Irisoir

I sent off to Luckscent for samples of this together with Thebes and QA. I adore Irisoir as an attar and Sohan d’Iris which I slightly prefer but I think it’s discontinued. Anyway, samples arrived and because of my love of Iris palladia I tried this first. It opens with a full on orchestra of flowers, sharp, pungent heavy duty flowers but within minutes, the Iris shines through with its buttery silken slightly vegetal aroma. After 5 minutes, it softens to the more powdery side of Iris with a hint of medicinals about it but still the florals keep pushing through. It’s absolutely glorious and took my breath away. I haven’t smelt stuff like this for years! I grew up at the tail end of the glory days of Guerlain, DIOR Balenciaga and Caron. So initially it reminded me of VINTAGE Dioressence but that was fleeting until it unfolded in all its glory as a warmer version of Iris Silver Mist by one of the greatest perfumers of the twentieth century, Serge Lutens. I loved ISM but it was a bit cold, Irisoir is slightly warmer especially in the far drydown but it has the bones of that beautiful masterpiece of Lutens. It lasts on skin for a good 8 hours and my 1ml sample wasn’t exactly over sprayed. I’ve never smelt Djedi but I remember when Sultan wrote about it and its effect on him. I love all his work, I first read about him on the now retired Kafkaesque blog so HAD to try his work. The attars without exception are all beautiful and I’m so pleased he’s ventured into the “squirt and go!” Irisoir is THE BEST Iris perfume out there and I’ve tried almost all of them, yes it’s not cheap but it is exquisite and beautifully crafted. It blows La Pausa Chanel, out of the water! le Labo Iris 39 is quite good and I wore it for a few years but it’s heavy and a bit old fashioned. This is bang up to date with a vintage quality and polish. Well done Sultan!!

You’ve probably seen those paintings of a man composed of vegetables by Italian Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. This perfume is like one of those paintings, but it is a woman; she’s tall and voluptuous, and is made of layer upon layer of flowers and fruits, mainly a warm, spicy, honeyed peach. She gives you a soft hug, and it feels like summer. All to say, this perfume is the furthest thing from the cold remote iris we associate with perfumes now. Irisoir has a lush, vintage feel and to my nose the perfume features that honeyed peach as its central tent post, rather than the named iris. It’s a peach that reminds me a bit of the one in Mitsouko, and the iris twines about it along with an almondy heliotrope and layer upon layer of other flowers that make the perfume feel like a 1000 page book rather than the brief magazine article that so many perfumes today recall. I’ve never smelled Iris Gris, the perfume that this is said to be a representation of but what a joy it must be to smell that. Anyway, on its own merits, this is an absolutely lush, beautiful perfume that must be experienced. To my nose it is a breath of fresh air after so many amber/wood creations that all start to smell alike. It’s obviously an extreme high quality perfume, and though the price tag is high I think when you look at average prices in the niche perfume market now, the price of Irisoir is justified. It is a work of art, like the painting and the novel I have compared it to. Irisoir envelops you, it is dense and you don’t need more than a couple sprays to have the full experience. It doesn’t project in any obnoxious way, but wears within a foot or two of the skin. The longevity is good, you get about 8 hours out of a couple sprays.

sorry in advance for 2nd review. I'm not an iris converted fraghead ( yet ), I know it is a true crime. But this scent has blown my socks off and then some! it's all a fraghead needs when it comes to iris scentered fragrance. Touches of peachy fluff make it fizzy and fluffy, almost edible in a sense. Trying both the irisoir attar and irisoir extrait is definitely an experience of its own. While attar is more earthy and dark-gloomy, the extrait is more playful and cheery-posh-vintage smelling. Million out of ten release! I can understand attar lovers claiming it is not the same, it is most certainly not. But the quality and overall blending is sublime to say the least. Full finished sample later, I have my bottle and I'm catching comments on my scent of the day from people near me, this might be my new signature scent, period!

Where to begin? I mean it’s Sultan Pasha and it’s his Irisoir, award winning and beloved. It’s perfection. It’s totally unisex, perfectly spiced, ever so lightly floraled without ever stepping on the Orris Butter’s toes. The carnation? *chefs kiss* All the warm basalmic and cool ambergris just add that cozy gorgeous hum that they do. The beautiful Mysore and crisp Haitian Vetiver are gently nudging forth more complexities. I could sing its praises all day. So thankful I have this gem. PS fragantica is missing some notes above. According to SP the notes are “Top: Iris absolute, violet, heliotrope, lilac, peach. Middle: Orris butter, carnation , tuberose, jasmine, rose, violet leaf absolute. Base: Ambergris, styrax, tonka absolute, Mysore sandalwood, cedar, Haitian vetiver, orris butter, musk.”

I totally get the resemblance references here on Fragrantica with Fath's and Guerlain's cretaions. I had L'iris de Fath on watchlisr for some time and I think I can personally let the idea of having it go. Now that I've sampled Irisoir on my skin, I have placed it on the wishlist after one wear! Irisoir isn't about the bright, cheerful iris of spring bouquets, but something far more enigmatic: a hushed, foggy iris that speaks in whispers yet commands absolute attention. The iris here is powdery without being dusty, buttery without being heavy, sweet without being cloying. The balance is simply perfect. I imagine the attar is different and more dense and darker. If i ever have the chance to try it, I'll do the side by side update of it here.