Iris Chypre

Opens quite sparkling with Bergamot and a hint of spices. After the top notes start to fade away, the luxurious florals come into play, creating a bewitching scent bubble. I can not pick up the French rose in the heart but could easily smell jasmine which gets the creaminess from ylang ylang. At this juncture, when you are beguiled with floral wafts coming off your skin, you can smell slight animalic ambergris in the background. May I say, an opera. Florals are performing on stage and opulence of Ambergris, Oakmoss and Vanilla are peeping from the curtain backstage, waiting cordially for their turn to perform. Now is the time for showstoppers. The dry down is special. This stage is paramount. This is where this work of art gets its name from. This perfume exudes of Iris in the dry down. Do not think, it would be an Iris soliflore. Imagine Iris with its powdery and buttery peculiarities dancing elegantly and dancing behind as supporting cast are Oakmoss, Tonka, Vanilla and Benzoin. For me, it’s a perfect balance of sweet, powdery, floral and animalic notes. I haven’t smelt Iris Gris and a lot of other Irises that people swear by. One thing I can tell you, this perfume is my favorite Chypre now. Very close to be my favorite perfume, to be honest. There are very few perfumes that you smell, and you want everybody to try it. This is one of them. I am glad I tried it. It oozes class and sophistication. Finesse is the word. Félicitations, dear perfumer. An amusing thing about Iris Chypre is that it shells quite different on paper and skin. I felt that it did not open quite well on paper. On paper, it smells same as Roja Diaghilev. Some might think I am crazy for saying this, but please note that both are Chypres and both share ~80% of the notes in Top and base notes and 100% of the heart notes. I have owned Diaghilev for 3 years now and it has been my favorite. That's why I was struck with the similarity at the first sniff. I was so disappointed. But then I decided to spray it on skin. So, glad I did. Started off similar to Diaghilev but the dry down sent me to another dimension. The iris is paramount in here. I really love the powdery sweetness that Vanilla, Benzoin and Orris spawn together. I wore it for three days, straight, back to back. Was not feeling like going out on Saturday. The idea of wearing Iris Chypre, persuaded my lazy self to go out. Went to walk by the water near home, wearing three sprays of this gracious goodness. It was an experience to remember. I just had a feeling that I am better than others walking by. Well, I do not know about that, but my perfume is better than theirs. PS: I am in love with this perfume. It reminded of a love affair. What else is left to say? :)

In short, this is pure elegance in a bottle. It opens immediately with a nice balance of cloves and cinnamon with some of the bergamot to brighten things up. It's a fantastic, spicy opening. Slowly as things progress, the scent begins a slow transition to more of the floral aspects and then to the iris. The iris in this is a gorgeous powdery type but due to the blending, it's always part of the other notes and never really stands alone. It's present and a critical part of the scent, it's just not a solo star to my nose. I see this as a special event or date perfume. It's almost too beautiful and upscale for just a daily wear. Overall, a gorgeous scent and I can see this becoming an all-time favorite. This is a true example of perfume as art.

I don’t always like chypres, but when I do, I like this one. Got this in the micro sampler pack and it’s one of my favorites. Sometimes I get a subtle bubblegum scent characteristic I enjoy- probably from the benzoin note blended with certain others. Love the florals throughout.

This perfume opens with the intense smell of Jasmine and spices, well crafted and spot on. In the dry down, the smell of Iris comes out and its longevity is very good. A masterful and well cultured perfume.

I super good iris scent with a Chypre balance to it. Very pleasant and well put together.

Opens up with a strong vintage aftershave opening, subtle barbershop nuances, a touch medicinal, with notes of cinnamon, ginger and clove. Smells like those old school vintage aftershave liquid you apply on your face after you've cut yourself shaving. As the scent develops, it becomes much smoother, and has a gentle sweeter elements in the background, possibly helped by the benzoin and vanilla. As the scent further develops the jasmine starts to glow in the composition, its bright, floral sweet and very rich. I also get a very smooth and sweet orange feel in the heart of the scent. As the scent dries down the floral rich iris starts to glow in the composition. There's also a lovely touch of powderiness to the composition. Projection is strong for the first 3 hours, however after it becomes much softer on the skin, longevity was around 6 hours. Another elegant and classy attar. Final rating of 4.5/5 You can check out my video review on my YouTube channel: Handsome Smells