Papillon Hera Extrait de Parfum by Liz Moores 2022
Could there be a more beautiful wedding gift than a perfume made especially for your wedding day by your genius Mum?
Papillon Hera was created for perfumer Liz Moores’ daughter’s wedding, and now she is kindly sharing it with us (after the bride got exclusive first dibs). Expect the following opulent bouquet: Jasmine (the bride’s name), orange flower, orris, ambrette, ylang, rose de mai, narciussus, heliotrope, musk.
Legend has it that the Goddess Hera was adorned with orange blossom for her wedding to Zeus. She is known as the Goddess of love, marriage and childbirth, so like all of us, she is a gifted multi tasker. Papillon Hera is another version of the story, and no less romantic.
In my opinion, the main character in this particular love story is orris. To my nose, orris is even more elegant than iris, if you can imagine such a thing. It has a tender rarity made more precious by its hard won presence; rhizomes are kept underground for three years and then dried for another three years before being processed into usable ingredients. Some methods may vary, but it always involves a wait of several years.
Iris always reminds me of expensive dove grey suede. Orris is even softer and has a powderiness that iris only dusts over. Perhaps I see it as a fluffier dove grey maribou, lighter than air. Orris butter is not a cheap ingredient and when you see it up close, waxy and dry, it looks an unlikely candidiate for the remarkable classy air it brings to a perfume.
In the case of Hera, this precious root wreathes its way around tender buds of narcissus, always a joyful herald of spring. White flowers dance around in the breeze, and heady jasmine doesn’t hold back, taking over until the violet nuances of orris guide it gently back to earth. A diaphanous veil flutters in its wake, with the softest musk and ambrette (musk mallow) leaving memories of the beautiful bride behind after she has left. This powdery bouquet has the merest nuance of intimacy to it, as if you accidently caught a waft of the bride’s hair, or the scent of her neck. There is a timeless, vintage feel to this, giving it the air of a classic despite its young age. It doesn’t smell modern, and yet it is exactly what we need right now.
Is Hera fit for a Goddess? Let’s just say that it’s time that we all channelled our inner Goddesses and succumbed to the senseless, hypnotic beauty of Hera. Rarefied and precious, yet instantly accessible, Liz Moores has yet to make a perfume I don’t love. This will complete the Papillon collection for the foreseeable future.
Where to buy it
Papillon Hera Extrait de Parfum was released on the day of the 2022 flower super moon. Here’s the website for stockists and more.
Disclosure
I was kindly sent a sample of Hera by Liz Moores herself, for my consideration as a blogger. My decision to review it and my opinion of it are both my own.