Iris Silver Mist (1994)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

Iris Silver Mist has allowed me to attain a giant leap forward into understanding, appreciating and encompassing the iris note in all of it's facets.

The top notes are rooty-tooty (beet root?) and carrot smelling. A little dirt, but definitely cold dirt. The iris note interwoven at this point does have that classic 'lipstick' smell that only I get from iris, however (maybe I'm used to it already, maybe this scent is different?) it isn't quite as powdery as other iris scents (Dior Homme, Hiris, Prada Infusion d'Iris). I find the dirt provides just the right backdrop to the iris scent. It's incredibly hard to describe in words, because it smells nothing like other scents that smell like dirt (Route du Vetiver, Dark Earth, Dirt by Demeter) - no other scent captures the smell of cold dirt like ISM.

The middle and base notes allow the scent to really fill out and deepen to a resolutely iris absolute accord. It not only smells more like iris, the smell is more wide-angle (iris HD!) - I swear I got the visual image today of how clouds might smell in the sky. Not ozonic. Just airy, ethereal... I hope I'm not coming across as too artistic and fluffy in my descriptions, but this scent really does evoke a feeling of serenity and meditation in me. Long stretches of time today, I thoroughly enjoyed moving around my office in articulated silences - in awe of this scent swirling all around me. It also manages to avoid being sweet on my skin, although many reviews I've read about ISM mention it as a gourmand. Strange.

Longevity is excellent, sillage is above average - fans of Dior Homme should love this, since I think it smells entirely unisex.

I must say that personally, I prefer a much greener iris note (Le Labo Iris 39) - but after several wearings I now own my first bell jar of ISM.

Fantastic!

Very deep Serge Lutens scent that deserves more reviews.
This is one of the strangest scents I ever smelt. Iris is predominant and remains strong after several hours.
This is a niche scent that you won't find everywhere but if you wear it you'll be for sure unique.

My first thought after spraying was, "Interesting, nice, but why would I want to smell like a rutabaga?" I tried to like it, but didn't. Tried again, still no. Then I kinda liked it, but would never actually buy it.

And now I must buy it. It grows on you. It really does. I was told it would, but I didn't believe it. This will be a perfume just for me, as those around me may well wonder why I smell like a rutabaga. Oh well.

The beginning reminds me of freshly grated carrots, which is not really unpleasant, just weird.

Then the carrots fade, leaving a sickening smell of sewing machine oil. Or the oil used to oil bicycles.

I'm staying away from this.

A unique, sombre and potent fragrance which certainly isn't for everybody or for every occasion. For me this captures the spirit of Edward Gorey in a bottle: a monochrome, gloomy cloud silver-lined with shining wit, beautifully drawn by a masterful hand, and perhaps best worn at the wake of a favorite pet.

From the very first sniff, Iris Silver Mist is all about the iris. I grow irises, and they need regular thinning. When the rhizomes (or 'roots') are dug up, fresh from the damp rich soil ~ this is what ISM smells like! Incredible! Earthy, moist and a bit vegetal. Soon, the powdery facet of this frag kicks in, accompanied by sweet violet. I love the distinct evolution this scent possesses. As it settles, the iris, earth and violets are grounded in spicy woods that slowly ease...calming into a magnifiscent base, which retains the best of each note within it's composition. It is luminous. Iris Silver Mist is so very worthy of a sampling...if not the whole bottle!