Formerly EFL teacher and IT consultant, now relocated to Marseille, France. Final year biochemistry ...
Formerly EFL teacher and IT consultant, now relocated to Marseille, France. Final year biochemistry student, my passions are perfumery and making my own natural cosmetics / body care products.
Member since:12.12.2007
Reviews:148
Members who trust:148
Launched: 2007 Group: Floral oriental
Introduction
I'm a miniature perfume collector and received a 3 x 5ml mini set of the Yves Rocher Secrets d'Essence range from a friend in France that contained Iris NoirEau de Parfum. This fragrance is currently the latest addition to the collection which are themed compositions centered around some of the most well-known and used essences in perfumery such as the rose, amber or jasmin.
The bottle
The fragrance is contained in a simple-looking, clear cylindic bottle that sligtly widens at the top. The fragrance itself is light purple in colour that gives a soft and oriental feel, like Lancome's Hypnose and indeed the comparison isn't accidental.
The fragrance
Top notes: coriander, bergamot
The opening notes of are somewhat sharp, rich citrus notes that are underpinned by vanilla and a powdery, musky feel. It isn't overpowering or too heavy, but I felt the fragrance just revealed a little bit too much of itself in the first few moments. A few minutes later I get a softer and rounder version of the same juicy-powdery oriental opening that is reminiscent of Lancome Hypnose except that Iris Noir is a lot less sweet and sparkling. It has a toned-down, 'dark' velvety side that makes it quite different from other floriental openings.
Middle notes: iris
After about a half an hour to an hour on my skin, the fragrance turns into a warm and powdery iris scent. It's a dominantly iris note I would describe as powdery, slightly soapy fresh. To my nose it's like a lily-of-the-valley scent tinged with a camphorous edge. There's very little sillage which is a weakness here as most oriental florals would be brimming with flavours in this phase. The iris being alone, it just cannot have the same strengh. Overall, a nice, subtle floral phase that lasts for 2 - 3 hours.
Base notes: tonka bean, patchouli, ambrette seed
At the same time the iris note dies down, a strong vanilla-theme note develops that mixes with a sharp, earthy tone, like one that you can smell at the root of cut flowers. To my surprise, I'm also detecting a chocolate note here. As the vanilla disappeared, I started to get an even stronger, woody scent underlying the camphorous, earthy tone of the patchouli. The bases notes lasted for another hour or two.
Conclusion
I wasn't happy about the 6 - 7 hour staying power which I consider average for a mediocre eau de parfum but not for a high-end one. What I really like about Iris Noir is that it is quite well done amongst the hundreds of similar sweet smelling modern floral oriental - vanilla offerings currently available on the market. It doesn't try to copy but it still wants to fit in with the trend which I felt a tiny bit of a letdown. Iris Noir isn't original but it does have an original idea in it that's stopped short and never fully develops. It's a good thing when you want to sell for your audience, but when you want to differ, well, that's a different matter.
Price and availability
£27 / 50ml Iris Noir Eau de Parfum but currently there's a 2 for 1 offer on the range. £8.88 / Iris Noir Body Lotion 200ml £11.25 / 3 x 5ml mini gift set Iris Noir, Rose Absolue and Tendre Jasmin.
Shower gel and deodorant are also available in the range.
Thanks for reading.
İpowered by lillybee also posted on dooyoo.co.uk / Ciao US
Summary: A typical floral oriental - vanilla with a subtle twist
Pictures of Yves Rocher Iris Noir
Yves Rocher Iris Noir
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