Best Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Lü Bu is a formidable Chinese warlord, tiger-fierce but volatile. At the end of his last battle he is a folded shadow. The once most-feared man of the Empire, son of iron and fire, is devoured by his own legend. This olfactory scar of a perfume opens with vivid, tannic clove, like the acridity of blood on a still-warm blade. On a forgotten altar smoulders the benzoin beauty of papier d'Arménie, while iris, noble and powdery, whispers the hero's solitude. More than glory and power, Lü Bu speaks of sacrifice and memory. Loyal to all those who wear their shadows with pride.

I was inspired while visiting Kew Gardens in London in May. Every May there are hundreds of blooming magnolia trees in different sorts, sizes, scents and colours. Usually it is a very rainy season and my inspiration was to create a scent of the water and rain on magnolia trees.  

The symbol of this modern perfume is an American modern dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis. She is not only a very talented performer, but also very feminine. 

Divine Dancer is an ethereal, watercoloured, light, fresh, feminine floral perfume. It is modern and vivacious fruity floral scent .

The Divine Dancer perfume is dedicated to one of the first American modern dance and ballet performers Ruth St. Denis.

Her vibrant and spirited art of dance, influenced by the East and South Asia, her divine body move and incredible costumes made Ruth St. Denis a worldwide well known star. Her body projects as Temple of femininity. 

When the dancer emerged from the darkness of the stage, her presence was immediately captivating, the air suddenly fragrant with her appearance. Adorned in jewels from head to toe, radiant in a special gold sari, her hair crowned in jasmine, she is an embodiment of divine feminine, mirroring the images of goddesses of Lakshmi and Saraswati but with the talented Ruth St. Denis touch of modern dance and ballet movement.

Perfumer: Daniela Andrier (Givaudan)

The result of AI suggesting notes combination to a perfumer. A soft cyber-iris with super-natural reach.

Santal takes its inspiration from a Sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s which has then been given a distinctive contemporary edge.

This deep and dark aquatic perfume takes you from the salty warmth of beach pebbles straight into the whispering waves, and eventually down to the inky fathoms inhabited by giant squids. Feel the caress of tentacles of incense — initially menacing, ultimately comforting.

Inspired by a dream of flying naked over a lush jungle. Your skin tingles from the cold, before you feel the rustle of leaves against your body as you descend through the canopy of cypress and white cedar trees. Your senses are dazzled by the smell of green: vetiver, juniper, moss. You live here now.

Perfumer: Bertrand Duchaufour

Not just a fine addition to luxury white chocolate chip cookies, macadamia is also an intriguing perfume material. Creamy, buttery and velvety, it’s the starting point for this unusual fruity floral. The floral is mimosa, a cute li’l flower that looks innocent, but plays dirty. Don’t let those fluffy yellow pom-poms fool you — mimosa’s got a raunchy side thanks to its dusty niff of overripe honey. Orris doubletracks mimosa’s powderiness, while peach twins mimosa’s earthy sweetness. Mellow sandalwood steers macadamia from a nut to wood. Macadamia? That’s Ms Macadamia to you.

Inspired by the concepts of “green” and “freedom”, Terra Hedera evokes horseback riding on the Mongolian steppe. A green hyacinth intertwined with tenacious ivy and crisp galbanum.

Perfumer: Corinne Cachen

‘O absent presence, Stella is not here’

The fifth and final instalment of the Revenants collection draws inspiration from the Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sidney. In his Sonnet sequence ‘Astrophel and Stella’ Sidney develops and captures the essence of a haunting… the presence of one that is always felt but never seen.

‘Now I, wit-beaten long by hardest fate,

So dull am, that I cannot look into

The ground of this fierce love and lovely hate,

Then some good body tell me how I do,

Whose presence absence, absent presence is;

Blesst in my curse, and cursed in my bliss.’

Perfume:  Alexis Dadier

Galbanum, bergamot and tomato leaves create an exquisite citrusy woody diffusion. Marie Jeanne, known for the outstanding quality of their materials, have excelled, offering a beautifully rich green fragrance.