Notes: iris, mimosa, raspberry, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and Virginia cedar.

It’s mid-March and I think we’re all ready for spring to really make an appearance. Iris is a note that comes to my mind for spring. I wrote a post about spring iris scents here in 2017 where I talk about two very different iris scents: Penhaligon’s Iris Prima and Bruno Fazzolari’s Feu Secret. Likewise, Ramon Monegal’s Impossible Iris is a different twist on the floral, but still eminently appropriate for spring.

This scent opens with a luminous iris. It’s both rich and a touch dry. It’s not overly earthy or powdery though. The iris is the star of the opening for about 15 – 20 minutes or so. The first time I smelled this, I thought what a beautiful iris! I read about the other notes listed, but I wondered if perhaps this was a soliflore. But then, in an interesting twist, I get much more mimosa and ylang-ylang in terms of floral notes. The iris moves to the background to play a supporting role. I can still sniff it out, but it’s quite literally in a supporting role, holding the composition together through the heart.

The raspberry note is an interesting touch here and it really starts to shine a couple of hours into wear time. The heart of Impossible Iris reminds me a little bit of Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte. It has a similar shimmering quality in the heart, and I wonder if similar aroma chemicals were used in both compositions. The raspberry is unmistakably a fruity, red berry note. But I think the real function here is to keep the composition light and shimmering on the skin. The ylang becomes creamier on the skin as wear time progresses and, with the cedar starting to peek through, this could actually become a bit heavy on the skin in warm weather. The raspberry keeps the composition pitched just right.

I honestly don’t get a lot of cedar out of the base. It’s essentially a skin scent by this point into wear time. The cedar is dry in a way that recalls the iris of the opening. Being the cedar fanatic that I am, I wish I could coax a little more substantial woodiness out of this dry down. But rationally, I think the light and dry approach suits the composition. The raspberry has faded by this point, while the last of the ylang clings on, and then fades. I get six hours of wear time overall, which is decent.

I find it interesting that this composition is named Impossible Iris when the iris really serves as a supporting player for nearly all of wear time, but maybe that’s the point. That’s what makes it impossible! I find the raspberry most prominent overall. It’s something to be aware of, if you’re looking for an iris-forward composition, this may not be your first choice. Still, Impossible Iris is extremely pretty. It has a delicate shimmering quality to it, and yet, it has some body and substance as well. I think this balance is what makes it appropriately springy.  Over the past week, the weather here has been trying (and sometimes struggling) to make the changeover to spring. Impossible Iris has kept me in a good mood, despite the changeable weather, and sometimes that’s what I need out of a fragrance.

________________

I purchased my sample from Luckyscent. However, when I check the site now, Impossible Iris is no longer available. It is still available directly from Ramon Monegal. (It looks like Luckyscent only has a handful of Ramon Monegal scents now. I wonder if they are phasing out the brand. Making room for newness?)

The list of notes is via fragrantica.

The photo of my sample was taken by me. The flower is a white rose, not an iris because that’s what Trader Joe’s had when I stopped by for flowers!