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dell77 – :
Starts as smoky metallic, incense iris but fades sharply to a note I’ve come to associate with gaiac, but I suspect is shared by many wood elements, because the result is a fragrance note of screamingly loud, painful wood alcohol, like the kind you find in an industrial setting. I loved the smooth cold onset, but the sharp attack of alcohol ruined it totally for me.
karkushaAA – :
This is deeply *interesting*. I don’t recognize the notes well, but I get a sense of a Mediterranean vacation, a hotel by the sea near coastal scrub, brilliant sun and cool shadow, a secret tryst in the afternoon. It has no softness at all, it’s rather austere and almost colorless and unfriendly, which is why I didn’t wind up going for it. Genuinely unisex, IMO.
daizergad – :
The orris root or iris butter can be found in other colognes like Dior l’Homme. In Feu Secret the base notes are not as deep and dark and rely on turmeric and vanilla more than wood for extra dryness. The spruce and eucalyptus make it so lively. Longevity is very good and it’s overall a complex modern scent experience. FB worthy.
RobRuban – :
Dangerous. Shiny and gleaming like molten silver, the notes are seemingly cold and austere with the chilling factor of spruce, eucalyptus and cedar — a touch of wooded camphor and menthol.
Orris and turmeric blend to offer a bitter powder, fiery and dry, like an illusion of sweet ash and papery petals floating in the air.
Feu Secret delivers artful contrasts of fire and dry ice. Oddly it indeed reminds me of the Australian bush with its camphorous scrub, dry heat, and fine powdered desert sand — a perfect recommendation given to me by one of the fine members of Fragrantica in the forums. This is another outstanding piece of abstract, contemporary olfactory art from Bruno Fazzolari. Do experience his work if you get a chance!
moon97 – :
Bruno Fazzolari is one of the most interesting new perfumers out there. He creates surprisingly wearable modern fragrances with ancient elements woven in to give them a unique edge. His new offering inspired by the work of alchemists is no exception. A modern airy spice-woods aromatic fragrance, this one opens with notes of orris, pink pepper, and turmeric and then settles into a mostly woods affair (cedar, birch, spruce and eucalyptus) with the spice hovering lightly in the background. Eminently wearable and surprisingly unisex, this one is a study in measured contrasts between the ancient and modern. A daring and challenging creation, and quite a mystical experience indeed.
screambitchscream – :
OOHHHHhhhhh! Damn it! that dusty iris again! MARVELOUS!
I don’t know how to define it as natural raw iris, iris roots (orris), or just pure raw iris! it just differs from all other iris BUT quite similar to “Dama Koupa” by Baruti with that dusti iris that STRIKES with it’s powerful charming effect but less dark and this one remains on my skin creamy and balmy for a while, while in Baruti’s, it remains sharp iris and turns powdery.
The only drawback of this one is the birch! i just don’t like birch to be involved that much as i keep on sniffing it over and over specially when the iris vanishes and weakens little by little as it calms down, but what makes it good is the spicy take on it and i believe it’s the turmeric as it adds some orange color to the blend and grabbing the iris from vanishing for good.
It’s quite a very interesting take on iris by “Fazzolari” as i rarely can find anything that interests me that is made by him. I’m just hunting now his “Au Dela Narcissus” to see if it will be a good one too like this one here.
Elena86 – :
My experience is generally consistent with the other reviews here. A cool, grey orris is the star of this show, warmed somewhat by spices (turmeric and pink pepper) and woods. I can detect each of the listed notes except for cedar and birch. To my nose, the orris here is thankfully not powdery at all, but rather perhaps a bit waxy and yet dusty at the same time. Carroty aspects and “makeup” facets are also present but not dominant.
The performance of this one parallels the performance of Au Dela Narcisse — big opening for 60-90 minutes, then rapidly calming down to a fairly quiet scent. Here, the orris becomes somewhat less prominent in the dry-down, but it is still the key player throughout — unlike ADN, in which the central player (narcissus) largely fades from view (at least on my skin).
I agree with Lanier that this one exudes the vibe of a classic fragrance from bygone days; yet it is somehow a modernized update on those classics. The same could be said of both Five and Au Dela Narcisse, as well. I find it leans a bit more feminine than Fazzolari’s Monserrat but less so than ADN. Still unisex enough that a lot of men will have no problem with this. Also, unlike ADN and Room 237 and perhaps Lampblack, there is nothing particularly challenging about this fragrance, unless you happen to dislike orris/iris: it is pleasant from start to finish.
Pooley – :
My fourth sampling of Bruno Fazzolari’s line is his latest creation, Feu Secret, a powdery/woody blend that entails a harmonious balance between teh woody notes of spruce and eucalyptus and the powdery iris, though not so powdery as to be prohibitive, as I’m generally not a huge fan of iris.
Performance is on par with Lampblack, decent projection but nothing overwhelming, with very good longevity.
Overall I’m pleased with it but the iris is still a little too prominent in it for me to be fully won over, and Five remains my favorite fragrance of the house.
7 out of 10
Hoi1999 – :
It is not from today that Iris enchants humanity. With its original name derived from a goddess of Greek mythology responsible for the rainbow and for bringing the messages of the gods to mankind, Iris was also a noble material in Egyptian civilization and an important and rare element in alchemy preparations and potions with different purposes. In modern times, the iris is a noble material whose roots depend on at least 3 years of drying and storage to develop its aromatic profile. From the olfactory point of view, the chemical composition of this root is interesting in the way that only its chemical elements present together can pass its complexity of secondary nuances.
In perfumery it is very common to use synthetics, especially ionones, to create an iris profile that sometimes emulates its most powdery aspect, sometimes its sweet side connected with violets and at other times its woody and dry side. It is rare, however, for those who use the natural raw material because of its high cost and its more earthy, metallic and cold side, not always so easy to balance. But in Feu Secret Bruno dares to use it and manages to find a balance for such noble material.
It is interesting that the flame that the iris evokes to me is of a blue tonality, at first seeming cold. The driest, earthy carrot aspect is evident from the Feu Secret opening, though the use of menthol notes helps soften this harder aspect of iris. It is interesting that Bruno uses some synthetic or natural that combined the iris brings out a secret side of it, its ability to in the correct proportions remember the green smell of fig leaves. This earthy greener impression opens the way for a very discreet powdery aura that ends up being superimposed on the woody, dry basis of the composition, where cedar in particular helps bring the most woody aspect of the iris to the foreground. As a whole, Feu Secret tends towards a mysterious masculine composition of a cozy, long-lasting, and attractive aura. It is a matching accurate work of a noble material in a wearable and pleasant structure.
Vricgo – :
Someone asked me recently how I would compare classic fragrance to what is being made today and I immediately thought of Bruno Fazzolari. He is one of the new perfumers of the last five years who is on to something wonderful. A creative process in perfumery that is both modern and classical at the same time.
I first met Bruno at the SF ARTISAN PERFUME SALON 2013 where he was launching his line. I was immediately taken by the beauty and sophistication of his work, especially in Au Dela. His work for a new perfumer was eons ahead of everyone else at that event. What I smelled in that particular fragrance was a time machine to 1947. I was smelling a timeless new perfume by Christian Dior. I was smelling a master’s work. Lighting in a bottle, and I knew I was there and very lucky to witness the birth of a star.
What Dior did in fashion by bringing glamour and yards of fabric back to the forefront of fashion after the horrors and austerity of World War II was to create the “New Look” a term coined by Carmel Snow of American Vogue to describe the romantic new movement of the mid-20th Century. Bruno Fazzolari in a very real way in the early 21st Century, is doing what Dior did. He is creating the “Nouveau Sens” in perfumery. He is bringing romanticism and glamour to the niche market in a way that is both classic and modern. And I for one could not be more thrilled.
In his new fragrance, Feu Secret I find the magic has reached a new level of beauty and artistry. It is a dry and warm beauty. Opening with dangerous and bitter touch of hemlock which is punctuated with a sharp jab of green Spruce. This is a fleeting tease to the arrival of a warm burning leaves note of the most amazing eucalyptus. A smell I grew up with in Southern California where in the summer the Eucalyptus trees seem to give off a smoky smoldering scent.
The middle gets even better. A light spice not leaning toward ginger is provided by a turmeric note, spiced up with pink pepper. But here is the kicker, Iris. This note that usually takes on a lip stick, Max Factor quality is this time not in the back-stage dressing room on the dressing table waiting to go on at all. No, this Iris is wrapped up in that burning eucalyptus and the combination becomes the sacred heart of this fire. The supporting base notes of Himalayan cedar, burch tar and a rich thick as butter vanilla round out this fragrance and bring it all home in style.
It is completely wearable for any occasion from day to evening, Full enough for the colder months but certainly something I would wear in the height of summer, that fire, that smoke is so perfect for the season.
(FOR THE REST OF THE STORY BEHIND FEU SECRET CHECK OUT MY BLOG SCENTS MEMORY)
20Gemini10 – :
I saw the comment of the first reviewer about projection. I can’t think of two perfume compliments I’ve gotten in the past year, but the first day I wore Feu Secret I had three friends at different times nuzzle up to my neck and coo over the scent.
*
Feu Secret is an exploration of orris, a tricky material to describe in notes. Combined with other components in a composition it has an olfactory range of that lands it squarely in the woody-floral category. Of course orris butter can also make a perfume powdery, metallic, papery, chocolatey or yeasty depending on the angle of approach so to speak. It fixes fragrant materials so that even highly volatile topnotes coast a little bit further into the heart of a perfume.
The woody floral genre has a long history of dowdiness. To most people it is the brown tweed suit of fragrance. Practical, sturdy, steady. Pedigreed but dull. Fazzolari updates the genre and reinvigorates it. He modulates a central iris/violet accord with an astringent cedarwood and an unexpected mix of herbs and aromatics. I struggle to identify the specific aromatic materials, but I recognize their properties. Warm, chilly, piquant, bitter. The hot and cold aromatics temper the orris. They divert the iris note from its anticipated trajectory and allow Feu Secret to break from the tradition of staid woody florals.
The topnotes lead with a papery, chilled iris. This cool characterization of iris is recognizable, but Feu Secret doesn’t follow a predictable course. Chanel 19’s acetone, Iris Silver Mist’s frozen carrot and Masque Milano l’Attesa’s cardboard all lean in this direction. Fazzolari’s twist is to play up the common ground of iris and violet notes, painting a spectrum from platinum violet leaf through cyanotic grey iris root to a pale mauve violet flower. In the heartnotes the frost thaws and releases a sweaty note reminiscent of both skin and dough. It’s a transitional olfactory image, but one that gives Feu Secret an intimate feel. By drydown the pairing of orris and cedar create a warm unctuousness similar to creamy sandalwood.
Secret Fire is a term borrowed from alchemy, an ancient practice that summons images of wizards feverishly trying to turn base materials into gold. But alchemy was in fact an organized system that attempted to reconcile the physical world and the unseen forces that acted on it. Think of it as chemistry with a dash of physics and a huge helping of magical thinking. Secret Fire was the much coveted ability of alchemists to harness a material’s hidden animating properties and transform it to their will. Alchemists famously chased a ‘universal solvent’ called Azoth that divided materials into their fundamental elements and allowed them to be manipulated by alchemists who possessed the Secret Fire.
Fazzolari’s universal solvent is orris butter. He uses it to reveal fundamental properties and break down the other materials into the classical elements of alchemy. Turmeric ignites and becomes fire. Eucalyptus is a cool plunge into water. Pink Pepper takes flight and dissolves into air while cedar’s roots clutch the soil and become earth. Fazzolari tames the elements and creates a perfume of measured contrasts. His perfumes have a thoughtful, deliberate quality, but Feu Secret gives a glimpse further. In the 21st century artists are the closest thing we have to alchemists and their secret fire is their ability to transform us with their work.
from scenthurdle.com
VAL_LTD – :
Scent – iris butter, woods & spices.
Season/Time of Day – I prefer to use this one in the warmer months, day or night.
Projection – I didn’t get noticed, I didn’t get a compliment.
Longevity – I get 6hrs consistently.