iris | The Scented Hound

WHAT I SMELL: Hedonist Iris opens up with a soft and clean blackcurrent that seem to be wrapped within green stems. A white musk sits on top of the blackcurrent like a cotton ball which seems to be drying out the juice of the fruit. In fact, the perfume is surprisingly dry and it quickly begins to powder which helps to make the perfume project. The iris here is radiant; there is nothing dirty or earthen about it. And the iris is Iris butter, which gives the floral a smooth finish that’s rather weighty. After around 15 minutes, the musk really come into play giving Hedonist Iris a rather clean and sparkling glow.

From the Viktoria Minya website:

A romantic perfume for a graceful woman who cares for sensual luxury. The essence of this pure fragrance is the most expensive natural raw material of all – Iris butter. Its cool elegance is laced with tantalizing notes of cocoa and blackcurrant absolute and crowned by a fine blend of musks.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Think pink…Hedonist Iris is all Glinda the Good Witch of the North

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HEDONIST IRIS: uber-feminine, gentile, clean

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HEDONIST IRIS: Megan in Saint Maxime, Olfactoria’s Travels, The Non-Blonde

BOTTOM LINE: This perfume has me perplexed; on one hand the perfume is extremely feminine, but there’s almost a childlike quality as if the perfume is not suited not for a woman, but instead is best suited for a young lady of unintended virtue. Obviously, I’m not the intended audience.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Viktoria Minya
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $200 for 45 ml Eau de Parfum

I thought it was timely that I do a review of Cuir Ottoman by Parfum de Empire as I have read some interesting reviews as of late and just received a sample myself. Now my preferences don’t lean towards the leather scents, but I have learned to be open to new avenues of fragrances. So after reading what others thought about this fragrance, I decided to give this a try. The first thing that I found when I applied this was a lovely floral note, mixed with what I found to be almost a rubber or plastic smell. Is that the leather trying to come out? Yes. The rubber smell dissipated quickly and the leather made its presence. Now this is not leather that is harsh or strong, but is more of a buttery, suede leather. The mix of floral and leather is very interesting and quite refreshing. This is a scent that stays close to the skin and is surprisingly light, a little sweet and clean and airy. Cuir Ottoman is quite different from what I think of a typical leather scent. As nice as I found this scent to be, my one disappointment was that it disappeared on me after a few hours. In the end, I found Cuir Ottoman to be an elegant surprise. For those of you who love leather scents, I recommend giving this a try.

Cuir Ottoman Notes:

jasmine, leather, iris, benzoin, balsams, resins, incense