A ballet of Aurora, Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle

As January is coming to a close and since February is going to be a month of iris due to Undina’s project that I’m eagerly going to support, I thought this is the most perfect opportunity to introduce you to the newest addition to the Atelier Cologne line. I observe this brand since 2010 when they were established & over the years I liked a rather high number of their fragrances. Despite being under L’Oreal now I still like what they do and feel happy to stay in touch with Sylvie & Christophe. When I learned what their first release in 2018 is I just knew I had to give it a try soon.

Enter Iris Rebelle, a second cologne absolue after 2013’s Silver Iris, dedicated to a precious iris flower. At first glance the perfume has a refreshing vibe composed of orange blossom and bergamot. They twirl, creating a vortex of yellow and green that smells tart, juicy and crisp at the same time. Next there is a hint of black pepper but it’s dosed in such small quantity that it almost slipped my attention. On my skin the top notes fade away in less than 15 minutes, guiding a way towards heart notes of the composition. The transition is seamless and easy on the nose if you ask me.

Next comes the iris, the leading act of Iris Rebelle. It starts with a pale powderness that whispers of innocence. There’s also a slightly cosmetic, make-up vibe to it. Think of the fragrance a sheer pink blush or a face powder could have. However after a while the iris accord starts to develop more body. By the time 1st hour has passed, the main element of this new fragrance has become more woody. What’s important is that the woodiness is balanced and its at the equal level with a powdery tone. I like this part a lot as because of it you can’t define if the perfume is feminine or masculine.

Later on the iris turns more silky & smooth and there’s something more fresh about it at that point. Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle features a back note of centifolia rose from Grasse. It introduces a fresh, dewy green scenery to the perfume. It’s also floral in a pastel pink way. The green color in the background gradually evolves into more crisp and herbal thing until it becomes evident that there’s a lavender note inside of this cologne absolue’s formula. I believe it was a challenge for a perfumer to keep both rose and lavender at a calm level so they don’t disturb iris that should be in the first plan.

In the initial phase when iris still builds up I get an interesting impression of a suede note but it burns out after a few breaths and I start to smell ash instead. It reminded me of Aedes Iris Nazarena by doing so, although in Iris Rebelle this feeling was way less accentuated. Hours pass and I could smell different aspects of the fragrance. It was a little bit woody, powdery, floral and herbal – a truly colorful fan of different aromas. In the drydown I could smell a generous portion of gaiac wood that adds substance and weight to it via being almost resinous. Patchouli gave it a litte bit of earthy texture.

In Iris Rebelle we experience a clash of arts, as woman and man meet, the worlds of painting and ballet dance collide and become dependent on each other, making these two inseparable.

He was drawing obsessively, invading her space as if he were alone. But when she changed her seat he could not stop staring at her… Days later backstage, she was nervously breathing as the crowd was waiting for the ballet to start.
At that moment, she unexpectedly saw him in the front row.
All at once, she felt strong and calm, as if they were alone.

Iris Rebelle from Atelier Cologne in its final form blends many different aspects of an iris. Apart from the impressions I described earlier there’s also a vegetal side to it that make this accord slightly carroty at times. White musk provides a final settlement to the fragrance by bringing a loose talcum aroma combined with some soapy, clean bits. It’s soft and fluffy in a way but it’s not even close to usual & annoying facets of white musk. On my skin there’s even a little bit of sweetness underneath a top layer which makes me think of it as an extension of a cosmetic feeling I had before.

Perfumer who composed this fragrance for Atelier Cologne is Ralph Schwieger. In my opinion the end result is a very lovely iris-centered fragrance that has more to offer than being just a soliflore. To me Iris Rebelle is a very versatile scent, a completely unisex one, that could be worn all year round, for various occasions and without much effort. It doesn’t have a screaming presence on skin but it does linger on it for a long time. In my opinion iris perfumes should be like that – iris is too elegant of a flower to be straight in your face. 15% of fragrance concentration works magic when combined with warmth of the skin. The perfume comes in 10, 30, 100 and 200 ml bottle sizes. What say you? Would you like to try it?