Iris Rebelle
Atelier Cologne (2018)

I love Atelier's citrus scents and was excited to try this one. But to me, it's just okay. I was hoping to smell the bergamot in this. Instead, it smells like a pleasant but bland floral on me.

Of course, there may be people who don't like Iris Rebelle, or any iris scent for that matter. But for iris lovres it is a real gem. It's different from most scents we know on iris, from the Prada's to Dior Homme, from Iris de Nuit to Terre d'Iris, from Bois d'Argent to Iris Bleu Gris but ... but very close to 31 Rue Cambon. If... if the Chanel Exclusif is too much for you ( it's not for me althought it is thick and a bit gloomy... funereal, says Luca Turin ) Iris Rebelle must be a good choice. It is as though Chanel had made an eau de colgne version of Rue Cambon, the same scent, the same smell, the same quality but light and airy and quite cherfull, also. I couldn't be happier.

Iris Rebelle makes me feel incredibly happy. Unlike iris & orris bombs that smell too "perfumey" and cloying, this takes a spicier, peppery turn.

For my money, this is one of the best iris scents there is. It's piquant and memorable, but not too overbearing.

I get much better performance out of it than others have reported.

The iris/neroli/musk combo here smells to me like envelope adhesive. Funny, I get the same thing from O, Unknown! by Imaginary Authors. It could just be an issue with my skin + orris, but either way, it sets my teeth on edge.

The opening of Iris Rebelle would probably put a smile on many iris fans: an almost buttery orris kisses the skin, leaving a subtle smear of her violet lipstick.

However, this phase is sadly very short-lived. Within minutes, the carrot-like earthy nuance of iris briefly makes its turn, before the fragrance swiftly settles into a standard floral woody musk base: a clean, vegetal, ambrette-like white musk with fresh neroli nuance and a vague, slightly peppery woody undertone.

Iris Rebelle then remains this pleasant skin scent until the end. The sillage is mostly soft, while the longevity is around 6 to 7 hours.

Overall, I find Iris Rebelle a very adequate clean floral woody musk, and I quite enjoy wearing it. Although the orris is not as luxurious as I would have liked, its overall transparent, modern approach is perfectly in accordance with Atelier Cologne's "cologne" aesthetics. I would recommend it to those who enjoy iris-neroli fragrances such as Prada Infusion d'Iris, or iris-ambrette fragrances such as Diptyque Fleur de Peau, but would like a more prominent orris note in the opening.