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.

The new version with the darker bottle has quite strange opening that doesn't have much similarities with the original one. It kinda has strange earthy, dominant rice smell. But once the initial phase is over within 10 minutes it starts to smell like the original one and it is slightly more potent and has a bit better longevity than the original one . Apart from the opening , it is definitely identical.

For anyone looking for a dupe of Chanel’s Comète, this comes close. Romance d’Iris features Violet in place of cherry, but I actually prefer that. A stunning release from Zara that truly smells like something from a high-end designer exclusive line—and for $68 CAD per 100ml! Impressive. Does anybody know how often Zara discontinue their fragrances? Should I be buying a backup?

This one changed my mind about iris fragrances, as I absolutely love it. Happy that I was able to score it during the sales. It's kind of dark and mysterious, especially for a floral fragrance. The rice note really adds something very special to all of it. Probably very good year round, but I am very intrigued to how this is going to work in the colder months.

This elixir is a unique work of perfumery art. It is long-lasting and rich, but it even seems like the composition is different. The box lists bergamot, iris flower, and white musk. There have been no testers since last year, and the product has only just appeared on the shelves.

Romance d'Iris has returned to the Zara website, along with the others from the Silent Flowers Collection 🙂 its a bit more pricey though, but I think its a higher concentration. Im not sure if this or any of the others are reformulated or not.

Jo Malone by Zara, it’s the gift that keeps on giving... I’m not a big fan of iris scents but this one I wear effortlessly. Very unisex and can lean ever so slightly towards the feminine side.

Blind buy, as there was no tester available. I want to like Iris note, but I am not convinced. It is earthy like fresh carrot juice. Edit 6 months later: I love it now!

Has anyone had a chance to compare new parfum version (not in the database yet) with the older version shown here? If so, please do tell !

If has the old lipstick smell with more citrus, but still adore it

TLDR; beautiful, unconventional and melancholic, powdery, violet-infused musk. Not an easy wear for me, but could definitely be so for others, especially those looking for a different, dry floral that stands on its own. This was a strange buy, an impulse decision fueled by stress and anxiety a couple months back, after which it was relegated to the very back of my collection. Initially a big, bold and almost abrasive violet, this then gives way for a powdery, soft and strange (in the best way) mix of soapy and organic. All my Zara perfumes seemingly have this stanky note (vetiver?) at their base, giving an almost metallic, alkaline note of dirt - not the wet, earthy kind, just straight up urban dirt, and here it just works. Do I see myself wearing this often? Maybe not, but it’s a nice change of pace every now and again, a melancholy powdered violet in a sea of juicy sweetness and light. Edit - I remember why I bought this - for the violet and the alleged resemblance to fleur de peau! To me, this mostly reads as l’heure bleu and foreign (read - not the hyper-fresh type favored in my country) detergent - it’s beautiful, but not an easy wear. I’m curious to see how this wears during cooler seasons, nights or rainy days.

It’s slightly more violet, maybe buttery orris root. For some reason, it does not project—at least to my nose. I do not think the musk is dirty/animalic. I do think that for a Zara frag, this is overpriced. However, the presentation is nice. Heavy cardboard circular box. Bottle is more stylish, and the magnetic cap is a bonus. I have not tried many irises, but my favorite is Aerin’s Iris Meadow, which is sadly discontinued. Prada’s Infusion d’Iris is elegant. We all have different olfactory preferences, but Zara Romance d’Iris, while competently formulated, is something I will not buy again. Others may find quite lovely. Update 01/03/2024: considering it’s a parfum and has a better bottle presentation, I no longer think it’s overpriced. I am still undecided about how I feel about the scent. Definitely not bad, but also not swoon-worthy. Update 03/27/2024: I sprayed it again today, and I like it, though not love. The powdery iris is more prominent now than Violet. Maybe letting it sit for three months smoothed it out.

I don’t know why, but somehow the notes come together to smell like mimosa to me, along with rice and iris. I can pick up on some vetiver in the background, but only if I’m really trying to discern all the notes. This is another non-sweet/non-gourmand rice fragrance. Like the generic short grain rice you buy before realizing that Jasmine and Basmati exist. Plus a powdery—but not quite makeup-y— iris that gives a heady almost vintage effect. Somewhat similar to L’eau Papier by Diptyque, though Diptyque is more airy and minimal with the austere chemical note (ambroxan?) that invokes paper. If you layered this with AnOther 13 you might approximate a dupe. Attractive bottle and the scent I sprayed on my hand in the afternoon is still present at midnight after multiple hand washing. Editing to add that this dries down to a powdery vanilla a bit like Bois d’Argent.

Clean, powdery, creamy, smooth, melancholic purple floral fragrance. Great for layering and has slightly above average performance. I def hated iris/orris before this frag but starting to like it now. I dont really pick up the rice persay at all really although there is a slight vegetable tinge in the first 10-15 min which could be the rice but outside of that I just get a purple flower petal vibe. Just pure powdery and creamy Iris and a lightly sweet Violet with heliotrope adding a slight almond vibe to the creaminess. And ofc there is a lot of musk. Def was a good pick up.

Took a risk and blind bought it because it was on sale and absurdly cheap for 100ml. I like powdery iris perfumes so I thought it should be fine. Opening is very earthy and green, quite sharp to my nose, but thankfully after twenty minutes or so develops and becomes softer and creamier. Still dry and cold though. Mature but elegant. I'll try to find something to layer it with. Let's say it's not a safe blind buy. (talking about the new version in darker bottle) Edit: Nevermind I actually love it. Opening is kinda horrible but dry down is magnificent.

It's more violet-y and heliotrope-y than iris-y. It's like mixing a bit of Dyptique L'Eau Papier with violet and heliotrope. Vetiver? Maybe, but not earthy or dump, maybe just provides some woody backbone. Someone wrote below "dirty musc" or whatever bs; nope, completely false, just a touch of some white/clean musc. It's a very pretty scent suited for spring and summer. Unisex, leans feminine. Heavy bottles with magnetic caps, and all of this for £35!! It makes me really think how much money dior, chanel...etc make from their £350 perfumes!!!