Iris and Orris scents

[Tess]

A very good friend of mine loves the scent of that most dignified of flowers, the iris. (The bearded iris, to be exact, but I really don't know the difference between them all.) I did a search for it and came up with a few things, but I was hoping one of you lovelies could point me in the right direction for the best of the bunch.

 

Many thanks in advance for helping a very non-floral type woman.

[spark]

Of the iris scents I've tried, I would say NEFERTITI.

 

It's gorgeous and it's fairly close to the Florentine Iris single note.

 

Black Pearl is gorgeous too, but the coconut has a definite presense. Nefertiti is a little more "pure."

[tempete]

Spark has obviously smelled the Florentine iris single note (SO JEALOUS), so you should listen to her. But I have to say that I adore Black Pearl, whereas I had to warm up to Nefertiti because it has a stage where it goes a bit dry on me (probably due to the white sandalwood note).

 

Someone will probably recommend Florence at some point, but it went super powdery on me and amber hardly ever does that to me. The Raven was soapy on me (though it definitely has its fans), The Catepillar is more incense and vetiver, Vinland seemed more green than floral to me and Yerevan was all about the fruit. I have not tried The Ghost (lilies are so bad on me), so someone else will have to comment on that one.

[spark]

Spark has obviously smelled the Florentine iris single note (SO JEALOUS),

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It's yummy.

 

In my first post, I only mentioned the two iris scents I've tried in which I can actually smell the iris. Strangely (for me), Nefertiti does work on me: normally, white sandalwood turns to pure pungent dust. I agree with tempete that Black Pearl is wonderful -- I think it's a big favorite on the board overall -- but the coconut can be a big deciding factor in that.

 

I didn't smell iris at all in the half-dozen other iris scents I've tried:

 

The Raven was all violet on me, and some baby oil (!).

 

Vinland was odd and sharp; not sure why.

 

Yerevan: Fruity wine; dried to generic fruit.

 

Florence: Sort of medicinal. Dried to tart berries.

 

The Ghost: Pretty and floral, but nothing really stood out for me.

 

Ides of March: I LOVE this; rosemary and spice.

[Diana]

Black Pearl was just about all Iris on me; the coconut disappeared after 5 minutes (wah).

[Brianne]

Black Pearl and The Raven! Both were almost entirely Iris on me, with a little coconut for measure in Black Pearl, and a little violet for The Raven

[coulrophobe]

Iris is my favorite floral note, and I noticed it most in Black Pearl and Florence.

 

I've tried all the others mentioned, but couldn't really smell any iris in them. Though, it looks like I should give Nefertiti another go! I remember it being pretty, but extremely faint on me - one of the ones that didn't last more than an hour - guess it's time to see if it's aged well.

[joseybird]

13. Hands down. Dries down to creamy iris candy on me

[olympia301]

Florence and 13. What Josey said.

 

On me 13 was all iris after the cocoa and orange got through with their dance. 13 dries to DRY iris, Florence dries to sweet iris (the berries keep it that way).

[espoir]

Hi,

 

I really love the scent of iris. I have been using L'occitane Iris Eau de Parfum. Now i want to discover the bpal oils that contain iris as a main note.

 

Waiting for your recommendations !

[parrot_suspect]

I really love the scent of iris. I have been using L'occitane Iris Eau de Parfum. Now i want to discover the bpal oils that contain iris as a main note.

 

I adore iris as well. Two of my favorites are Lucretia (from the Salon); it is bended with sandawood, musk and other notes and has a smooth, sophisticated, polished feel; and The Grindhouse, from Carnaval Diabolique, which to me is the perfect floral-oriental blend. Also from the Salon, you could try Silence, a floral blend.

 

Of the newer offerings, you may be interested in The Velvets from the Neil Gaiman Neverwhere line -- iris isn't the predominant note, but it gives the scent a beautifu duskiness. Blue Moon of any vintage is also a good option, if you can find it in swaps.

[Godspeed]

I'm mostly starting this thread because the search on the BPAL site is down and I couldn't find any topics in the forums about this.

 

I have a perfumespray that's mostly pure orris/iris and I'm looking for something to layer this with.

I love heavy spicy, resiny, woodsy, incensy scents, but I don't like foody or candy or too sweet scents.

 

What orris-based oils from BPAL would you recommend?

[Mountaingrrl00]

Try this thread: http://www.bpal.org/topic/15581-best-iris-scent/

[Monday]

Dance of Death GC has a great combination of iris/orris and black musk: A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh. It's one of my favorite orris scents.

Cytherea LE :White sandalwood, patchouli, white amber, orris, bourbon vanilla, champaca flower, and kush. Was pretty much all iris on me.

Staged Moon Landing LE :Prop moon rocks: muguet, orris, white sandalwood, galbanum, cistus, and dusty vanilla. Is more mellow and has a more dusty feel to it.

[rawgirl75]

Dance of Death and King Cobra are awesome

 

You may also like Brown Jenkin and Smoky Moon as well.

Edited July 13, 2011 by rawgirl75

[ClareN]

I didn't care much for Black Pearl or Nefertiti, and most fruits and black musk don't cooperate with me, which rules out several of the suggestions here. LOVE King Cobra, but I'd like something with even more orris/iris. Are there any other iris-dominant scents, GC or LE?

[Mountaingrrl00]

Silver Phoenix is very orris-dominant to my nose.

[The Amber Dawn]

Trying to nail down the notes that do and don't work on me, feel like orris is a possible note I amp or don't like, but is there a more complete list of orris notes or easier way to search for LEs with that note?

[VetchVesper]

Amber Dawn, do you want LE's? Or would you rather have GC's so you could get the sample sizes? I love orris/iris, and the CG's that have worked for me are Brusque Violet, Dragon's Bone, Dance of Death, Black Pearl, Blood Pearl, The Caterpillar, and Nefertiti.

 

Often things with "bone" or "pearl" in them seem to have orris. LE's I enjoy that seem strong on orris are Stealthily Stealthily, King Cobra, Flourette's Purple Snails, and Mythological Scene, with a Warrior Addressing a Lady Outside a Classical Mansion, Two Maidens Riding Unicorns Behind.

 

Orris often seems drier smelling to me than Iris.

[gothteacup]

Old thread, but hoping to find something in the same family of The Silver Dollar (iris, benzoin, white musk, white tea leaf and bergamot).

 

Everything I find seems to have cursed violet in it, which I amp to high hell, and it turns to powdered old lady garbage.

 

Any iris suggestions? Or maybe I just need to enjoy The Silver Dollar and buy another bottle?

[hhelix]

Nevertheless, She Persisted from the activism series. 

[forspecial_plate]

I recommend A Moonlit Winter Landscape if iris + dirt sounds good to you.  There is a powdery sweet aspect but it really helps balance the deep earthy quality.  I love it.

 

[gothteacup]

On 2/3/2021 at 4:21 PM, hhelix said:

Nevertheless, She Persisted from the activism series. 

How is the steel note in this? I don’t think I’ve tried anything with steel/metal. Is it prominent?

[hhelix]

@gothteacup It's been a while since I've worn it, but my notes say it's an aldehydic floral with a lot of oudh. I'm guessing the aldehydes represent the steel, as in a cool, clean scent. I have tried other BPAL perfumes with a metal note (Berzerker), and I don't really sense the metal per se. Maybe there is a coldness, an edge, but it's very well blended with other notes. I would say if you are going to try Nevertheless, She Persisted, you must like oudh... The fecalness is getting stronger over time. I happen to love it, so I'm OK with that. Hope that helps!

[VetchVesper]

On 2/5/2021 at 12:03 AM, gothteacup said:

How is the steel note in this? I don’t think I’ve tried anything with steel/metal. Is it prominent?

I agree with hhelix about Nevertheless being ouderific. It was rather masculine on me as well. 

 

Have you looked into Skyborn?  It has similar notes as The Silver Dollar.  We Wear the Mask also features iris without violet. Blue Moon 2020 might be worth checking out. There are a lot of different stuff going on in the notes, but no violet.  It has a cool, airy feel to it, and the florals dominate. 

 

P.S.  Also thought I'd mention Posset's "Silver Iris" perfume. Their "silver" note is a sweet, airy, white musk. I'm not sure if they carry it year round, but they do retours of LE scents frequently. 

Edited February 8, 2021 by VetchVesper