Eau d'Iparie (2002)
by L'Occitane

What a gorgeous little present I received for Christmas. I thought it was gioing to open up very dry, dusty and nose tingling, but it's quite sweet and rosey with just a mere hint of patchouli. The drydown is where this fragrance is at though with the waxy labdanum, myrhh and vanilla coming in to their own. The end is a wonderful accord of notes, masterly blended.

29th December, 2011.

A kind Basenoter sent me a decant of this and I love it. I don't quite get the red pepper either; and right in the beginning the patchouli gives me an impression of a dank, earth-floored root cellar. That doesn't sound very nice, but that's how patchouli often smells to me (or sometimes like camphor, or both), and I like it mixed with the sweet/spicy, incense, and rose notes. Eau d'Iparie is not long lasting - it's truly an eau in that sense. It's perfect for the Christmas season. I can imagine this melange of odors in the wake of the caravan of the three magi following the star to Bethlehem. Very enjoyable. :-)

29th December, 2010.

A friend introduced Eau d'Iparie to me. On her skin it was magnificent and sofisticated. Then today I tried it on myself. First sniff: rose. Second sniff: myrr. Later: just a sweet sweet honey without any personality and most of all withou class. Not a hint of incence. Its a pity ... I liked it so much on my friend. This scent is a clear evidence of how important is to try perfumes on the skin!

20th December, 2010.

Interesting! Applied with a nice warm patchouli and roses, not heavy. The patchouli dried off quickly (how patchouli acts as a top note, I will never know) and settled into an incense-spice fresh rose with a nice resiny base. Wears very close. Despite the patchouli disappearing too quickly, I am liking this a lot.

13rd April, 2010.

NOTES: Notes: Red pepper, Rose, Patchouli, Ciste Labdanum, Myrrh, Incense, Vanilla, Moss.

I don’t care for the opening – it’s too sweet and aimlessly abstract for me. Its lack of substance is my fault because I am anosmatic to red pepper, and the red pepper is probably cutting through and balancing the opening accord, but I’m missing it entirely. Within five minutes, though, I feel neutral about the fragrance: Enough of the sweet has gone away but what is left – a subdued rose, a non-descriptly mild patchouli, and some miscellaneous mild spice – is not yet exciting.

Then, somewhere between the beginning of the dull middle and the return of my attention to the fragrance, the resinous notes of the base begin to form and Eau d’Iparie has become much more interesting. The labdanum, myrrh, and incense are the true message of this fragrance, and the message is spoken sotto voce. I have always loved the resinousness of labdamun, incense, and myrrh and I own several fragrances where these earthy notes contribute their much of their full power. Even though Eau d'Iparie is very sheer, I truly enjoy the drydown. It is mildly resinous... discreet. It whispers deep tones, a slight moss, and a balanced sweetness. Eau d’Iparis has turned into a softly resinous skin scent that I very much enjoy.

14th November, 2009.

The notes supposedly are: "Red pepper, Rose, Patchouli, Ciste Labdanum, Myrrh, Incense, Vanilla, Moss." I get mostly a fruity/ambery incense, perhaps due to a combination of certain notes coming across as "fruity." I don't like it all that much at first because it's a bit too strong and has a "synthetic/metallic" quality too, but once it dries down it's quite good, if this is what you're looking for. The ambery quality is dry (and perhaps some would say "resinous"), which makes it different from the other amber-dominant fragrances I have. Don't expect to smell strong rose, pepper, or vanilla. The moss and patchouli, along with the other basenotes, are nicely blended so that there is no predominant one. Also, this is not "squat" or heavy, once you get to the drydown. I'd certainly call this "unisex," and I have a feeling that skin chemistry may play a big role with this fragrance, so I definitely suggest sampling first. Still, it's not very expensive and I could certainly understand this being called "niche-like." Longevity and sillage are at least good. I much prefer this to fragrances like Balmain's Ambre Gris, for example, probably because this isn't very sweet and is nicely balanced. Those who like fragrances such as A*Men, Rochas Man, Terre d'Hermes, or Kouros might find this too sedate or "boring" in the drydown.

30th October, 2009.