Iris de Syracuse

"Iris de Syracuse" opens up with a strong black pepper note, which may feel somewhat confusing and liquorice-like because of mandarin orange wrapped around it. Pear is too green to hold its own, and only hints of it exist through slightly honeyed sweetness. Iris steps in pretty fast, powdered by heliotrope. They "push" the pepper off the stage and this is when composition starts becoming rather unique and interesting. Iris is a cool blue and heliotrope undertone does not make it warmer, but pepper does. And now that pepper is no longer domineering, the fragrance is quite beautiful and superbly original. Jasmine, like the pear, is not pronounced and is detectable by its indolic flashes of gold (it is more visible during the summer period, adding its own signature sweetness and taming the pepper furthermore). White musk is a solid base, well rounded by vanilla, creating a subtle and elegant background without interfering with the heart notes, adding some freshness, which makes "Iris de Syracuse" a year-round wearable perfume as well as a solid unisex. Despite its simplicity, the scent is unmistakably original and nothing else comes to mind that may compare anywhere close to its signature. Pepper accord creates a great twist on otherwise "old classic" of iris, heliotrope and musk, justifying its name as the Port of Syracuse was the at the cross roads of the West and Orient and was full of luxurious spices, colours and fabrics. "Iris de Syracuse" has a restrained projection and is great for both close encounters as well as going out. It lasts at least 6 - 8 hours on my skin, and its notes' transitions are most enjoyable to behold. To me, - it is a perfect niche classic - its very own character and twist, quiet luxury evoking the opulence and mysticism of the ancient history.

Boucheron's Iris de Syracuse is simply BEAUTIFUL! The opening combination of pear, pepper and orange is brisk and gives me happy thoughts of warm breezes, sunshine and fat fluffy clouds in an azure blue sky. The Iris defines this soft gorgeous scent while jasmine wafts softly in the background and heliotrope lends its powdery goodness. There's just enough vanilla rich sweetness and musk so that I don't even notice the patchouli. Just soft, sweet, powdery richness that blooms and wafts with movement. I spray this right where my forearms meet biceps and the humidity keeps this wafting for hours! This beauty is perfect for hot pre-summer days like today. It kept me feeling cool, relaxed and shrouded in a softly fragrant bubble all day. Longevity and arm's length sillage are better than expected. Weather and body heat probably plays an important role in both. I've been on a powdery fragrance kick lately and have sampled: Prada's Infusion D'Iris; Gucci's Alchemist's Garden, Tears of Iris; Tocca's Violet, Dusita's SplendIris, Ellen Tracey's Bronze (citrus, powdery goodness) as well as something called Bruma by somebody or other, all in the last couple weeks. Boucheron's Iris de Syracuse will be the first full bottle of the lot, with Gucci's, Tears of Iris, and the citrus scented Bronze. I liked Prada's soapy, Infusion D'Iris well enough; that is before Syracuse came along and stole the show. IDS has a deeper, more mellow vibe, thanks to the vanilla. I'll probably try the orange or other Infusion scents by Prada just for some variety before I complete the powder-centric portion of my growing collection.

For all those who like Glossier You, Prada Infusion d’Iris, Chanel Comete or 1957, Salvatore Ferragamo Viola Essenziale, Room 1015 Sonic Flower, or Miller Harris Violet Ida, but you just couldn’t splurge the amount of money for the mediocre performance of these scents, rest assured that you have with Iris de Syracuse a worthy replacement for a phenomenal value in a luxurious packaging and bottle! I am not calling Iris de Syracuse a 1:1 dupe for any of the above mentioned scents, but this is a very close perfume to the all above. Could be worn interchangeably with any mentioned above and most people wouldn’t be able to distinguish between them in the air... There might be more similar perfumes out there, but that’s what’s coming to my mind instantly when I am sniffing Iris de Syracuse. I haven’t tested all iris dominant perfumes on the market, it’s not even my most favourite floral, but I am learning to like it in some compositions. Therefore, if you’re in the market for a gorgeous, soft, powdery, purple/white floral, with a hint of pepper and a creamy vanilla in the base, do yourself a favour and buy a bottle of Iris de Syracuse. It’s a lighter fragrance, but so are all the ones mentioned above, but this has good lingering power and is so cozy, calming, tranquil and soothing . Talking value for money, Iris de Syracuse is the clear number one recommendation from my perspective because it is cheaper than all of them. As much as I love Comete or 1957, I would never pay Chanel’s prices when there are brands like Boucheron who create the same juice for less than a third of Chanel’s price range!

After much consideration, I just decided to purchase a full bottle of this beautiful fragrance. I wrote previously of the abysmal performance on my skin, thinking I couldn't possibly justify spending the money on a full bottle, but when months pass and you wistfully look back at what "might have been", sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind and surrender, as is the case in any great love affair!! 😉 I have been on a spree the past week or so and have picked up a few new irises. This is the one I am looking forward to receiving the most! EDIT - 3/31/22 My bottle arrived today. The packaging is gorgeous, as is the scent. For 5 minutes. Then she's gone. Even over spraying doesn't help. Praying that sitting for a while and weather will help. I'm also starting to think I may be anosmic to some white musks. I am so sad!! EDIT 6/18/2022 - not sure if my nose has become more sensitive, but when I treat it almost like a body spray, it last longer and people who get near me have given compliments. Now the Iris Nobile is no more and I'm nursing the remainder of my bottle, I'd have to say that this will become my favorite iris in my collection. Good thing it comes in a generous sized bottle, because I do need to over spray in order to get the full experience!

Quite a linear oris/iris, it doesn’t really develop or evolve into anything more complex on the skin, but for moments when all you want is a comforting lipstick vibe with reasonable longevity, this is it. Iris de Syracuse has reasonable projection with every arm movement releasing a delicious waft of powdery iris for the wearer to enjoy throughout the day. A perfect office scent which will not offend anyone and yet will garner compliments (I noticed far more from women than men). I found this reasonably priced on fragrance net but I admit I wouldn’t pay the full retail price for it. Would I call this a challenging masterpiece or classic, probably wouldn’t go that far but I will say I love it, I love being enveloped in its soft beauty and I will wear it frequently. In my opinion - recommended. I recently read a review where someone layered this with something else but I cannot remember who wrote it or what the other fragrance was, only that it sounded like a great idea to me at the time. Fragrance 8 out of 10 Value (discounted on line) 7 out of 10 Projection 7 out of 10 Complexity 2 out of 10 Uniqueness 2 out of 10 Longevity 9 out of 10.