Iris Ganache

Iris Ganache is my #1 most anticipated fragrance ever (besides Guet Apens) because of the iris and white chocolate combo, and is said to be sweet, powdery, gourmand, and even cosmetic-esque! Essentially it supposedly contains all my favorite perfume elements. After finally getting my hands on a sample, I realized that as original as the concept is, the execution was dreadfully poor to my nose *at first*. Most negative reviews/comments on IG fixate on the sweetness but surprisingly that wasn’t the case for me. It did smell candy-like, very sweet with a slight fruity freshness but tolerable and pleasant from the vial. However as soon as I applied it to my skin- *gag*! Simply atrocious! I kinda see the “Apres L’Ondee with caramel” feel that is in the opening but the iris here smelled so musty, dirty, sweaty, moldy, maybe even medicinal...simply gross! Iris Ganache is basically comprised of super-sweet white chocolate + musty iris, I can’t pick out any other notes. It seems to lack complexity. I instantly realized why this perfume was unpopular while still in production. However, I was too quick to judge- my experience with IG exemplifies why it’s so important to test a fragrance directly onto your skin and to do so for several hours, and test multiple times to properly make up your mind. Thankfully the scent became so much nicer when the mustiness died down after about an hour and a half, although I can detect it throughout wear time. The white chocolate becomes more and more prominent and dominates while the iris fades, but there are no distinct stages. It is a borderline linear scent. After trying my sample several more times, the iris isn't coming across as musty and dusty anymore. In conclusion, Iris Ganache is not a bad fragrance, I actually like it. Interesting concept, great execution. But it’s my own fault for hyping up this scent in my head, so disappointment was pretty inevitable. I'm kind of glad I'm not crazy about IG because of how absurdly expensive and VHTF it is now! I do find Terry de Gunzberg Ombre Mercure and Insolence to be *slightly* similar in vibe, but certainly not dupes. The Guerlain bridal exclusive frag Le Plus Beau Jour de Ma Vie has a similar candy-like sweetness level. ***DETAILED COMPARISONS*** Vs. Ombre Mercure: OM is my most successful blind buy, it instantly went into Top 5 favorites list. It is often compared to Iris Ganache and I can see why. OM is a soft, sweet, powdery, and creamy makeup-y fragrance, vanillic, warm and enveloping, rich and luxe. The main characteristic the two share is the creamy soft vibe they both give off. However OM is way more complex and way more floral (dominated by a violet and iris combo that reminds me of Guerlain Meteorites powder, but certainly no mustiness to be found here!), while IG is more gourmand and sweeter. OM is what I wish IG smelled more like. If you were dissatisfied with Iris Ganache but like the concept give Ombre Mercure a try. Vs. Insolence: They both share a similar iris note but it’s a lot fresher in Insolence. Insolence is dominated by violet, a bit fruity, has no vanilla, less sweet, and lacks gourmand touches to my nose. I think Insolence is closer to IG than Ombre Mercure. The drydowns of Insolence and IG are remarkably similar to my nose. Vs Le Plus Beau Jour de Ma Vie: The candy-like sweetness in Iris Ganache is similar to this LE bridal-themed EDP. LPBJdMV is even more gourmand than IG, almond-y, and is very close to By Kilian Love to my nose (except it is more caramel-y). I definitely prefer other modern sweet and powdery perfumes from Guerlain over LPBJdMV and Iris Ganache including La Petite Robe Noire, Insolence, My Insolence, Shalimar Parfum Initial, French Kiss, L'Heure de Nuit, L'Instant Magic, and Attrape Coeur. UPDATE 7/26/16: As we all know tastes can change with time. Despite my mixed feelings on IG when I first tried it I could not stop thinking about it. I've tried many, many scents since then but IG was one of the most memorable scents I tested last year. The composition is unusual and unique, so my fascination with it continued. Finally I found a tester of it for relatively cheap considering how VHTF it now is. Excited to see how it smells sprayed vs dabbed!

This dream of a scent first came into my life through a tiny little sample vial. I always remember the moment it revealed itself to me. I'd daubed it on quickly, gotten dressed in several layers and then forgotten it entirely, but it later captured me with one warm waft of air as I adjusted my winter scarf. Creamy, sweet, and distinctly floral, but unlike any flower I'd ever known. Powdery, and cool, but with the rich, hot decadence of melted cocoa butter. I'd been so sparing with it and the scent was so fleeting and hidden, I couldn't wait to get home and apply MORE. But not too much...it was too precious to me. Over the years I would eventually find a lovely fragrance collector who sold decants at cost, and from her I would go on to receive 3 small decants, each one guarded like a precious gem and mourned over as I used the final drops. My last decant came to me in 2016, and somehow I knew it would be my last. Through the next few years I would watch the cost of the handful of remaining bottles climb far out of reach for me as a single mother, pouring over bills at the kitchen table. I took my last decant and refused to wear it, tucking it into my jewelry box instead, as a memento. One day I found the decant had turned, and my heart was broken. I said goodbye to Iris Ganache forever. Earlier this year, the strangest thing happened. I came to visit this page to remember (as I do from time to time), and I read a new review from some brave soul who had eschewed all rationality and set out to purchase her beloved and elusive Iris Ganache. I smiled on her good fortune and wondered if one day I could be so blessed myself. Some spark of inspiration took hold of me that night, and before I understood what was happening I had purchased my own bottle. It cost me more than I have ever spent on a single fragrance, and it turned my stomach to think I could ever be so frivolous...but beneath the nausea there was a pang of pure excitement. I waited and watched the mail for it's arrival and will never forget finally having the sealed box in my hands, knowing I was holding a liquid dream come true. In all my searching there has never been anything like Iris Ganache. There are no dupes or substitutes, and there has never been a single fragrance that even whispered a recollection. It's true, my scent preferences have shifted throughout the years but this is the one perfume that, had it escaped me entirely, I would have never truly rested without. Poetry aside, this was the first perfume of my adult life that I felt intrinsically drawn toward. I would go on to claim various iris-featuring fragrances as my signature as I refined my stylistic requirements, but none of those ever held the same mystical importance for me as Iris Ganache.

Why have I not reviewed this masterpiece yet? I fear my words pale in comparison to the feeling I get when I am wearing this scent. I love every stage of it- from the gorgeous top notes straight from the nozzle, to the amazing iris middle notes that linger on my skin and clothes, to the never ending smooth vanilla ice cream finish that is so characteristic of Guerlain gourmands/orientals. The first sniff is a little cinnamon, some sweet powder- maybe from the white chocolate, and iris (oh yes, it's there from the beginning). I don't get bergamot, which is fine because I don't think it belongs here. Then more iris unveils itself along with very soft, almost ethereal patchouli, and a little cedar. The drydown is powdery, soft, sweet, musky vanilla heaven. Amber? I hadn't thought of it. Perhaps it just enrichens the vanilla to give it a more "ice cream"-like feel. The sillage starts off moderate, and then unfolds into a soft, skin scent over its 12-14 hour lifespan. The longevity is incredible, but nothing new for this line of fragrances, which is exceptional in every way. From start to finish this scent is soft, womanly, elegant, ethereal, light, and fluffy. I can picture a field of irises and a beautiful young woman wearing a white dress, barefoot, hair flowing in the breeze as she walks through the flowers, lightly caressing them as the sun shines on her. She is oh so sweet, so feminine, so innocent. It is truly a shame that Guerlain decided to discontinue this amazing scent. I have been scouring the Earth for another iris of this magnitude, and it doesn't exist. I am incredibly grateful to have two bottles of this lovely, and I will cherish them until the last drop.

Initially, I was confused and slightly repulsed by the odd, slightly sour, very first moments of cinnamon and bergamot combined..but Oh My, a few moments later, I understood this culture clash, how it could blend to create new ideas and artistry. During the first half hour to hour, the scent seems watery, almost grassy at times, unexpectedly very natural, indeed. The cedar and patchouli in the middle notes are almost my favorite, they make the scent stimulating, thick, velvety, and deep, earthy. Oh but that fragile, fair, and lofty iris -or -the highetst quality Belgian or Swiss white chocolate, makes it impossible to choose a favorite here. The white chocolate here is a ganache-definetely-the concept of ganache is that it is a thin chocolate sauce, not sweet, not a syrup- very much a pure cocoa. It's used as a refined decoration or accesory to a lovely desert plate, but, hidden behind that facade of beauty only, is a delicate and refined smooth flavor that deliberately boosts the taste of the whole dish. Here, that concept is acheived. One doesn't "smell chocolate" here, one senses a veil, a sublime nuance, that yet arises amidst the whole compostion, changing the notes, not to be ignored, but never overbearing or gauche. The amber is viscous, and sharp at times, along with the patchouli, it keeps this scent on a spicy edge, at all times. The white musk is shy, hard to notice. The vanilla at times is monotone, but never artificial. I enjoyed this scent for many long hours today. Although I love Oriental Woody perfumes, sometimes they fall short of my expectations. This perfume exceeded them.

I've loved Geurlain since I was a teenager wearing Dana Baby Soft. I was 13, we were in NYC and my sister, brother and I were allowed to walk 5th Ave by ourselves, we got turned around and wound up on Madison and E. 61st street (just off 5th Ave, but we were terrified. NYC is HUGE when your'e a kid) and there she was. Barney's. My heart still skips a beat when I remember it. I begged my brother to go in for just a minute and miracle of miracles, he let us. I tested Mitsouko and my love of fine fragrance was born. I remember the Guerlain counter sales lady, sophisticated and so very kind to a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. She gave me a sample, knowing full well I'd not be able to buy for many years, but by doing that she made me a customer of Guerlain for life. That was many years ago, Saks has Barney's inside it's flagship store now on 5th Ave, but for me it will be forever on Madison Ave. Fragrances do that, really good ones do. They evoke memories and feelings, not just scents. I get tingles and feel that yearning to be an adult, whatever that meant to my younger self, when I wear it now. Describing Iris Ganache objectively is beyond my capabilities. Creamy, warm powder (not a usual occurrence for iris, which usually comes across as cold), slightly sweetish gourmand, some spice from the cinnamon with the bergamot/cedar giving it a little kick and I think the patch is giving it some warm sweetness too but it doesn't take over on my skin like patchouli is wont to do. That description isn't even close to how I feel, though. I just know it beats the socks off Dana Baby Soft.