Iris de Nuit James Heeley

Desirability: Full bottle

In the description listed on Heeley's website, "♀ : Sensual, delicate, creative and individual." 

Springtime (The Reader) Monet. Source: pinterest

Iris de Nuit is a more wearable version of Iris Silver Mist- at least it is to me. I am a huge Lutens fan but as much as I admire the artistry of Iris Silver Mist, it's a bit hard going sometimes between the two of us. If the Lutens was steely silver and Tauer Pentachords White aptly named, then Iris de Nuit wears like a soft mossy green. A stroll alone through Nature, surrounded by living things and shrouded in sunlight. A time for introspection. 

It opens with a bit of sharp pepper, the starchy orris is front and centre throughout, delicate powdery violets and the vegetal sweetness of angelica that's just a teeny bit green, which I've grown to love thanks to the herbal nectar that is Angélique Noire. Although Angélique Noire feels quite fine, Iris de Nuit is even lighter and dry. A calming woody musk keeps the scent from being too ethereal. I read somewhere that cedar is used as a "grounding" note and I can see how it flexes its muscles in Iris de Nuit. Projection is good and longevity average, I got about 8 hours of wear each time. 

I find myself agreeing with the vignette from the official website (as above), Iris de Nuit is not a giddy girl or brash lout, instead he/she would be content in a library or art class, the kind who is comfortable not speaking to anyone for days without feeling lonely but on the other hand can be relied on being charming and sociable. The type that most people remember warmly without truly knowing intimately, being described as "different" without any negative connotations attached. 

Angélique Noire Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle and back up

Source: www.lesflaconsdeparfum.com

Complete and peaceful. 

Like a recovering addict, I've done my best to steer away from the sole Guerlain counter that carries the exclusive range and even went to great lengths to avoid the shopping mall in which its housed. However I recently bought in on a split of Angélique Noire which I briefly smelt and loved a few years ago. From the line L’Art et la Matière, Angélique Noire and Tonka Imperiale stood out the most for me. Actually I'm pretty crazy about my tiny decant of  Angélique Noire to the point that words and reason failed me when I tried to explain why (the crazy part that is). I'll say it's Guerlain at its best...just call me a groupie.

A pleasantly strange fragrance, vanilla is obviously part of the composition but there's a faint peppery greenness about the vanilla that makes it different from any other vanilla I've come across. Vanilla usually adds some weight but Angélique Noire remains quite...Twiggy-esque for a lack of a better word. Spicy without being fiery, sweet without crossing into gourmand or sickly and aromatic without being too green. Delicate and rarefied but not limp. Musk and faint incense appear in the drydown which feels like a warm golden shawl around your shoulders, conjuring up images of perfect perfectness like the duck scene in The Notebook. Moderate projection and very good longevity.

Source: pinterest.com

Trivia: Angelica or angelica archangelica as an essential oil is purported to be an excellent restorative to help ease anxiety, lift depression and alleviate tension.