Dilettante by Hiram Green

I received my sample of Dilettante this past June (which tells you how behind I am in my blog reviews) and indeed this was supposed to be a summertime post. The three listed notes of orange flower, petitgrain, and essential oil of orange suggest that this fruity floral perfume would sit perfectly in the pocket of a warm summer night, but this Dilettante has more to offer.

The aforementioned notes are the only ones provided on the website, and the beauty of not knowing exactly what supports and enhances this orange based trio, is a freedom to sense different facets of Dilettante each time I wear it. I always experience jasmine within its structure, but today for instance, I am much more aware of the juicy indolic nature of both the orange blossom and the jasmine. On past wearings, it has not been as pronounced but rather one that is smoother and sweeter, the jasmine in particular. The scent of melting beeswax is always very prominent and quite animalic in that I can practically feel the pollen-collecting fur on the bees as they hug and explore the blossoms. The heat from these living beings is very apparent in Dilettante, heightened by a hint of ambergris or possibly ambrette depending upon the day or even moment.

Admist all this talk of sensual floral juiciness, I don’t want to lose sight that Dilettante is a heady white floral that has a tropical bent. There’s a bit of coconut woven ever so smoothly into the mix that is simply intoxicating to me, mostly because it has been added very judiciously. If it were just a hair stronger it might have become a coconut perfume, and if it weren’t there at all, I think it would lack an exotic quality that gives Dilettante depth and allure. I do wonder if the element of coconut might emanate from massoia bark as this has a milky, coconut scent as well as a basalmic woody profile which also is an aspect of this perfume. Adding to this complex fragrance is a resinous quality which as I said before, makes this so much more than just a summery orange blossom scent. Maybe it’s massoia bark, or frankincense (or both), but the smoky resinous flourishes of Dilettante elevate it to a year-round, unconfined status.

You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned topnotes, heart notes or a dry down as per usual. That’s because, and please do not read this as a negative, Dilettante is rather linear. The scent as a whole does not evolve from top to middle to bottom in a traditional perfume sense, but it does on a micro level which I tried to explain above. It transforms from day to day, and even within one wearing. The beeswax, smoke, coconut, resin, indoles, heady white florals… all intertwine, push/pull, and come into relief in such a harmonious and gorgeous fashion that I’m glad it’s a “linear evolution.”

If you haven’t read my review of Hiram Green’s Voyage, please do so. I fell in love with this equally beautiful but very different tropical floral as well. If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Hiram’s all natural perfumes I strongly encourage you to explore his line. Hiram takes great care in crafting his perfumes which are released once a year and you can find them at Potion where samples are available.

Dilettante is available at Potion $165 for 50 ml bottle or $45 for a 10ml bottle. Samples are also available.

Image of Dilettante from Hiram Green, Image of bee from Fine Art America, Image of sample is mine.

Disclosure: Hiram Green sent me this sample of Voyage for consideration. Like always, the opinions expressed in this review are mine and I am not financially compensated for my reviews. This post contains links to Potion with which I am affiliated.