Lustre

I have only tested this fragrance once so far, and maybe I'll return to add impressions after getting to know it better. However, I do want to give my first impressions now, some 9-10 hours after trying it. Today has been an unusually hot day where I live, some 30°C, and I tried four Hiram Green fragrances. Maybe it was not the best weather for Slowdive and Dilettante, but I quite enjoyed both Arbolé Arbolé (even though it is not listed as a summer scent here on Fragrantica) and this one. What to say? Well, I have a difficult relationship with roses, and I'm working on it. Therefore, it was a happy surprise to me that I didn't immediately dismiss this one, but right from the start felt that hey, this just might be a rose I could be buddies with. To me, the citrus is almost as strong as the rose. Not to make it a typically citrus scent, but it's giving the rose a run for it's money from spritz to dry down, never letting the rose reign suprem. Unlike for christianne1, this is not a pink rose for me, but just like the juice it doesn't have a colour, it is pure light. It's just too blinding to call it a colour. Yes, that's it – this scent is a ray of citrusy rose light and it lifts the spirit even on the first really hot day of the summer, where even in a country of sun starved sun worshipers, people are looking a bit wilted and feverishly asking for ice coffees in the cafés. Now, I haven't completely grasped colognes, so I'm not saying that this technically is a cologne. But if by cologne is meant the citrusy fragrance that you reach for on hot days, the better to endure the heat, then I would suggest this at least is a cologne-ish scent. Very fresh with the citrus, and rounded off by the rose. Backed up from the chorus by a kind of honeylike sweetness, which I'm guessing comes from the olibanum (and maybe also from the rose itself?). Very much looking forward to sampling this one again. For now, to my positive surprise, this is definitely a strong like. The more I think back on my busy, sweltering hot day, the stronger. But could it also be a love further down the line? Well, this just might be my first rose love in the making. I think I need to smell it in some colder weather as well, because we actually don't have many hot days like this one, to few a year to warrant a full bottle. I think I'm leaning towards a FB, or at least at hefty decant, if this gives me the same shiny, bright feeling at 20°C, as at 30°C. :) tl; dr Rose sceptic liking this far more than I thought. If as good in cooler summer days as in hot, full bottle might be on the horizon. - - - - Edit (2022-01-22): Oh, and I actually did buy it, last summer. It did turn into a love, and I actually think Lustre opened the door for rose scents for me. Not that I love them all now, but fragrances where rose are prominently featured, used to turn me off a scent. Now it’s often a plus. Alas, Lustre really is best in really hot weather on me, and as I live in a northern country, I mostly reach for other lovely fragrances from my collection in milder/cooler weather, so it doesn’t get much exercise. I do really love it, though. After having written the edit, I thought of taking it out for a test run today, in -3°C. After a couple of hours, I can say this is such a lovely pick me up in the cold. Some softer notes (not quite powdery, but along those lines), but still bright, light and invigorating. I will definitely wear this in cold weather again!

My oh my. A little background: I tried a few of Hiram's fragrances some time ago and found them feminine, gave them to my girlfriend, and Slowdive became one of her favorites, and one of my favorites on her. Then I tried Hyde, and I loved it for myself. So I was looking forward to trying this new one, especially since I've been in a rose mood in late spring, kicked off by the inexplicably amazing Musc Noble by Guerlain, which is going to be very hard to beat. So I figured I'd get Hiram's take on rose. First impression (on skin): Rotting flowers and fruit. Kind of gross, actually. Organic rot. I know he likes to use natural ingredients, and I was wondering if maybe my sample had turned or something. Not pleasant. And then it was almost like a Benjamin Button experience wherein the flowers and fruit became younger and more fresh and alive over time. A unique experience for me. One thing I've learned is to never trust my first impression of a fragrance. I only smell that first smell once, and then it's gone forever, no matter how many times I smell that fragrance. It's a brain thing. Now when I smell Lustre, I'm always going to smell fresh and REAL flowers and fruit, with a little bit of decay, and they're all quite sublime together, in the strict sense. This is organic flowers with a noticeable citrus background that bolsters and spotlights the main flower role. It's so real that you can smell the decay of some neighboring petals that didn't make it. There's life and death here in a realistic way, and with obvious quality of materials and a knack for artistry. To be sure, this is not your average, ubiquitous, red Turkish-ish rose. I don't recognize this rose, although I'm sure some do. It's certainly a hyper-realistic rose-ish flower of a quality I have never before experienced in a fragrance, and it's astounding. I can't really call this one strictly feminine, either, although it leans that way. It has a bit of an edge to it that pulls it towards center, aided, seemingly, by citrus, and maybe other things I don't know enough about. But yeah, it's quite soft and gentle, with a philosophical narrative that keeps it from being a weakling. Astonishing, really, as an experience. I don't know how much I'd wear this as a guy who likes darker, heavier stuff (like Hyde), but this certainly gives other houses a desperate run for their money. Josh Slumberhouse should probably take some notes. Kurkdjian should probably look for new work altogether. Creed might end up in department stores where it really belongs. And you indie people really need to step up your game.

If rose could be called indolic, this would be the perfect representation of an indolic rose - standing out in this overdone category as a very original take. Intense - 1000s slightly wilted yet sublimely velvety dark red blossoms covering the floor of the roseoil factory in Bulgarian hills... yes, I can definitely stand by the image as I've carried this scent experience with me for 15 years after visiting described factory. If you're afraid the intensity of photorealistic florals just after their prime when the smell the strongest and can't stand the vegetal almost resinous and piney touch, this scent is not for you. But if you're forever on the hunt for rose that, without trying too hard to be pretty, is effortlessly complete in its wild gorgeousness, this is for you. Like someone said below, the rose here represents both life and death. There is a drama tic twist in this story. During the drydown, I smell cooled down oversaturated bergamot tea - an undescript oily citrus peel note that makes even slight wetness of the scent come across as fragrant. It balances well the velvetiness of rose petals and water-like cool depth of olibanum. This is a true masterpiece, well performing, full of meaning of life and develops forever on the skin. Not for the weak wearers, synthetic "jammy" rose fans or for too casual events. p.s. The only Hiram I've tried before is Moon Bloom, and I can see the similar brush strokes in the sense that both florals are opulent courageous and really standout in their respective categories.

This was an easy love for me, but I understand my preferences aren't necessarily mainstream. Imagine a bright yellow Bulgarian rose. Now if the rose was scented, it would smell like Lustre. The citrus and olibanum is very present in the opening to create burst and sparkle, and if you are here yearning for a "pure" silky musky rosewater scent you'll likely be disappointed with the "metalic" tinge of citrus and olibanum oil. I really love this artistic opening though and even better the scent develops into a very pure Bulgarian rose on my skin, with just the sheerest amount of orris in place of conventional musk to support the dewy rose heart. I'm not an easy rose fan as many could turn too floral and musky on me, but this, this remains bright throughout its development and just brings me pure joy. The sillage is soft and longevity mediocre at best, but this is judging from dabber application using a wand. My conclusion is Lustre requires the right skin chemistry to shine, so if one is sampling do try it on skin and give it some time. For a natural rose scent I can't ask for more. It's really perfect for me.

I have been wearing 3 sprays from a sample I received today and I am really surprised this is not rated higher. The initial spray is slightly acid/sharp but this lasts for a few seconds and is then replaced by a very realistic beautiful rose. This rose is alive and green and on the lines of Sa Majeste la rose by Serge Lutens but more wearable/ dialed down in comparison (a good thing for me) and progresses slowly into a lovely base where you can get the resinous olibanum carrying the rose. Lasting power is very good and 6 hours later I can still smell it around myself, I don’t think it has a massive projection. I work in a hospital and that is again, a plus for me. Already thinking about a full bottle. Edit 10/02/2020 so I could not resist and bought a bottle. It’s my favourite pure rose at the moment. Not headache inducing, not too loud or suffocating or screechy as other roses can be on me. But still a remarkable lasting power.

This is a stunning rose fragrance. The opening is fascinating- I’ve tasted rose petals and this smell is the taste; very green and dry, but within a few minutes this rose opens and it’s a wonderful warm clean early summertime slightly fruity rose, very fresh and velvety. Completely realistic, but not your average rose fragrance at all.. there is a delicacy here that is artistic. Love it! edit: this needs skin to bloom. If you spray it on fabric, it will stay in the green and dry balsamic opening stage for a long time, around 3 hours, before settling into the fresh rose stage. It does last a long time on fabric though (more than 6 hours), the lasting power is really quite incredible for a natural.

I do believe that fragrances are subjective, but trashing such a beautiful fragrance is criminal.. Not like any fragrances that are now or before. Fresh bright Rose, as some mentioned on comments its like a rose without colour , pure light, brightness.....

Wild Bulgarian rose, damp with dew, or warm and wet after a summer rainstorm. Pure, natural, deep, velvety, perfect. A must for natural rose lovers, probably not for you if you are a fan of the usual synthetic rose found in mainstream perfumes.

There is so much Bulgarian rose otto in this. The quality is there. Roses with a drizzle of lemon. A beautiful and natural soliflore. I understand that it is not for everyone, particularly if you are not used to all natural perfume.

So wonderful! Sadly discontinued because of bad sales. I hope it will be renewed in the future, the same way it happened with Shangri La.

I find this a much bolder, deeper, and more complex fragrance than the listed notes and accords would suggest. Front and center I get a sharp, strong marriage of tangy lemon and green, almost vegetal rose. The forcefulness of these two notes could've carried a fragrance all on their own, but Lustre adds warm and balsamic olibanum, and then counterbalances it with orris so rooty and cool that it reads metallic--especially when muddled together with that green, vegetal rose. Luster is a fragrance of elegant, classical elements in the midst of a strange and abstruse familial conflict. It's expensive wood polish and dirty mop water. It's the freshness of a prized rose garden, matched up against the dim weightiness of a lavish guest room all shut up. It's warm opulence bickering with cool refinement. It's distinctive, and uncompromising, and as a lover of rose scents as well as of potent scents, I like it. It is somewhat challenging, though, and likely a complete no-go for anyone who doesn't love rose.

This is a peculiar rose, despite the innocuous notes. It opens with a pungent frankincense that is as bright and searing as the summer sun. Also evident are sparkling citrus essence oils, which are similarly intense. Only after a few minutes does a very fresh and green rose pop up. The orris never appearls, it is likely to weak to compete with the other notes. Along the drydown, the frankincense softens and the citrus fades. Still, they leave a very natural, vegetal bitterness. The rose fades into a rose-water like scent. It all smells very natural, but natural does not mean it is an easy scent to enjoy!

I’ve just learned that rose perfumes are not for me. I’ve enjoyed every other Hiram Green scent in my sampler pack. Makes me want to eat those roasted rose water-marzipan-lemon peaches with greek yogurt though, so points for being evocative. Summer can’t come too soon. Edit: and yet I still throw this on every now and again for variety. I probably won't buy more once my sampler is done, but here I am, again...oops, and again... Edit: And here I am again, still claiming not to like rose scents but back for more. I think this has remodulated something in my brain...

I sampled this yesterday and thought it was a nice, citrusy, (heavy on the lemon) rose. The dry down is soft and slightly woody, slightly powdery. This isn't a complicated perfume or anything that hasn't been done before. I'm not a big fan of lemon in perfume so that is maybe why I wasn't real sold on this one. One of my favorite rose fragrances I just purchased is Fresh Morning by Scent Strip. That is more fresh after the rain rose w/ soft pink petals, Lustre is more of a jammy and lemony red rose. Nice for a rose lover who wants a more unisex rose.

Lustre opens with a contrary discordant blend of Olibanum and citrus making for a very bitter, somewhat green entrance. As the bitterness subsides, a green floral note reveals itself. This isn't Rose, but Rose Geranium, complete with green leaves and a Rosy scent. I have pots of this in my garden and the scent wafts beautifully on the breeze. Lustre isn't a Rose scent but merely a mock up of one. But saying that, I'm only 20 minutes in, so maybe the rose is revealed later.

Photorealistic Bulgarian rose with sparkling lemon dew drops. Very inviting, it's like stepping into a rose garden and breathing in the heady scent of roses in their fullest bloom, the scent of lemon lingers alongside in the air. Close to the skin, lasts around 5 hrs on my skin. Not the longest, but worth a try. Best suited in warmer weather, spring & summer.

This is a beautiful, photo-realistic green rose garden. It’s very vegetal. I can smell the leaves and the bush and thorns. Maybe some earth coming through a bit, too. Mostly it’s deep dark red roses that last from opening to the very last whisper of a dry down. Just stunning. Moderate longevity and projection. I’d always dress this one up.

Ah what a shame, what a shame, said the Cat in the Hat. A lovely rose scent, as others have mentioned, a simple, gracious rose but boy oh boy does it disappear fast! I applied several times in one morning. Each time after 15-20 minutes, the scent had completely disappeared from my skin. Poof! Gone! What a shame because it is a lovely, gentle, fragrant rose. Sadly too ephemeral for my tastes.

I believe this is the 4th sample from Hiram Green that I've tried and I am starting to think he might just not be the perfumer for me. I can appreciate his skill as everything so far has been very well-blended which I believe makes me more forgiving about feeling mediocre about (or, more often, sort of hating) his creations. Lustre started as a blast of highly perfumed rose soap and has settled into an artificial rose with a tinge of sour that reminds me of the cheap rose oils you could buy at Michael's Arts and Crafts (the scent of which is vivid in my memory as I once poured way too much on a school project and was so mortified with the rose stench that I washed the cloth rose on my project multiple times trying to dispel it). I don't think this one is for rose lovers as I deeply appreciate a beautiful rose scent. Lustre, unfortunately, is not that.

Unfortunately I am also in the do not like camp on this one. I have other rose based fragrances (POAL, Toy Boy) that reign far supreme to this (though to be fair, POAL reigns supreme to just about anything). It's rose, but too much green that doesn't go along with it IMO. I do think a select group of people would like it, and hence won't say automatic pass, but definitely try before you buy advice here. Longevity and silage are solid to strong (average to above average), but at the end of the day it is a bit too pungent and bitter for me, and not uplifting. All that being said, there is something about it, I think an apparent quality that makes me want to try other fragrances from Hiram Green. I'm curious to try to find his big hits.

Natural floral open with a bit of spice and citrus. Citrus has a little bit of a synthetic vibe (even though these are naturals) mixing with the green rose but it's made nicer with some smokiness in there too. Reminds me a little bit of Lumiere Noire from MFK but stronger concentration and more feminine as it doesn't have as much spice. As it dries, it gets even more floral. Not one for me but I think it would be nice on a woman.

Lustre has a quite green rose, refreshing citrus and is surprisingly powdery. Above all that however, there is a distinct metallic note - possibly the green rose - and it sadly makes the perfume unwearable for me. Try before you buy.

Maybe this is how some natural rose oils smells, but this is not how any real rose flower I have ever smelled smells like. The closest thing to this I have gotten my nose to is a low quality bottle of the greek brandy Tsipouro.

Oh, dear! There is a rose here that is trying to get out, but is being bullied by an acrid, balsamic scent. It eventually gets out, but has to "share the road" with the aforementioned smell. Must be my skin.

Smelled like potpourri and reminded me of an older lady. Not a fan.

Doesn't smell like rose to me, it smells kinda animalic

Eh...huh? Warning: challenging. try before you buy. I gotta admit, the name is apt: this scent has a steely shine, as smooth as a newly hone blade. Scent Description: The first thing I noticed is a strange, colorless oily-waxy note: the waxy tone is owing to natural rose extract, and the oily/buttery aspect is from orris butter. A more familiar rose tone is completely buried inside this wax coffin. I also noticed a metallic edge ——probably rose oxide —— a lot of rose perfumes have this sharp greenness , as if you were chewing its green calyx; when that greenness went too far, it became this metallic edge. A hard industrial soap tone underneath is getting stronger and stronger, finally take over the whole scent. Personal Grudge: Most of the natural rose absolute or essential oil I've tested has a waxy overtone, due to some petroleum jelly like byproduct of manufacturing process. For other regular rose perfumes, either they didn't use one iota of natural rose, or they only use it in a very low concentration, so you won't be bothered by this annoying waxy impurity. Those few do use significant amount of natural rose usually manage to have other ingredient to cover this waxy noise. But this one, I don't know if the perfumer will not or can not hide the waxy aspect of rose, it has hijacked the whole scent, turned it into a very unpleasant journey. "all-natural" should not be an excuse for bad taste . If your natural ingredient doesn't make your perfume better, what's the f*ing point to waste them in your work?

Weirdly vegetal rose, kind of like inhaling an essence of zucchini alongside some rose petals. Not wearable at all, maybe could be a home fragrance if it didn't have a horrible metallic twang present throughout the fragrance. Weakest offering by far from Hiram Green, I'm glad it's discontinued.

This is a big "no" for me. I've tried to wear this one a couple of times and it just smells like stale water from a rotting bouquet of flowers. Wouldn't mind trying others from this house, but this is a definite pass.

I have come to accept that my own personal preferences should not be the deciding factor for whether or not I think a perfume is good or not. As a rose lover, I love many different styles of rose fragrances. But a fresh, clean, pink, slightly greenish, realistic rose soliflore is my least favorite. But that isn’t the case for others. Many prefer this type of rose and don’t care for the ones I like most. So, I am basing my review on imagining this was my favorite type of rose, and I have to say, it is very nice. It smells extremely pure, pretty much like smelling Bulgarian rose absolute. There are enhancements, citrus and clean musk, but that’s about it. It’s pretty much straight rose, or at least that is how it comes across. For those who were hoping for a rose version of Moon Bloom, a thick, chewy, voluptuous rose, you may be disappointed. It’s not that at all, but that should be evident by the name. It’s called Lustre, and that is exactly what it is. I can’t think of a perfume more appropriately named. To me it smells like dew misted pink roses in the early sunshine of the morning, with plenty of young buds. Innocent and pure and unblemished. These roses have no age or scars, they are pristine. They have seen no sadness or hardship. They are joyful. They are the lustre of life...and purity. I have purchased quite a few rose soliflores of this type over the years while I was finding my perfect rose fit. Most sit unworn. Many fresh roses are just not my thing. Of all the ones I have, Rose de Grasse by Aerin has been my favorite and I fell in love with it for that gentle rose beauty, which I find similar to Lustre. They don’t smell exactly the same, but they are the same style and I think that’s helpful for those who may be trying to figure out which type of rose this is. A near perfect, lustrous, rose water type soliflore that aims to be just that and nothing more.

A very Lemony rose with brightnes and good longevity. a bit simple and easy. There is a slight woody drydown. But does not develop much on skin. infact this reminds me of Rose oil ,and not the good ones sadly. Not the kind of roses i want .abit cheap IMO . Does not smell very natural at all. I love Roses in real life and have may in my garden bouth the teatypes that smells of slight lemons and more deap darker. But this does not smell like real rose at all sadly

PURE RED ROSE with hints of citrus. This is the direct of pure natural red rose with hint of citrus. It reminds me allot of my dad's blend, he loves red roses and he creates his perfumes by himself, his rose perfume suffocates me at max as it fills up rooms whenever he passes by. Lustre is pure rose blend.

Geranium & tea roses. Sparkling and a little spicy. This is far from the mass market rose - citrus mixes, it's not sweet and not musky. Instead, it's a realistic green rose smell. I don't detect the sourness of citruses at all. On me it's quite simple and one-dimensional, but very pleasant.

A "green" rose for sure. This scent has nice body. There is a twisted fresh and soapiness to it, but not the "typical soapy-ness"...It is smoothed out and blended so well. The orris/citrus part is done very well here and the olbanum adds the final touch. Love at first sniff !!!!

Pure and natural bulgarian rose essential oil. Beautiful. If you are used to perfume-world rose accords then you probably won't understand or enjoy this. A must have for rose purists and rose otto collectors.

Smells exactly like Rose Otto essential oil from Aura Cacia, and despite this, or because of it, I bought a full bottle.