Tears Of Iris Eau de Parfum

It’s a beautiful and soft fragrance. It definitely does smell like that “department store cosmetic” at the beginning. This veers towards the orris root side of “iris”. It does grow powdery, but more like the chalky, carroty side of orris. Nothing like lipstick rose or baby powder. Until after, it starts turning more musky and boderline lactonic. This is a clean and uncomplicated scent. However for the price and how simple this scent is, it’s quite expensive. But it’s still very pretty EDIT: Trying this out more, it's starting to turn into a love for me. It's quite nostalgic. It reminds me of the smell of home, an old Estée Lauder powder compact, warmth and my mom's coat. Back when I was young, I'd wait for my mom at daycare. She was a full time teacher so I'd wait long hours than most kids to be picked up at the end of the day. When she did pick me up, I'd run to her and the familiar smell of a powdery cosmetic compact was all over her coat. I can't describe it. It's like a hug or the warmth in a heavy winter fur-lined coat. That familiar warmth, powderiness/cosmetic-like note/orris root I get in Tears of Iris reminds me of those days. We also had lots of powdered compacts and the waxiness in ToI reminds me of that too.

This is the iris scent that captured my nose and is now dragging me around a wild goose chase in search for another creamy iris fragrance. I find it a bit linear, slightly sharp floral iris, but nestled in a creamy sandalwood base. Absolutely delicate and beautiful, almost too innocent and ethereal. The downside... it does not last. At all. The first time I tried it, it was at the Singapore counter, and the SA doused me liberally (like, ten sprays -- I only spray 3-4 usually). 30 mins later, I could barely smell myself unless I stuck my nose against my arm or shirt, and husband couldn't smell it from two feet away. 2 hours later I can still get faint whiffs every now and then, but almost just a ghost of the scent. Very sad, as it's ridiculously expensive. I understand that the bottle is quite literally a work of art on its own (It's very beautiful. Seriously.), but at that price, I expect it to last at the very least 6 hours. Admittedly, despite the poor longevity, I still want it because of the scent. But I'm not buying that full price.

This is really nice, BUT! - I'm sad to have to add one - so reminiscing of another Gucci, as in Flora 1966. Though they don't even share same notes, somewhat these two resonate similarly. There are very noticeable differences between them, and yet upon first dabbing I thought of them as sisters. Here the iris sits on super smooth suede. It's not powdery at all, it's smoothness made perfume, the angelica just there to balance everything else. Alas, while Flora is a soprano, singing on my skin a dreamy aria, ToI is humming so softly that it's impossible to hear her voice. I actually wonder if she's mute... Five minutes and it's all done and over with. Now I get why Iris is crying: at the price this goes for, anyone would want more sillage and projection than what's ghostly, literally! There's no substance to this otherwise magnificent, soft, smooth concoction! It's gone 5 minutes after (generous) application. Why, why Gucci?? Why did you make us cry for more of this dream that vanishes way too soon? I'm heartbroken!

So pretty and delicate. It opens with what I call the “sweet spot” for Iris: balanced perfectly between an earthy, rooty iris and a powdery one. Never truly tipping too far one way or the other. The iris at the open is similar in shape to Iris de Nuit by HEELEY (not quite as carroty as this one however) but settles to a steely, cool, iris very similar to Harmonist Royal Earth. Once dried down, this is a shier iris, sitting close to the skin. It’s no powerhouse. It becomes sweet and pillowy. I had been sampling this off and on for about a year before I made my decision to purchase. So despite what others point to as performance issues —and they are correct—it’s such a beautiful soft fragrance that I wanted to add.

Gucci!!? Wow, Alberto Morillas has done a superb job! I know why this is called Tears of Iris, when the sales associate brought me some Gucci fragrances to smell I rolled my eyes and thought to myself “oh crap, here we go with some bull corn from Gucci” but when he sprayed it on me I damn near fell back with delight, I literally felt like crying with how beautiful it smelled and yes I bought the bottle, Anyways, yes, powdery, makeup, cosmetics, smooth slightly woody and delicately musky to support the ever present Iris is what you’ll get so if you love Iris as I do at least sample this gorgeous fragrance. The bottle is simply adorable too. BTW, Virgin Violet is also beautiful, I can’t wait to get it :) Cheers!