Splendiris

Even before I smell ‘Splendiris’ the notes read like someone’s infiltrated my mind to put together EXACTLY what I’d like (well, all apart from vanilla, but I totally trust Pissara Umavijani, as everything she does is with perfect reason). Let’s have a spray…

Straight away I get the nutty, woody-earthy, slightly spicy, strong herbaceous musk from the carrot seed. Although there are a lot of citrus notes listed e.g. bergamot, orange Sanguine, Mandarin Capua (from the leading Italian company of citrus essential oils) these don’t scream for attention at the beginning. They are indistinguishable silent partners, who uphold a general uplifted quality. The fig leaf (one of my favourite notes) offers a fresh, green, soapy, sap-like zing, whilst the violet leaf adds a cooler cucumber freshness.

But right from the start, through to the final stages of this fragrance, it’s all about the headlining act; sweet orris butter. A sweetly soft, powdery and suede-like scent, which pretty much sums-up the all-encompassing character of ‘Splendiris’. So let’s understand more about orris. Orris is the rhizomes (bulb) of an iris plant, which takes up to 4 years to harvest (making it more expensive than gold). They are then peeled, sundried, powdered and steam-distilled to produce the orris oil – sometimes taking 7 years for the essential oils to develop, a factor which has forced many companies to abandon production. Once this oil solidifies into a creamy yellow texture, it’s known as ‘orris butter’. It’s sweet, floral, woody, earthy and now you know why it has a ‘rooty’ aroma. The iris FLOWER has an entirely different scent, which is powdery and almost carrot-like. The flower itself can smell fresh, vaguely medicinal, cool and metallic whilst also having a warm peppery quality. ‘Splendiris’ doesn’t use the iris flower, but does use violets (as they’re similar smelling) to boost the soft-powdery, sweet purpleness. Don’t expect the Rose de Mai nor the Jasmine Sambac to make an appearance as they are respectful to the orris root and know it’s entirely her party.

Meanwhile in the base, the vanilla lays like a dormant dragon to add only a subtle creaminess, the cedarwood and vetiver sharply spice the background (adding to the soapy feel) and the ambergris gently gives a sweet, musky, earthy aroma.

‘Splendiris’ is a fragrance who never shouts, only speaking in softly-sweet, dreamy tones of powdery-suede and creamy-musk with earthy notes. It’s a discrete botanical, with a mineral-like, iridescent silvery sheen of fairy wings. It’s a must for iris fans - naturalistic and Heavenly.

TOP – Bergamot, Mandarin Capua, Orange Sanguine, Violet Leaf Absolute, Fig Leaf, Carrot Seed Oil

MIDDLE – Sweet Orris Butter, Violet, Rose de Mai, Jasmine Sambac

BASE – Vanilla Absolute, Cedarwood Oil, Vetiver Oil, Ambergris