Iris Shot

It begins with the sensation of cardamom, sesame seeds, and dough, with that unmistakable carrots-and-newly-minted-cash iris that I flip for (supported by carrot seed), lifted with an aldehyde accent. Soon thereafter, a roasted almond flour enters the scene, and I realize this is the kind of "gourmand" I can sink my teeth into, as this mingles with the powdery butteriness of orris. I find most gourmands to have a certain insistent vulgarity with the overuse of maltol, ethyl vanillin, and pyrazines, and while I imagine all three may be used here, Dominique Ropion is adept at restraint. This gives me the same sense of repose as that of Bois Farine. It may seem to be too much of an abstraction to some, but I personally find abstractions to be part of the fun of olfactory adventure. It need not always be a romance or action movie, but rather a Jean Renoir or Ingmar Bergman film. Also, it's worth mentioning that Ropion's use of ambroxan is proof positive that it is not necessarily the bogeyman of perfumery. It can actually be the magic key to resolving all in the composition through its last stages of development, and here, it fixes all the soft, nutty, buttery beauty down to a stirring skin scent.

Well, having finally wrapped my nose around this, I understand the hype. I avoided this for years as it contains so many notes I typically dislike (cardamom, aldehydes, vetiver... and I have a love-hate relationship with pink pepper and cederwood) but I was waiting to be served in a perfume store last week and this was sitting on the counter so I gave it a curious sniff. WOW!!! It really is the perfect musk scent that wraps around you like a silk veil. The iris and carrot seed are definitely the star here (cardamom too to an extent, but on my skin it's only prominent in the immediate opening, thank god) but the aldehydes, pink pepper and almond weave through the composition in subtle ways. This isn't overly soapy or spicy or even floral. As other reviewers have already noted, it's all very restrained. If I didn't already have stuff in my collection that fulfils a similar role I'd have been all over this - I can see myself buying it in the future though after finishing off some current bottles.

First impressions, when I first sprayed this knowing nothing of the notes I immediately got powdery lipstick citrus with a side of creamy saltwater taffy. It was just sweet enough and the "salty watery crispness" must have been the carrot seed. It didn't smell green like other carrot notes I've smelled. Then the cardamom emerged mingled with the iris and I've fallen in love. After reading the notes I still only get the iris, cardamom and carrot seed. It doesn't get overly sweet or monstrously projective. It smells like lipstick/cosmetic powder in the way drydown. Kinda waxy powery suptle suede. There is a soft woody base here. Blended to perfection and the longevity is stellar. 4 sprays this am and I'm still getting intimate wafts 14hrs later. This scent is gorgeous.

Very light, soft, slightly powdery musky iris. Aldehydes are soft, not very pungent, just enough to give it a bit of freshness in the opening. For comparison, the aldehydes in Iris Poudre by Frederic Malle are bit more noticeable. Middle is soft iris, iris-y leather, but barely noticeable. Almost no projection and average longevity. Overall, I enjoy the clean scent with a touch of iris, the name is not fitting. PS: THE most annoying bottle ever. The leather sleeve that is covered with, comes off or pulls up when spraying. Then the bottle shape is just a little too wide making it difficult to spray

Beautiful. Elegant, noble, sexy powdered iris/orris root. The aldehydes are very tender, not too soapy. The powder is light and feminine, not overpowering. There is a noticeable almond, but not a marzipan almond- just tasteful almond milk. I think "tasteful" is the one word that describes this perfume. To be honest there is much more of the carrot seeds, than the cardamom or pepper. You`d think it`s a spicy scent looking at the pyramid- but it`s not at all, the spices- and wood- are so far on the background you have to really look for them. This smells tasteful, elegant and expensive. Love.

This is one of the very few spicy fragance that I enjoy. In the opening there are spices (mostly cardamome to my nose, and maybe a touch of cinnamon) supported by woody notes and soften with almondy (heliotrope ?) vanilla in the background. The vegetal creaminess of the iris developes over time and gathers everything into a beautiful and incredibly elegant gourmand fragrance. A wonderful scent, I love it.

Powdery and feminine iris, sexy and masculine leather. There is a note that made me hesitate about purchasing it, sort of Coca-Cola, boozy note, but in the end I feel like it is there to refresh the composition without being basic and using citrus for that purpose. It is creamy, smooth, smelling expensive and sexy. Leather is not listed but I can definately smell it. And a carrot cake! Sweet and sexy.

Olfactive Studio's "Shot" series are solid contemporary creations. I've sampled Vanilla, Chypre, and Violet and liked them all. Iris Shot is not as vegetal as some irises claim to be. It has a "blocky" powderiness to accompany the delicate iris smell and a faint sweet woody trace. As it dries down the fluffy almond becomes more pronounced on my skin. Distinctive! And definitely worth a "shot" ;)

I kind like how intensified this perfume is, I'm not sure if it was me to its the Iris note spilling out of it... Simply its an amazing fragrance for winter season. and absolutely agree with all the point from the other reviews. 7.5/10 Over all.

a buttery iris who tastes like an almond biscuit without being sweet thanks to carrot seeds who gives freshness and verticality. Floral, powdery, a little touch of greenness. Very original and well done!

Sweet iris. Soft creamy warm powderyness with that sweet nuttyness added. This is an absolutely stunning iris gourmand scent. Defo 1 for us iris lovers

Complicated in the way only Ropion can express. It's a grandma who just came in from the vegetable garden to check on the cookies she's baking

Buttery woody Iris with a hint of almond. Heaven for the Iris lovers. Stunning.

Olfactive Studio as a house has an unusual approach to fragrance, using photography as a vehicle. For each scent, the photographer, on being given a concept, presents a photograph to the perfumer who then composes a perfume in response to the photo. This convoluted, cross-media exchange of inspiration sounds like a tiresome stunt from yet another niche brand trying to be different. However, the resulting scents are pleasant, named for various photography-related themes. Iris Shot is my first to review. As an iris lover, I'm always interested in trying iris-led scents from any and all brands. IS is a soft gourmand iris, powdery, nutty and warm. It is nicely put-together, but isn't the definitive iris for me. IS opens with bright yet restrained aldehydes, followed by the soft, powdery iris of the title. I get the cardamom up top, a little discordant but adding interest. The almond follows closely, sweet and nutty, melding nicely with the iris to form a cosy, powdery scent. As it develops, creamy ambroxan emerges in the background, adding to the soft, powdery sweetness. Some woodiness emerges during the drydown phase, complementing the central iris-almond accord nicely. It becomes cleanly musky as it fades, becoming a woody-musky skin scent until it disappears. It is less compelling to me when the iris vanishes, its run-of-the-mill drydown slightly synthetic and unexciting. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a soft, transeasonal day scent, feminine-leaning in my opinion. Sweet, soft and enveloping, IS is a pleasant, subtle powdery scent, but it falls a bit flat during its second phase, and there isn't enough iris for my liking. Ultimately unmemorable, if not bad. 3/5.

Ohh what a stunner this is . Iris , orris leathersuede, almond pie . Its creamy soft on my skin , rather then powdery . Very much put together and stylish ,I see a clean crisp strong but softhearted lady wearing this . It has a nurturing kind of aura . Calming ,gentle ,almost mothering but not quit . there is also something sensual about it ,like hot skin . Truly amazing ,the almond is feelt quit abit on my skin ,and thats a good thing here IMO .Making it a slight bit less serious . Because this one can come of as a bit of a serious scent . This isent playfull or joyous . This is abit more grounding then many Irises i have tested . I love Iris in perfume and i love this one , not sure jet if its a full bottle worthy scent for me . there is also a woodynes to the composition but its very well blended soft creamy i can not detect much cardamom or cassis , perhaps a tad of aldehyd brightnes ,but not much . a must try for Iris lover

The opening threw me off at first. I picked up the woody notes trailing carroty iris and I wasn't surprised to see nose-tickling aldehydes and ambroxan listed. But then the perfume quickly settles and things flip around. Iris Shot focusses on the carroty, woodier side of iris, toasty and nutty, rather than being a powder bomb. Carrot seed, cardamom and pink pepper lend it a dry airiness, tempering iris's sweeter side. This is the smell of unpackaged wooden designer furniture, freshly varnished and delivered to your sleek urban workspace, and it's strangely addictive. I find it gender-neutral and those who generally dodge iris (me!) shouldn't be afraid to give this one a whirl. I love it more and more as it dries and I get the idea: crisp, contemporary, subtle, stylish. Had to buy the 100ml

Woah, I don't think I've ever smelled an iris quite like this. It’s fascinating, opening with a very cold, striking profile. However, it does borderline on the medicinal for me. I suspect it's that rooty, carrotty nuance pulling it into a slightly clinical headspace, though it's definitely not vile! I wouldn't want to put anyone off sampling it. I also really enjoy the almond note here. I'm usually not a gourmand lover in the slightest, but I can appreciate almond when it's done right, and it works wonderfully in this composition. Ultimately, I can't quite picture myself wearing a full bottle, but I truly appreciate what this scent achieves.

I concur 100% with vixxiimcmlxxxvii's review - for the first couple hours, the iris is so well supported and combined with the rest of the notes and for sure worth any iris lover's attention. I was on the verge of ordering a larger decant when I went back in for another close sniff and all of a sudden the iris is mostly gone and it's just musk with barely there wisps of iris. This is probably the holy grail for someone who loves iris and musk equally, but I'm unfortunately not a big musk fan.

I've only begun to test my sample, but so far, this fragrance is almond dominant to my nose. If you like almond in frags, you might like this. It's warm and nutty, and a unique take on iris. Not crazy about it, but it's not bad. It's a unique, warm, gentle and nutty fragrance. It reminds me of the warmth from the sesame note in Diptyque L'eau Papier. If you like one of these you might like the other.

올팩티드 스튜디오 아이리스샷 1. 착향시 첫 인상 굉장히 부드러우면서 산뜻한 느낌이 느껴지는데 이게 알데하이드의 느낌과 아이리스의 느낌이 섞인 느낌인것 같다. 약간의 페퍼리함도 느껴지나 수분 이내에 금방 사라진다. 2. 수분 지난 후 매우 부드러운 아이리스의 향이 느껴지고, 이렇게 부드럽게 느껴지는데에는 아몬드가 살짝 가미되어 그런것 같다. 우디 베티버의 느낌이 깊에 들이쉬면 느껴지나, 아이리스의 향이 지배적이다. 굉장히 포근하고 안정적인 향 3. 확산력은 적당함 4. 지속력은 꽤 오래갈 듯 느껴진다. 5. 파우더리함이 강해 여름에는 쓰기 부담스러울 듯 하고, 봄이나 가을이 가장 잘 어울린다.