Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris (2008)
by Guerlain

This is a nice, sweet, feminine perfume, but I give it a neutral rating because it doesn't deliver its promise of a fig note like L'Artisan Premier Figuier or Diptyque Philosokos. For a pure, green, sappy fig note, those two fragrances are the places to go. However, if they were too dramatic and edgy for you, Aqua Allegoria Figue Iris would suit the bill. The opening is citrus, and at this point it is closer to being a grapefruit perfume than anything else. After the citrus wafts away, the fig note emerges, green and pretty, and tempered by iris. Please note that iris lovers would be better served by the likes of The Different Company Bois de Iris or Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist with their genuine, rooty iris notes. The Guerlain iris note is the classic "powder" scent found in many women's perfumes. All in all, this is a perfumer's creative version of fig and iris, very pretty and feminine, but not the green and earthy variety that I prefer.

I count Acqua di Parma’s Fico di Amalfi as my perfect fig, but this is the perfect fig à la Guerlain. For starters, thank goodness, it’s not green. It’s juicy. It makes me want a tropical drink with a parasol in it. And once the iris comes in, it puts me in mind of some delicious sweet fruit candy. Succulent for summer.

What started up promising – both fig and iris are favourite notes of mine – lead to a disappointment. I was ready to pull out sentences that I was hoping to type out for a long time, such as “the best Guerlain since l’Instant” or “Love at first sniff” or “the first perfect Aqua Allegoria that I actually can wear and not just like from a distance”. I’ll probably have to wait a while longer before standing behind such statements on any Guerlain released since the retirement of Jean-Paul Guerlain.

Figue Iris opens with sweet but crips fig notes. It’s more of a purple fig than a green one. The iris is there from the start, first crisp and clean, chiming with the fig in a harmony that brings to mind the melancholy of lilacs in early summer rains, and makes me wonder if Fig Iris hasn’t by any chance taken its inspiration from Apres l’Ondee (and do I detect some anise there as well or was it just a ghost in my imagination?). I would have bought that bottle right on the spot if not for the voice of wisdom from within telling me to wait and see at least when do I crave it next before making a purchase.

A few days later, and sure enough I was there again in front of Figue Iris. Again, this time I went home just with a spritz, which turned out to be a smart thing: Figue Iris turned linear and uninteresting through the base notes, as well as cloying and overly sweet, in a dryout that is nothing short than a mockery of the legendary Guerlinade. Let me just remind you that this is coming from a woman who just loves the Guerlinade and can never get enough of that iris-tonka-vanilla base in all the Guerlain scents. My favourite fig remains Philysykos, and my favourite Iris is yet to be found…