Ramon Monegal Impossible Iris - thoughts?

Foustie introduced me to this (she should speak up here) and I rather liked it. I need to pull out that sample again.

I checked the supporting notes on this one. Sounds interesting.

I remember liking it.
Nothing extraordinary about it but thats not a bad thing.
Reminded me of Giorgio Armani Prive La Femme Nacre.

I've smelled it, I am not huge into strong iris scents sometimes but if you are really into iris, it's definitely worth checking out. I think several iris lovers did end up liking it quite a bit. I think I'd have to re-sniff it as I just remember it being dry and powdery but yes, Foustie would be the one to comment here as I haven't smelled it in a while. Here were her thoughts in the Ramon Monegal pass:

"Impossible Iris;

I am absolutley blown away by this one! Now I do like Iris anyway and I have a few, but this is incredible. Iris and Raspberry!! What do we think about that? Let me try to tell you about it.

To try to describe it for you, I compared it to several other Iris fragrances. So, the opening of Impossible Iris sits quite closely to Heeley's Iris De Nuit in terms of tonality. It is an airy Iris, not rooty. There the similarity ends as the Heeley quickly becomes violets and musk and the Monegal veers off in a different direction altogether. It develops a "fruity" quality. Now I don't mean generic fuity, not at all. When I was "playing" with Impossible Iris at first I kept thinking, "what is that" and all of a sudden I realised that it was raspberry! Looking at the published list of notes, there it is! Frambois. The raspberry note is a standout feature, a delightful surprise.

Impossible Iris is well named. It is Iris all right but it is never rooty or earthy. It continues to climb the scales in fact. The development holds interest. In the mid development the ylang perhaps contributes to the fruity facets of this fragrance. The Jasmine is not at all dominant, not obvious to me in fact, so it plays more of a supporting role. There is a richness in the mid development which perhaps edges Impossible Iris further away from the Heeley and a little closer to Malle's Iris Poudre (minus the poudre!). I must stress that Impossible Iris is not at all powdery but at that stage it is as rich, rounded, and interesting as Iris Poudre. There is cassie in Impossible Iris. Is this what coaxes the Iris into warmer, friendlier, more approachable territory? This Iris is not aloof. Beautiful yes, very, but not vain.

To me the fragrance continues to reach clearer, higher notes in development. Then we have a persistent drydown, cedar and is there some vetiver too? Actually, I pick up a dry, ghostly breeze of wood at various stages in the development of Impossible Iris.

Impossible Iris is full of wonderful contradictions. It is airy yet has body, it is juicy yet dry, clear yet rich, it is friendlier than many Iris fragrances, but still sophisticated. It has fun! It strikes me as the most beautifully composed fragrance, the whole, well....shines.

Today, for me, it is Iris, Raspberry, and wood. Fabulous.

Sillage is good. Longevity is excellent. I applied some at bed time last night and I woke up to it this morning.

The Iris is one of the standouts of this collection for me. It strikes me as a fresh and new interpretation. I am having this one!"

I love it cello. And I do understand why you are having difficulty with this in your "olfactory imagination"!! It is called Impossible Iris after all. Iris and Raspberry, hmmm. Actually it's Iris, Raspberry, Ylang Ylang, Cedar with almost a hint of vetiver too. This is one of those fragrances which shimmers around you all day. Classical and contemporary at the same time. The raspberry brings a tart, bright note to the fragrance. I look forward a great deal to hearing what you think of it. Our Iris Sister-in L'Eau PerfumedLady likes it a great deal too.

I liked it very much and it made its way on my wishlist. I think the raspberry is not too sweet and along with ylang ylang it adds happiness and sensuality without losing class. Impossible Iris stands on it's own and is much better then Iris Poudre which would be the closest reference point, IMHO.

I agree with hedonist: for me it was nice, but that's all.

thanks to dear Foustie i tried it too!!

i am a big fan of iris although i dont own any iris perfume yet...except perfumes that are loaded with iris like chanel 22 and cuir russie ....
but how i experienced the scent,it was more about raspberry then iris, thats why i think people who dont like iris , would liek this one, also for me it leans on the feminine side...while iris is more of neutral flower, leaning more to the woody side of the spectrum...and hence more masculine then any other flower....

the opening is most irise like, thats where i like it best...but then it goes on the raspberry side, and i would prefer more iris there ...and its very likable! now depends how you like iris scents? if you find them simple and boring then this can be for you!

i think this scent would also suit to those who dont like Guerlain Insolence EDP becasue its too strong, this scent would be perfect too!