l'esprit libre

The opening is bright and citrusy, both green and fruity, like a blend of lime and mandarin. It starts so fresh I'm wondering if there is also a pinch of ozonic aldehydes. Underneath, there is a light woody note that recalls me of paper in a really soothing way, but with kind of a tar aftertaste. Also, right from the beginning, the orris shows its buttery smoothness, gathering everything into a rounder fragrance. Then a lily of the valley is blooming, feeling fresh along with the citruses, and creamy thanks to the orris butter. The floral note is slightly aquatic, almost fishy at times. The fragrance finally sets with a spicy note, something like turmeric, but really softly brought, adding just the right amount of warmth to the floral body which until then felt so fresh. The orris butter is still there, along with the subtle woody note and the spicyness sharpens with time. This fragrance is lovely, simple and well-balanced, it melts nicely with the skin and evolves smoothly.

Fresh iris fragrance. Easy to wear, easy to love. Iris and bergamot with a touch of cashmere. Very feminine, perfect for the office. More for spring and summer. Moderate sillage and longevity, not bold or potent. Delicate and elegant, for iris lovers. 8/10

A very pretty, translucent and aquatic iris scent with a mouth-watering zesty citrus. This would make a perfect fresh summer scent to rescue you on a scorchingly hot day. Light, lovely and refreshing.

Very nice blended scent. Aquatic floral scent with a lot of zesty citruses in the back, I absolutely love it. Gorgeous unisex warm weather scent. Worth trying.

pretty good. powdery but not like so bad that i hate it. fresh, aquatic, and pleasant smelling. not a super exciting category for me

I was particularly keen to try L'Esprit Libre from my Divine discovery set, as it is the iris offering from this house, and iris is my favourite note of all. However, EL leaves me cold and is quite disappointing. It features an unexpected composition - the iris is present, but instead of a powdery, rooty orris, it is a green, dewy iris note placed in an aquatic context. I'm not a fan of aquatic florals at the best of times, and even the presence of iris does little to win me over here. EL opens with a bright citrus accord, adding freshness from the start and kickstarting the aquatic theme. The iris follows, slightly powdery but more muted, sheer and green than it typically appears. This is likely also due to the violet leaf note, but again, I find violet to be more powdery in perfume. It becomes quite aquatic quite quickly, pale and watery, but with an unfortunate window cleaner quality, grey and chemical. The cashmeran in the base doesn't help, its synthetic greyness coming to the fore as this scent develops. Some wan, watery florals emerge as EL develops, likely thanks to the listed peony and magnolia notes. The iris becomes more corporeal here, adding some powder, but it is still more muted than I'd like. It descends into a heavy grey cloud of cashmeran and synthetic musk, metallic and sterile as it fades. I get some synthetic woods in there too, also quite metallic. Sillage and longevity are moderate, and it is perhaps unisex. It is a spring/summer scent. I expected a lightweight iris, and instead got a grey, chemical haze - quite unpleasant to my nose, and ultimately disappointing. A rare misstep from an otherwise impressive house. 1/5.