Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger (2009)
by Prada

Being familiar with Prada No.4 (Fleur d'Oranger parfum) I was hopeful that this would translate that wonderful fragrance into an EdP. The parfum presents a rich, vibrant orange blossom - a largely green fragrance with enough subtle citrus to sweeten it a little. I let my imagination wander and I'm picturing that if this 'Infusion' was successful we could soon see other Prada parfums moving from the realm of the obscure into the realm of the obtainable. After all, Prada No.3 would make a fantastic EdP. But I digress....

Sadly Infusion Fleur d'Oranger presents a soft, pale neroli/orange blossom fragrance that is bland and wholly unimpressive. It's certainly not offensive or bad, just disappointing, especially given that nearly every other Prada release is very enjoyable (even with the cheap iris used in Infusion d'Iris/d'Homme). The fragrance stays close to the skin, but I did notice that each occasion I sampled this I got longer than average longevity, at least 7-8 hours. I guess what's most disappointing is that we know Prada is capable of so much more. They have the parfum line to work from, but they chose not to. If I were judge FdO based on expectations it would be thumbs down, but by itself it's an ok scent - just nothing special.

I liked this fragrance well enough while it lasted. Nice and fresh and not sweet at all. It seems to have a similar base to Infusion dÍris. I prefer Infusion d'Iris as it has more character, body, projection and considerably more longevity.

A simple a to b floral, with few surprises along the way.The opening is briefly entertaining, with a slightly contrived and synthetic orange and neroli accord. There is minimal evolution in the subsequent phases, ensuring that ones time with this fragrance is quickly forgotten. This is yet another disappointment from the Prada house.

I tested this yesterday at Nordstrom Dept. Store on one hand (Dior Escale a Portofino on the other). In this one, I get more of a sweet & indolic sense of true orange blossom at first (whereas in the other the more bitter neroli dominated the top). I think this is a perfectly delightful scent, light and charming. And I like the bottle, too. I now need to go try it again on its own. I was expecting not to care for it one way or the other based on everyone's comments, but I do really like it. Just goes to show...try for yourself. If you're looking for a knock yer socks off scent, this ain't it. But it's lovely nevertheless. Just my opinion. ;-)

I adore this. It puts me in mind of Terre D'Hermes, but it's infinitely subtler and more floral of course. IdFd'O is a highly summery fragrance, and I find the interplay between Orange flower and petigrain and the earthier elements last long and well on me especially in the heat, There's something herbal in the drydown, it smells like dry hay and wild lemon thyme and of course the latest thing in fragrance is anything Orange related. Clearly this is a unisex perfumes and I find it much better in EDP. This is the only Prada fragrance I like, in fact I can't stand most of the rest, and I highly recommend it.

Yes, I smell the expected neroli but the dominant tuberose in this fragrance forces it to veer uncomfortably close to the dismal Amarige. After that unfortunate association, it was all downhill and I abandoned any hope of liking this.