Hiram Green Ultra and Arcadia

First off, really sorry about the huge image. Can’t figure out how to get rid of it.

So, the March saying of comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Alas, not this year. Rather, in like a lion and out like a lion. In between, we did have some lovely weather.

I went to the local tulip festival. Not quite the Keukenhof in the Netherlands but really lovely. Brought home some flowers – plus had a nice hot chocolate.

Hiram Green. I have a lot of time for HG perfumes. I own the now discontinued Dilettante and Slowdive, which is still sold: the former is big flower/fruit with orange flower, petitgrain and orange; the latter tobacco, honey, hay (gooey, sticky, gorgeous).

(my hiram green pic didn’t work — or worked oddly — so here’s the website link: here)

The perfumes are now harder to find in the UK between Brexit and tariffs. However, sometimes needs must. I saw a comment somewhere about a newer addition called Ultra and ended up at the HG site in Europe. Four samples later and here we are.

Today it’s Ultra and Arcadia. The former is a 2025 release, the latter was launched in 2022.

First off, I’ve finally decided the is a HG base and while I like it (maybe it’s tobacco-amber-ish) I can imagine it’s not for everyone. Especially when that’s what you end up with in a white or green floral and are expecting something lighter.

Anyway, onward.

Ultra. Notes include neroli, ylang, narcissus, jasmine, floral necter (ok…), leather, hay, tobacco and resins. This is so not me but I quite like it. Per the marketing material, this is all about the 1980s: big this, big that, excess, disco and synth music, big energy, neon, etc. I lived in NYC in the ‘80s and it was all these things plus dirty, a bit scary, incredibly interesting.

Initially I get powdery florals with a lovely scratchy narcissus aspect. And definitely pong, but also green. It’s not so much big as full of presence. Sweaty dancers at Danceteria or the Limelight. People dressing to be noticed. Fun but also dark and a little bit shocking.

The drydown is that tobacco-amber thing. I’d not paid attention to my wrist for several hours and was surprised by that when settling in bed.

I keep saying I don’t need things but I will use all of my sample of this. It is a very good perfume and it reminds me of a certain period of my life which was very different from any other.

Arcadia. Notes include bergamot, lavender, jasmine, rose, spices, resins, tonka bean, aged patchouli (??) and sandalwood. This is labelled a Fougere and fougeres are definitely not usually my thing. Lavender and ferniness doesn’t seem to work that well between my skin and my nose.

Anyway, this starts bergamot and lavender – not auspicious. So, why did you include in the samples, you ask. Well, I’m not sure – I can’t recall. In any case, the description is ‘In the idyllic, unspoiled wilderness of Arcadia babbling brooks meander through mountains covered in dense forests and the air is filled with the sound of humming insects and twittering birds’. Ok, fine.

Thing is, after that sort of cold opening, this moves along nicely, gets more musky and sits better on my skin. And then the drydown is that tobacco, hay, honey thing but modified a bit (making it less heavy and sweet) by the Fougere-ness of the perfume.

All in, two very interesting choices.

As noted above, HGs are difficult to procure here but a number of places in the US stock the brand and it’s easy to get in Europe.

Pics: pexels, mine