Hidden Pearls

[roseus]

Iris root, gleaming orris, pearlescent white vanilla, sweet coconut milk, and pear stem.

I'm very into creamy white scents so I jumped on bottle! The pear stem and coconut milk were what I was looking most forward to about this scent.

In the bottle: Very light and sweet. The orris root gives it a soft violet-like vibe. There's a little green from the pear steam. It's creamy but I can't detect the coconut or vanilla specifically.

On wet: The orris develops, and is strongly iris. The vanilla is floating around but it's not super sweet either. The testing patch on my chest has apparent coconut where my wrist does not.

Dry: Creamy, and delicate. The orris root is the star but it's subdued, soft and reminiscent of candy. The coconut milk and vanilla creates a creamy base, and the pear stem adds a freshness. It's just the tiniest bit of green tartness. So perfect for spring.

 

Overall: Very beautiful, and if I didn't have so many creamy scents already I'd definitely keep it! If the pear stem was more prominent it'd be no question. Since orris is similar to violet I think those fans will be into this, it's definitely an interesting variation on that tune. This could also be for people who want to like violet but find it too bold.

Edited March 11, 2016 by roseus

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

This is so strange, but I could have sworn I was smelling dry cocoa when I first applied this! It must somehow be the combo of vanilla and orris? Anyway, as it dries, the iris is very clear and prominent. It fades quickly into a soft hint of sweetness and floral on the drydown. I don't get coconut or pear at all, so this is completely different from the tropical scent I was expecting, although it is pretty.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

coconut and me don't get on well. in food or fragrance. even palm oil in anything is enough to make me avoid it because it smells like coconut.

 

there are a few tiny select exceptions - and of those few (that i can count on one hand) - one of them is Blood Pearl. apparently now i have another.

 

 

i had a teensy accident when decanting this scent, and spilled about a decant's worth of oil. now, in all the years i've been decanting, this has almost always happened when it was a scent i hated.

but for now, that room smells quite happily of what i'd swear was Blood Pearl. i haven't done a side-by-side skin testing but they're really similar. which is fine by me, i quite like them both!

[LiberAmoris]

Hidden Pearls is one of my favorites from my Lupercalia order. This is definitely reminiscent of Blood Pearl, with which it shares notes of orris and coconut. But Hidden Pearls is gleaming and white as opposed to the dusky, musky pearls of Blood Pearl. The iris and orris are the most prominent notes on me (it's like Iris Squared!), with the coconut trailing and the vanilla and pear just behind. The result is a gleaming, nacre-d, gorgeous blend that smells white and pale green. Orris does smell a little like violet, and at times this smells like some just-discovered 'white coconut violet' that only grows in the rainforest or something.

[Dark Alice]

Man I wish this had more PEAR!!! This is the vanilla from Faith on me, with the orris giving it that violetish note. It really is a stunner...but I need more pear! *sigh*

[Leopard403]

Ooh, me likey! I was worried that the orris would turn powdery as it tends to do on me, but I think the other notes keep it well grounded. The result is a creamy, truly "pearly" scent. There's a hint of sweet pear if you really look for it, and the coconut is not too overt. Overall, there's a kind of tropical violet vanilla-type vibe, and I love it.

[tziporra]

I blind bought six Luper bottles, and they were largely winners (there is one I'm going to rest to see if it improves before ditching it) but Hidden Pearls is the best of the lot.

 

So it's coconut and vanilla and orris and pear - I find it more similar to Black Pearl than Blood Pearl but either comparison works - but gah, it's just so much more. It's such a sweet heavenly soft cloud of graceful white scent. Of all my Shungas this one feels the most oriental to me, the tiny greenery found in the pear sets it off perfectly.

 

Funny enough a dear friend of mine took me out to a tea shop last night and I enjoyed a tea named "pear la France" - it was a green tea infused with pear, flavored with vanilla and served with cream. If the drink had been coconut based instead of tea based it would be a dead ringer for Hidden Pearls. And the blissed out feeling I'm getting wearing it is just the same I experienced sipping sweet tea, listening to the new age spa music and the playing of the fountain.

 

Tzi

[freyasfae]

I think this scent is perfectly reminescent of what orris smells like. Violet is usually too strong and soapy for me, but this is orris, softer and a touch powdery. The vanilla is very subtle, but the coconut is prominent. Like many of the other reviewers have said, I did want the pear to be a little more prominet to create a crisper element to this scent. But, overall, very beautiful and pearly.

[SimplySyra]

Hidden Pearls is strongly iris and orris. Orris to me smells like a less in your face violet. There's a good smack of coconut and vanilla here as well. This is sweet, verging on tropical in a lush wet florals and coconut sort of way. I like it a lot at the get-go but find it starts to try to turn to your average cake-scented plastic doll after about half an hour. Really a shame as it's a great scent! Would still recommend to those of you without my pesky skin chemistry.

[LizziesLuck]

Iris and Orris are not good on me. And I am aware that this is likely to be strongly those two things on me. But I am addicted to vanilla and coconut, and intrigued by pear stem, and so I wanted to give it a shot.

 

In the imp, I actually do get mostly a woody pear, and coconut!

 

Wet: That's a different story, the pear is there, but so are iris and orris, which both smell like violets on me. They're soft in this though, and not giving me a headache, so I am going to let it dry and see how it turns out.

 

 

Dry: Violets. Well, I tried. It's actually quite soft, and not terrible, but I just have never been able to care for that scent. Still, glad I gave it a shot.

[Pyretta]

I'm kind of on a mission to get better at recognizing certain floral notes, since I don't usually like them but some blends have been serious winners - just can't put my finger on what's in them that I like yet!

 

So here we go with iris and orris...

 

Bottle: Pretty much straight coconut, and more the beach spray kind than creamy coconut milk. Sweet is definitely spot-on, though. I can pick out something floral in the background.

 

Wet: Coconut sometimes goes funky on me but it's not doing that here! It settles down a lot on my skin, as well, and turns more delicate. The vanilla is coming out too, which is surprising as it tends to get overshadowed when it isn't the primary focus of a blend.

 

Dry: This is just lovely. It's incredibly well-blended and - yes - pearlescent! I'm getting a slight floral note but it's not anything I can identify. A little bit of the pear stem comes through at this stage. It gets a little powdery on drydown, but in the soft, vanilla icing-sugar way. "Baby pink" is the best way I could describe it. Not creamy necessarily (I associate cream with a heavier sort of base) but milky.

 

Verdict: So many of the Lupers this year have been instant loves for me, and this might join the pack! I'll wear my decant once or twice more to see if It's worth an upgrade... but I'll probably cave in the end

 

... still don't know what iris and orris smell like, though.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Pyretta

[theseagrows]

when first applied it's all iris, orris and pear with the vanilla backing it up. a hint of coconut comes through and i think i'm getting more coconut and pear after about half an hour. it's a lovely light spring scent, really liking this! i think it ends up orris, vanilla and pear in the end. a very white, shining scent. so pretty, i may need a bottle.

Edited April 23, 2016 by theseagrows

[zankoku_zen]

Coconut, orris, iris and a touch of pear. This is a white coconut, light florals blend. It's a very white, somewhat tropical, somewhat Asian blend. Soft, cuddly.

[unxolve]

Wet: JUICY PEAR. Smells like pink starbursts taste! Only with a sophisticated, stemmy planty flower edge. Real, lush petals (not a chemical pain cloud). This is by far the most eastery and springy thing I've sampled. I feel like I should be in a sunday dress and a broad-brimmed sunhat. MMMM this is just, DOWNRIGHT GOOD. Fun, sexy, SPRING.

 

Drying down: EVEN BETTER, everything's becoming more smoothly blended grass/flower/fruit. Sstill intriguing, soft, sexy and excellent.

 

Dry: ....annnnd it's gone. goodbye, it was a fun and beautiful ride T_T

Edited May 11, 2016 by unxolve

[Jenjin]

Blind Bottle Purchase from the Forum. Curious about the Orris, Iris Root and Pear Stem.

IN THE BOTTLE:

Fruity, almost a wet lavender. It's reminiscent of violets or other purple flowers. Very tangy.

WET:

Strong, sharp floral with a creamy coconut base. This might not suit me....

DRY:

I'm still looking for the pear. It's a "pear stem" and i'm not sure what pear wood smells like. The coconut has turned a bit from the tart, tanginess of the florals and I'm not enjoying what's happened with the florals. I'm not liking the little whiffs I'm getting.....

NOTES:

I can imagine a lot of people will love Hidden Pearls. The iris is pretty and the coconut thread makes it gourmand in a way. It reminds me of an asian drink with orchids, and sweetness. Pinks and Lavenders and Lapis Blue. Sadly, it's not for me. I'm going to keep my bottle and see how it changes with time.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Jenjin

[Blood onmy hands]

I love orris's soft, powdered sugary, vanilla-violet thing as much as I hate iris's sharp, perfumey/musky, cheap white floral smell. On me, this is a pretty even mix of both, and I can't pick out the coconut or pear. The sharp iris ruins the sweeter, creamier elements for me.

[sunlitgarden]

In the decant, this smells both sweet and tart, and a bit powdery. It reminds me of a candy like (American) Smarties or Sweet Tarts, with that mix of powdery-sweet-tart and a bit fruity.

 

On my skin: Whatever the "tart" element is, it's less present on my skin. On my skin it's still sweet and powdery and a bit fruity. It smells somewhat like violet, if violet actually worked on me (which it generally doesn't, though orris does). Actually, it's kind of making me think of some violet pastille candy, but a bit tarter. I can detect the coconut here but it's not really a "beachy" or suntan coconut. It's somewhat like the coconut in Black Pearl (which makes sense since it's another "pearl") and Aphrogenes. Actually, this is reminding me a lot of Aphrogenes minus the cherry blossom and sandalwood, which makes sense since they share a number of notes (orris, iris, coconut). It's the same sort of pretty, delicate "white" scent. I like this, but it didn't stand out enough for me to buy a bottle.