Perfume Review: Terre D’Iris by Miller Harris
June 2nd, 2006
Terre D’Iris is one of the recently released Nouvelle Edition fragrances. On the Miller Harris web site it’s classified as “a light chypre”. While I do detect chypre qualities in the top notes, as the scent developes it’s anything but a chypre. I must say that most Miller Harris fragrances tend to have a split personality when they come in contact with my skin. What I smell in top notes miraculously disappears within the first few minutes, and I’m left with a 100% different scent. It’s puzzled me on more than one occasion, and perhaps that’s part of the reason I’ve never quite related to the line.
Terre D’Iris is said to have the notes of rose, bergamot, bitter orange, rosemary, sage, orange blossom, patchouli, lilly, and moss. Rosemary, sage, and bitter orange usually smell sort of sharp on my skin, so I’m surprised to see how well these notes are blended here. I mostly detect a mixture of bergamot, sage, and moss but what’s puzzling to me is that it’s a slightly sweet combination, and I almost smell a fig in there, even though it’s not listed as a note. It’s more herbal than floral, and I get no iris at all. It definitely has a Mediterranean feel to it. The scent is supposedly inspired “by the heat, citrus, moss, pine and sea air of the Cote d’Azur”. I’ve never been there but I can certainly feel like I’m being transported to the place when I wear Terre D’Iris. I’d wear it just for that reason alone. The staying power, however, seems to be fairly poor, so my trip ends before I get a chance to find perfume shops in the area.
Terre D’Iris is available at the Miller Harris and Saks Fifth Avenue sites.
Image source: www.millerharris.com
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10 Comments
1. Elle | June 2nd, 2006 at 8:48 am
Great review! I’d been hoping for another great iris scent to wear, but, like you, I also found the iris to be MIA. If I put my imagination into overdrive I can detect a ghost image of iris in the earthy dry down, but not enough to join my iris collection. It’s a lovely summer scent, though. Again, I agree – I wish the lasting power had been better on my skin.
2. Marina | June 2nd, 2006 at 9:03 am
Sounds very appealing! I have a sample that I might crack open this morning!
3. Ina | June 2nd, 2006 at 9:10 am
Elle, I had my nose glued to my wrist for at least half an hour last night in hopes to find the iris but to no avail. Perhaps it should have been called Terre De Cote D’Azur. ;D
4. Ina | June 2nd, 2006 at 9:10 am
Marina, do me a favor – crack that sample open! I’d like to hear your thoughts.
5. Marina | June 2nd, 2006 at 1:26 pm
OK, I am a dufus and that’s a fact. The sample I have is Terre de Bois, not d’Iris. Booo
6. Ina | June 2nd, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Ah, well, that can be remedied with a few short motions!
7. Victoria | June 2nd, 2006 at 4:43 pm
I do not like any of MH fragrances. They are either too thin or too unexciting. The second line is not better. I am not sure what it is that bothers me about them the most.
8. Ina | June 2nd, 2006 at 4:49 pm
They don’t rock my world, either. They mostly leave me indifferent, although I do find some compositions nice. It’s like we say in Russian, “ni ryba, ni myaso”. ;D
9. IrisLA | June 5th, 2006 at 10:25 am
Hi,
I’m wearing this today. I do smell the iris on me. It’s a rich, buttery iris. It blends well with the herbal notes. This is one of the few iris scents I like. I don’t care for the austere, rooty iris scents such as Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, that everyone else adores.
10. Ina | June 5th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
Hi! I can see what you mean by buttery iris – maybe I was looking for the rooty iris here. Glad you like the scent!