Serge Lutens • Iris Silver Mist • Fragrances

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baybe on 3/10/2013 1:18:00 PM more reviews by baybe

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is one of my favorites--an absolute original. It's evocative of irises blooming in damp dirt on a cold spring night----in a graveyard.

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CobraRose on 6/25/2012 2:24:00 AM more reviews by CobraRose

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

The ultimate love/hate fragrance relationship for me. Starts out like wet metal, yet somehow sweet--in a disquieting way, like an insincere smile. It quickly changes to dry metal, razor-sharp, as if the smiler suddenly pulled a knife on you. It makes me feel vaguely anxious, yet I can't stop sniffing my wrist. This is not a healthy relationship, but it made me give it a 5.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ar on 6/17/2012 2:26:00 AM more reviews by ar

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Opens with a fresh, wet, cool, and sweet-rooty carrot note that is utterly delicious and unique. This quickly morphs into a salty play-dough-like, ever so slightly makeupey iris which then dries down to a hypnotic beeswax and leather scent that somehow manages to be both comfortingly soft and throat-ticklingly sharp. (The reviews that mentioned 'vapours' and 'oil paint' were spot on.) Neither feminine nor masculine - just stunning. Not sure if anyone remembers a rooty, pretty home fragrance spray from the 90s called 'Clean Sheets' but this reminds me of a rich, fine-fragrance version of that. (Side note: I tend to personally prefer a bit more floral in my perfume, but I find myself wearing this often anyway because it's so interesting without ever being unpleasant.)

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

largloworm on 5/10/2012 5:08:00 PM more reviews by largloworm

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

If I could only get myself this one here in the states. I managed to purchase a decant of this. I've reapplied it about 4 times today because I love the first blast! ADORE it! Starts out cold but then warms down. When I walk by people I wonder if they think I smell remarkable because I DO!!!! Please make it available to us along with La Myrrhe!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* mysterious_scent on 12/16/2011 5:20:00 AM more reviews by mysterious_scent

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Rooty, muddy iris plant freshly taken out of a forest. It still has the dampness of autumn earth. I don't get the "silver" part. To me, it's between green and brown. It somehow gives me a feeling of been a gardener working outdoors for too long.
I love the smell but not sure if I want to smell like it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

redchinamarker on 11/16/2011 6:48:00 PM more reviews by redchinamarker

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

When I visited the purple, spooky SL boutique in Paris, I was determined to walk away with a full bottle. Problem is, although I can appreciate the craftsmanship of a great oriental or woods, they're not really my style. Then I found Iris Silver Mist, which smells like you've taken a whole irs plant, dirt clinging to roots, thrown it in a food processor, and inhaled. It's definitely a scent that you wear for yourself, not to smell good, but to truly affect your thoughts and emotions. It's green and raw, with enough earthiness that it doesn't smell sharp at all. Fantastic.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* amlang on 8/24/2011 9:57:00 AM more reviews by amlang

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

Pure distilled iris.

It’s clear, still-in-the-garden iris. No powder, no other flowers. Yes, there is a rooty earthiness at first. On me it quickly becomes a gentle, whispery floral. The coolness is refreshing on hot days, and the perfume is mellow throughout. This is iris as a running stream. Low sillage, very good longevity.

Unique, not really like anything I can think of. If you like Chanel’s 28 La Pausa, you might like this.

For two years, I worked through samples and decants and finally committed to a full bottle. I’ll never be without this.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* SNIFFMEALLOVER on 8/23/2011 7:39:00 PM more reviews by SNIFFMEALLOVER

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

There is something foody, earthy vegetable-like about it. Slightly plasticky. If an organic hair conditioner from an eco shop smelt like this, that would be fine. To pay what Lutens charges for this stuff- never!

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*TOP REVIEWER* triotrio on 8/3/2011 11:52:00 AM more reviews by triotrio

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

"Ghostly" someone said below. Yep, I can see that. At first when I spritzed I was repelled - it smelt like new white plastic or something.
Now it's getting warmer, but it's still not that friendly a scent. It is honestly like something you imagine you'd smell if a beautiful woman appeared to drift through the walls of a room you were in, whilst staying in an old country house. She'd smell like this.
It's massively unusual though - I'm glad I sampled it. So many fragrances smell the exact same these days - ISM is a real original. I don't think it's for me, but I could imagine others feeling like they've found a scent they've been searching for all their lives.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* WentworthRoth on 7/24/2011 12:03:00 PM more reviews by WentworthRoth

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Notes: orris root, galbanum, cedar, sandalwood, clove, vetiver, musk, Chinese benzoin, incense and white amber.

This fragrance opens with a blast of cold, bitter orris root. The butter's astringent aroma makes me think of medieval pharmacies and salves, whereas I imagine freshly dug-out carrots during the brief moments in which I see soil mixing with the iris root aroma. The scent is, despite the mental images it conjures up, not at all harsh or unpleasant to wear. I would describe it as dry and oddly warm — the mist not being cold water droplets, but essential oil vapours. Although the fragrance sheds most of its earthy and bitter aspects as it progresses, its shadowy take on orris root makes it very different from Iris Pallida and Hiris. Ghostly and ephemeral, the fragrance stays close to the skin and only lasts four hours on me.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Tucansam on 7/16/2011 5:55:00 PM more reviews by Tucansam

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Sublime. Nirvana. Melancholy. Can't get FB in US. Oh the humanity!

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Lilly75 on 5/10/2011 7:41:00 AM more reviews by Lilly75

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

ISM is one of my favourite iris scents.
Having read several times that people find it rather cold I must say I cannot confirm that from my experience.
On me this scent becomes cuddly and warm, floral and soft, almost with a hint of wardrobe freshener.
In the beginning there is a distinct carrot note but I like it. Then the scent quickly changes into this warm iris teddy bear (at least on me it does).
So far I have tested some iris perfumes and this one deserves a top rating as it smells rather natural to me, there is nothing harsh, nothing sharp in the notes, just harmony and peace.

The only thing that I really dislike is the bottle. I prefer spray bottles and with the classic "bell jar" you have to dab the scent on. Not my cup of tea but at least it looks nice.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* BigEars on 3/28/2011 5:35:00 PM more reviews by BigEars

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I suspect that when it comes to iris scents it may be a two horse race between this one and 28 La Pausa. Although I dearly love the Chanel, and LP is more of a 'natural' iris, I still have to go for Iris Silver Mist. For a start it is HUGE, great sillage and staying power. It is a rooty iris rather than green, not over sweet and without what someone called the 'oil paint' note.
That said if you prefer the soft coolness of the Chanel you might like to try l'Occitane Iris which is in the same family and half the cost.
Me I'll stick with good old Uncle Serge. Onny gripe is, can't get in a spray and I hate decanting.

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greydovefeatherwing on 2/14/2011 5:37:00 PM more reviews by greydovefeatherwing

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Dark, Cool   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This is exactly what I was looking for. A cold, dry fragrance that never gets skanky, just retains that icy, ghostlike quality. There was one short period in the drydown where it almost froze my nose with its dryness, but then, once it sunk into my skin it became more rounded and flowery. Perfect! If a perfume could be represented by a novel, this one would be Cathy 's ghost in Wuthering Heights calling to Heathcliff on the moors.

UPDATE: I tried my sample again, and now all I get is gasoline. Oh well, I'm sure its still beautiful on the right person :-)

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*TOP REVIEWER* kerriki on 2/14/2011 6:08:00 AM more reviews by kerriki

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Huh...carrots, mud, fog, put it on to go and see the horses...earthy...misty, silverey...its actually like Apres L'Ondee sort of amped up to the max; as in 3D compared to old B&W film,
This is perfume high art; it transcends the everyday...one can only scream with frustration that one has to travel to Europe to get the damn thing.
Oh yeah, presumably it smells like iris. Whatever...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* zeynepd on 2/1/2011 9:09:00 PM more reviews by zeynepd

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I sampled this mainly because of the interesting and appealing metaphors used by other reviewers to describe the cold top notes. And yes, this has one of the coldest and most metallic openings I have ever come across. And it is very very attractive. Then there is iris, with all its natural rootiness and soil sticking to its rhizomes perhaps. This is a dark, fertile, wet, vegetal soil rather than the cracked surface of some terracota desert. The drydown smells both sterile and earthy. There is something in it that makes me think of beautiful women in black and white photos as well as marble sculptures. Iris Silver Mist glues my nose to my wrist, but I think I would be too conscious of myself wearing it - which is purely a personal point. Low sillage but good lasting power on me.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

A88A on 12/18/2010 6:04:00 PM more reviews by A88A

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

There is something vegetal about this perfume. Perhaps a raw carrot or beet, decidedly bitter and smelling of dirt. There is also a powdery sweetness, which is the more typical iris note that most perfumers riff on. It is one of the few Lutens fragrances not by Christopher Sheldrake. (Maurice Roucel here) I've heard this fragrance described as cold, but I don't really get that. I've also heard it described as somber or melancholy, and I guess maybe I could see that. Maybe it reminds people of a rainy day because of the damp earth smells. I like that this smells like an actual root. The first time I smelled this I hated it. My nose was very unaccustomed to perfume that didn't smell like perfume. Now that I've smelled much odder things, this seems terribly interesting, lovely sometimes, and almost normal. Almost, there's still that earthy vegetable smell. Once the root smell begins to fade, I get violets in there with the iris. I guess they were there all along, but hidden behind some of this fragrance's more surprising facets. I can't make up my mind about this one. Part of me is weirded out by the bitterness, and part of me would murder for a full bottle of it.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* purrsian on 12/6/2010 8:54:00 AM more reviews by purrsian

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Reminds me a bit of mothballs, very interesting, and I understand why it can turn some people off too. Wearability could be low, I'm trying to understand it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sissyfris on 10/9/2010 11:52:00 AM more reviews by sissyfris

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Iris Silver Mist is the olafactory equivilent of the cold foreboding mist that rolls across darkened graveyards in horror films. The one that apprears right before the soon-to-be victim begins calling out into the dark "hello? Who's there?" as though anyone who would be stalking you in a dark graveyard feels obligated to respond to regular societal rules. It is cold, rooty, earthy, carroty... weirdness in liquid form. It is uncomfortable to wear. (I'm cool with iris. I love me some iris. I've been wearing chanel 19 since I *was* 19. But this iris....) I've heard it mentioned on the frag board as the scent Dumbledore would wear. Ha. Not. This he he-who-must-not-be-named's signature scent. It was to be. Eau de Lord Voldemort, Aqua d' the Creepy One. It makes me shudder. As a work of art... interesting. As a personal scent, not unless you have a serious thing for evil incarnate. You could give me the whole bell jar of this, and I'd put it straight onto ebay. And for as big a Serge fan as I generally am, that's saying something. :::shudders:::

13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

chrystelica on 8/7/2010 10:20:00 AM more reviews by chrystelica

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

OK, well I don't really hate this, let's just say I don't "appreciate" it; I don't dislike it, but I'm not like meh, it's alright, I get the feeling that no, I wouldn't reach for this, because it's just so damn weird. Haha

There is something -cute- about this in a childish way to me. It makes me want to like it, but I don't. It's goofy. Something about it reminds me of a trip I went on with my cousin Jesh and he put on my woolen cap with the long tassels and smiled and made this stupid face, sitting in front of my German friend Sophie's turtle aquarium. She had this little mini notebook where she recorded his centimeter length every few weeks. It was hilarious to us. Don't ask me why it conjures up this image. But then.... it turns a little soapy, like squeaky-clean male skin after a warm shower... and no, I don't like that smell either. I like my men dirty and un-ready, like they just woke up, thank you. This is like my son I don't have.... or a little hamster in its cage, complete with cedar shavings, eating some watercress, carrot sticks, celery, maybe some raw broccoli, you know, those things hamsters and guinea pigs like. Why, I can't imagine, would anyone want to smell like this? It's bizarre!! It's kind of fun for a joke, though. I'm going to look at animals at a pet store today, so maybe kind of appropriate.

Hope they don't try to eat me....

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