Infusion d'Iris Eau de Parfum Absolue

I love this perfume! I was lucky to find a 50ml bottle in a local perfume store and of course this was the last bottle as it is discontinued. I was also lucky because I asked and received their sample bottle which had about 30ml of perfume left (heheheh...). Both batches (sample and my bottle) were made in 2012 with only a few months apart, and I am referring to that because the juice of the sample bottle was lighter and the scent in my opinion even better smelling than the sealed bottle I purchased, I assume because of being displayed in the store (light and air conditions) in its glass bottle. So... this on initial spray smells like an expensive luxury soap (I assume it is the iris, the tonka and the benzoin perhaps?) and then...oh my... I pick up almond in the notes mixed and blended so beautiful with the iris and the soapy smell that it makes it devine! Mind you, an almond note done right, not like all these perfumes made with the almond note, that make them smelling harsh like bug spray or bitter(like Alaia Blanche,valentino valentina poudree etc), this is neither sweet nor bitter, it is beautiful and smells expensive. It is a beautiful balanced scent, that will smell really nice in every weather I think, as I first tried it in really hot Mediterranean weather, and I am wearing it now in chillier rainy automnal weather. It projects nicely and softly, in an arms lenth, and you can smell it throughout its wear. Its sillage is pretty good do, it last for at least 8 hours! As this is unfortunately discontinued I will cherish every moment wearing it but I won't make an effort to save it, I'd rather enjoy it, as I hope to do with the rest of my perfume collection. After all, 80ml of perfume (50+30 ;) ) will last me for a while - lol EDIT: I was trying to decipher what that beautiful almond-ish note was exactly, and then I saw the mastic note in the ingredients listed here.And I thought yes...it is similar to mastic but...it isn't quite that... but this note was so familiar...almond-ish...mastic-y... and then it hit me!The note that gives that impression and it is the main note of this perfume is the spice mahlab. If you have ever grinded mahlab seeds and tried this perfume, you know exactly what I am talking about. The mahlab seeds when grinded they become a beautiful aromatic powder that can be used in a pastry recipe that is well known here in Greece called tsoureki that we make usually in Easter.In fact, mahleb gets combined beautiful with mastic (one ingredient compliments the other in the recipe), so it is no surprise, that the mastic is referred here. However the note is definitely mahlab! The funny thing, that when I was way younger, I thought that mahleb would make an excellent main perfume note, and I had tried to create a resemblance of a perfume oil, but with no success... Many years later, who would have thought that this perfume would come to me, and being a discontinued one for so long, no less... ;)

I think sometimes you dont choose the fragrance, it chooses you. I wrote in my first review about a year ago that i bought a bottle of this in hopes it would satisfy my longing for the original infusion d iris edp, which at the time was hard to find and unbelievably pricey here in Oz, but since i was wanting the fresh soapy qualities of the origional, I found it was too dry, powdery and strong for me so i gave it to my mum. Well ever since the day i gave it away its been in the back of my mind calling me back. I asked mum if i could grab it and try wearing it again, she said of course. So i was full of excitement to get the bottle back but found she hasnt touched it at all, it looks like its been sprayed maybe..twice lol. When i asked her if she ever wears it she said " mm not really, i tried it but..na." So today i wore it again, i tried dabbing a little of the origional IDI over the top to give it a bit of an incense kick and omg im in love! I can't believe i didnt give her more of a chance:( Today it just made me feel happy. IDI absolue is almost the same as the origional edt, yes, only bolder, powderier and less soapy; its dryer than the origional and is more like a makeup sort of powder, not so much a baby powder. The lasting power is much much better also. Its lovely in cool weather but once the sun came put and i warmed up, the musk and benzoin really intensified, giving it a balmy almost smoky quality. IDI absolue is classy,sophisticated; and warmer than its original counterpart, which i find a little cold and serious (but is oddly one of the reasons i love it.) I think maybe at the time i just wasn't ready for this masterpiece to be mine, I didn't appreciate the beauty in its golden vintage style liquid. Over the last year ive wasted more money on failed blind buys than anyone will ever know, i think trying to figure out what fragrance i can call my own; my signature style. And i have gravitated towards pradas infusion d'iris line for so long now that i think this one is it, my special scent that just fits. Ive always loved fragrances that were thought to be ' too old' for me, aldehydic, chypre scents but didnt think i was ready for them yet so I would try wearing the age appropriate fruitchoulis, the gourmands.. and all the things can tolerate but dont really love. I cant look at sugary sweet scents anymore; im so over all that. Powder sweet yes, foody sweet, no. Fragrances like this are not made that often anymore; Pradas Infusions line brings back the classic style of perfumes for those that want the old style, well crafted, high quality scents. No matter how i tried to fight it, IDI Absolue found me and has a tight hold over me.

Prada Infusion D'Iris is just beautiful! Cozy, clean, fresh, fluffy - feels like what I imagine a cloud to smell like. Nothing sweet here, I smell no vanilla or tonka at all. I've owned the other EDT and EDP versions, loved them as well from first-sniff but kept having issues with longevity. Now having more experience with iris and neroli centered fragrances I understand that longevity, even from the most expensive houses, is actually really good at 4 hrs simply given the nature of these ingredients. They just aren't the type of flowers that have monster sillage anyway and in perfume, they won't have that last-forever longevity. I can appreciate that now! And I certainly don't mind re-applying, I can do so all day long and never tire of it! 😊 ❤️ HOWEVER, I just can't feel comfortable blowing through bottles and spending more money to keep replacing them... I've only just received this formula, tested yesterday, 60 F in San Diego, our first rainy day of the season. I could definitely still smell it on and around myself 3 hrs later. Then I sprayed Chanel No 19 Poudre on one arm along with another spray of this on the other, I wanted to re-compare (if that's a word) the two scents. They're quite similar but side by side, Poudre is still more green iris / neroli whereas IDI is more powdery iris / neroli. I love them both, but IDI wins hands down as far as the fragrance itself! Compared to the other iterations of IDI, the Poudre lasted a few hours longer which was why I traded those out and kept the Poudre. This IDI is more intense and still sooooo intoxicating... If it can give me at least 5 hours, I'll have to let the Poudre go and hunt down a few back-ups! I can't imagine anyone not liking this scent. It's gorgeous. In all formulas, it somehow manages to be warm and cozy although the ingredients sound colder (again, I don't sense anything sweet here, even in the dry down). My favorite times to wear it are fall / winter and cooler evenings. I feel like in the heat the florals don't really get to bloom and it evaporates too quickly. Leaves a LOVELY after-scent on clothes, too. 😍 Definitely worth a sample if you haven't already, beautiful indeed!

First impressions after blind buying..... This version is a more deeper leathery iris, im sure i can smell violet too ? i almost dismissed it as its harsh at first , the first few mins is not that nice, however eventually absolue settles gets much warmer and balsamic , i love the coldness of the orginal so this is different , it takes a bit of getting used to as its kinda the opposite of the original edp version. This is soooo smooth , rich and balmy , its got a slight batternburg /marzipan vibe in the top notes but eventually it goes more woody iris. The benzoin is delish ! Something feels bright and medicinaly cold makeing my nose feel cold as well but i really like it im unsure what that note is but it may be how the orange blossom is comeing through or is there a little pepper ? is this even more powdery than the usual edp ? possibly , i love powder so this is a richer powder with a cold leathery iris yet the tonka warms and so do the resins. dry down is becoming a little less iris and much less orange blossom , more resins and dark incense with a dark vanilla, and im getting a little bit of another favorite of mine chanel no 5 omg i never expected that ! just something in the more musky notes takes me that way ! now that was unexpected and is nice as i love no 5, its not heavily like it though , just a tad. " shwets " has a review a few below this that mentions this is quite soft and it reminds of babys heads when clean , but not with talc or nappies, just beautiful fresh washed baby head skin , lol i get that too ! like clean soft healthy skin plus other notes. This is not quite as airy like the beautiful original nor fresh and soapy , this is much much darker and richer and more oriental woody version of the original, this version has more makep / lipstick feel too, i love them both , but this ones just as addictive ! easily 9 /10 just beautiful shame its quite soft id love an elixir of this :)

Funny how sometimes you get taken in by a perfume copy. I really was hoping to be blown away by this, especially because I love the original perfume, and many early reviews were favorable. Their copy advertises a "richer and more intense" version of d'Iris, like an extrait or something. So in that way I'm disappointed that it's not a loud, rich, intense in-your-face d'Iris. Anyway--it's pretty linear, and while I like it alot, not too exciting. Think of d'Iris but with a splash of vanilla on the bottom, and a bit more incense added to the powdery aspects. It is also a bit more woody, and all together the ingredients are of a darker variety--there seem to be no florals except for a hint of the iris, which despite the pyramid I don't find to be prominient. Mostly I smell mastic/resins, powder, vanilla, wood, musk, and an abstract iris, which in sum add up to a dark character. It may be dark, but it's not loud--it does not wear like an "Absolue" for those that think it will be stronger than the original, think again--it wears next to the skin, but has excellent longevity. For all its woody incense musky darkness, it is a perfectly safe scent--it's not really daring at all. That said, it's worth a sniff for those that like the original, I have a bottle of Absolue and I enjoy it quite a bit. EDIT 12/04/2013 While my above review was not negative, I feel I did not pontificate on the great aspects of this perfume. For those who like the incense, resinous aspects of the original, indeed those facets are amped up in this edition, making it a moody, almost contemplative perfume. Also, the vanilla goes SO WELL with this, it is not sweet or foody, just true blue vanilla, which makes up the final drydown (vs. the woody drydown of the original.) Just another 2 cents.