Isle Ryder

wow, and another one I feel like I have to come to rescue kind of. I smell this scent so very different to most of the reviewers here I am really wondering if we had the same scent to test at all Oo. What I get from this really special and for me fantastic scent is a fresh note of meadowsweet and some fresh fir tree to start with. After five minutes the broom brings yet another fresh note in the first drydown, and the first traces of light honey and fresh hay are detectable. The whole thing is underlined with a beautiful mixture of moss, lichen and fresh herby notes. In the heart of this scent the honey and hay notes get a little stronger, but never sticky, the honey notes are very natural, more like beeswax and honeywine. A soft note of jasmine steps in, but very subtle only to positively strengthen the lovely sweet notes I get. Every stronger in the back are the conifers, fir and now also Norway spruce, which bring yet another woody, darkgreen note into the picture. After two to three hours the honey turns into a darker shade, like woodhoney, and also the hay gets a nice darker touch, the Norway spruce is a little stronger and finally the bulrush comes in, woody-grassy to complete the scent picture for me. So, no idea what other people get with "only Jasmine", or saying this scent is "ordinary"? It's one of the more complex scents for sure that develops ever new notes over several hours. So, maybe the other reviewers have gotten wrong testers, or maybe old testers that have gone off? I don't know, but I think this scent is wonderful, for me the perfect picture of the Viking shield maiden, distanced and strong, yet soft and sweet in a beautifully natural and reasuring ancient way always with a hint of danger if needed. One of my favourite niche scents of 2016.

I was so very, very thankful at how different this is, and different in a good way, a novel way--but not merely a novelty. Immediately upon my applying, it had a pungent, earthy, chypre-ish quality, somewhat green, but also sweet. I really couldn't place any of the notes except for the fir. I didn't look anything up, just thought "fir"--but there were clearly other notes, more complex, somewhat floral (though I wouldn't have guessed jasmine) and even "leather" in there as well as what might be vetiver. The other thought I had was "cistus" but apparently it's not in there or not listed. There is a green yet indeed "aquatic" and bitter feel about this scent, and while I wear a lot of "masculine" scents as a woman--I felt this might be better on a man; that is, it conjured up vague amorphous scent-recalls of "mens'" colognes, or the smell of a man's sweat, or what I have identified as "male"--but--it's totally different and its own thing. Only in the dry down did I detect the honey, but there is a "sweetness" to the "evergreen notes" and I think what makes this so different and worth trying is the Poplar, Dyer's Greenwood, and Bulrush--I've smelled the other notes in so many iterations that I think that explains the dry chypre-ish quality as well as a "hay-like" facet along with the verdant quality that does not read as "pencil shavings" or cedar floors. It really is a very unique scent and thankfully did not smell synthetic. "Isle Rider" as a name is perfect--as it conjures up windy moors, a grey day, the smell of a horse's sweat, hooves pounding through the heather, going into a deep forest near a sea. I have a decant which I will use, but I don't think a FB is for me because it does skew masculine, but if a bottle drops in my lap...

Isle Ryder is a very 'visual' fragrance for me. I sometimes get annoyed by promotional copy from fragrance manufacturers that sound more like a J Peterman catalogue than they do a description of the frangrance, but in this case, the rather poetic picture painted by D.S. & Durga captures its essence beautifully. This fragrance is all about the ancient British Isles: gorse, hay, herbs, honey, treesap, and dampness. I get an unmistakable tea note as well, although it's not listed; perhaps it reminds me of an herbal tea, but there is a definite leafiness there. The gorse and the honey are the dominant notes for me, but the effect is more honeyed tea than it is Miel de Bois, so if the latter is a disaster on your skin, you should not be at all scared to try Isle Ryder. Although the word 'unique' is overused in the fragrance world, Isle Ryder is truly different from just about everything I've ever tried. For me, the one similar 'vibe' I connect to a previously tried scent is the dominant gorse note, which, because it is closely related to broom, reminds me a good bit of Santa Maria Novella's Ginestra; however, the addition of the honey note to Isle Ryder makes it a distinct fragrance from Ginestra. I love the hay and dried wildflower aspect to this scent; it is soft and gentle, like a beautifully designed natural wreath. The damp and slightly mossy aspect really ties together the whole fragrance, and gives it the unmistakable feel of its name. You can truly picture a rider on horseback, thundering across the wild meadows of the Isle of Manx, or the Hebrides, in pre-Roman Britain. Longevity is excellent (easily 8-10 hours) with moderate sillage. This smells amazing on men and women. A truly special and seasonless fragrance.

I'm an Outlander fan, and this totally makes me think of Claire's adventures in Scotland. I didn't even know this collection called "Hylnds" was referring to the Scottish Highlands, but it certainly accomplishes what it set out to do. Isle Ryder smells rustic and golden, which is odd because it has a ton of jasmine in it, a tropical flower that probably nobody associates with Scotland. But the base reminds me so much of bullrushes. Smells like hay and honey, making me think of the sun setting on the Highlands, casting its final golden glow on the darkening hills. It's a surprisingly elegant fragrance with a modern-vintage thing going on, like something slightly animalic in the base--maybe it contains some synthetic civet? Potent--lasts forever on me. I really think they should make this a permanent part of their offerings. It's a shame many people will never smell it. I will treasure my bottle.

Very herbal...very strong...when I first sniffed a sample I was sure I hated it...but I decided to give it the skin test and there it was an entirely different perfume...I love "pine" perfumes but this is not overly pine, I get way more grasses and herbs, with just a touch of jasmine - I wouldn't even classify this as a floral perfume...either way I've fallen in love with the entire Hylands line, this one just took a little longer for me to love...

Isle Ryder smells like an entire department store—the clothes, leather goods, cosmetics/perfumes, housewares, etc. was somehow distilled into a perfume and bottled. It’s weird and I love it.

My third try from D.S. & Durga's Hylnds line, Isle Ryder hits my nose with a heavy dose of jasmine, but also various herbal and woody elements that make it come off a bit animalic and dirty. I have to plead ignorance on several of the This isn't terribly appealing to me--it might be slightly more flattering on a woman, but I'm not sure I'd want to smell it on anyone. It's just at an odd floral / animalic / dirty crossroads that I see little merit in. Performance seems fine, though. I appreciate the house's creativity, but obviously with daring scents, some dare further than my tastes go. 4 out of 10

Roaming the Highlands at the dawn of Spring. The snow still covers the grounds, and yet the sun’s blaze warms the earth, causing it to melt away. From underneath, the dormant vegetation emerges. The scent of damp, drowsy grass slowly permeates the air. He stops by the thick fir tree forest to catch his breath and fills his horn with mead to warm his soul. It tastes wonderfully sweet. It reminds him of the honeyed jasmine flowers his beloved used to wear in her curly, long hair, once upon a Spring. I’m thoroughly fascinated by this fragrance from the HYLNDS collection by D.S. & Durga. It is such an oddball. I have tried to think of what it reminded me of, and it finally clicked. It is one of the weirdest potions from Uncle Serge’s cabinet of curiosities, Chypre Rouge. To this date, it is the only Serge Lutens perfume I could never tolerate. Even so, it only shares the aesthetic, as they don’t smell all that close. After all, I very much enjoy Isle Ryder. The Lutens was more sickly-sweet and adorned with stewed fruits, in the characteristic Lutens fashion. Regardless, this is also a weird concoction, one that, at least for me, works. Yet I am left scratching my head about how to place it; a floral and boozy coniferous perfume, perhaps? The most prominent facets are: fir, jasmine, meadowsweet, and honey. There are other aromatic nuances that I cannot place, and a prickly-mineral quality in the dry-down that resembles ambergris to some extent. The most fascinating bit, however, is the vivid “mead accord,” an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey. I feel it was more or less accidental, perhaps a result of blending various facets of honey and meadowsweet, among others. It hits you in the face in the opening, effervescent, sweet, and boozy, and lingers throughout. It is never overpowering, yet constantly present. The coniferous nuances are also prevalent, fresh, resinous, and warm. The jasmine is surprisingly indolic. I’d say that, if there is a single most challenging aspect of this perfume, apart from the unusual pairing of notes, it has to be the unashamedly indolic jasmine. It also bears some faint fruity and honey-like undertones, but the indoles are most prominent. Rest assured, it doesn’t feel suffocating. It is rather ethereal. I don’t think I ever smelled a jasmine accord that feels indolic and light at the same time. Another thing I want to point out is this dampness that creeps about. A green, wet sensation that, in my mind, looks like the forest floor with grass and fir needles dampened by the melting snow. In the late dry-down, it becomes increasingly resinous and warm. As a huge fan of this HYLNDS collection, Isle Ryder is the most fascinating among the ones I tried. It should be sampled just for fun. And while I’m not a “conehead,” I get along with the coniferous facets in here, well complemented by the funky jasmine and the boozy and heart-warming mead accord. The dampness, the prickly-mineral ghost accord, and the hard-to-place aromatics are just a bonus, as well as a forever puzzle to be solved by my nerdy brain and fruitful imagination. IG:@memory.of.scents

DS & Durga is a line that I *want* to like much more than they’ll let me. Their distribution is limited; no samples are available; and the stores that I’ve visited that stock the line have been beyond lousy in their presentation (empty and/or broken bottles; large parts of the collection missing entirely). What I’ve smelled, I’ve only smelled in passing, and so one of these days, I’ll hopefully spend more time with them, but what I’ve tried so far hasn’t grabbed me. But Isle Ryder is different. It aligns with the rustic / natural aesthetic that the line seems to rely upon with a bitter jasmine taking center stage. This jasmine is surrounded by a series of wild grass and fern-esque green notes, placed over a somewhat oily base that seems to be structured upon a subtly earthy beeswax. Despite being a fairly busy composition, the scent smells very much like a natural environment, and the overall effect is a fascinating take on jasmine. It’s much more bitter than most jasmine fragrances, running even slightly sour, but this bitterness works surprisingly well here. Although I tend not to subscribe to fragrances for certain seasons, Isle Ryder conjures up the image of Spring while offering a fresh, crisp take on the white floral genre. Surprisingly distinct and well-crafted, it provides a compelling green twist to an overplayed primary note.

I had a sample vial of this. The first time I tried it, I really liked it. It has a very harsh opening, which I was ok with, but I must admit I was taken aback by how pungent it was at first. It settled down to what I recalled some unlit pine incense from the 70s smelled like. The 2nd time I tried it, it was a whole different ballgame. Perhaps because the weather was warmer, but I got not only a pine-sol smell, but a pine-sol in dirty, filthy water smell. Its quite tricky to successfully pull off coniferous scents in perfumery. DS&Durga are always going there, as part of their antique Americana theme, and it's been hit and miss with me. I will say that I am extremely fond of Cowboy Grass.

I find this to be nothing special. Longevity on my skin is only a few hours. The scent is very average for me personally. I find it has a fairly heavy musk base with a hint of the evergreen. I'm a lover of honey, but I don't get the slightest hint of it in this fragrance. Interesting the difference in noses! I've grown picky and if a scent is going to get my $$, it needs to stand out, this one doesn't merit the price. It's pleasant, certainly, but nothing to shout about. Sample first.

first and foremost, this one is NOT for me. it's mostly jasmine, sans indole / cloying sweetness with earthy, funky, savoury somethings. hard to discern just WHAT it is (without looking at the ingredient list), but it reminds me of something from the early nineties. i need to analyse just what THAT is, but that's beside the point. not girly or femme, not mainstream / celeb, it's like NOTHING i've ever smelt before in a 'fume. must (to) try.

Deadidol puts it well when he says that he wants to like the Durga line. The florals within Isle Of Ryder waft so awfully close to memories of Grandmother's perfume. More suited as a feminine scent. Longevity on the low side Sillage sits close to the skin. The initial blast of Florals are slightly cloying for the first 10 minutes. They settle down after that.

AT first spray it was a little too strong and old lady type. Next day I found it softer and I really enjoy honey smell in it. Now I find it interesting and soft, close to the skin. Longevity and sillage is moderate. This is close to skin scent. Wouldn't mind to have it in my little collection :)