I Am Verdant

Living up to its name, I Am Verdant is a beautiful green, aromatic floral. On me it has an aromatherapeutic effect, calming and enlivening at once. Doesn't last well, but that isn't a problem, as it isn't a scent that would work well at a high intensity - much too light and delicate for that. Better to have the pleasure of reapplying regularly and wafting about, enjoying the transient pretty. More nice work from Lyn Harris.

I am a sucker for green perfumes, so this was my second Vyrao to try after Witchy Woo. While I Am Verdant is aptly named, it isn't a worthy alternative to Chanel No. 19 or Estée Lauder Private Collection et al.; instead, it is a light, aromatic freshie with citrus and light woody notes. Pleasant but nothing special, it fades fast. IAV opens with bright, fresh juniper, reminiscent of a gin and tonic, with tart bergamot amping up the radiance. There is some nose-tickling pepper up top too. Sheer and bright, with a nice aromatic undertone, it is uplifting and refreshing, but not the rich green scent I hoped for. As it develops, green-tinged, orange-forward neroli comes to the fore, a nice development from the fresh opening. There is a slight powdery undertone but no perceptible iris note. It becomes lightly earthy and woody as it develops, but this remains subtle. Clean musk creeps in as it dries down with barely-there woodiness perceptible until it fades. Sillage is moderate and longevity is weak. A pleasant unisex freshie that is more citrus than green, IAV is ultimately underwhelming and unmemorable with disappointing performance. Serves its purpose, but nothing special. 2.5/5.

I sprayed it on the paper strip, and it smelled amazing; fresh, juicy and green, just like I wanted! I sprayed[well, actually it was more like (excuse me) spitting lol. The tester was awful, it was faulty or broken] on my arm and I left Selfridges. Unfortunately, the ultra greeness was sort of short lived; it turned rather quickly into an orange blossom-musc skin scent. I'm not sure, I think it's a pass. £135 for 50ml(£270 for 100ml). For this price, I'm much better off getting Cologne Indelible, Neroli Voyage...etc, which are stronger and longer lasting.

Opening greenish and woody I Am Verdant feels typically Lyn Harris: muted, naturalistic, a little soft focus, mossy. I was expecting to see angelica and cedar listed. Instead it's a creamy juniper with some incense bringing the green-blond woodiness, sharpened with pepper. It's even a little grubby — musky and earthy — like you've been rolling around in heather. Both introspective and grounding. A hint of orange blossom appears as it dries and then, after 2 hours, with the juniper fading, I Am Verdant transforms into a soft musk and cyclamen skin scent.

I LOVE the opening of this fragrance - I have been searching for the doppelganger of a green/botanical scent my Mum had in the 90s, however after merely an hr, it was very subtle powdery notes. After the opening has evaporated, I felt it had lost its charm and the rest of the scent pretty much disappeared within a few hours. It also became super soapy after 10 mins and was quite a disappointment if I'm honest as I really like the branding of vyrao...