Renaissance

This is a slightly fruitier version of Iris Absolute. It straddles the line between the original and Iris flanker. If you have either, you probably don’t need this. If you don’t, this is lovely. The packaging is top tier too. Edit: The deep dry down is just regular La Vie est Belle.

For better or worse, there is TONS of iris in this fragrance! I mostly pick up the iris notes with a bit of the black current but very little of anything else, and altogether it has a very sophisticated, powdery type of presence. I definitely get all the people comparing it to vintage makeup. If you aren't a fan of these notes I can imagine that it could read as 'old woman-ey' very easily, but I personally enjoy it. When I smell this I picture the vanity table of a 1950's debutante. A lace cloth over the mirrors side, a tube of red lipstick left opened with the curve of a woman's lips pressed into its wax, a string string of silvery pearly, tried on and abandoned on the vanity, and a lovely compact, a powder puff leaned against its back. This perfume is how I imagine that scene smells.

It's pleasant. It's safe. It makes sense to me that Tumi fragrances are easy wears, but if you're looking for something that blows your socks off, this isn't it. If you're looking for something uncomplicated and good, this fits the bill.

The user below who said theres this note of "lipstick, I 100% agree. I came back around to smell this three times just to make sure it wasn't in my head, but the dry down gave this very strong note of an 'unscented' lipstick that you forgot about, and then found it 8 years later, opened it up to do a sniff test to see if the lipstick is still good and can still be applied to your lips. I mean it's not a particularly good or bad smell, just a highly specific (maybe even nostalgic?) scent.

Some combination of the notes...maybe the Blackcurrant, Violet, and Narcisse...reminds me of an Iris and/or Orris based fragrance. The kind that smells like lipstick. It's sweet and floral, and has a nice brightness to it.