Iris de Nuit
by Heeley

Silent, earthy and cold as the ambience of a shadowy inner garden in the court of an old sinister building at late afternoon in november. The combination of angelica, iris and violet is sophisticated, enigmatic and shadowy. The smell is natural, aromatic and a bit herbal. The beginning is characterized by an aromatic smell of anise (angelica) surrounding the rooty and floral smell of the vintage link of treacherous violet and noble iris. The chord is regal consistent because of the balancing and warming role of ambrette seeds that tames a bit the angles of roots and florals and undertates the cold of the floral-grass-angelica chord. A central note of carrot impresses a botanic and rooty temperament that stresses the sharp feel and the rootiness. The base is balanced with a perfect combination of sharp woods, musk and ambergris. A note of musky cedarwood is notable in the dry down. This fragrance is very similar to the stunning Iris Silver Mist which with it shares many elements (carrot, violet, cedar, incense, amber, iris etc) but the Lutens's scent (hars to smell, i found it just in Tokyo)is slightly spicier, denser and creamier. The scent itself is averagely sharp and strictly balanced with a subdued melliuence in order to privilege the nature.

26th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 19th November, 2011.)

As already written by other reviewers, this is a light scent; even at its very opening when most scents try to strike you with their top notes, IDN is so soft, almost impalpable, that you have to wonder whether you have been fooled to buy a fake & diluted version of a perfume..

True enough, after a while this seems to come back a little with some sort of a powdery/sweet/floral combination that is not exactly what I'd expect from an allegedly iris centered scent. Maybe I see now why they called this Iris de nuit, what you get of it here is really more like the breath of a sleeping iris..

Not a terrible scent, but the fact itself that you (or at least I) have to apply no fewer than 10 sprays to get anything out of it at all makes me think something's not quite right here..

28th May, 2011. (Last Edited: 5th June, 2011.)

Wow, when I smelled this I though it was a damn good fragrance, and I continued to think that as it wore on. The somewhat masculine iris is reminiscent of Dior pour homme but this is much darker than that, it has a dark, yet playful side, revealing angelica root, anise, and carrot. I highly recommend this, especially to fans of iris, but really to any one looking for a nice complex evening fragrance

24th May, 2011.

An excellent iris fragrance of discreet volume and considerable interest, with a warmer character than most irises, and vantage notes of angelica, violet, carrot, and cedar that subtly illuminate the possibilities of grass, bread, woods, and (surprisingly) green tea. This is not the lightening-in-a-bottle of Iris Silver Mist. But it is thoughtful, natural-smelling, and unusually butch for an iris, with an absence of liptstick connotations (Dior Homme) and floral accompaniment (Frederic Malle Iris Poudre). Iris de Nuit is one of Heeley's best.

5th April, 2011.

Lovely Green Perfection.
This opens with Angelica, similar to Guerlain's Angelique Noir which I recently sampled. But Guerlain's version was quite heavy and sharp to me, whereas this one is light, almost too light, as it seems to disappear for a while then come back to hang out.

But this is the type of green opening I look for, so my first impression was very positive.

This has carrot in it, which I recently sniffed in pure oil form at Wholefoods. Carrot is sweet, actually, and quite a bit earthy. It's a note that I like, where as violet and iris (orris root) are notes that I love.

When the middle act begins I'm all a flutter with giddiness. Because of the carrot this sweetens up a bit, which may appeal to the floral/fruity fans, but doesn't become so sweet that a chypre fan like me would want to wash off.

This is one I like well enough to hold onto my sample so I can return to it. The flag I've raised is longevity, which is why I want to try it on various days to get a better feel. Love it.

14th May, 2010.

A scent in which the iris supports a variety of green and woody notes on an oriental base. Angelica seeds and musky ambrette seeds lead off in the top, with a heart of orris root, violet and carrot seed, and a base of bracing white cedar and amber. The violet and carrot seed notes are familiar players repeated here from Hermès' beautiful Hiris, but minus the neroli and rose, making this Heeley iris much drier, woodier, and greener. Very subtle without being shy. It does have a moderate projection and a good longevity.

30th January, 2010.