Vivacious

Between this, Slowdive, and Hyde, Hiram Green is quickly becoming one of my most beloved and admired contemporary perfumers. I totally get the comparisons to L'Heure Bleue and Après L'Ondée, but to me, Vivacious is much more modern and well-rounded than either of them, especially L'HB. It's essentially a blend of powdery florals with a spritz of citrus and luminous resins. Two key purple flowers have been elided, however: iris and heliotrope. I'm a huge fan of them both, but they tend to impart a cold, sharp, clean edge to many powdery fragrances, including another favorite of mine, Habanita. Instead, we're presented with this balanced panoply: the dusty warmth of carnation; the starchy earthiness of orris (the root of the iris); the damp green coolness of violet; hints of tangy bergamot and sheer amber. They all come together to form something both powdery and green, lustrous and grounded, wise and lively: the glowing chill of an unexpected, elegant caress. There’s something almost spicy here, as well. I’m not sure if it’s the carnation or the orris, or perhaps a bit of both. There's a kind of olfactory gloss at play in Vivacious, something with heft and shine that belies an airy core—a restrained generosity. I'd therefore classify this as slightly more formal and feminine, but as always, it could definitely be worn by anybody given the right ambiance. The harmony between dewiness and heat makes it a very versatile fragrance in terms of season; I daresay it could be a year-round affair. The longevity is very good, with the amber and carnation becoming more pronounced with time. The sillage is demure but noticeable. Vivacious, fortunately, more than lives up to its name. It's scintillating, breezy, and full of life.

Wow. I was not expecting to love this, as violet perfumes tend to have a kind of minty or slightly metallic quality to them that I find off-putting. But Vivacious is SO rich, creamy and smooth! The violets are there, adding their brightness to this perfume in a way that I'm surprised at. I didn't know it could be this way, Violet love <3! The violet is beautifully rounded out by a buttery orris and mild amber. The carnation gives a spicy kick. This falls into warm-spicy genre for me. Soft, earthy, and mildly spicy... blended BEAUTIFULLY. The fragrance fades out with Orris being the predominant base note on me. This does not feel 'flowery' to me, but violet perhaps doesn't read that way to my nose. My perception of the fragrance pyramid in terms of prominence: Orris, Violet, Bergamot, Carnation, Amber. Edit: after some thought, I think it's important to emphasize that there is not much sweetness in this perfume at all. It creates a slightly "raw" ambiance.

It definitely has the retro Guerlain vibe. It has all I like on L’Heure Bleue (nostalgia, iris, yummy powdery notes) but avoids any grandma association. Vivacious is lighter and more cheerful. However, in my opinion it’s more nostalgic than zingy or „vivacious“. Which is not a bad thing, on the contrary, it might be my Victorian dandy scent for rainy days. It leans feminine but not more than, say, Le Cri (Parfum d’Empire) or Angélique (Papillon). Iris is very prominent during the first half an hour, then it is more about violet and carnation. Actually at the beginning you get this strong L’Heure Bleue feeling, but slowly it changes into a beautiful modern violet scent with a warm amber (but not too sweet) background. I think this is one of the best Hiram Green’s scents (on par with Hyde for me, though they are as different as day and night) and a great blind buy!

A very natural scent of violets with spicy clovy carnation. There's something earthy here, maybe it's the amber, which might be something like labdanum. Balushi (in comments below) describes it well - cold, powdery, earthy and spicy. I find it soapy too - a lovely old-fashioned violet spicy soapiness that makes me think of Crabtree & Evelyn soaps, or a country cottage bedroom with a china bowl of pot pourri, patchwork quilt and a window over-looking a garden. Twee if you don't like that sort of thing, but I find it comforting and soothingly old-fashioned. Into dry-down it becomes warmer, with a hint of cinammon I think. It's spicier than Apres l'Ondee, less milky. As spicy as Luten's Vitriol d’œillet but prettier, more floral. I'd say its unisex since it's not sweet and it's soapy/spicy. Lovely, and unique!

Vivacious is absolutely delicious and very Guerlainesque, indeed! In my opinion, you do not need to own a full bottle of this if you already have L’Heure Bleue, they’re very, very similar, with Vivacious being more... well... vivacious :) A crispier and happier version of the Guerlain classic. I generously applied my entire spray sample at around 8am, by noon it was a skin scent and was gone by 4pm... not bad but not great either. A fantastic creation, that I wouldn’t hesitate to add to my collection (even with the LHB similarities) if it was priced more moderately, but at $165 for a 50ml I cannot justify owning it. Conclusion: great scent and an absolute MUST try for all Guerlain fans, and perfume lovers alike.