lovely part or on the disappearing issue. Both are present. Not being so obsessed with the latter, I see this new iris as an unusual spring alternative to all the fresh fragances out there. Being lateral and a little peculiar are always a plus in my book. Iris for minimalists.