Ultra

Loads of ozonic hairspray making sure your “do” looks like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket, shoulder pads that make you look like a minotaur trying to wear ill-fitting human clothing, synth music that sounds more dumb-alien than human, neon polyester tops upsetting the lines of cocaine on your scratched-up mirror - f*&k the Iranian Revolution, the fuel crisis, and the Iran-Contra affair, we don’t need to learn from that! HIV/AIDS epidemic - that doesn’t affect me! Who cares that Chernobyl exploded, contaminating Eastern Europe and killing people for decades, or that the Challenger exploded too - radiation is fine, and who needs outer space anyway! The Vietnam War - who wants to remember or learn from what happened only yesterday - let’s party! The 1980s sucked. The politics were terrible. The fashion was terrible. The music was terrible. The forgetfulness leading to gluttonous excess, resulting in economic hardship in the 1990s, was terrible. Some of the fashion and music making a reappearance today, mid 2020s, I find hilarious... and terrible! Ultra is not terrible. It pulls all of those themes together into olfactory form, and it smells so good it makes me think for a brief second that I might need to revisit my opinion of the 1980s. But I won’t. So, I’m choosing to think of this perfume as more representative of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the anti-Apartheid movement, and the bravery of those standing up in Tiananmen Square than anything else of that dastardly decade. How about you look all of that up on Facebook or Tik-Tok to get a healthy dose of misinformation? Or go read a book by an expert instead.... The star of this perfume is narcissus, named after the Greek character that is quite befitting of the 1980s - a narcissist. But, before we get to that there is a blinding bright neroli guiding us like divine light towards this path of understanding. It is so bright and metallic, with its neon orange fruit glow that it is nearly aldehydic in its presentation. A thickly oily and tropical floral ylang-yang with the texture of gelatinous custard adds an overwhelming exoticism. Ylang-ylang comes across banana-like and powdery in most presentations, but yet here, in Ultra, it smells compressed as if those high frequencies and bass frequencies have been shaved off or shoved into mid ranges. It is very dense. They lead straight to a narcissus and jasmine heart that is simply stunning. The bizarre dichotomy/juxtaposition that narcissus naturally presents with its sharp green notes and honeyed white florals is uniquely present, smelling a bit angry, sweet green pea, sharply galbanum, and urinous like, while also sweetly honeyed - like hairspray, actually! The jasmine helps this along with its honeyed and heady aromas. The jasmine is superbly naturalistic like the jasmine I have growing in my backyard. Be it known that Hiram Green uses excellent materials, always. Lovely. The final part of Ultra is gentle excess, choosing to evoke a rich, high-end, hay-like, honeyed, and leathery tobacco profile that would make most other brands blush with an underachiever’s embarrassment. Fermented florals, sweet grass and hays, some vanillics, plenty of loamy and loose earth, and gentle and sweet greens. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Yes please! I cannot say that Ultra is anything new, nor does it really have much to say that we haven’t already heard, but what stands out is Hiram Green’s particularity for exquisite materials handled in such precise ways that they shine without needing any help. I deeply appreciate that there is no trickery here, no synthetic aroma chem thrown in for accent or performance, yet the entirety of the perfume remains clear and legible, and very compelling throughout its life. One more outstanding perfume from an outstanding perfumer from an outstanding brand.

I blind bought this as soon as it came out and I just received it. My assessment 30 minutes after spraying: beautiful. It is indeed reminiscent of the 80's, but also of early 90's creations like Amarige (in its excessive yellow floral bomb facet) and Poême (in its pollen-like facet). This also reminds me of the leathery marigold bomb Parfum de Peau or modern classics from Liz Moore's Papillon line. Hiram Green has presented an opulent leathery yellow floral. The opening is riveting: a narcissus, yellow bomb (I swear I can smell mimosa but it's not listed) that just makes you want to spray more and more to keep it going. As it calms down, the leathery facets come to the core and it is some mean leather. Don't think iris-like leather like Cuir de Russie but more like naughtly, equestrian-like leather. I will obviously need to spend more time with this beauty as I just sprayed 30 minutes ago, but it made me so excited that I wanted to share with you all. I haven't written a review in forever so you can imagine what that says about my reaction to this beauty. If you like 80's and 90's floral bombs with a (very) rough side, you are safe pulling the trigger with this. Ultra indeed. Bravo!

It’s interesting that such a natural, almost botanical scent is meant to capture the spirit of the 80s - an era I associate more with exaggerated makeup, big hair, and bold, over-the-top fashion, rather than anything "natural". But somehow... I get it.The florals here are strong and nectar-like. It reminds me of a flower in full bloom - so rich and developed that it’s just on the edge of tipping into decay. Not in a rotten way at all, just that lush, slightly overripe intensity. Narcissus is clearly the star, amplified by honey. But this isn’t a sugary floral bomb. The honey feels more waxy than sweet, and I can see why some people mention an animalic touch. Personally, I don’t really get that - if it’s there, it stays far in the background, quietly supporting the narcissus. A beautiful, narcotic, very realistic floral.

Like inhaling a very, very large bouquet 💐 of narcissus and jonquils. The ultimate narcissus fragrance. If you love yellow florals like I do get your nose on this. Very retro. Just like Philtre. One yellow jonquils and narcissus and one red carnation. Hiram Green you are one of the best perfumers around, natural or otherwise. Thank you for creating amazing work. There is something haunting about the smell of narcissus and jonquils. Like looking into the face of life and death at the same time.

Wow I think I finally found THE narcissus fragrance! Granted it's a little too animalic for me, but I also get the realistic effect of smelling the flowers up close, which none of the classics has achieved imo–Poem is too generically yellow and Narcisse Noir is too ironically fresh–natural jasmine really aids the heady & nectar-like quality that made this composition intoxicating! *My 2nd wearing came off more like a wet jasmine bomb and less animalic...Maybe Romanza altered my perception 😳