Equistrius (2007)
by Parfum d'Empire

The iris kills me with this. it really dominates the scent from about 10 seconds after I put it on, until the scent finishes. It is just too sweet and lacks depth.

Uninspiring to say the least. The citrusy opening soon fades into a floral heart before the iris starts to come through. A green note adds a little something to the mix and brightens the scent but overall this just smells flat and listless.

After the rosy start which is the best balanced period of this scent; the violet gets more sweet and dominant over iris. Nice but not very bright.

What this has to do with racehorses is beyond me. It starts out with a brief burst of tart citrus and bright floral notes, then quickly transforms into a sweet, powdery iris, backed by light musk, soft sandalwood and slightly bitter violet leaves. Iris is where Equistrius stays for most of its lifespan. This is not the blunt, rooty iris of Iris Bleu Gris or the crisp, transparent, green-tinted iris of Hiris. No, this is somewhere between the smooth, buttery iris of Iris Poudre and the sweet, candied iris of Dior Homme. It's kept from being flat and cloying by the bitter edge of its violet leaf note. Without that it might be oppressively powdery and sweet. The sum impression on me is of a very smooth, creamy and nutty scent that wraps my senses in a satiny mantle.

As Equistrius develops, an anise or licorice-like note (not listed) wells up behind the iris, casting a cool spicy-herbaceous shadow over the proceedings. The entire development takes place close to the skin, with little sillage or projection. The scent is not short-lived by any means, but because it wears so close it's easy to forget you have it on. In its drydown Equistrius fades into a sweet sandalwood foundation with a touch of warm ambergris and a lingering trace of powdery iris.

While it's hardly earthshaking, Equistrius is a nicely blended, easy-to-wear scent that's obviously composed of very fine ingredients. It's also a thoroughly unisex fragrance and a safe choice for those who seek an iris scent but are put off by some of the more obviously frilly or aggressively earthy entries in the field.

An unbelievably smooth and fantastically neutral opening, thank you very much rice powder, paves the way for delicate and precious Orris notes to calm and sooth the nose. In Roman times, Orris was used in pharmaceutical environments to calm and relax the senses... and my oh my, that quality is ever so present in Equistrius. A soft, blushing note of violet caresses the rice powder, adding a hint of floral sweetness, while a beautiful note of ambrette butter soaks though and envelopes the scent, adding a divinely soothing quality. A soft, creamy chocolate anchors the light sweetness and adds an unusual texture, while Orris is allowed to work the mind in its heavenly ways. As lavender withers, and rice powders fades, the chocolaty-butter / Orris combination is accentuated, and further intensified by both sandalwood and vetiver, which serve to transform the scent into a woodsy-oriented juice, until the very end of the scent.

Absolutely every ingredient is picked with a single goal in mind: to transform the scent, as a whole, from ordinary, into something of epic proportions. It seems as if any other ingredient would have negatively impacted the scent, or any tiny change or alteration in quantity would've resulted in something else. Once the strong Orris note blends quite well with the ambrette butter, the real magic occurs. There is such a different feeling to it, because the way it flirts with lavender as opposed to how it toys with the sandalwood and vetiver, is a very dramatic shift. It wouldn't seem like one, since they're mellow notes, but it's the unfathomable impact that the Orris has on the scent.

This is absolutely indescribable, for once I'm flabbergasted and speechless. I can't think of the proper words, but a million thoughts are going through my head at once. I'm inspired by its glory, and everything I ever thought I knew about fragrances has changed. This is easily the most unique thing I have ever smelled in my entire existence. If God's divine armpit produced sweat, Equistrius would be the liquid that flowed from His glands.