Infusion d'Iris (2015)

To choose to wear a perfume is to enter a relationship; and this is the mother of all relationships: the relationship with my mother I mean ;) For me, the relationship with Infusion d'Iris is contentious. Just like the relationship with my mother. Keep reading, I promise to talk more about the perfume than about my mother :) It starts as a jagged mix of iris, galbanum, and cedar. Then one or two minutes in, Infusion d'Iris gets downright aggressive, it almost smells like gasoline... and all I can think of is: "really, are you kidding me?!!!" My approach is to just let it explode into its insane tantrum, while telling my self: "this will pass, and we'll be able to have a conversation." About 5 to 8 minutes in, cedar and galbanum take over: arid, bitter, galbanum will make you thirsty, and I can even taste the wood chips of cedar in the tip of my tongue. This takes a while, so you better be patient when spraying... And drink a glass of water while you're at it, it's good for you anyway. 15 to 20 minutes after the first spray, the contention begins to die down; and then the absolutely enchanting warmth of Iris and musk appear, at first through billowing wafts. It's not that iris is a warm scent, it just feels warm when juxtaposed with cedar and galbanum. What Iris is, is an elegant, alluring, sophisticated seductress... just like my mother was. This EDP is a high class, high maintenance lady attempting to pass as carefree. Did I say ENCHANTING?!!! Then 30 minutes in, a very peculiar thing happens: at 20 cms (8 in.) from the skin, all I smell is iris and musk, but if I bury my nose against my arm, from up-close, I do not detect any iris what so ever. What I smell is the clean, woodsy cedar and the arid galbanum. It feels as though I were putting my tongue to brand new linen. And that's when I realize: this smells like brand new out of the bank CA$H! If you are interested in attracting a Wall Street banker, then this is the fragrance for you! This clean, cash predominant up-close scent remains for a long time, at least 3 to 4 hours. During that time, the iris and musk continue to develop, its billowing wafts get longer and stronger... Until you are enveloped in a GORGEOUS iris bubble. And it is at that time, that I recall... wait a minute: Iris and musk? I remember being a young child in the seventies, the soft embrace of my mother, who wore L'air Du Temps, Oscar by Oscar de La Renta and Sung by Alfred Sung, all in their Parfum or Eau de Parfum concentration, (this high maintenance lady would not be caught dead with an EDT). All these fragrances contained iris and musk. I have not smelled the reformulated versions, so I can't establish a relation between Infusion d'Iris and these fragrances as they are formulated today, but there is definitely a contemporary, more transparent aspect in Prada's treatment of iris that reminds me of those fragrances of 40 years ago. The "musky" iris eventually works its way into a skin scent at approximately 5 to 6 hours after the first spray. This scent remains on my skin for a very long time. Even after the projection comes down, those whom you let come close to embrace you, will still smell the iris in all its alluring "come hither" splendor even 8 or 9 hours after first spray.- I do, however, apply almond oil on my skin every morning.- This scent is understatedly elegant, but it is by no means just a clean wallflower. It has a low to moderate projection. I use it during the day in spring, summer, and autumn, and spray it on my silk blouses where the scent can live forever and the projection is amplified. I have learned to love this fragrance. Infusion d'Iris envelops me in my mother's arms and reminds me everything is going to be alright.

I really love Infusion d'Iris: iris in all its complexity, from the powdery earthy orris notes to the delectable grape Pop Rocks fizz of the supremely fragrant purple bearded iris, over transparent layers of citrus, white florals, woods, and amber. It has a powdery luxury bath product feel to it, or maybe the world's most elegant barbershop-spa kind of vibe. This smells crisp and elegant to me, but also dreamy and sensuous, a fragrance that is unlikely to offend or necessarily even be noticed, but you will feel like a clean and efficient, possibly even radiant, creature if you put this on your skin of a morning. I had my travel sprayer for only a few days before I deemed this full bottle worthy. I don't want to risk losing that iris magic in a future reformulation. It reminds me a little bit of Junoon by Al Haramain, but this is much less powdery. (I love powder, and Infusion d'Iris has plenty, so this is not a value judgment, just an observation.) Update: Wore it to bed last night--highly recommended, a very serene and calming scent despite the absence of lavender--and refreshed early this afternoon; my husband couldn't smell it until he got close, and then he said it smelled slightly of incense to him. I think he must be interpreting the benzoins that way; they do have a sort of rich and resinous accord. I love this more all the time. I know it doesn't really have the projection of, say, Iris Poudre or LVEB Iris Absolu, but it's still absolutely gorgeous. I mostly wear perfume for myself, and this creates an exquisite little scent bubble for meeeeeeeeeeee that is unlikely to offend anyone else (or that would even be registered as anything but a clean soap and powder smell, at most). As it dries down, it smells more and more like the bearded irises that bloom every spring in my front yard: that is my holy grail for an iris scent. Upgrading this one, longevity-wise. It is a skin scent 12 hours after application, but wow, is it ever a GREAT skin scent, and the fact that it's perceptible that long into the wear is impressive for such a delicate scent. It really does remind me of iris turned to a clean bergamot jasmine tea turned to incense turned to soap, and it turns out that I LOVE that smell.

So pretty. And powdery, understated and serene. But the best part is how it behaves. It starts like a cologne. Dear fellow Americans, colognes are type of perfumes, not ALL perfumy stuff for men. Forgive me for the interruption. So, it starts zesty and juicy and zingy and with time it transforms into this delightful slightly smoky, balmy, woody, powdery iris and orris. Very subtle, refined and incredibly close to skin. It stays for quite some time, but it's so intimate and comfortable that it's easy to get use to it. Adorable. Perfect for every day, work, even healthcare workers. This is something I wear when I go to the dentist, he is too nice to complain. It smells clean and expensive. It you like this kind of stuff, go directly for 200 ml, because frankly the smaller ones are just too expensive. And even if you don't want to, you will end up using it like a cologne, you will overspray it and FREQUENTLY in summer. As it behaves like a cologne, you will treat it like one. I always have a travel spray in my purse. I can't imagine offending anyone with it. As a perfume addict, having something this nice and politically correct with me for the emergencies is merciful to the rest of the population. As for the differences between 2015 and previous 2007 version...they are very close, but this one is greener, clearer and even more cologne-like. The previous one is more balsamic, smokier and more powdery. It you prefer the original version, you might want to consider buying Infusion d'Iris Cedre, the drydown is closer. And forget what replaces what, they are ALL completely gender and age neutral.

OK. So many reviews of this fragrance already, but I can't help myself, so here's another one. I asked in the awesome Fragrantica Forum for an Office safe perfume for Summer Days. I got so many lovely replies! The most mentioned perfume was this one, without competition. So of course I had to try it. Easier said than done, in my small European town. It had to be ordered online, and it was out of stock almost everywhere. But I found one eventually, and - lo and behold - TODAY it arrived! // It's now 90 minutes since I sprayed it on my wrists, and Yes, it's a love story. She was worth waiting for. My ladies (and gentlemen), I get it! It's wonderful. TBH it was a rocky start, I found it a bit overwhelming, spicy and strong, but it settles. It settles wonderfully. After 20 minutes it's great and it stays great. Clean, powdery, yes, but not to dry or sweet. Flowers, yes, but not synthetic or dominant, only fresh Irises. It's very feminine, discreet and soft - perfect for the office! Boring? Noo! I'll wear it at home, out, everywhere. I feel beautiful and it makes me happy. So thank you all, for Iris 2015. We'll have a long, solid friendship, and that's good because I could only get the big bottle... // Update a few years later: Still fond of this one, but not on me. I couldn't wear it often, since it really triggered my migraine. Had to give the bottle away, luckily it was perfect for one of my daughters. She loves it and wears it well. So still a win-win!

It's a clean powdery floral, serious, sophisticated classy fragrance. It's minimalistic in the best way. Reminds me of Chanel No 5 without the heavy cloying screechy florals. I get a tiny hint of the same benzoin that Prada Candy has when it's first sprayed but the drydown is different - all dry powdery clean florals. It makes me think of a rich woman in a camel colored coat lol for some reason lol. Maybe its bc of that magazine ad with the model wearing leather gloves lol. I was in high school when this came out (am in my 30s now) and for YEARS AND YEARS I smelled this in glossy magazine strips and loved the sophistication, classiness and boss woman vibes this has. It has the vibe of a woman who is always dressed extremely classy and follows the old money aesthetic lol. Like a younger chicer version of Serena's mom from Gossip Girl. I was more into gourmands through my teens and my 20s and never really cared to buy it all the times I smelled it the past 10 yrs (plus I could never find it for a good price lol). Randomly I saw this for such a good deal on a 3.4 oz I couldn't refuse. I had to have only smelled the 2007 version but it's the exact same as what I remember! It's so simple and minimalistic but it has a very memorable scent, and is unique IMO. Also I think this might be being discontinued bc its so hard to find it in a lot of stores now! So glad I finally added this to my collection.