Iris

This is a very dark and opulent iris fragrance. Beware that this stuff is very strong and long lasting (one spritz fills a room and lasts 8+ hours); honestly it smells much more expensive than it is! In order to love this fragrance, one must love powdery scents in general, as well as the scent of Nivea creme, soapy aldehydes, powdery white musk and the likes. On the other hand, if you're not too keen on the smell of talcum, Nivea and makeup, run for your life, because you'll find this super-iris absolutely suffocating! In L'Erbolario Iris, the titular flower is placed front and centre, supported by sweet vanilla, giving it a profound, almost chocolatey smell, which can be either enchanting or totally offputting, depending on your preferences. Other reviewers have already mentioned its similarity to Teint de Neige or Kenzo Flower, but what I am actually reminded of is - Guerlain Insolence EDP, especially the original formula, captured in a deep violet flower-shaped bottle. I used to have Insolence EDP and I liked it very much, but it wasn't very popular among my family members or coworkers - so ultimately I sold it off. Although Insolence EDP was supposed to be a violet-dominated perfume, I always thought that iris was a much stronger and more impactful note in it. So, if you are familiar with iris in Insolence EDP, here in L'Erbolario you will find the exact same dark, dusty, almost venomous, nuclear-strength flower. I'd be very happy to invest in a full bottle of Iris - however, it would probably suffer the same fate as Insolence EDP, with whom I reluctantly parted ways. Moral of the story: people should be exposed to the scent of iris from an early age, in order to get used to it and learn to appreciate it when they're older!

I got the body cream first, based off of these reviews, because I need that more than I need another perfume, but I think I’ll be coming back for that. It’s such a beautiful violet, way more violet than iris. This is what I wanted Indolence to smell like (and I’m still talking about the body cream here) but it’s less soapy and a lot more powdery, which I love. It’s just so dreamy. Really helps with the winter blues. A bonus is how strong it is, it’s said the perfume is strong and the cream’s scent lasts hours on my skin and days on my clothes. It’s also incredibly moisturizing. Worth every penny. Edit: the perfume just arrived. It’s prettier than the cream, less citrus, more floral and blended. I just love it. It may be my most favorite violet scent, surpassing Insolence and Perlerette. There’s something softer about this one, maybe the vanilla and hawthorn, that really makes it for me. Amazing price for quality. Edit 2: A year later and I reordered the cream. It’s such a treat for the harsh winters where I live. So moisturizing and beautiful. Some more thoughts: it’s kind of syrupy. Somehow powdery and syrupy at the same time. I applied it at the gym one time and an outspoken lady said, “someone smells bad!” (There was no one else nearby but me...lol) Another time I was complimented. It’s very sweet and very strong, and not everyone’s cup of tea, but for powdered floral lovers, it’s a must have

I don't have Teint de Neige, so I can't compare the two. However, I DO have Joseph Jivago Sweet Dreams, and that's supposed to be similar to TdN, so I'll do a side by side of SD and Iris instead. Iris is what I thought (and wanted) L.T. Piver's Heliotrope Blanc would smell like! I actually get an almost dry almond vibe, MINUS the typical cherry/marzipan/play-doh note I seem to find in most almond/heliotrope fragrances. There's also a very SLIGHT coconut crust I'm getting from this. Like warm, flakey, crust from a coconut pie (MINUS all the extra sweetness and extra coconut you get from an actual pie.) I don't know what's causing it to smell like that on me right now, so I'll test it again later. Compared to Sweet Dreams, it's much softer, less finely-milled floral soap, and a tiny bit sweeter. But NOT the same sweetness, nor as much sweetness as you get from Osez Moi or Private Room. To me, this is closer to the talc powdery-ness I get from Sweet Dreams, just not as potent or sharp. I LOVE Sweet Dreams, so it doesn't bother me one bit. If Sweet Dreams was too powerful or too baby powdery for you, try L'Erbolario Iris. It's much softer, less powdery, but still has good longevity, and fairly good sillage for the first few hours at least. (Will update on longevity later as well.) I love powdery fragrances, and this is a perfect one to add to my collection.

I have been long visiting Italy and still searching for a perfume that I smell on almost every Italian woman 45+. Iris is I think one of them - and also a scent you can smell not only on women, but also in their houses, toilets... Not sure if they use the other Erbolario iris products like reed diffusers and scented sachets, anyway - this smell is just the smell of Italy for me. Maybe it's because iris is so popular in Italian fragrance industry, they probably imitate the scemt in household cleaning products :)) Most people won't like it I am afraid, it's extremely strong and long lasting and the sillage is very intense.. But as someone here has written already - the very brisk and powdery head fades after some time and what remains is the very soft, warm, flowery powdery base which lasts forever and is extremely pleasant! I have the scented sachets in my wardrobe and sometimes spray the perfume on old teddy bears and cushions - ant they smell months and months with it. Not 100% sure that half of Italian women wear it, as I am still searching for the right one (quite similar to Narciso Rodriguez BTW, but much older - any tips anyone?), still one of the Top 5 perfumes for me. And yes, it's very very cheap and it lasts long. What more do you want ;)

Super Soapy!! L'Erbolario's Iris is NOT a safe blind buy (I totally just blind bought it). It actually reminds me of the "iris version" of LT Piver's Heliotrope, because both are extremely traditional interpretations of super-powdery purple soliflores with a noticeable tinge of non-gourmand sweetness. Other reviewers have commented that Iris is a love or hate type of scent- I think I might love AND hate it... haha! Let me reiterate: this fragrance does not smell modern in any way. In fact, Iris actually smells exactly like my great grandmother's linen closet in Brooklyn, when I was a little kid...a scent of nostalgia for me, and a definite step UP from the (porto-potty) images evoked by Piver's Heliotrope. The powder with the sweet and the floral is extremely heady and a little bit stuffy. Kind of like bitter almond extract layered with clean, albeit dusty quilts, and baby powder. I hope it grows on me, but I'm glad my boyfriend isn't home right now because I don't see this being attractive to him. It is comforting though. I'll give it that. It is ultra strong and creates gigantic sillage for when you need an impenetrable forcefield of powdery protection from the world.