SystemeD

There's a sweetness and creaminess in Bois d'Iris, but not a sugary one. And while the centerpiece is a fresh iris note, Bois d'Iris is woody throughout.

There's a very clean vetiver here, too, although the drydown is mostly ambery, touched very lightly with incense, and with a hint of labdanum's leatheriness.

If you were disappointed by the sugariness of Guerlain's Iris Ganache, and if you enjoy woody and ambery fragrances, you must try Bois D'Iris.

I had to compare Muguet Blanc to Diorissimo.

Where Diorissimo is warm and dense and layered with jasmine, Muguet Blanc is cold and sheer, an almost transparent lily of the valley fragrance.

Here is what I mean. I have a few drops from a vintage vial of Diorissimo on one wrist right now, and a few drops of Muguet Blanc on the other.

Muguet Blanc is a truer lily of the valley note. It is the tiny flowers on a cold morning. There is greenness here, crystalline and fresh.

Diorissimo has depth and complexity. It is a romantic fragrance, with notes of lily and a good deal of jasmine.

Muguet Blanc contains notes of peony, neroli and cedar. But you'd hardly realize this unless you concentrated very hard. (I do get the neroli, and something that smells like lily, and a very clean cedar in the drydown, but all of this is very subtle.)

Whereas Diorissimo is a lifelike portrait of lily of the valley in a tasteful and valuable art nouveau frame, Muguet Blanc is a hologram of the flower that deceives you into thinking there is no art, no artifice here. You'd swear it's real.

I am not usually a lover of straight-up florals. But Lys Carmin is excellent.

It is all about lily, as one would expect. But this lily is honeyed and spiced. The pink pepper really makes a difference here.

The ylang note reminds me very much of the ylang in Lancôme Poême, but Lys Carmin is lighter and airier, not thick like Poême. It is long-lasting, too.

Wazamba is one of the most interesting and fragrant incense-based scents that you will find.

It opens with a Cepacol note that I very much dislike (just like the original Comme des Garcons).

However, it immediately deepens into a resiny, piney, sandalwood-suffused fragrance, with a touch of honeyed apple to provide a delicious roundedness.

There is incense here as well, but it's the wondrous woodiness that makes Wazamba a unique experience.

My poor dear, I am so sorry. I know people speak ill of you. They just don't understand you, Prada. But as your good and loyal friend, I must tell you that it's your loud and unbalanced opening that puts people off. You come on so strong at first, and sometimes it's just too much. Your crazy, unexpected shout of greeting can be jarring to those who don't know you like I do.

When you screech like that at me, I know it is because you're glad to see me, and I also know from long experience that you'll calm down quickly.

You know, Prada, after you stop acting crazy, I can see a bit of resemblance to your more refined cousin, Coco Mademoiselle. But do you know what else I think? Your heart is sweeter than hers.

And after we have been together for a while, your elegant, rounded patchouli-drenched vanilla sandalwood base is a thing of beauty that I can not help but love.

Oh, Prada, don't pout. You will never win Miss Popularity, but that is not a bad thing. It means you are not common. Your true friends recognize your quality, and of course, you'll always be a cherished friend of mine.