Hiram Green Slowdive, Vivacious and Tryst and Hiram Green in his studio in Gouda collage

The air remains still. All the leaves refuse to budge. Beautiful summer! ~ Matsuo Basho

Not so for the Southern Hemisphere, where winter is its current norm – but for those of us in a Northern Hemispheric August, it is high summer. Heat and humidity are the order of the day, and we look to our fragrant choices as a source of respite, refreshment, and either distraction from or celebration of the season. Gouda-based natural perfumer Hiram Green provides us with so many aromatic options that it makes one’s head spin: which to choose? Having sampled them all, I’m at a loss to guide you, since his perfumes really suit all seasons and occasions. Notwithstanding, here are three delicious scents of which I’m very fond: they glow in the current estival swelter, each one unique, long-lasting, and a joy to wear.

Hiram Green Slowdive (2017): What say you to a honeyed floral indolence? The intoxication which pollinators must surely experience as they flit from blossom to blossom? Hiram Green has a name for that, and it’s called Slowdive. As is the case with each and every fragrance this perfumer composes, the perfumed whole is entirely larger and more fulfilling than the sum of its parts. It’s too facile to review the notes and mutter, “orange blossom and neroli again?”- because nothing could be farther from the truth. These two form a companionable intimacy with heady heavy hitters’ tobacco blossom (spicy, fruited, musky) and seductive tuberose. Beeswax and honeyed tones underscore Slowdive with a richly indolic quality, further accentuated by resins. The addition of dried fruits embellishes a distinctly boozy, decadent feel. Hiram Green Slowdive notes: neroli, orange flower, tobacco blossom, beeswax, tuberose, dried fruits, honeyed resins

A word from the perfumer: Slowdive – one of the best sellers. Everyone likes it. Also, it is a very good fragrance for late summer before the autumn officially arrives-Hiram

Hiram Green Vivacious brand image via the perfumer

 Hiram Green Vivacious (2020): Do you crave a certain freshness combined with pronounced floral zing? Something playful, poetic, and flirtatious? If so, Hiram Green Vivacious would be an excellent choice. There are many delightful facets at play: the tonic impact of introductory bergamot, ionones aplenty (the gift of both violet and iris), and an impassioned, fiery carnation. Vivacious’ feathery amber base complements these elements weightlessly; Hiram’s envisioned violet is ensconced in a tenderly powder-like drydown which is unlike the rice powders, baby powders, or other cosmetic nuances which may tend to date a fragrance. Its name is well chosen, for Vivacious bursts with ebullience and bonhomie. I’d choose this perfume for putting a spring in my stride. Hiram Green Vivacious notes: bergamot, violet, carnation, orris (iris), amber

Hiram on Vivacious – I really like this fragrance. Sadly, it is being phased out of the collection. If it sounds tempting, buy it now or never. 

Hiram Green Tryst image via the perfumer

Hiram Green Tryst (2024): All features of the orange in abundance: bottled sunshine, aka Tryst. Open-heartedly solar and enchanting, this latest release from Hiram Green Perfumes is sure to make you feel like an Olympian – intending Mt. Olympus, of course. Tryst’s vivacity is larger than life: expansive, happy-making, and all-embracing. There’s a very good reason why it made my upcoming best of 2024 list so early on in the year (March, to be precise) – and why I purchased a flacon for myself into the bargain. Tryst is seductive in a wholesome fashion, not an easy accomplishment in itself. I find that it makes me feel irresistible without compromising good taste or good manners: it will never bore or pigeonhole you, because it defies gender identity or simplistic categorization. Tryst notes: orange zest, green buds, neroli, petitgrain, orange flower, honeyed resins

Hiram’s note: IMO it is a straightforward easy to like a orange flower/ neroli fragrance.

Dear readers, if you have yet to sample any of Hiram Green’s fragrances, I would heartily encourage you to so. His work refutes the notion that natural perfumes cannot be complex or possess acceptable longevity. The three I’ve chosen Hiram Green Slowdive, Vivacious and Tryst (and all the others as well) fully demonstrate just how exquisite beautiful raw materials can be. In a current atmosphere where, one may encounter fewer of these costly olfactory natural materials, Hiram’s perfumes are certain to prove revelatory.

Samples either sent me, or flacons purchased by me. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

 Hiram Green bottles via the perfumer

Thanks to the generosity of Hiram Green we have a 50 ml. flacon of your choice of Hiram Green Slowdive, Vivacious or Tryst for one registered reader in the USA or EU. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Hiram Green Slowdive, Vivacious and Tryst based upon Ida’s reviews. Please tell us which of these three you would prefer, should you win – whether you have a favorite Hiram Green fragrance, and where you live. Draw closes 8/19/2024

Available at www.hiramgreen.com and fine stockists

Hiram Green Hyde is a winner of the Art  & Olfaction Award 2019 in the Artisan Category Please read Ida’s review

Hiram Green has been the recipient of our ÇaFleureBon Best of Scent (Michelyn) 2020, twice in 2019 (Ida and former Editor Despina, (Michelyn 2018, 2016 and 2014)

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