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.

A gorgeous, old school chypre. I get juicy spiced peach with a dash of citrus that deepens into a sensual mossy base. There is something leathered and animalic as well. Not overpowering, but definitely present. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something very womanly about this perfume, definitely not for little girls. I'm amazed that this is an all-natural since it has amazing longevity and has a complexity that I wouldn't have associated with a "natural".

A hauntingly gorgeous peach heavy chypre that will allude me forever. Uplifting and tart in the opening, spicy and mysterious on the drydown. I sadly burned through my 5ml decant quickly. If you have a spare bottle of this please contact me! I will buy it! Peace and love

The Hiram Green site says this is coming back! I heard it was initially discontinued because of a recently restricted ingredient, so it may come back noticeably changed I would be very interested in hearing comparisons from anyone who tries both versions.

It definitely smells like an old school Guerlain...true deep chypre. This is what you wear during a heavy rain. This is what earth smells like. Chypre scents remind me how to connect to nature and its beauty.

Shangri-La by Hiram Green The opening to this is sweet and floral. There’s an airiness to it, like standing in front of an air conditioner when you’re a kid, except there's a bouquet of flowers behind it. I’ve tried my hand at making soaps and I know I’ve smelled an essential oil like this before. Full disclosure: was once a ‘natural gal’ - only wanted anything if it was ‘natural’ - so per “thegoob”s review below: guilty as charged. 20 minutes in and it softens, like peach skin. I’ve seen some say that this reminds them of Mitsouko. I don’t smell any similarities in the first hour. The Mitsouko’s I’ve tried (both vintage: one parfum and one edt) were heavier and smokier. Shangri la has an airiness to it that is difficult to describe. I can imagine tarot cards smelling like this. I’m trying this in the winter now, but the last time I tried it in the summer. It seems to adapt to the seasons. I had more fruity, stickiness last time, which I enjoyed. Summer, Shangri la, strappy sandals, sundress - all these belong together. 4.5 hours in. Shangri la still wafting up from my wrist. Sweetness. Some similarity to Mitsouko parfum now (both floral and a bit soapy). Total time for this was at least 10 hours. I got some of this on a shirt yesterday when I tried it. I put the shirt on today and it was still there. It actually transferred to my skin and lasted a couple of hours there. So it has pretty good staying power. Shangri la is just as feminine as Moon Bloom and I would say they’re the most feminine of all the Hiram Green fragrances. (For reference: Arbole Arbole is feminine but quieter than Moon Bloom and Shangri la. Slow Dive and Dilettante are in the center. Hyde is masculine. According to my nose anyway, I’m sure others will have different experiences.) You know how there are some fragrances that people describe as ‘French’? I don’t know why but this just says ‘American’ to me. Not contemporary America, but America in the 50’s. Like there’s a family outing in the country and they’ve driven two hours out on a Saturday morning. The father is wearing his weekend casual and his wife is wearing a plaid dress. That morning she sprayed Shangri la on her wrists and the back of her neck, so as they climb the hill for their picnic her husband can smell Shangri la whenever she turns her head... Final notes: This is a demi-mature scent. No one will say you smell like their grandma, but you’ll feel like a woman. Shangri la is the scent you wear in the summer when you go to your local fair - the one that sells sno-kones and hotdogs for a local charity. Perfect lazy day scent. Having worn this a few times, I find myself associating it with the 1958 film “The Long Hot Summer”. I picture Clara Varner wearing this: pretty and elegant in a naive way, but quite clearly possessing ‘quality’. “Summertime: when the living is easy.” -Ben Quick, The Long Hot Summer

The is a beautiful chypre in the classic style, a bit vintage, rich and mossy in the drydown. I have to scratch my head when I read that some people think this smells like Mitsouko. No, not at all. Mitsouko is a fruity, peachy chypre and that's about as far as similarity goes, as they smell totally different in my opinion. If you have experience with smelling many, many chypres, mostly vintage, then you will not find these similar. If there is anything I can place in this perfume that has a resemblance to another, it would be just a slight similarity to some notes in the original and thus vintage, Chanel Coco. This doesn't smell like Coco however. It's really nice and I like it a lot. I have too many vintage chypres at the moment to justify a full bottle but one never knows. I think it's a great perfume for those who want to get their hands on a real chypre that smells like one. So called "Modern Chypres" rarely do it for me.

I thought I ́d love this, being a huge fan of green chypres. I don ́t. The ripe peach/indolic jasmine combo proves too much for my nose – I find it obnoxious. However, this is objectively an enjoyable and cleverly constructed perfume, elegant and timeless – or rather, managing to exude both a genuine seventies vibe and a very modern tribute to the chypre genre. If it floats your boat, it has a strong chance of becoming one ́s signature scent. It possesses that unique something. On a side note, did anyone find the opening very similar to YSL Opium? Or is it just my skin? There ́s one identical note but I can ́t put my finger on it.

Adding jasmine on a chypre structure is weird This is why a lot of reviewers seems to get pissy vibes from the fragrance The whole thing is a very good interpretation of mitsuoko Comparing the scents I’d say this one has a more balanced or nuanced peach that is better than mitsoukos Most probably the urine side of the jasmine made it appear a little aldehydic which is again strange To sum up my experience it’s different and daring not for others it seems pleasant to other but for the wearer Performance was great I enjoyed it

Amazing that this is a perfume made with natural essences, as it has a very distinct presence and longevity. A true old-world type chypre, combining a short-lived citrus opening with unobtrusive ripe fruity notes, followed by the development of the earthy base, the whole underscored by a wonderful spiciness. There is a dryness to this fragrance, a "dustiness" that remains throughout which is the only note that gives me pause (thankfully, for my wallet) otherwise it would have been an immediate full-bottle order!

leather chypré with old-school glamour and musky sensuality...all the others review here below have already perfectly discribe it (except of course mohsen95...how is possible to lost his time to copy 5/10 in the review of 2.500 perfumes? Is it a virus who try to understand what is a perfume in the reality world?) Fascinating and admirable

Testing my sample, this is Hiram Green's take on Mitsouko; deeply earthy & spicy chypre with heavy nuances of overripened peach and a slightly powdery floral, I assume iris? It's slightly warmer and sweeter than its inspiration. Cool/warmish weather, can't be too hot or cold. Projects like a beacon off my skin.

This one really surprised me. I found the opening so revolting that I almost scrubbed immediately. It was hyper sweet and medicinal. I'm glad that I left it on. Within a half hour I was in love. The peach note, never my favorite, is delicious and the Moss heart is just my cup of tea. Wonderful.

This is probably the most bitter perfume I've ever smelled. Bitterness of oak bark powder, and everything else is there somewhere, but you can't tell through the moss dust and acorn coffee powder. It seems gendered masculine or Yang. Warmed and nourished me in the cold.

I’m told by Hiram Green themselves that this is officially discontinued, so I’ll never get to try it sadly.

This is so much like Mitsouko and Shalimar... Oriental chypre? The peach and oakmoss are characteristic.