L'Insomnuit

Very debonair ... a sort of Sotheby's catalogue in scent, smelling expensive, all-the-way upmarket, and full of genuine artistry. Deceptively gentle, seductive, powdery iris at first, which had me sighing with pleasure - not sweet, but not too earthy either, just perfectly pitched in the sweet spot in between. Absolutely reeking of high-quality ingredients as formulated by people who truly know what they're doing - nothing whatsoever screechy or fake about it, just an initial enveloping cloud of orris-heavy loveliness, without any of the waxy/fatty feel which turns some people off the note. However, there's a kicker: this one gets much, much, much darker and dirtier as time goes on, with the wood seeming to me nose to darken well past sandalwood into an almost-oud aura (slightly raspy cedar maybe?) - which never makes it unwearable, but does give an unmistakably nearly-bitter medicinal tang. Always rich and characterful and extremely classy, but I'd want a proper full day's trial in isolation before going for a full bottle of this. Don't blind buy (even if this looks great to you on paper), but for true iris fans it's likely to be a big hit. 100% unisex in my view, with moderate sillage and longevity.

This is a stunning fragrance. Right from the outset it delivers a hearty punch of jammy fruit notes like a kinda plum vibe. Then there's the heady whack of a balsamic, amber like accord which then gives way into the heart of iris and sandalwood. L'insomnuit does have a gourmand type appeal to it which I would say might come from the tonka bean, but it's not typical in anyway and is nothing like a deliberate gourmand. I get a sense from this perfume that it's not trying too hard to be anything in any category and is a light-hearted exercise in how to make something fun and smell exciting with a mix of notes I think are great together. I was hooked from the first whiff.

Very nice fragrance. On my skin, this also smells like a sweet gourmand with a bit of woodiness in the background. Also smells almost a little spicy, like there's a hint of cinnamon in there, though the notes don't suggest anything like this. I was pleasantly surprised with my sample! I'm not picking up on the references that others have mentioned like "rum and coke" smell. I think this is a nice one, but I guess based on the varied experiences of other reviewers, I'd say that this is one you need to test and not blind buy. This one does smell a little heavy so more suitable for winter/fall time.

A beautiful cool powdery opening which is typical of orris. The tonka adds the perfect amount of warmth and sweetness. It's a love duet between these notes. Perfectly balanced and singing in total harmony. After a while you detect the sandalwood and wood notes. It's for me a comfort scent. Nice for casual wear. You won't be able to stop sniffing your wrist. Low to moderate silage but good longevity.

Beautiful but strong! Orris is the main player to begin with, then its settles to a vanilla/tonka, woody, powdery iris and it's glorious! It's winter, I've had a bath and am in my jammies wearing this beauty, I'm one happy bunny :)

This is absolutely wonderful! Divine! Strong!!!!! Fantastic. Glorious.

It's a shame to call "floral" one of the main accords of this fragrance. To my nose, the iris is almost completely taken over by the balsamic effects, which go on for hours. It's just too edgy for me, a scent I really can't wear most places. This is a fragrance no one should have to blind buy, but nearly everyone has to who doesn't live in London. The difference is L'Insomnuit seems to be all balsamic notes, with no other heart notes. It's almost as if they meant to put in another big heart note and then couldn't buy the quantity or quality they wanted, or a committee voted against it. I was warned; I bought Robert Piguet's Knightsbridge and it too was a similar balsamic scent that I find just too edgy. I think Piguet and other perfume makers sometimes sell their most outrageous fragrances as "special editions" to Harrods knowing most of their other retail outlets won't have enough buyers for them. Saying that, I love Casbah and Bois Noir, and Calypso. But they're all Robert Piguet's "bread and butter" perfumes, fragrances less shocking which more people seem to like.

Honestly, on me, it smells like a less cloying, more wearable version of Blessed Barraka from Initio. Not my favorite as I've decluttered BB a while back.

Beautiful combo of powdery iris, tonka/vanilla and sandlewood. I’m not really picking up too much cedar. This is a formal kind of fragrance for me.

dry powdery woody iris but the sandalwood is synthetic and unpleasant .

Damn. This is not what I was expecting. I thought I was in for a big dose of violet and buttery iris in that classic powdery, lipsticky style I know so well. But no. This leans hard into a vanilla vibe, and honestly, it’s kind of irritating. It’s incredibly sweet, borderline gourmand, with this fizzy cola effect that reminds me of Vanilla Diorama but way, way louder. It hangs around forever, to the point where you genuinely wish it wouldn’t. I made the mistake of wearing it to bed, and it woke me up multiple times, as if it were projecting directly into my semi conscious dreams. I can absolutely see how L’Insomnuit got its name... this thing gave me a full night of unwanted, wide-awake insomnia.

I was looking forward to trying this as I am a fan of some of the Piguets (Calypso, Fracas, V. Intense), finally did, and was disappointed. Everything about it seems harsh, jarring, and just "too". Intensely sweet, cool iris and tonka with an overdose of harsh, synthetic, generic woods(maybe mostly identifiable as synthetic cedar) and probably ambroxan. They seem like 2 separate entities rather than a smooth mingling of woods, resins, and orris/florals. Honestly, I think it smells cheap and those acetone woods do NOT scrub off!!. So, yes, this would definitely give me insomnia, but more in the way a buzzing mosquito in my ear or a migraine would.

A sum of its (good quality) parts, nothing less, nothing more.

This perfume smells exactly of Jack Daniels with/without coke. No Joke, best friend agrees the smell is identical, after i had asked her to see if it was just me. I cant even wear it because I fear I will smell like ive just drank a whole heap of alcohol or someone who has had a long night and no shower, not knocking it as I'm sure there are people who like it and not saying it smells dirty it just smells heavily alcoholic. as in an alcoholic boozy drink, not alcoholic as in the sharp cheap fragrance smell. I was expecting something quite unique. DO NOT BLIND BUY LIKE ME LOL!. Definitely more mature aswell, I wouldn't see this on someone under 40!. also this is super potent, this smell overpowered everything, and took ages to leave!. I think my main thoughts really are just this smells exactly like Jack Daniels with/without coke, too my nose it smells completely identical, i would say if you enjoy that smell and would like to smell heavily of it buy this, however if not stay away. You may be aware that this is a perfume but everyone around u who may not be aware of the smell of Linsomnuit will more than likely assume you smell of alcohol lol!.

[DECEMBER 2021] Excellent coke soda-styled floral scent , pleasantly sour-sweet and fizzy-like (if the drink bubbled at the bottom not heavily at the top) and yet L'Insomnuit still registers a bouquet of romantic, though perhaps abstracted/hard-to-individualise except to register like a whole of white florals mixed in a fizzy soda bottle. L'Insomnuit smells similar to Amouage Honour or Interlude Woman nonetheless, even if aldehydes are not traceable or at least center-stage in L'Insomnuit; just remember similar, not identical. I would and will buy this as a good replacement to Roja Dove's Enigma especially since most people don't want to commit to Roja's Gucci-expensive high price tags for how much the Enigma transforms like a Willy Wonka 5 course meal. If a coke soda flower soliflore or 2 and a-half-course-meal post-Epoque romantic jazz bar will do, please help yourself to L'Insomnuit. It's actually not as chillingly ghostly bitter taste cold as its description might suggest and for that, get Solstice Scent's Flowers Nocturnal. Not much cold goth ambient in L'Insomnuit but wonderfully warm and soda pop red hot flower jazzy.

That orris is beautifully 'orrible. Smells like gin. I'm tee-total these days, and was never a fan of G&T in the way that a middle aged middle class woman ought to be, but I do like the smell. Its sharpness sort of bites you on the nose and that's always good, but I would want it to be wrapped up in something warmer, a little sooner, as a sort of an apologetic kiss on the bitten nose. I would also like the PR bumph to admit to the orris, rather than call it "boozy plum". To me, the boozy gin (orris) note just doesn't go away, doesn't open up to allow anything else through. Maybe a different story in winter, for summer I will put it back into the back of the perfume larder.

Oh yes, this is stunning alright! This is a five-groan fragrance. That means that as I was putting it on the first time I groaned in bliss five times - and there are not many that get that score. It's one of those that make you wonder why you ever bother with anything else. Of course, when it's worn off and you go back to a more ordinary perfume for more regular use, you remember - you don't really want to be brandishing olfactory ordnance of this sheer grandeur on a regular basis; but whilst you're wearing it ... nothing that is not something of at least this calibre could possibly have served.

Extreme vanilla iris. Since the iris is a weak note that vanishes quite fast, within 5 to 10 minutes this fragrance is leaft with vanilla and bits of sandalwood and hints of iris with tiny bits of anise and cedar. It is a vanilla fragrance than iris or sandalwood and it reminds me of "Nuit Velours" from the same house. There is a silver edition i have seen in Selfridges Oxford street, and i remember the lady there said it was an exclusive there! Bottom line, it's a good vanilla fragrance.

Holy MOLY! I received my 1ml spray vial today and spritz one tiiiiny little spray. An hour later it still fulls the room. When you try this, be gentle lol I love people crushing sillage and this is at the top of the list! I like the composition but it is around 100 today and it's just not its weather. I cannot WAIT to try it in cooler weather.....probably COLD weather. The cedar that comes through is a little screechy in this heat. You will get your money's worth.

Opens with a loud iris, which is best described as a more feminine version of Dior Homme (if such a thing is possible). Dries down to something more dusty, woody and masculine, and really rather wonderful—not unlike Grand Soir. But the transition is novel, even if each stage is derivative. 8/10.