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.

This is an iris based fragrance but perfectly unisex. Famous iris based Dior homme is even more feminen than this one. The smell has nothing to do with dior homme though, no lipstick or makeup bag smell. The opening does smell like a fresh creamy carrot juice but dies instantly. I do not get amber, almond, any powdery vibe or honey. It is not a sweet fragrance. I get iris, neroli, cedar, and a light touch of vanilla. It is fresh, relaxing, bright, uplifting fragrance. Perfect for spring and summer. The smell reminds me a spa floor of seaside luxury hotels. Anyone can use this at any age. It is a casual day fragrance. It is ideal for office use, school etc. I usually use it when I decide to relax at home. If you could get your hands on a dark blue bottle, get it, it is worth it. The newer clear bottle has performance issues. The dark blue bottle lasts about 6 hours with 2 hours of moderate projection. The silage is better than its projection.

I love Hiris, because I thought I could never appreciate the soapy iris note enough, and the curling arc of the petals seemed to mock me in the past-"We are a coveted ingredient in fragrances, and you can't smell our beauty, ha!" I adore Infusion D'Iris by Prada, and it is very irisy, very orrisy, but it has enough wood and incense to be not a puristic ode to the iris. Hiris is very irisy, but the rose blooms subtly on my skin, and the coriander is a great counterpoint to the vanilla-not strong, but solid. Natalia78 must be right, I have rather oily skin-and it must be thick too? I don't know, I've never considered that. Hiris blossoms on me because there is something warm and soft about it, even if there is a very clean overall quality, and a definite coldness. Hiris is the fragrance that helped me to realize how interesting the iris note can be-it's very much a bold iris that defies the description "powdery".

Fresh, quietly joyous, and deeply melancholic; Hiris reminds me of a frigid spring morning in the UK. Heavy laden Irises weeping with rain water amongst rosy cobblestone and crisp cold air. This evokes the feeling of ennui- the remembrance of something soft and beautiful. Hiris is distant and earnestly addictive at once. She is a very photorealistic Iris. I buried my face into a garden of purple Irises in the Colorado mountains two months ago and I've been chasing the high of smelling that since. Hiris smells like real, fresh, voilety irises and and opens with an equally verdant neroli note. Olivia Giacobetti has a magical ability to present every aspect of a plant through a lens that veers into a territory of magical-hyper-realism: Here is the root. Here are the leaves. Here is the petal... Hiris is no exception. This is soapy, serious, green, and oh so beautiful.

An accord showing the Iris flower from root until its blooming Purple petals. I thought this would be a linear fragrance given it’s soft and quiet nature. But was surprised that it’s a beautiful journey starting with rooty Orris (earthy and powdery) and then develops into the flower itself - the watery petals with dew and the plant-like sappy stem. In a way, it’s like crushing an actual Iris flower and smelling the oils and water. Unlike any Iris fragrance I have ever smelled. Normally iris perfumes make me melancholic and closely resemble that Lipstick note. But Hiris gives happiness and delivers a different take on Iris. Even if you don’t love Iris - give this a try. Close to the skin, but who cares on projection when you have such a wonderful fragrance surrounding you. Masterpiece and makes me think if Giacobetti was better off being Ellena’s heir than Nagel...

Hiris is one of the Iris scents which has very original personality. It’s not dry and powdery, it feels more like wet on my skin. It’s beautiful, elegant and poetic. It’s somehow clean and fresh but not soapy one. It’s a little bit melancholic, absolutely ethereal and innocent. It’s like walking through the garden with the bare feet early in the morning. The scent is smooth and polished, it’s so beautiful and so blue. 💙 I don’t have any problems with longevity but I used to change a perfume at least a couple of times during the day. I haven’t tried this scent in the new bottle so I don’t have any idea if it’s the same. I’m happy to own this one. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

This is very nice. I was a bit worried with folk talking about carrots. Ok, I do detect a bit of carrot at first but this vanishes quite quickly. I am thankful that I get little of the soap some have spoken of. It is a very cool fresh fragrance which is what I would expect with iris in. I must state though that we are talking about iris florentina because I grow numerous iris and they all smell differently. Its the orris root that provides the earthy quality which is thankfully low key here. I guess there is a bit of sweetness from the rose and honey. There is a bit of pepper and some dianthus to give a bit of kick. First and foremost this fragrance is all about the iris. Cool, fresh and very lady like. You couldnt wear this with casual clothes. Low sillage but it lasts a good few hours. Impressive for an edt.

I woke up in this winter day, and when I looked to the rain falling in my garden, I missed the Hiris smell!!! I just repurchased it. If Hiris was a woman, it would be a very refined, well educated, classy british Lady: She doesn ́t speak loud, is very charming and intellectual, and has a subtle and a real Beauty that holds you for hours and hours, without annoying you; very civilised ...that ́s Hiris. This earthy-Iris is very fresh and from a so high Quality, very rare to find in the scents made nowadays (one similar to the other with less personality and cheaper raw materials). Hiris is among my beloved scent for sure, perfect for Office (many workmates asked for the Name and wrote it down to buy it) and for a very elegant evening. It ́s really a treasure, and I will Keep it as long as I can.

The love of the iris. First of all, there's the iris bulb, moist, earthy, fresh and alive, very pleasant - and crunchy. The flower that sprouts from the earth with its roots. Then it turns green, slightly creamy. I'm an absolute fan of iris fragrances, so I've tried many, many irises. For me, it deserves all the adjectives its fans give it: Refined, elegant, subtle and fresh all at once. Soft, powdery, pure, multifaceted and crystalline. For me, it's the king of irises. Whatever the era or creation of today's perfumers, I can't find an equivalent. Because it's simply perfect! It's still relevant and timeless, even today. If you didn't know the year it was made, it could easily be mistaken for a very modern niche iris. For me, it can be worn by men too, thanks to its earthy, green feel.

WOW to HIRIS! That was a discovery between all my iris scents.. and I nearly tested them all!! I compared this today with my 2 favourites SL Iris Silver Mist and Chanel les exclusifs La Pausa and voila: for me it is in this same top liga regarding the earthy , woody , sad carrot note all the good ones have in common. It s lovely green and fresh and the first 2 hours are absolutely beautiful irisy.The final drydown then is different to La Pausa and Silver Mist,because with Hiris the iris stays maybe it is the Vanilla and honey as companions to make it stay so long..whereas the other 2 irisis have faded..so I don t know where Luca T. has had his nose while testing this one.. (maybe he had a flu that day :)but I don t agree at all, this HIRIS is a masterpiece, at least for me.

Since November 2013, Hermes has taken this gem out from their Website. When I just bought it again very recently in the parfümerie that I usually do, the vendeuse told me that unfortunately that would be discontinued. I got pure Panic!!! But I ́m relieved again, ́cause I saw just now that this precious scent came back in the Hermès Website, together with Amazone + Calèche, in a new Packing. Ufaaaa...I have it again. The bad News are that the "come back" can mean "reformulation", and then as it usually happens with many top scents, the Quality falls down. Well...as Long as the stock of the dark blue Flacon exists, I will buy it. But I confess I ́m curious to read a Review over here about the new one. I hope that they didn ́t Change this merveille.

You know, I had actually contemplated making my perfume wardrobe exclusively Hermes at one time. This blind buy is another reason why that's not such a bad idea. After testing these fragrances, I chose this one over Prada's Infusion D'Iris, AdP's Iris Nobile, Keiko Mecheri's Iris D'Argent and Jacques Fath's Irissime - blindly with NO REGRETS. I love how "reserved" this fragrance is. It's quiet, but has depth - just like me . It's pretty but still earthy, making this an easy wear for a gentleman. Whatever this carrot accord is in Hiris is lovely, as well. On my skin, this has nice longevity, medium sillage and a smooth feel to it. Hiris serves as a reminder to always consider Hermes first. My goodness, I love this house.

I came across this beauty few month ago, it was the last piece on a shelf in John Lewis Dpt store in London, I was blown away mainly because the bottle looked like an old classic Hermes but it smelled modern! I don't know the history of iris used in notes as a main ingredient except for the classic shalimar where it gives a soft blending effect to all the other hard notes, here it a main note and I could say that from the perfumes I came across this is the oldest iris powdery semisweet scent I could recall. Back at the time it was normal to be used only for women, but I think since iris was introduced in lots of men scents, this would pass as a unisex too, it is soft yet but could do. Beautiful scent.

I have the vintage version of Hiris. I get the feeling of soft watercolor - a muted purple-blue, from this lovely fragrance. It makes me feel like I've discovered one of my grandmother's treasures in a dusty attic, wrapped in crinkly crepe paper - so delicate I worry I may tear it. This is not a vegetal iris to my nose, nor is it the orris butter, playdough-esque of iris pallida. The iris here is feminine with dusky violet and a soft classic powdery note, along with a beautifully blended rose that is delicately enhanced and lightly sweetened with vanilla and honey. I do find this to be a more personal, close-to-the-skin scent, but I love it, and it will always have a place in my collection.

Hiris starts out with the realist green botanical notes of iris bulbs ready to be potted. It then smooths out into notes of steely iris plant and bloom, with a cool, cerebral and ultimately powdery feel. I love cold scents, they are the antithesis to the climate I live in, and therefore are my most sought-after acquisitions. This one does not disappoint. I found Hiris only recently and took a chance on a blind buy, and I'm certainly glad I did. I only get about three hours out of it before I need to reapply, but I imagine you'd get better longevity in cooler weather. If you are an iris lover you need to get this quintessential fragrance. The beautiful cobalt bottle is an added bonus.

I think I have died and gone to heaven and am laying on the bed of freshly cut blue irisis while munching on a bunch of spring carrots freshly dug up..but only at the beginning, then am just chilling out and feeling very classy and content. This is quite a crafty scent, I must say I was a bit worried when I ordered it blind as I read all about the carrotiness and mud/earth scent and yes I got a blast of that on the first sniff but afterwards, well afterwards...I didn't even know iris had a scent? Edit: one to thing to add, the longevity isn't very good but it works quite well when layered with Guerlain Apres l'Ondee...yeah I know...rare and expensive SIGH!