Iris Palladium

It has been a strange day in regards to trying out new fragrances and establishing new reviews. I received a fresh new mystery box thanks to Sebastian i.e. The perfume guy. Thank you Sebastian! It's the first fragrance sample I saw and the first one I tried on. Now. What do I think about it? I think we can all agree Iris is in. Aside from sparkling aldehyde, Iris has popped up in many new releases. It is done very well here while still maintaining the DNA structure of the LEP brand. It is indeed a silky iris, and I can easily imagine a metaphorical scarf wrapped around one's neck, blowing in the wind during a warm Spring afternoon. The softness of the fragrance is present. What I am not getting is the metallic factor. It must be some sort of artistic metaphor once again. I am also not getting any longevity! I hate saying that because I feel like it's almost a death sentence. I do not want to spend over $200 on a fragrance I think is really special and come to find out it has the same longevity as the fragrance I purchased for my mom at Nordstrom. Not to say everything from the department store is bad, but if I went through the effort, I was trying to find something unique and I want it to last. Especially for the price. I sprayed it again and I reminded myself how nice the opening really is. I think they are onto something, but I only wish the top notes stayed with the fragrance for its entirety. Going back to what I said before, it's difficult to put into words how I feel about Iris Palladium. If I had to force something out, I would say it is unfinished, but distinctive and beautiful enough to purchase a full bottle. The 50 mL is $150 and the 100 mL is $220. I think it is worth that amount. Do I think it is worth $380 like the new amouage? No I don't, but I don't think Love Delight was either. I think if you are already a fan of Iris, you are going to break the doors down trying to get this. I'm not the biggest fan of Iris, so take what I say with a grain of salt as I’m not as enthusiastic as other people or as you may have hoped for me to be. I do think this is the best Iris I have smelled so far. How about that!

Oh, I'm so glad to have been led to this one. Never would've tried it on my own because I had some vague idea in my head about not loving iris fragrances (they seemed to go quite sharp on my skin). But when I was in a small shop in Portugal, the woman working there pulled this one for me, after I hadn't been very into the few I had tried beforehand. "Trust me," she said. "Ignore the name." So glad I did. There is definitely purple floral energy happening in this fragrance, but it's rounded out by this delicious essence of cardamom, vanilla, and wood. I also loved that absolutely nothing in my 50+ collection of perfumes smelled anything remotely like it. I noticed some nods to Gris Charnel in the comments, but it's been a long time since I sampled that, so I can't say how similar they are (only that I wasn't too drawn in by GC). Anyway, an unlikely find that I instantly got a full bottle of.

Opens up with a majestic and gorgeous cardamom note giving warmth and spiciness to the scent. Soon enough lavender adds an aromatic, floral vibe along with a slight touch of green nuances by the cilantro. The opening is so addictive and you can tell right away that it’s so perfectly blended with high quality ingredients. In the mid Iris and Violet work perfectly together giving the scent a gorgeous powdery, earthy & floral vibe with a faint touch of sweetness. Mugwort adds green and bitter nuances. In the base cedar wood, sandalwood & vanilla create a wonderful woody & creamy combo. Finally amber & benzoin give warmth along with some balsamic touches. I’m really in love with this scent, it’s a very unique take on Iris and definitely signature scent worthy! It’s pretty versatile to wear formally & casually, inoffensive, office safe and unisex. Ig fragrancesguru

A beautiful soft scent with notes of iris, sandalwood and amber. Even if its woody it pulls quite fresh for what it is. Dries down to a powdery sandalwood. It got the same DNA as Gris charnel and Nice Emarati Antique but this is even better with a more prominent iris note. This is a scent that whispers, nothing loud about it and lasts about 6 hours. I really wish it lasted a bit longer, maybe maceration will make it better. 8/10

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this one b/c I'm not a big iris note fan. but, this one smells really great to me. Overall, it smells a little aromatic and a little soapy clean on my skin yet also soft and alluring. Absolutely gorgeous scent in my opinion and worth the price.

Sweet fluffy white musk wrapped in lavender, sandalwood, iris and tonka. Gourmand but in a kids vanilla lip smackers kind of way. Super cute bedtime wear.

Gorgeous spin on Gris Charnel. One of the samples in TPG's kit #3

The scent immediately struck me because of its vaguely retro opening, reminding me of some aspects of the fougres of the past, but revisited in a modern key. A light lavender, with fresh accents of coriander and cardamom, that soon gives way to a floral scent with a velvet-like texture, while maintaining cool, aromatic-balsamic almost metallic accents, where a fancy reconstruction of the iris flower scent, similar to that of the violet by which it is accompanied, begins to soften the composition, leading us to the drydown, where a nice vanilla sandalwood sits on the body until fading then completely. Head and heart perform rather well in terms of projection, more intimate drydown, duration not excellent but just right for a half day. Perfect for the milder seasons, spring and fall, for daytime wear and, in my opinion, unisex but more suitable for men. PS: It appears to be very different from the 2015 one in this new 2024 formulation.

Despite the name, I find this to largely be a sandalwood-dominant fragrance. Sandalwood and cardamom are the most prominent notes I get, but I also get a fair amount of soft, powdery iris (maybe in combo with the violet), a fluffy & slightly sweet vanilla, lavender (especially early on) and benzoin. There's also something in here that is giving off the effect of anise...maybe it's the mugwort? Whatever it is, I REALLY like that aspect of it. There's something a bit gourmand and addictive about this one. I get no cilantro (thankfully). This is in the same vein as Gris Charnel and Santal Austral (maybe 60%-70% similar), but this isn't as synthetic as the Santal Austral (i find that one to be heavy on the iso e super). Also, the anise-like aspect of this makes it unique as far as sandalwood fragrances go. This lasts about 4-5 hours on me with average projection. Is unisex IMO. A strong like!! This would be beautiful in the fall season.

I’m going to say the same thing as others, but I have to. I own a bottle of Gris Charnel, and I also have a sample of the extrait version so I know this scent well. I wear it with love. When I sprayed this one, for a moment it felt like I had sprayed Gris again. That’s how strong the resemblance was. I wanted to give it some time, thinking maybe it would change, that it was just the opening. After all, this has "iris" in the name, so I wasn’t expecting something in the cardamom–tea direction. But as time passed, not much changed. The DNA is very similar. It doesn’t have the tea note or that freshness, but otherwise, it’s strikingly close. I think sandalwood and cardamom are likely the key notes behind this texture. Lavender is noticeable btw. Longevity is good. For those who don’t enjoy the tea note in Gris , this could be the number one alternative. Overall, a very well-done fragrance.

Interesting fragrance. I purchased a sample a few months ago, tried then and liked it. I tried it again today, and I am enjoying it again. On a sample card, the purple flowers and sharp cardamom really stand out. But on my skin, the fragrance is much softer. The iris and violet lay down a creamy, powdery cushion for the lavender and cardamom to softly lay in. As the iris and violet begin to fade, the benzoin and vanilla begin to peak through, with the woods and amber supporting them softly. Because the cardamom, vanilla and woods are predominate through all or part of the fragrance, this is definitely a unisex scent. But in my humble opinion, I appreciate the balance of this fragrance. This is not a beast, but it does last and it has a very nice projection.

Iris Palladium reminds me a lot of Gris Charnel, with that same warm, enveloping feel built around soft spice, woods and creamy sweetness. The spices don’t come across sharp or aggressive, they just add warmth and blend nicely into the floral. Overall it feels sweet, creamy and lightly smoky, with the florals more like a soft texture in the background than a distinct bouquet.

The first impression (which I liked the most) completely goes away and, surprisingly, the fragrance transforms into Gris Charnel’s cousin. Imagine GC without the fig and with iris added. I thought at first, this one’s for me, and 30mins later I changed my mind completely (already own GC) Very nicely blended though, with quality ingredients.

Started with a harsh opening, may just be the sample I had. Because I normally like cardamom and lavender. Could be the cilantro. Who put that there? Quickly goes away. Powdery soft and enjoyable after the opening it turns into a beautiful iris with a decent woody base. One that I adore and believe is fantastic.

Warm creamy sandelwood and iris. A bit sweet and buttery which is nice and I imagine it being cozy on a cold evening. The dry down is more gourmand/sweet as the sharpness of iris and sandelwood is gone. It’s nice, no full bottle for me but I think many people would love this lovely (sweet) scent.

I sampled many fragrances in Liberty yesterday. This was one of the stand out favourites for me. Really pleasant. I have been impressed by a few offerings from this house in general. I will revisit this for a proper wear test later!

Softly vanillic, ambery, spicy iris. Very pleasant. Too sweet for my liking, but that sweetness is not annoying at all and quite balanced by the spiciness of cardamom and soft corners of amber.

It's beautiful but it lacks longevity! Stayed on my skin and clothes for about 2.5 hours. Makes me kinda regret selling my bottle of Gris Charnel 🤔

This is a mix of Santal Austral and Parisian Musk from Matiere Premiere. It is pleasant but a little too sweet for my taste

Oh, I hate this. An instant headache. It does start off similar to Gris Charnel but you notice the difference immediately: the cardamom and spices are cold and loud and the ambery vanilla is hot and cloying, and they’re headed to the opposite directions. Once the minty spicy opening disappears you are choked on the ambery sickly sweet ‘manly’ eastern base that takes all the air away. I sense a strong Arabian perfumes DNA in this concoction of amber, vanilla, benzoin, lavender and what not. Like Lattafa’s Hayaati Gold Elixir or Sheikh Al Shuyukh Luxe Edition. To me it’s too much. I prefer Gris Charnel for its balance, fresh air, serenity, tranquility and a slight earthiness. P.s. Excuse me, Iris where?? I was pretty open for any Iris interpretations but this is not an Iris perfume nor should it be promoted as one.