Romance d'Iris

I did a 180 on this fragrance in a matter of 24hrs!? I'm not normally a floral fragrance kind of gal, im usually more amber/wood/spice/resin etc type profile. But with the exception of purple flowers. And some rose like French Leather Memo. Anyway, enter Romance d'Iris (EDP dark bottle) with all its purple flowers! Blind buy but on sale so thought I would give it a go! By the way I experience fragrance through emotions, vibes, colours etc not so much invidual notes. 1st thoughts: very sharp citrus green opening, then comes the explosion of flowers with a 'fizzy' like quality. It very slowly gets less 'fizzy' and more powdery and musky. Then I thought this smells VERY mature like something I smelt some years ago. Then I thought 'nope this is not for me'. Not that I disliked it but just really not my vibe. Although some hours later the dry down i quite enjoyed it think because the floral phase had died down and it was the musky, powdery freshness left. Day 2: something made me crave smelling it again to my surprise. So I spritz it again and i was like actually I think I quite like it. The different stages it had I was now enjoying. The overly mature vibe it was giving off felt a little more acceptably mature. Then I remembered what it was that I smelt that had some similar qualities. Juliette has a Gun, Lipstick Fever!? I bought a 10ml vial like 6 years ago and the violette and Iris combo had the same 'fizzy' quality. But its sweeter and lighter with the raspberry. I didnt buy a full bottle as for me it felt a little too 'young' and lacking depth for me. It felt like it was for a young woman just starting to understand herself and make her way in the world. Well, Romance D'iris feels like the Aunt who has lived life, knows who she is. She has some sharp edges which were created by life but retains her softness within. What a wild 24hrs I've had with this fragrance! P.S sillage and longevity is good, not beast level but not skin scent either. For me it can go from day to evening. And I think actually this could be quite nice on a man, there is enough boldness and character for it to work. Plus its not particularly sweet and has a slightly cold like quality to it.

Sounds promising and it really is that beautiful. Starts with sort of almost nutty and vegetal rice note which later transforms to something almost metallic and bright with all the purple flowers. And you get the muskiness within 10 minutes, which all of these combined turns into something like your skin but better vibes. So beautiful. For some reason I can compare this one to Narciso Rodriguez - Musc Noir. It must be the musk and the heliotrope. Although i dont claim that they are exact dupes or anything, more like a similarity in vibes can be detected. The musk we get in Romance d'Iris isn't per se clean or dirty, I wouldn't say this smells laundry clean or anything, nor it gets too dirty and intense but there is a sensuality to it. So glad I randomly found this beauty on a second hand app and I hope Zara decides to put this one back in their stores and website. I am loving it and I also think this one will be even more beautiful on a winter night. Well done Zara x Jo Malone, well done! Make more of this, please please please!

Really beautiful opening of starchy rice and crisp bergamot, followed by a bouquet of candied green violets, heliotrope, and powdery and earthy iris. On the dry down, I detect a musk that is not quite clean, alongside a Haitian vetiver that is clean, airy and bright. This is definitely an enigmatic, cold, and chic purple floral fragrance. It is a great fit for a woman who is intellectual, mysterious, and slightly melancholic. She is someone who works in the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, museums), or spends all her time there, and loves trip-hop. I would not call this fragrance mature, but rather, better suited for a certain kind of person and I am within that target demographic. Excellent blind buy if you like these notes already, but if not, I would test first. Perfectly safe for the office, especially corporate or traditional workplaces, and excellent as a unique signature scent. It sits close to the skin on me, but definitely has moderate sillage. I think it would project beautifully on clothes.

I couldn’t stop smelling my hand after spraying it and walking around the mall. It’s very unique and memorable compared to most of Zara’s offerings, which is why I ended up buying it. I wouldn’t say it smells overly “mature” (I would attribute that more to ylang ylang heavy scents), but rather esoteric. This is a very confident, yet calm person. Someone you’d cross paths with at an art gallery, a museum, or the library. I associate iris with the smell of my mom’s Guerlain lipsticks back when we were in France, and she was exactly that type of person. Really beautiful scent, but I can see how it’s not for everyone because iris is very lipsticky in nature. I, for one, find it fresh and creamy, suitable for summer and other seasons as well.

I took a chance on blind buying this as I enjoy all the notes listed, and I'm so glad I did. It is absolutely beautiful and everything I enjoy in a fragrance. Powdery, floral, earthy, woody but also a bit milky, clean and fresh. Its cold and soft like crisp white cotton bed sheets. The rice note is there but its not a sweet rice pudding kind of rice. Its more of a powdery, vegetal, green kind of rice. Its a very similar vibe to Arden Beauty except its more powdery and purple floral. Its such a calming fragrance which has helped me through these past few weeks. I always feel good when I wear it.