Infusion d'Iris

I am not a classy woman. Don't get me wrong, I can DO composed if the need arises. I can allow myself to seamlessly converse in cut glass tones of received pronunciation and communicate confidently, with the erudition of someone educated far beyond my own high school level, when the situation caalls for it. Sometimes we all need to be able to radiate a more elegant and sophisticated persona. Is it acting? Sure, but no more than most of the performative gestures we embody in the various roles we play throughout our lives. At heart though, I'm more of a tomboy. Sure I love my skincare, my make-up, my fragrances, my handbags and whatnot. But I'm also a loud, sometimes obnoxious, belligerent, headstrong harridan, who loves motorbike racing, boxing, mosh pits at metal gigs and I've been in more fights than I have shoe shops. I'm also klutzy, have no sense of balance/spacial awareness, fall over at least twice a week and as a result get to regularly display more cuts, bruises and scars than anyone crazy enough to step into the ring with Joe Calzaghe. Most days I can be found wearing a hoodie, DC's and some camo trousers. Classy is not a word that comes to most people's minds when they think of me. But every so often, when the mood takes me, I reach for a certain bottle of fragrance and find myself immediately standing up a little straighter. Two spritzes to the neck, two the wrist and my movements become magically more careful. Deliberate. My voice lowers, softens and starts to enunciate each and every syllable, as an inner sense of calm and serenity washes over. In that moment I'm Grace frickin Kelly y'all. Infusion D'Iris does that to me. I might be pottering about the house in my slobbing out gear, or donning a suit ready for an interview. But regardless of the situation, this perfume achieves the impossible. It makes a goddamn lady out of me. And trust me, that ain't no easy feat. The scent itself? It's a cool rush of green, powdery iris with a slight hint of muted neroli and a grounding of cedar. I love iris notes. This isn't exactly a 'true' iris note we have here, it's much more synthetic. It's not as pungent. Not as rounded. But the delivery is crisp and to me, immediately mood affecting. On a cold wintry day, the citrus notes are much more noticeable and a blustery wind will deliver a sharp, almost metallic, potent aura of the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. On a sweltering hot day where you already feel fetid and skanky, immediately after a shower, Infusion D'Iris acts like a refreshing cologne; it will soothe your febrile mind and make you feel brand new. It's perfect for all year around, can be worn day or night, is office suitable, perfect for meeting the SO's parents, or even on a night out. This liquid is pure class in a bottle and I am going to be so sad when the one I have (my 3rd bottle) runs out because I don't think that the recent reformulation is quite the same. Thanks for giving me those occasional moments of genteel ladylike composure, Prada. It's been a ball.

When I was six, I spent a winter at my uncle’s in New Delhi. Mum needed surgery and Dad had to be at the hospital with her all day and I got tagged along to my aunt’s kitty parties and lunches and the whole wide range of social events in her very busy calendar. That was my first introduction to the world of rich housewives who had a lot of time and money to spend. And they did so, with reckless abandon. For a six year old from a very humble home in a quaint little town, everything felt glitzy and glamourous and it was quite thrilling! Giant chandeliers and plush carpets. Sofas that ate you up. Shiny pristine nuts on dainty dishes. Coke in frosty glasses. Endless refills too! But most of all, I remember the smell. Even six year old could tell this was rich people smell. When the ladies got together and talked about their foreign trips and compared the size of their solitaires, I could smell expensive perfume on them. And it wasn’t just their perfume. It was this clean fresh smell that seemed to emanate from everything in the room. I visited so many places no one place particularly stands out but they all seemed to somehow smell the same. Prada Infusion d’Iris takes me back to my winter among the elite in New Delhi. There’s something so classy about it I can’t put my finger on it. And I find it quite unique too. I remember this time when a woman walked by me and I could smell her perfume and was stunned for a moment by how pretty it was only to realise a few seconds later it was Infusion d’Iris I was smelling on her. On my skin the iris truly shines, giving it a clean powdery feel. I think the incense in the drydown gives it depth - I quite like it. While it doesn’t last quite as long as I want my perfumes to, I spray generously on my scarf and get greeted by wafts until much later. I’m glad I got a 200ml bottle of this one, because this is one perfume that instantly makes me feel put together.

This scent is so elegant, graceful, and stunning. I first experienced Infusion d'Iris at Sephora. I sprayed a tester strip, leaned in, and immediately felt intrigued. I did not buy that day as I like to experience the fragrance and notice if it "takes" me meaning :I can't stop thinking about it; and if a scent does, that's how I know it's a need in my collection. Anyways, after thinking about it frequently, I went back to Sephora to spray my skin and see how it would develop and perform with my skin chemistry. One of the SAs was watching me, which made me feel kind of awkward (performance anxiety), so I quickly did one spray to each wrist (even though I also like to do one behind each ear). However, those 2 sprays were more than enough for this beautiful, crisp, clean, and comforting scent to develop and project on my skin in the most lovely of ways. In fact, the longevity was well over 14 plus hours for me and this included a few hand/wrist washings, etc. Naturally, after this experience, Infusion d'Iris was all I could think about, and a purchase was well warranted. Where I live, the late spring, all of summer, and into the fall is very hot and humid which has always made me dread being out and about at events, etc. because I never truly feel fresh. Well, I can honeslty say I have never felt so clean, fresh, or polished in the heat/humidity as I do while wearing Infusion d'Iris. It's calming and grounding, but not boring. It evokes sophistication and refinement as well as being well-laundered in an expensive and inviting way. This is money well spent.

This is so gorgeous. It’s clean without being aquatic, and powdery without having that baby powder quality. If you’re looking for something to pair it with, I highly recommend Eos Fresh & Cozy lotion. Like I said, I wouldn’t let the “powdery” description deter you because it’s not like baby powder or lipstick. It’s soft, clean, and ethereal. If you like clean scents that aren’t aquatic or citrus heavy, this is also a good one. It’s very balanced. The citrus is there, but it stays in the background. The iris is front and center here, but the benzoin and the cedar balance it out extremely well. It has a soapy quality, but it definitely smells way more complex than a bar of soap or a bathroom. I don’t know what soaps and bathrooms some of y’all are using, or if you’ve ever actually smelled an iris, but this perfume smells like iris, cedar, benzoin, with a touch of citrus to my nose. You can wear this in any season, any situation, and it’s a comforting scent. It stays close to the skin, but it lingers all day. I find that it starts out a little heavy on that incense note, but it only lasts for like 15 minutes and then it smells like everything I mentioned for the duration and I don’t get the incense at all. Gorgeous and it’s a bit overpriced, but there’s really nothing else like it on the market except for Chanel 19 Poudre and that’s expensive too. I prefer this one because there is something in 19 that smells too green and sharp to my nose, and then it just gets too heavy. Mind you, I’ve only sampled it, but I ended up preferring Infusion d’Iris.

I get a ton of sweet mandarin orange at the opening, and the bitterness of orange blossoms and leaves. It's distinctly a round orange, not a bright, sharp citrus. I love it, it reminds me of picking an orange in front of the house I grew up in, and the bitter woody smell the leaves and blossoms gave off as they were pierced and rustled by the picker pole and by falling oranges. It settles into a soapy, sweet iris. I generally avoid fruit/white floral combinations but I think the incense and resins balance them out for me. I have a little .25oz bottle without an atomizer and I find it difficult to get enough on so that I can actually smell it. Even after giving myself a good dousing it stays really close and intimate, and I keep raising my wrist to my nose to smell it on my skin. On me it's very sweet. The sugared iris reminds me of Lolita Lempicka's big sister who has lost a little bit of her sense of play. Lolita Lempicka was my first bottle of perfume when I was a little girl, then I wore Glossier You religiously in my early to mid 20s. This newest iris in my collection makes me feel safe but extremely aware of the unrelenting passage of time. It's sophisticated and beautiful but like others have noted, there's something very melancholy in it. It reminds me very much of Daisy in the Great Gatsby saying "It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts before." It's like looking at the past through gauze. I have a feeling this will be an important scent to me.