Antonio Mora -Bye

Perfume is always about mood, and wearing a scent is the quickest and more direct way to express your emotional state.  There are fragrances to express lighthearted joy (a fine citrusy cologne), to express power (a tobacco or leather scent), and scents that express subconscious or even spooky vibes  (a dark chypre).  

 

Naomi Goodsir

It’s now mid-October, and most of us have abandoned the light florals and citrus-based perfumes for heavier weighted, spicier fare.  Winter is on the doorstep, and with it comes an introversion of the senses, a withdrawing into ourselves that demands an introspective choice in scent as well.  My personal choice for this change in climate and mood is a fragrance steeped in a strong iris note, and I believe I’ve discovered one of the greatest in Naomi Goodsir’s new launch of Iris Cendre.  Naomi Goodsir is an Australian olfactory artist, milliner and designer who introduced the elegant leather Cuir Velours, campfire smoke-tinged Bois D’Ascese,(Julien Rasquinet) in 2013 and the golden amber hues embedded in Or de Serail.(Bertrand Duchaufour) in 2014.

 

Sad – Photographer  Antonio Mora

The iris note always represents a delicious melancholy – in it is an inherent longing that is inescapable.  When I wear iris, I feel as if the world has gone grey, and my thoughts naturally turn towards remembrance – of places, people, all of them departed or never to be seen again.  There is an abrupt flatness to the note similar to the stark flat shapes of a national war monument, or a gravestone.   Iris doesn’t elevate a composition, but instead draws sharp borders around its contours – it’s a warning sign that demands an acute awareness of what’s going on around you and on your skin.   

Antonio Mora Coiffure

Iris Cendre takes this prickly melancholy and places it right up front and in large doses.  The scent opens with a shimmer of tangerine and bergamot, but only a shimmer.  There’s hardly any brightness left in the citrus at all, it’s as if perfumer Julien Rasquinet has offered only the rind of these fruits to us rather than the bright, brisk acidity one would expect in a citrus top note. Iris Cendre also wastes absolutely no time in bringing us into its darker heart of violets and orris.  Iris Cendre translates to Smoky Iris, or Ashen Iris and the sense that this fragrance has been burnt down to nothing and now has cooled is quite prevalent.   There is a sacrificial, ritualistic feel at the core of this scent reminiscent of a tribal village after their crops have failed, the children are ill and they are wailing to their Gods for safety.  And the power and sillage in Iris Cendre follows suit:  this scent’s strength is in the notes themselves – the longevity is average and the sillage is subdued but present off the skin.  The story Iris Cendre tells is not one of the present but of its aftermath.  It will haunt you as you wear it. 

La Chica Crisálida by Antonio Mora

The transition from the heart on into the drydown phase is very slow.  First you might detect a tobacco note drifting around at the base, with a dry, acrid and slightly warm feel to it.  Iris Cendre has a very unique and empathetic final act – normally I don’t pay close attention to the way a fragrance ends unless there’s something going on that is reinforcing the main theme or inspiration behind it.  In Iris Cendre, that warmth the tobacco imparts is vital.  The orris and violets are enormous in this scent; the iris absolute is apocalyptically absolute here.   Iris Cendre is a cold, cold fragrance – a perfume for a place where no one remains to wear it.  One needs the tobacco, and then also the slight, sweet cistus and amber that reluctantly tag along behind it to remind us of our own heart beating as we wear this fragrance.  

Robert Mapplethorpe Iris, 1977.

It is obvious in Ms.Goodsir's collaborations with perfumer Julien Rasquinet that there is a dedicated tandem vision at work here.  The greatest perfumes always show their strengths in how and why they are made, and not what they are made from.  In Iris Cendre, the wearer is presented with an ode in scented form, crafted of iris absolute, that defines us not in our vanity but in what remains after vanity is gone.  Iris Cendre is an empty road, a grey sky above tilting gravestones, and one of the finest iris fragrances I have ever tried.  Wear it not for beauty’s sake, but to remind yourself you are well and alive.

Notes: bergamot, tangerine, orris, violet, amber, cistus and tobacco

Pam Barr, Senior Contributor

Disclosure:  I received my sample from Luckyscent.com

Art Direction Michelyn- I chose the work of artist and photographer  Antonio Mora who perfectly pairs the faces of the modelswith dreamy landscapes that are filled with emotion.

Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre image courtesy of Luckyscent

Thanks to Luckyscent., we have draw of three samples for our a US registered readers only. To be eligible, please leave a comment with a why you would like to win Iris Cendre, what you enjoyed about Pam's review, and if you have a favorite Naomi Goodsir perfume.  Draw closes October 17, 2015.

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