Hiris

Opens with ozone, wet earth, and violet greens. It reminds me of an early morning garden after a night of spring thunder showers. This phases moves into a bit of sweet, along with a faint whiff of acetone that’s much more fresh and pleasant than it sounds. The faint sweetness reminds me of the rose in Dolce&Gabbana Rose The One, but it’s not an upfront or very strong rose. It mixes with the wet earth and ozone ever so gently. There is a warmer note that comes in around this time. I’m wondering if it’s a mineral type of amber. Something that gives off warmth but doesn’t hit you over the head with a lot of sweetness or vanilla balsamic notes. It just smells earthy and warm. So far, nothing is too strong or obtrusive- all very light and ethereal, keeping with that ozonic, moist-earth feel of the opening. Then I get the scent of fresh carrots- stem and all, pulled right from the earth in a vegetable garden. I’m assuming this is the iris, but it’s not as sweet as the iris in other iris-based perfumes. This, mixed with the ozone and far-away-sweet of the rose, gives a very unique and unforgettable note. Incidentally, my husband doesn’t register the fresh carrot note and only says it smells lightly sweet and very pleasant to him. This phase stays for a really long time and into to the dryout where it becomes a soft, and slightly sweet, ozonic, skin scent- very clean, fresh, and understated. To me this is really quite beautiful and unusual. While it’s very delicate smelling, I think it’s totally unisex, subtle, and extremely elegant. This all being said, there is a drama and an austerity to this fragrance. It’s minimalistic and pared down and, in this way, it might not suit some fashions and some tastes. For me, I find I enjoy it most in early spring, when it’s still cool and damp where I live. I enjoy it least in winter and have never been inspired to try wearing it in summer. I feel it speaks most to the moist, in between seasons. I have the rectangular, blue frosted bottle. I agree with others who have said: Launch this perfume now as niche, and it would be a HUGE hit. I just love it!

This is a magical scent to me. It’s a creamy mysterious iris perfume that makes me think of morning dew in an enchanted meadow. For some reason it gives me serious déja vù, like I’ve smelled or had this exact scent before. But this is my first Hermes so I’m sure I haven’t had it. It makes me go straight into a calm zen mode, a very clean, serious and down to earth kind of a smell. It starts of with a prominent iris and coriander. The top notes can be a little harsh, i think it might be the coriander that feels a little bitter and green to me, like freshly cut grass. I didn’t like that part at first, but now I’ve kind of grown to like it. Then the greenish smell goes away and gives way to the rose to accompany the iris, it becomes softer and sweeter, really settling in on my skin. I hadn’t picked out the neroli, but knowing it’s there and smelling my wrist, I can definitely make out how it helps support the rose. The middle part is my favorite, where Hiris is at it’s most sophisticated self. After a few hours it leaves a trail of sweetness from the honey and vanilla. This is the scent that has made the biggest impact on me trying this out at the Hermes counter. What WAS that?! It was so enchanting and left me thinking of it several days after, even recollecting it in detail from memory, which I’m not able to do with perfumes very often. I don’t think I’ve smelled anything that felt so ME before. I just had to buy it and make it my signature scent. It goes from green to yellow and purplish blue in my mind, kind of like the iris flower itself. I can understand why the iris can be seen as a melancholic note, but I don’t see Hiris as sad, just more composed, a little introvert and definitely in a minor key if it was music. This was also my first contact with the iris-world of perfumes, so all the other ones are going to have a tough time matching up with this masterpiece!

I tested Hiris about a year ago at a duty-free at Brussels Intl airport (scroll down for my old review) and I thought: perhaps it left me underwhelmed because the testing was done in haste, at a crowded place, saturated with many different aromas. So, I decided to give it a second chance, and a friend of mine sent me a generous sample. Alas, nope. I still get the same impression of a green-herbal-bitter opening (tbh it smells like chamomile!), and only after half an hour the protagonist iris slowly emerges; yet it fails to make an impact and never really smells like iris! (in that it doesn't contain any powdery, creamy or lipsticky components) I can smell carnation, neroli, orris root, some spices, green and woodsy notes, but hardly any iris. The scent is completely unisex (leaning masculine) and project softly; actually it smells like a mixture of Kelly Caleche EDT and FM En Passant (another Olivia Giacobetti creation), with that random cucumber and an abundance of leafy notes. Idk, it's kind of pretty, but totally unremarkable. Moreover, a few weeks ago I tested L'erbolario Iris and said 'Yay!' - now, that's my kind of iris (electric blue, very heavy, powdery, intoxicating and unapologetic); in comparison, Hiris appears pastel-blue, tame and timid. Imho not worth the money.

I am slowly falling in love with Hiris: a very beautiful, unusual and subtle iris fragrance with an understated elegance. Perfect for a lady. This perfume makes me feel both melancholy and yet strangely peaceful; almost as if I were to give in and let the sadness consume me. On my skin, this perfume is like a journey of an iris flower from the roots upwards. It begins earthy: there's a mossy quality and it's a bit woodsy (I think this is the cedar). The iris then develops quite clear on me, with a faint sweetness that's quite delicate, before it fades away, sort of atmospheric and airy, even though I can still slightly detect the earthiness in the background. Sillage is soft on me; lasts for about 7-8 hours. As I've been experimenting with lots of iris scents, I'm finding that most of them tend to be a powder bomb. With this I don't get the powder, so my impression is of a more natural iris scent, and one that I would associate with real irises in the garden (having said that, I don't think I've ever smelt real irises before). Nevertheless, I still find it to be a gorgeous perfume.

Continuing exploration of dusky, bluish scents–Iris was recommended to me, as well as violet. I love these cool, powdery notes–iris more than violet, since it isn’t as sweet. My favorite color of iris is the lavender-blue type, but Hiris is like a sky-blue iris (if such a thing exists) set off by fluffy white clouds. As a child, I asked, as all kids do, “Why is the sky blue?,” but the answer never satisfied me. Sure, the light in the visible spectrum reflects mainly the blue wavelength (or something like that), but why? Hiris doesn’t provide an answer, but perhaps its beauty is answer enough. I first tried it in 2004, and disliked it heartily. It reminded me of mashed turnips. The scent of iris is created by the roots (known as orris) rather than the flowers, so I suppose that’s appropriate, but I don’t like turnips. It took many years for me to appreciate this fragrance, but now I love it. No turnips, just an airy, casual-but-sophisticated scent, so elegant, but not fussy. It’s very “blue” in feel, and blue is my favorite color.