Regular readers know I look forward to anything new from perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena at Hermès. I have called myself a fan girl in the past, but now feel compelled to point out that I just really like his perfumes; I don't think he's a rock star and I do not have a poster with his face on my wall. Ok? But in all truth, a rather large portion of my fragrance spending ends up in the (surely already brimming) coffers at Hermès. Many of us like to think that brand doesn't really matter — it's the juice that counts — but it's hard to completely ignore brand influence even if you try. In this case, it helps that I like Hermès despite the fact that nearly nothing on earth interests me less than spendy handbags and silk scarves. I like Hermès because they consistently put out a respectable, well-made product. The fragrances are interesting and wearable, the packaging is generally worthy and sometimes it's spectacular (Voyage d'Hermès), and their advertising doesn't make me cringe. They don't alternate high-end vanity projects with cynical, focus-grouped garbage designed to capture the lucrative 'tween-to-teen market. To my mind, Hermès is the last great hope in the mainstream prestige fragrance market: let's just hope Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy stays far, far away.
That is not to say I like everything Jean-Claude Ellena cooks up over there. Of the Hermessences, the exclusive (and expensive) perfume range at Hermès, I own five out of the nine, and thanks to the fact that it's possible to find them in comparatively affordable 15 ml bottles, I own all of them that I want to own.1 The latest of the nine, Iris Ukiyoé, is not going to join my collection.
Iris Ukiyoé, in case you haven't been following the news, takes its name from the Japanese art of woodblock printing (see ukiyo-e at Wikipedia) and is meant to focus on the iris flower, not the iris root that is commonly used in perfumery. It's not the first perfume to do so — among others, there was Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste and the Eau de Toilette version of Prada's Infusion d'Iris — but it's not what you usually expect when iris is in the perfume name. Anyway, Iris Ukiyoé is a floral, and if you've been reading the reviews you already know it has something in common with the last Hermessence, Vanille Galante: it's watery-dewy and fresh, and lightly green, and if it has a season, it would surely be spring. I don't know the smell of scented iris (none of the irises I grow have much fragrance) and Iris Ukiyoé isn't meant as an exercise in verisimilitude anyway, so the best I can tell you is that it smells slightly fruity, mildly spicy, a bit rose-y (rose and orange blossom are both listed in the notes).2 Just about every review I've seen so far has called it cold, and it is, especially in the early stages which are dominated by sparkling grapefruit.
The later stages are pale and woody, and just when I thought the green had faded away, it returned in the form of almost-bitter crushed stems. A touch of sweat in the grapefruit early on, plus those bitter green notes at the end, are all that keeps it from being as delicate (or girly) as Rose Ikebana.
Why don't I love it? I don't know. I loved Vanille Galante as soon as I smelled it, and for that matter, I love Rose Ikebana. Iris Ukiyoé just didn't excite me. It's pretty, and it did not leave me absolutely cold — so far, the only Hermessence to accomplish that was Paprika Brasil — but nor did it scream "buy me". So there you are. If you've tried it, do comment and tell us what you thought. Whether you've tried it or not, tell us what brand you think is the last great hope in the mainstream prestige fragrance market.
Hermès Iris Ukiyoé is available in 100 ml Eau de Toilette for $235. I assume it will eventually be added to what is now called the Gift Set: four 15 ml bottles for $145. For buying information see the listing for Hermès under Perfume Houses.
1. In case anyone is curious, the five I own are Rose Ikebana, Vetiver Tonka, Osmanthe Yunnan, Brin de Reglisse and Vanille Galante.
2. But March over at Perfume Posse says it doesn't really smell like the scented irises she knows.
I did not care for that one either. Along with Paprika Brasil, it is my least favorite out of the whole Hermessence range. Oh well… There are at least 6 other Hermessence fragrances I love.
Six is plenty for anyone’s wallet.
Oh, and I had so looked forward to this fragrance. Thank you for another clearly written description. Since I don’t like grapefruit and already have a perfectly lovely green (Treffle), I guess I’ll look elsewhere for an Iris.
It’s not really what most people think of as an iris anyway…more likely to find fans with people after pretty spring florals.
Oooh, I tried this a few weeks ago and I was curious to find out what you thought of this one, Robin. I too am a big fan of JCE and Hermès and I didn’t much care for it either. My first impressions were “very sweet” followed by *whispers* “a bit pedestrian”.
I had a similar reaction to Beige. They both seem like an awkward fit with the exclusive ranges that they are a part of and, imo, would make more sense as mainstream releases. But then every line up needs a crowd-pleasing money-maker, right? Even Uncle Serge has a couple of those so…
A bit disappointing but money saved for me.
If Robin’s review didn’t tame any late-awakening lemmings, your “very sweet” most certainly did. I have sweet-amping skin as it is, so anything sweet is a tough sell for me. As for mainstream lines… I have to agree re: Hermes, and also think Chanel continues to do a relatively nice job overall.
Yeah, I found it surprisingly sweet for this type of scent. I mean, I’m more than half way through a large bottle of Ambre Narguile so I’m hardly sweet-phobic but for some reason that was my first impression and the thing that most stuck in my mind with Iris Ukiyoé. It’s not cloying or dense or sugary or anything like that, mind.
I’m a fan of Chanel too, I like a lot of they do. In fact, Les Exclusifs and Hermessences are probably my top two favourite ranges overall. Amouage is up there too but I doubt it classifies as mainstream.
Please explain this perfume blog speak – what is a lemming? I am ignorant!
See:
https://nstperfume.com/2008/04/25/a-perfumista-lexicon/
thank you
Robin,
plaese take a look at the Dutch http://www.aafkes.nl site. Edward and Aafke import Italian perfumes. Edward send me a lot of samples (for free!!!) and they are really special. I “found” them on the Nathan Branch site.
Let me know!!
I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you want me to let you know?
Hi Ceelouise,
thank you for asking Robin about abbreviations like “lemming” I added the lexicon ito my favourites, to be able to look now and then for words I dont understand.
So you felt this one was a crowd-pleasing money-maker? Interesting, I wouldn’t have pegged it as that either, but maybe it is.
Seems like someone once told me what the best-selling Hermessences were, and I’ve already forgotten.
Yeah, I mentally put in the same category as Beige and Nuit de Cellophane – pretty florals which will probably do well with the public. Who knows, though!
I seem to recall reading something about the most popular Hermessences. I could be wrong but I keep thinking that Ambre Narguile was the best seller in the West and either Rose Ikebana or Osmanthe Yunnan in Asia?
RI and OY are my personal favorites (with the caveat that I haven’t tried them all).
My favourites are Ambre Narguile, Vetiver Tonka and Osmanthe Yunnan. I don’t own the latter two but I’ve been thinking of springing for a set of travel bottles for a while now.
AN is one I haven’t tried yet, somehow.
Oh AN is the sweetest of them all so if you don’t do sweet then you might hate that one 😀
I think Beige smells like Avon bubble bath, so you’re not alone.
Ouch!
Great review Robin, and I agree with you about Hermes being our last great hope in the mainstream market. When I think about the fragrances that I truly, deeply love, wear over and over, and panic when my current bottle runs low, four are from Hermes: Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Hiris, Terre d’Hermes and Kelly Caleche. Then there is the “second tier” that I don’t wear as often, but wouldn’t want to be without: Apres la Mousson and Caleche Au Delicate. So that’s six from the same house. And each smells distinctly different and equally memorable. I even have bottles of Kelly Caleche EDP and EDT since each smells different to me. I don’t think any other mainstream house has scored that high in my kitchen ‘fume cabinet. And most of these were Love at First Sniff, which is also unusual. I haven’t tried any of the Hermessences, mainly because I don’t want to fall in love with something that costs so much!
Oh, but the Hermessences aren’t so outrageously priced as that…you can always get the mixed sets. If you love Hermes that much, you really ought to try them. (of course, your approach is probably more sensible)
Actually, I think BVULGARI’s fragrances are a pretty good line, and they are priced less extravagantly and still have beautiful bottles..
I like the Bvlgari line too.
You must be my scent-twin 🙂 I have all the scents you have, too, exactly these! I wish I could go for Kelly Caleche Perfume, must be different form the EdT & EdP again. As a big fan of the reliable quality of Hermès I still did not make it to the Hermessence collection – it is affordable though through the coffret with 4x15ml for around 100 Euro.
Point: I do not dare to enter Hermès. Mainly because I love silkscarfs and I bet I cannot stand to buy one (which would make me live a month on water&bread;-) )
Still, there is stuff to dream about, isn’t it? E.g. going to Hermès in Paris…
Curious to know if anyone likes this one? I found it quite odd, not so much a floral as the water in which flowers have been kept, gone a bit stale. The Vanille Galante similarity is certainly there, but like you, R, I loved VG and didn’t like IU.
It’s got pretty good reviews at MakeupAlley, and I think both Grain de Musc and 1000 Fragrances gave it good reviews.
Thanks for a nice review, Robin. I’m a big fan of ‘ukiyo-e’ and was thinking about this perfume everytime I looked at woodblock prints in Japan. For years I’ve had ukiyo-e calendars printed by Cavallini (http://www.cavallini.com/calendars.html).
I’m curious about this fragrance of course, though it sounds like a wisp of a thing. I’m just afraid of it being as short-lived as Pamplemousse Rose (do you see any similarity there?). I’m a huge fan of Hermès as well, and I love Vanille Galante and many of JCE’s other creations. I’m even in love with Un Jardin Après la Mousson.
In any case, I’m looking forward to it, and I appreciate reading what everyone thinks about it. And I’m *so* glad they don’t crank out three Hermessences per year or anything.
Not nearly as grapefruity as Pamplemousse Rose, and much longer lasting.
Yes, glad they keep the Hermessences coming slowly!
Wow, Paprika Brasil is probably my favorite. The one i cant stand is the one that smells like a barn. I think its Brin Reglisse?
The brand i think has been consistantly putting out good stuff is Gucci, at least on the mens side.
And I love Brin de Reglisse — yes, I think it’s probably the one that smells like a barn 🙂
I’ve never tried Brin Reglisse. Robin, I just went back and read your review. I love the sound of it!
Um, Brin *de* Reglisse.
I think it might be the weirdest of the Hermessences….
And ironically my favorite.
Great review Robin. I was expecting an unsniffed purchase w/ this one from you. LOL! I’m still very much looking forward to trying it. Here’s hoping I get to sooner then later. I still need to try Osmanthe Yunnan like you recommended. : )
No, this one did not sound that tempting! And the only reason I bought Vanille Galante unsniffed is that I came across the chance to buy the 15 ml.
Robin, a lovely review like always!
I didn’t jump on this bandwagon because these types of fragrances (light, ethereal) are not really my thing ,
I do love iris and precious soft types but watery floral? Meh.
It will be interesting to hear all the opinions.
Maybe I’ll be swayed by perfume peeps. 😉
I don’t generally love watery florals either, but I sure loved Vanille Galante.
What Tamara said!
I have yet to find a Hermes to love. OY is my favorite, if I had to choose, but to me, they’re all pretty meh. Soft and pretty I can get from a shower gel, and that’s about what they remind me of.
Don’t like vanilla, so I have tried VG.
Ah well then, money saved, right?
I think I’ve only tried three Hermes fragrances: Kelly Calache,Terre d’Hermes and Eau des Merveilles – and while I thought they were all good, they didn’t really thrill me. This review for Iris Ukiyoe doesn’t really give the impression that this would be the one to change all that, but I’ll certainly sniff it at some point, I’m sure – as I’ve been surprised before. I suppose my favorite of the prestige mainstream lines would have to be Guerlain. I’m also a fan of many Chanels.
Now I know what else to send you!
🙂
Perhaps it is just not your sort of house! But you might as well try a few of the Hermessences to be sure 😉
Oh yes, just to be sure. 😉
Un Jardin Après la Mousson is so refreshing in hot weather – highly recommended.
Interesting review, Robin. Both you and Kevin are masters of understatement! I am not a JCE fan – his scents just don’t work on me. I usually think they smell good, but they invariably make me queasy. 🙁
Meant to say also – thanks for letting us know which ones you own. I *was* curious!
me as well!
Queasy is not good! Might as well give this one a skip.
I thought the first moment of this fragrance was absolutely lovely and unique, and made me instantly want to buy it. The iris was subtle but novel, and there was something lovely and white flowerish in there. Then came the sweetness, which made me question the whole thing, and wonder if JCE was changing tack on us. May have to revisit this one, but am disappointed that reviews are cool.
I’d say the reviews I’ve seen have been mixed, I guess? Certainly better than for Paprika Brasil.
hermes is one of my favs and poivre samarcande smells totally
different on my skin nothing like the bottle or on someone else
I think its a perfect fit for me
Glad you love it!
Not sure this one will be for me (the watery floral of Vanille Galante didn’t work for me), but since I adore JCE I will certainly try it. I do love quite a few of the Hermessences, and own Vetiver Tonka (one of my all-time favorite scents for sure).
VT is so wonderful — it’s like a comfort scent to me.
My mother, who has a master gardener’s certificate in organic iris growing and propagation, filled our family’s property with both specialty and wildcrafted irises/flags. The rhizomes filled our basement with a wonderful earthy/vegetal scent when it came time to divide them…. but not one of the blossoms ever had any discernable scent. The process of flower hybridization usually eliminates scent in favor of color, but not even the ones that had been allowed to “revert to species” had any fragrance. The idea of an iris-flower perfume is an alluring fantasy— emphasis on “fantasy”.
Do click through to March’s post (in the footnotes above) to read about her scented irises…
Robin, THANK YOU. A fantasy I never BELIEVED could be possible, not myth but reality.. This changes everything– for me AND Mom! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Olenska, that sounds absolutely beautiful I find Irises an amazing flower. One of my favourites. Scented or not, they are visually stunning.
They were SO beautiful. When my mother developed MS, she and my father had to move to a new house (1 storey instead of 2) and she was forced to abandon not only her priceless bulbs, but gardening in general. The loss of this skill, and her gardens, was profound for all of us. The thought of her iris gardens brings on a tidal wave of emotion for me.
I am so sorry there is so much sadness associated with that for you. That’s the hard part of experiences like that. I guess the beauty might always be mixed with some pain. Here’s hoping the sadness gets less and the sweetness of the memory increases. Hugs of sympathy to you, I hear you.
Thank you for this, most sincerely.
Oh, I’m so sorry. MS is a terrible disease.
Thank you, Robin. I think the idea of this perfume struck me at an odd angle. With MS, there are moments of hope that prove sadly impermanent and turn you into a skeptic against your will. Strangely, Iris Ukiyoe awakened that sense of “Nice thought, but it’ll never happen” that has become a familiar element of coping with my mother’s illness. But March’s description of the fields of fragrant irises proved incredibly healing, a restoration of my belief in what’s possible. Thank you for prompting me to take a second look.
Glad if it helped in any way at all.
Yep, you nailed it, R. I love VG, but this one was sort of like VG’s lost second cousin. It is pretty, but it seems to be trying too hard to act and be like the older, more seasoned, cousin. I don’t know…it just was not rockin’ my world.
Oh well…on to the next fragrance!
Hugs!
Lost second cousin, LOL…yes, that’s it!
Well, it’s nice to know you thought it was sort of Galante-ish as well, and thanks for the link. I do agree with you that their advertising and image is consistent and doesn’t set my teeth on edge.
I was meaning to take you to task for using all of the available adjectives…I pretty much just wrote your review over again, leaving out the interesting part about the irises.
Hah! I felt that way about my Bosphore review…
It is always best to be first just so you have all the adjectives available, LOL…
Well, as you know the 4 15ml hermessences I got last october were almost the same you picked, save for rose ikebana (too feminine)
I took osmanthe and reglisse for me and gave vetiver tonka and vanilla galante to my partner (who loves it, and it doesnt smell feminine at all on him, something to do with his body chemistry)
I agree on Hermes, it has still some of the “magic” of old fashion houses of yore… I like Dior and Chanel also.
Speaking of hermes, I saw the jardins in 15 ml bottles too at their store in Bal harbour. I am wondering when the next jardin will come… then I can splurge in a 4 15ml box again! I love the 3 of them 🙂 as I have no cantaloupe issues hehehehehe
My complaint about Dior is they’re destroyed all their old classics. My complaint about Chanel is they while they still do some great scents, they also still release garbage obviously designed to make money. For me, neither of those houses have the cachet they once did.
LOL…but was kvetching about houses, not AT you! Sorry. I get carried away.
No problem! the Internet IS the place to kvetch if any 😉
I guess they understand that the fragrance business is an important part of the pie and treat it with respect (or at least more respect than the other two!) sTILL the exclusivity game bores me after some time… I’ve read about the guy who found a way of getting those hard-to-get handbags without having to wait for months (the strategy included asking for a handbag, which he was denied or told to get on the waiting list…then after buyin a couple of thousand dollars at a store the sales assistants would produce a “bag that was ordered but then cancelled” hehehe) he later re-sold them at a profit… they got wind of his scheme and banned him from the stores. What I mean is that they arent squeaky clean themselves, or so I gather from what I’ve read. 🙂
Oh, no doubt: I don’t buy the scarves or handbags so that doesn’t affect how I feel about them. Same goes for Chanel or Dior — all I pay attention to is the fragrance.
This fragrance was on my test list, and it still is. There was no urgency to it though, and there still isn’t, and I can be hot headed (today I jumped on the holiday offer at Aftelier, for instance, as my thoughts of Honey Blossom sample were burning my brain!).
I would agree on Hermes and Chanel, even though Chanel seems a bit more uneven to me. But I haven’t really gave much thought to this, and I will — thanks for a thought-provoking question!
I don’t mind uneven in the sense that not everything is what I’d hoped it would be, but I do mind uneven in the sense of one day, we release Les Exclusifs, the next day, we release the gajillionth flanker to Chance (a scent that was arguably not up to “Chanel” standards anyway). I like Chanel, mind you, I just don’t respect any other mainstream house the way I do Hermes.
Robin,
Of the prestige perfume houses, Hermes is undoubtably my favorite and the one I hold the most respect for. Fingers crossed that it remains true to its vision thus far.
I have a 15ml mini of IU coming my way via eBay and I have yet to sniff it. I hope I love it, but even if it’s just “like” I will be more than happy to have it in my iris collection.
Dzingnut, thank you for mentioning Caleche eau Delicate. I adore this perfume and feel like it is often overlooked.
Oh, I do hope so. It would break my heart if LVMH took over Hermes…
And hope you will like your IU!
I am afraid to even try the Hermes fragrances. I thin I’ll wait untiul after the holidays are over and after the bonus comes in. Delayed gratification was never a favourite friend of mine! I can see it coming.
Oh, do wait then!
Here’s hoping LVMH keeps its heavy hands off Hermes. I don’t know though, they seem intent on dominating luxury brands.
They know what they’re doing at LVMH, that is for sure…they’re like a giant octopus over there.
Iris is my favorite flower. Hiris lives beside Iris Silver Mist, at the front of the perfume cabinet.
Iris is my favorite root, as it turns out, but not my favorite flower 😉
I love Osmanthe Yunnan and Rose Ikebana, but Vanille Gallante smells like band-aids on a banana when I wear it (exactly like – it’s weird). Haven’t tried the others even though I generally adore Hermes (including the scarves). So I’m still looking forward to trying IU, but thanks for the in-depth review!
LOL — bandaids on a banana! That’s marvelous, I hope I can steal that for a review one day.
By all means. I’d be flattered!
I just love JCE and have taken to buying his scent creations before he was with Hermes……that’s another article, Robin!
I did not care for Vanille Galante-I could hardly smell it. But I’ve enjoyed my decant of IU. I don’t think I’d buy the huge bottle though.
That is *many* other articles 🙂
I literally gnash my teeth when I think about this one and even if you don’t particularly like it, your description sounds like it would fit perfectly in my collection. I LOVE cold fragrances, even if it doesn’t smell like iris. The only thing keeping me from ordering a 15ml on eBay is my lack of an eBay account.
It’s because my Hermes still hasn’t heard of it. It’s irritating me. Literally, I’ve don’t think I’ve wanted to try a fragrance this bad before.
I love Hermes (and I love walking into Hermes, provided the SAs aren’t pretending to be blind), down to their scarves and their tea sets that costs roughly the same amount as a few rounds of chemotherapy. Plus, I think Jean Paul Gaultier’s collections for Hermes are dynamite, but that’s neither here nor there. Hermes makes me appreciate orange, which is no small feat.
I had a few dozen other things to say but really, that’s about it. Just, can’t wait to try this. 😛
How odd…they literally don’t know even the name? Admittedly, at my boutique that is all they knew in November, the name…no idea when it was coming or anything else about it.
The girl in charge of ORDERING the fragrances hadn’t heard of it. They looked at me like I said I was Jesus reborn or something. This was late November, too. 😛
That’s funny!
I’m a total JCE fangirl, too, and lately had the terrific opportunity to attend a Hermes charity lunch where he was speaking about perfume in general, at Hermes and about Iris Ukiyoe. Needless to say, it was very interesting, but I had the sly impression that I was the only one present because of JCE and not the charity thing.
Iris Ukiyoe is not my favourite Hermessence, but I like it very much, although I’m decidedly not the floral type. The way the scent constantly flows from one flower to the next is somehow caleidoscopic. very nice indeed.
Glad someone is liking Iris Ukiyoe! Sounds like a fun lunch.
I am not a J-C E fan girl, but I admire what he did for the house of Hermes. I too like their entire package. Their sales assistants are always professional and polite, in America and in Europe. They give very nice samples in the most beautiful little vials. You shake the scent out on your arm in little drops, it’s lovely. IU made me think of Rose Ikebana, but more green. If I bought a Hermessence it would be Ambre Narguile, a kind of departure from Ellena’s style, like he went off his diet for once and had some pie.
The sample packaging really is lovely, although I’ve found they’re more breakable than many.
Oh, after smelling Sycomore for the first time, I guess Chanel Les Exclusifs is the last great hope…
I haven’t had a chance to read everyone’s responses yet—too much damn work to do! —so I’ll be back later. I’m anticipating the arrival of my splitting bottle later today so hopefully I’ll get to comment with a real opinion not just general drooling and such…. I do tend to like JCE scents, I tend to like Hermes (I have a lot of them as well–and like Robin; I have zero interest in spendy scarves or bags or shoes or whatever) …..worried about the grapefruit….excited about the iris….now where the heck is that Fedex truck!!!
They are at my house dropping off my Xmas shopping 😉
hahahaha alright….that’s fair, but tell him to hurry, okay?
Thanks for the review which confirms over again that I can wait very patiently to try this one….watery and cool? No thanks. My favourite Hermessence is OY but it doesn’t last more than 2 hours on me. I also like Poivre Samarkand and Brin de Reglisse. On the regular line it’s Voyage and Terre d’Hermes parfum, oh and Eau de Merveilles. I agree your point about Hermes position in the market and also view the encroachment of LVMH with alarm. No other house has the same reputation but I am willing to forgive Chanel Chance and Coco Mad because of Bois des Iles, Cuir de Russie, Sycomore, and 31 rue Cambon which I would take over the Hermes scents I mentioned as liking. Oh the dirty deals!
OY is my favorite too, usually. It doesn’t last, it’s true.
And I like Chanel too! Just not like I do Hermes.
It is perhaps short-sighted of me, but I’m not terribly interested in considering the question of the mainstream prestige market. It may be just business fatigue, or more due to my focus on individual scents rather than lines, I don’t know and don’t really want to investigate. Which I put down to intellectual laziness.
I haven’t found a single Hermes that I would wear, other than Sur le Nil, and I wasn’t even wearing *that* when I did have it, so I found it a new home. I tend to find them, well, dull, though I admit to not having tried Ambre Narguile. Osmanthe Yunnan was beautiful and lasted about half an hour on me, so that was off the list. Honestly, I think none of Hermes’ scents are in the “resolutely feminine” groove that I love so much, and that might be why I don’t find them compelling. (Have not managed to sniff Vanille Galante, though.)
I have a 10ml decant of Iris Ukiyoe coming my direction in the next few days, and I am expecting to love it. Watery floral? Yep. It’ll probably get saved for spring, but I am really looking forward to it.
It’s true, if you want resolutely feminine, you have to go farther back. 24 Faubourg fits the bill, maybe, but nothing JCE has done since he took over.
you haven’t tried Ambre Narguile??? eek! hmmm, remind me: do you like ambery dry downs or don’t like them? Because there’s a heaping helping in Ambre Narg.
You have tried 24 Faubourg though , yes? Rose Ikebana? Voyage?
Wow, that article was depressing. I hope the investigation is successful and helpful to Hermes. I checked to see what other companies had been sucked up by the giant conglomerate and was so depressed to see Kenzo there! Well, that at least explains all the flankers. Veuve Clicot! Time to switch permanently to small vineyard sparkling wines. Fendi! Donna Karan! (I already knew about Dior, Givenchy, Guerlain and Sephora.) Well, I’ve been trending toward buying vintage now more than new releases and this bascially explains why I’ve felt the need to do this. Time to stock up on Hermes before the inevitable I suppose.
Btw, nice review, Robin. (Lol, sorry, I got carried away.) I haven’t been fond of any of the iris-flower perfumes so far, so I suppose I’ll stay away from this one. But I didn’t know Paprika Brasil was so reviled! I love it. Well, actually, I should amend that – I love it combined with Poivre Samarkand. On its own it is cold and fades quickly but when I combine it with PS, I can’t stop smelling my wrists! My samples are almost done so I’ve been looking into buying FB of both, but more than likely they will be the travel sizes unless I can find a great deal on a larger bottle.
I do still like Kenzo. And Guerlain, for that matter. I just don’t think these companies have the cohesive vision that Hermes does…often, their releases seem almost random (this is especially true of Guerlain). Maybe I blame LVMH for too much, though.
Rereading the wiki entry on LVMH and Bernard Arnault – he is the founder and the group was established back in 1987. But Kenzo was acquired in 1993, Donna Karan in 2000, Guerlain in 1994 – which to me seems to coincide with the beginning of when things started to go pear-shaped in these companies – at least as far as fragrance is concerned. Then I noticed LVMH acquired Veuve Clicot back in ’87 and I only noticed deterioration in their quality post-2000, so who knows. But M. Arnault’s comments certainly don’t endear me to his “cause”.
I confused about Donna Karan — their fragrances are done by Estee Lauder, and have been since 2000. So maybe LVMH just owns the fashion line?
As for the others, it’s hard to pick the chicken & the egg. Do companies sell because they’re not doing as well, for instance? Trust me, I’m not trying to stick up for LVMH…their track record in fragrances is less than stellar. But with companies like Guerlain, for instance, I assume there is a reason they sold.
Good point about DK and I think you’re right. Estee Lauder, despite their Big Business buyouts, seems to be keeping most of the brands’ integrity intact.
Guerlain, I believe, had the problem of disintegrating family interest. When things fall apart, that’s when LVMH seems to swoop in. Now with Hermes, everthing is fine, the families are intact and in agreement and M. Arnault plants the seeds of a hostile takeover? That’s just wrong all around. In other words, I’ll blame LVMH for a rainy day if I can! 😛
Hermes sent me a sample of Iris Ukiyoe! So great of them! I don’t know much about iris but boy is this a pretty scent! I really wouldn’t mind a bottle of it. I look forward to it being available in the gift set. To tell you the truth Robin I can’t decide between it and Vanille Galante. Ahhh right?! LOL! They also were kind enough to send me a sample of Osmanthe Yunnan! Such a beautiful tea scent but I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as Eau de Pamplemousse Rose! I also got Rose Ikebana and Brin de Reglisse. Both are very nice but I’m not in love with either one of them. Only two more from the Hermessence collection to go! : )
Oh good, I’m so glad! And 5 samples — that was generous of them.
My sample has just arrived a couple of days ago. Iris Ukiyoe… at first I didn’t know what to think of it. When I read about it being released soon, my first thought was: What about Hiris? Also I do love iris, however there are so many iris fragrances out there now, the idea didn’t seem too original…. but I had to try it anyways. Wow, what an original, unique fragrance. At first I got a very green opening. I almost didn’t believe it would smell anything like iris flower. It was too green and tart, when compraded to most buttery, rooty irises. Thyen the mandarin and orange blossom kicked in, and softened the top notes. As the fragrance progressedm I got a very prominent…. iris smell. I understand the root was not used here, but the fragrance just smells…. exactly like the iris pictured on those beautiful, japanese paintings. It is so delicate, subtle, beautiful… it almost smells unreal. Gorgeous and absolutely divine. Ellena is a magician. I am very impressed, really. It is definitely my number. 1 Hermessence now, and my favorite iris perfume. GORUGEOUS.
Oh, what a glowing review — so glad you love it!
I just recieved my sample and its very pretty and pleasant (very watery and aquatic) but it just doesn’t inpsire that oh I need to own this feeling. I’d wear it but I don’t think I would wake up one morning and feel that this was the perfume that I desperately needed to wear to make my day perfect. Maybe it will grow on me!
We had about the same reaction.
I love horses but I don’t own one, so I couldn’t care less for Hermes :)) All their perfumes are so androgyne and transparent, no frill, nothing womanly, nothing sexy… I like irises and I made my wedding bouqet of white and mauve irises but their smell is nothing to enjoy. So, pass for me:)))
$ saved.
I had the “opportunity” to smell at a sample and was pleased. Now some days later I woke up and had something fruity-floral-light in my nose (I must have been dreaming something) and I knew that it is none of the perfumes I own, but still very much an Ellena scent. Similar to Rose Ikebana, it is, but less gilry and rosey and more… lilac.
So I woke up reminding the smell of IU! Crazy!
So actually I think these aren’t perfumes but smells… Still very much on love with his Jardins and with Kelly Caleche. Hermès remains the bearer o fhope – Chanel is gone since Chance (still I own a bottle of Chance Eau Fraiche – but why?!)
I know Jean Claude Ellena likes to call them haikus, so that makes sense.
Wearing a sample today. It smells like Clinique Happy if you told Happy to sit down and shut up. Which isn’t a bad thing. Also paired it with what may be a combination never before experienced on Planet Earth – Iris Ukiyoe and Axe Dark Temptation antiperspirant because this is all we had at work and I thought my mammo was today, hence no antiperspirant. It’s scheduled for Oct 20 (they had told me today), but I did get to see the desktop breast cancer Christmas tree decorated with pink ribbons, lights and a pink and white hand-knitted tree skirt.
Note: I went rogue and wore cologne on my wrists because they do not reside near my breasts on an average Monday.
I think I just needed to vent. Thanks, fragpals.
LOL at “if you told Happy to sit down and shut up”, & sorry you wasted a trip for no mammogram.
having just got a 15ml of IU i decided to check out your review. how interesting that quite a number find this a meh fragrance, and that some feel this way for the entire hermessences line too ! i actually like that it’s pretty safe, office-friendly, and yet not smelling like a typical floral fruity department store spritz. like a couple of commenters here, i love kelly calèche too. what’s nice about IU is the green bittersweet note that gives it an edge : cool yet woody. and what i love most about JCE is how he makes each scent part of the wearer : if you like one another, it melts into you and becomes a part of you – subtle, unassuming, yet present. other fragrances assert themselves over the wearer, or lie on top of them, or are at times too strong in character (too sexy, seductive, brash, noisy, cheerful..), like a child you need to control and in the end exhausts you in a battle of wills : who’s wearing whom ? i will have to sniff épice marine again, but it is so far the only hermessence i did not like when i first tried it. i wasn’t interested in OY or IU when they first appeared since it didn’t make sense to splash out on a quiet pretty scent when i had n°19 or the cherry blossom one from l’occitane, or, if really pressed, rose ikebana which i bought as part of the first coffret of 4. now however i’m out of light & pleasant scents, and it’s too swelteringly hot & humid (34°C !!) for cocooning fragrances !
So glad it’s working for you! Try the new Monsieur Li too, if you haven’t already, it’s likewise safe / office-friendly, plus it’s cheaper than the Hermessences.
It seems I’m with the minority who thinks Iris Ukiyoé is one of the most beautiful of the Hermessences.
Cold Iris flower. There is a certain powdery quality that reminds of something… Ellena’s interpretation of the blue hour of the day, after a rainfall? A guerlainesque Jean-Claude Ellena! Who would have thought… I love it, and all the associations that go with it, from Japanese wood block prints to Après l’ondée. It’s probably quite austere and romantic, but that’s something I like.
Of course this is really subjective, but I can see Ellenas artistic capacity here in this synaesthetic act of translation. I really does smell blue, leaning towards violet!
I’m thinking about which four Hermessences to choose for my 15-ml-collection. I’m pretty sure this one will be amongst them.