Eau d'Iparie

I couldn't resist buying this after reading many reviews, and find it (like the reviews) contradictory. Initially it struck me as repellent, sharp, medicinal, with something annoyingly familiar about it. As truffles' review identifies, it's reminiscent of cherry lips sweets, but also, to me, of the "Friar's Balsam" used as an inhalant by my grandmother- according to Wikipedia, this contains tincture of benzoin with cape aloes and storax (liquid amber resin). From Wiki again: "Another, more remote use, is for beautifying skin. The following excerpt is taken from the book "Personal Beauty" printed in 1870: "Gum Benzoin is a fragrant resin which comes to us from the sunny meadows of Sumatra, and is redolent with odors of the Spice Islands, and the mysterious virtues of tropical balms." So yes, definitely a journey in a bottle- thankfully it dries down very quickly to reveal a warm, sweet, exotic and yes, unusual scent, and, surprisingly...I think I love it! I think this would suit someone who is strong, maybe powerful, but not obvious- it's too mysterious for that!

My signature fragrance for years now. I looooove it. n my opinion this is probably the best and most interesting L'Occitane fragrance so far. Love this review, btw, because my mom keeps repeating I smell oddly of church and funeral all the time, and am mostly polite, but dark person: "Eau d'Iparie is mysterious, spiritual and profound. The myrrh and incense confer a vaguely sacred aura that reminds of religion, churches, saints and the meaning of the divine adoration and yet, this perfume has a markedly dark character, a solemnity that may hide secrets and perhaps occult knowledge. At the borderline between grace and obscurity, this scent gives me quite a spiritual trip. I think Eau d'Iparie is best suited for cold winter days, late autumn trips to old villages in France, Catholic sermons and why not, funerals. It's thoroughly well done and can really put you in a mystical mood, if you know how to wear it. Longevity is great and sillage medium."

This is a beautiful enigma of a perfume - intense yet not overwhelming, incense-y and resinous yet not "dirty". I first saw this perfume in the L'Occitane boutique in Canterbury, England, which I briefly visited in June. I did not buy it then as I found the opening was a bit too "punchy"... but it blossomed into an utterly lovely scent and I could not stop thinking about it afterwards! It is a classy, distinctive scent, very different from L'Occitane's recent crop of cheerful but forgettable offerings. Eau d'Iparie smells like something that I imagine could be worn by ancient Druid high priestesses =) Unfortunately it had been discontinued worldwide but my brother managed to find it in Doha, Qatar. If anyone wants to stock up, I believe the L'Occitane boutiques in the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Israel, etc) still carry this perfume.

Two dear friends are getting married tonight, Halloween, and it's thankfully not a costumed party. I therefore began mulling over the spirit of their love and and the only adequate descriptor is "bohemian" - not bohemian in the constructed boho-chic-ism that prevails, but in the true avant grade and free spirited sense. My thoughts drifted to the colors and scents of that, and I kept returning to the palette of Van Gogh's "Starry Night": rich gradients of indigo, accents of gold and shimmering white flecks. Eau d'Iparie is the scent that would permeate the garrett apartment in 1890s Paris, with cedar chests, smoky incense, sweet pipe tobacco, exotic spices.

Breathtaking scent especially when I use it in the morning, never fails to impress me every time, I got a second bottle and this was the only perfume so far where I have bought another bottle. There is a tinge of quiet and subtle sadness that wafts gently throughout the day...cool and warm at the same time; I like fragrances that invoke conflicting feelings. Hopefully they will never discontinue this one.