Perfume Pen Pals: Frederic Malle / Iris Hand Cream



Katie,

As you know, ancillary products are not my thing. Aside from soap, toothpaste and perfume, I only use one product, this G.M. Collin Hydramucine Optimal Gel that I’ve been putting on my face for over ten years. I look okay with it and I’m almost certain I'd look okay without it, but at this point why take any chances?

Every other part of me -- which is to say every part not including my face, my teeth and my smell -- is in disarray, as a matter of both neglect and self-sabotage. My one hair concession is I’ll use a leave-in conditioner when my hair starts getting “poofy.” And I trim my eyebrows, but only when someone reminds me.


Poofy hair: a Dan no-no.

My hands are especially indefensible: dry skin, fingernails chewed to shit, callouses on both my index and ring fingers, the result of a lifetime of nervous...grinding. All of my internal discontent expresses itself in my damaged hands, which are in worse shape than those of a 1940s dock worker.

A reminder of this one area of neglect came from Susan on Valentine’s Day, when she gave me a tube of the new Frederic Malle Iris Hand Cream. I’ve spent my whole life switching between being in relationships and trying to be in relationships and were it not for those two dispositions, I don’t know that I’d ever leave the house.


Now I’m the last person who should review hand cream, I can’t compare Frederic Malle’s efficacy to anything else because I’ve never used anything else, but I can tell you the scent of this stuff is heavenly! It’s rich but not overbearing, just a smooth, serene iris. It’s completely at odds with my broken-down hands.



Here’s my question for you, user of ancillary products: is it frustrating when you find a great-smelling product that isn’t a perfume?

In a case like this, a perfume essentially had to be created. And because it smells so great, wearing the hand cream discourages wearing perfume as well. So why not also release it as a perfume?

I’ve been signing lots of petitions lately. Do you think I should start one for Frederic Malle, demanding he create a perfume with the same scent as his hand cream?

Which do you think would irritate Frederic Malle more: a perfume petition or having to see the condition of my hands?

Dan



Dan,

I just tried the FM Iris Hand Cream the other day! I was really surprised by the smell, because it's not really perfumey at all. It's that austere, subtle, "distant bread" aroma that the classiest iris has. It's definitely a connoisseur's scent.


The smell is so enigmatic. It somehow smells like indoors and outdoors at the same time -- airless but also green, and vaguely woody. The scent of iris always seems to convey restrained, yet intense, luxury.

It's a transparent-enough aroma that it wouldn't clash with perfume -- am I wrong? Or is it that you enjoy the iris hand cream smell so much that it's all you want to smell?

Katie



Katie,

Yes. The latter. I put it on before a run this morning and I kept smelling my hands. Y’know, discreetly, pretending I was wiping sweat from the tip of my nose or something.

It IS austere. Maybe the scent would carry more if I glopped it on my arms and my neck. It’s moisturizer, it doesn’t know it’s only supposed to be used on my hands.

So many of those hand lotions have bright, crass floral or citrus smells. I say from now on, all lotions and creams should be iris-scented. Am I speaking out of turn when I say that’s the scent everyone should want for a lotion?


Dan



32 comments:

  1. The two of you make this sound intriguing. I need to track this stuff down and try it. When Katie says something smells wonderful, I pay attention, but the image of Dan furtively stealing whiffs of his mitts while going about his day is a compelling thought, indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My performance report is that it feels rich, but sinks right in with no residual slickness -- especially noted since I went to a warm vinyasa yoga class with my freshly-moisturized paws.

      Delete
  2. Ok now I have to smell this. I am now itching with curiosity. It's going to get scratched. :::running to Google:::

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's anti-bombast. I've taken to putting it on right before bed, so now my sheets subtly smell of it, too.

      Delete
  3. You had me at "restrained, yet intense luxury." I am all about paradoxical skin care. And I adore iris anything so sign. me. up.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Katie, I'll have to try the hand cream. Thought you'd like to see this recent story about FM. "Portrait of a Lady" is on elf my favorites. Didn't know that Estee Lauder bought the Co. http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-frederic-malle-20170323-story.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for alerting me to this interview. I enjoyed the detail about Frederic wearing Halston Z-14 as a teenager, because I do remember Z-14 being a real stand-out when it came out. The bottle was a sensual, palm-sized sculpture, and the smell was exotic - especially as worn by the cool new-wave guitarist I had a crush on in the early 80s.

      Delete
  5. "Here’s my question for you, user of ancillary products: is it frustrating when you find a great-smelling product that isn’t a perfume?"

    Philosophically, I say get your kicks where you can. Also, there's always been something about ancillary products having a pleasant smell that I like almost more than perfume. Maybe because it's more unexpected, or like it gives that product even more of an identity and personality. It's comforting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great scent and long lasting. Thanks for the product. Love you,xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. I miss your youtube reviews... Any hope of coming back to youtube?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep meaning to, I want to, I will, but not sure when. Thanks for checking in on me...

      Delete
    2. Yes! There are entire threads asking where you are. We all miss you terribly. All other you tube reviewers will never compare to you. Please come back Katie!

      Delete
    3. Thank you, Margo. Your support gives me heart!

      Delete
    4. Please Katie, your reviews are the best, informative, honest, funny and just all round bloody brilliant, you are mentioned on Eaumysoul on FB too as your review on Secretions Magnifique is legendary. All us fragrance lovers need a boost from the shallow super excited!! influencers to someone with real knowledge.xx

      Delete
    5. What a fantastic boost, dear Carole! (I just saw this, sorry for the delay in response.) Thank you for fluffing my ruff. It's funny, I started my YouTube channel before the era of influencers when there was a lot of head-scratching about what the heck did I think I was doing, acting out perfumes on the smallest screen? The resistance wore me down after a while. Perhaps it's time to come back to videos now. In the meantime, I'm back to writing about perfume here on my blog. Thanks to you – and everyone reading this – for keeping me in your good thoughts!

      Delete
  8. I too miss you. Meanwhile, had a rather nice experience with Kit Kemp Rik Rak Gardenia Greenleaf body lotion, received as a present and worn on my hands. Heavenly smell and sinks in just right for continued keyboard use. Before I've even got myself to a store to try the fragrance, I've lost my nerve. What if it's horrible and colours my perception of the body lotion/hand cream? Oh, the perils.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That keyboard point is well taken. How often I've continued to type with crispy alligator fingers rather than stopping down to lube up, in fear that I'd slick up the keys?

      Delete
  9. Thanks for the review. That useful for me. Waiting others posts

    ReplyDelete
  10. I need some intense luxury up in the trailer. My Prada infusion iris went bad. Now I have nothing classy since I give away Britney Spears fantasy to a charity auction. Can you believe there was a bidding war, and it bring 10 bucks?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I need to try this hand cream immediately!
    I understand Dan’s frustration about needing this to be a perfume because I have the same relationship with Malle’s Gardenia room spray! It’s so hard to find a good true gardenia perfume around here. So I’ve been spraying it on my body instead of my curtains. Just doesn’t have nearly the lasting power of his perfumes. Another petition!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You jest, but drop the Malle folks a line about this. All feedback is helpful, I would've thought!

      Delete
  12. Thanks for the review. That great product for me <3

    ReplyDelete
  13. I miss your YouTube reviews, Katie!! Come back!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gonna start filing more blog reviews first, then will turn my attention to YT. Thanks for missing me!

      Delete
  14. Yeah we miss you.. katie.. love and hugs from malaysia..

    ReplyDelete
  15. I find iris to be the kind of scent that I prefer on creams instead of perfume. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy a good iris (Chanel no.19 is one of my favorites) perfume. But! there is something about wearing cream. Instead of screaming " HI! I'M IRIS. I SMELL AMAZING", it's like a whisper in your ear "hi, I'm Iris, what's your name?"

    ReplyDelete