Shangri La

I'm becoming such a fan of Hiram Green. I'm surprised and delighted by each new genius creation of his I smell :-) Rich, ripe, full and sweet. Shangri La opens with a burst of citrus which quickly gives way to a soft and fuzzy, bruised and sweet peach which is a little past its sell by date. The flowers are subtle and beautiful they are well blended into the whole, I don't notice the iris which is a shame. It is lovely, 3D plush and smooth and obviously expertly blended. There is no denying that it does bear a remarkable resemblance to my all time favourite Mitsouko. Perhaps it's unfair to pit this all natural against one of the greats but Shangri La is so good that I think it can handle it. So out of interest I’m doing a side by side comparison as there are a couple of significant hairs to split: The main differences to my nose are that the citrus evaporates off of the top of Shangri La much more quickly leaving the over ripe peach pulverised into the oakmoss and making the composition as a whole more immediately available. It has the very lovely Hiram style moist yet powdery thing going on and is ever so slightly gourmand (I'm sure I can smell a smudge of coconut). The flowers show themselves more than the spices do. That deep, plump smoothness is really something special. In Mitsouko, the peach is harder and more squinty juicy. The bergamot zest holds its ground right the way through the dry down, the spices show up more than the flowers do and even as the perfume sweetens into the voluptuous, sexy base, it holds together with some restraint, it stays somewhat tart and a little serious, I suspect there is more vetiver in Mitsouko. The oak moss is very sensual yet dry as a bone. I love this about it. So, Shangri La is more smooth, languid, ripe and friendly, leaning towards gourmand and Mitsouko is more dynamic but controlled, serious and demanding, leaning towards animalic. Both are beautiful compositions and I’m seriously impressed by Hiram Green.

I completely fell in love with this complex, playful fragrance. It had me at its opening spritz, and only got better from there. If I had to wear one perfume forever, this would be a serious contender. On me, it opens with a a burst of something rather like citrus, perhaps a little like lime -- a slightly bitter, mellow citrus. I don't like citrus but this isn't a synthetic harsh slice of orange, it's something ripe and still on the tree in the sun. I didn't initially identify it as citrus, which makes me think there are other notes in the opening too that I haven't figured out. Perhaps the oakmoss, which properly comes into its own in the dry-down, mixed with a glorious fragrant elusive peach. It's all so nuanced that I find it hard to smell the individual components unless I really force myself to concentrate. It makes for a glorious airy, complex whole. On me, the slight sweetness of the peach emerges on dry down -- but remains tempered by the green, slightly woody feel of oak moss. It is definitely a grown up fragrance, but not an 'old' one. It does have a slightly serious charm, yet one that is versatile and playful enough that I wouldn't hesitate to wear it to work or out for the evening with a new flame. The drydown is especially delicious to me, staying very fresh and airy for a chypre. It's like being outside in the scented fresh air in the woods and feeling the sunlight filter down through the trees. There's not just one smell, there's lots, making up the whole experience of being outdoors in the fresh air. Oakmoss. The scent of peaches drifting on the wind. The tiniest hint of jasmine in the distance. Something green. This lasts for hours on me, and although it changes it holds my interest right to the end and I don't feel the need to reapply. I am amazed that a natural perfume can have such depth, complexity and staying power.

I must admit: This was definitely not love at first sniff. But it took only a week to go from big disappointment to becoming one of my favorite perfumes. I‘d bought this one not because it’s all natural but because of the comparisons to Mitsouko and the descriptions of it being a modern take on vintage chypres. After the first spritz all I got was a cloud of spices giving me a hippie and scented candles vibe - no, definitely not love at first sniff. The next day I gave it another try and was impressed: no more hippie spices at all but a dry oakmoss note right from the beginning. That was the I point I started to get intrigued as I adore oakmoss, this nowadays nearly extinct note in perfumes. I‘ve worn this every day over a week and found the experience every time quite different from before. It really took me a while to find the peach note - at the beginning I would have said: No, there‘s plums but no peaches whatsoever. And it was day 7 that I was able to identify the citrus top notes for the first time - and wow, how beautiful is this opening! When wearing this perfume over a couple days a lot of comparisons to other scents have come to my mind: Rochas Femme, Opium or Coco Chanel, maybe even Une nuit magnitique (the plum again, I guess) but interestingly not really Mitsouko. But who cares? It is very comforting and calming and an extremely versatile perfume. A fantastic experience!

First spray opens with a strong retro scent of full oak moss. The first time I tried the perfume I immediately dismissed it as too old fashioned for my taste. Half an hour later however, the oak moss had stepped back to form a gorgeous earthy foundation for the spices and soft fresh peach to shine from. The perfume feels stylish and sure of itself. Classic without being mumsy. Richer and less dusty than Mitsouko without being too sweet. A little fizz of vetiver, wafts of iris and rose. A slight hint of syrupy tuberose. Though the citrus doesn't jump out at me, I wonder if it is the bitter quality citrus can sometimes have which is keeping the peach from becoming too sticky sweet. Beautiful. Lush. Addictive. Ordered from Ave Parfum.

A nice nod to Mitsouko, but Shangri-la is warmer, less melancholy, and perhaps easier to wear (for those of us who love Mitsouko but feel as though we're playing dress up when we wear it). I use this scent as an example of a perfume that does texture well - you can definitely smell the soft peach skin texture here! Opening with a touch of medicinal vetiver, Shangri-la then smooths down to a lovely vintage oakmoss and peach scent. It's definitely a natural perfume with that lovely soft glowing diffusion where it melts into your skin chemistry nicely and doesn't project too strongly. The only downside is a slight waxy undertone.