Raspberry done right: Ramon Monegal Impossible Iris

Ah, Patty! I have you to thank for my recent iris adventure. 🙂 Really, though, thank you for your recent iris roundup post. You had me digging out each of those samples that I possess, ordering a few more and going on a full-blown iris “bender” (all iris, all the time for about a week or so). But among all the lovelies, and believe me, there were some beauts, one newish one prompted me to slow down and spend a little more time with it. Now I’m a big fan of raspberry (the fruit), but as far as in coffee, tea, candy, body products, etc. — not so much. Those rarely seem to capture the glory that is this fuzzy, bumpy, yet divine berry, and too often those flavorings and scents tend to come off as artificial. That alone made me a bit leery of Ramon Monegal Impossible Iris.

Impossible Iri 1s But it turns out, thanks to a decant from a lovely Posse reader (thanks, H!), that I needn’t have feared this framboise. The iris in this is softly pretty and the raspberry smells just right and adds just the right touch to enhance it and keep it from being too dry or chilly or rooty. Jasmine and ylang-ylang also do their part to sweeten the pot, ever so lightly.

This is a well-blended scent with no big changes, surprises or last-minute curveballs. On me it wears fairly softly, and is just about perfect for the office or for an event where you want to smell wonderful but not overpowering. Or for a day when you just want to be surrounded with your own little aura of sweet and lovely.

Now if you like your iris dry, dry, dry, or down-and-dirty rooty, Impossible Iris may not appeal to you. But hey, that’s why there are so many great iris scents out there –- something for everyone.

I have to give this bonus points for giving me a little retro vibe. As I’m smelling this wafting up from my wrist, my memory is getting ping-ping-pinged. Impossible Iris recalls something from my past, and for the life of me I can’t remember what. Don’t you just hate that? But I guess that’s bound to happen when you’re my age; so many things tend to remind you of something else that you’ve smelled over the course of your perfume-cognizant life (for me, the past 40 years or so).

I do adore those Monegal bottles as well, with their satisfying flip-top caps and attractive inkwell-inspired design, and so I’d really like to find a scent in this line that would be FB-worthy. Not quite sure if Impossible Iris is the one –- it’s definitely a contender though. As cautious as I am to part with that much moolah, however, more testing is definitely in order.

What about you? Have you fallen in love or perhaps “in like” with any of the Ramon Monegals? Did Patty’s roundup help you discover a new iris to adore? Or do you have a favorite fragrance containing raspberry?

  • Joan says:

    WOW! This one sounds gorgeous!

    • Ann says:

      Hi, Joan! Please do give this one a try. One little sample couldn’t hurt anything, right? 🙂

  • hajusuuri says:

    Impossible Iris, oh how I love thee :-). Undina and I got the last 2 bottles when Pennylane had its 25% off sale. On me, Impossible Iris seamlessly switches between sparkling bright to powdery to rooty to ethereal and it just cycles around and around. It is so aptly named as its behavior just seems impossible!

    • Ann says:

      Yes, dear lady, it is a beauty! Many, many thanks again. And it’s so great that you got it on sale, too — that’s just good perfume karma!

  • I haven’t been all that enamored with the Monegals I’ve tried, but Impossible Iris does sound kind of interesting. I’m not sure about the raspberry note, but I like raspberry flavor, so I figure it can’t hurt to give it a shot.

    I’ve recently started exploring iris more. I recently got a sample of Iris Silver Mist to see just how much iris I could take.. and I liked it. I heard somewhere that Xerjoff Irisss is similar but longer-lasting, so that’s on my to-try list now too.

    • Ann says:

      I agree, Jennifer — many of them that I’ve tried have been nice enough but not blown me away. Do give the Impossible Iris a try though. ISM is a great scent, although it’s a tiny bit too dry for my taste. Let us know what you think of the Xerjoff. I’m sure it’s lovely, but, oh, that price tag! Even the cost of a sample makes my wallet cringe 🙂

  • Dina C. says:

    Ann, This is so intriguing to me, because I love iris in scents, and I love the flavour of raspberry in foods. I love the fruit, jam, when it’s in chocolates and truffles, cakes, even raspberry flavored kool-aid, snow cones, life savers, etc. It’s my favorite fruit. Back in the 90s when raspberry was a big popular favorite for body wash scents, I used to love it in The Body Shop’s bath gel, iirc. So now you dangle this tempting possibility in front of me. I think I’m gonna have to find a sample of this to try. Sadly, my local NM is clueless about Ramon Monegal. I have gone in several times now and requested that line, but they have no idea what I’m talking about! It ends up making me feel like an idiot. But I’ll keep on trying. 🙂 If not them, I’ll order through STC!

    • Ann says:

      Hooray, Dina — another raspberry fan! I think the Monegals are only in some Neimans (mine did not have the Impossible Iris that I could see, but did have a couple of others). But maybe as the line catches on, they’ll start to carry it in more of the stores. Keep on asking, though — it can’t hurt. STC is a good bet for a sample vial, and then later if you want a bit more, you could always try a small spray decant. Then, if it’s love — whoo-hoo!! go for that big beautiful bottle!

  • FearsMice says:

    Of the four Monegals I’ve tried so far, Impossible Iris is the only one I can wear. I didn’t think that I’d like raspberry in a perfume, but Andy Tauer won me over with Une Rose Vermeille!

    • Ann says:

      Hi, lady! So glad you mentioned the Andy Tauer; I’d forgotten all about that one. It is lovely — now I need to go refresh my memory.

  • Portia says:

    I am so glad you enjoyed Impossible Iris Ann, I’ll add it to my list of Must-Try-Frags. I have been doing a little bit of Iris with ETRO’s Relent. It’s all powder and prettiness with a touch of amber down the back. So nice.
    Portia xx

    • Ann says:

      Howdy, Portia!! That Etro scent sounds great with its touch of amber — must try. Thanks!

  • Elia says:

    I took a liking to Cherry Musk immediately. I also had Impossible Iris on a strip and grew very fond of it as it dried down. I’d love to try it again, on skin.
    I’ve also been generously introduced to Mon Cuir, and look forward to trying it out soon.

    I generally don’t like raspberry in fragrance, it can be really off-putting, like in Tuscan Leather.
    We recently got a raspberry leaf tea though which is really lovely.

    • Ann says:

      Hi, Elia! That Cherry Musk sounds interesting; think I’d like to try it, and also Mon Cuir. Let us know how you end up liking that one. Our Neiman Marcus has gotten a few Monegals in, so next time I’m in the big city, I’ll pop over and give them a whirl. Glad you found a raspberry tea that’s nice — I hope to find a good one someday.

  • lucasai says:

    I didn’t like Impossible Iris at first but after some time I changed my mind and started to like it.
    Still, from the Ramon Monegal line, Ambra di Luna is my favorite.

    • Ann says:

      Hey, Lucas! So glad you’re coming around a bit to Impossible Iris. I think I have a sample of Ambra di Luna rolling around here somewhere — I need to re-try it, but will have to wait until we have a cooler, rainy-ish day again. Thanks!

  • Undina says:

    Impossible Iris was the first Ramon Monegal’s perfume I fell for. Now, when I scratched that beautiful bottle itch I’m testing several more of his perfumes trying to decide if I like them enough to seek more.

    • Ann says:

      Yay, Undina! It really is pretty. Lucky you to have one of those great bottles! Hope you find several others to love as well.

  • Lynley says:

    Hi Ann! Ok, so you inspired me to go try my sample of this..which I hadn’t done yet after Mon Patchouly morphing to Secretions Magnifiques scared me off :-/
    But… You are right! Not only is it delicious so far (it’s only been a few minutes) but It Smells Like Something Else!! Something I love, but for the life of me can’t remember. I’ve just looked through perfumes and samples to trigger my
    memory but nope. I hate that. So I’ll go think
    about it, and hopefully someone can come up
    with the answer 🙂
    Thanks for inspiring me to try it Ann 🙂

    • Ann says:

      Hi, Lynley! So glad you’re giving it another try. Hope you enjoy it. Oooh, so sorry the Mon Patchouly did that to you — sounds awful. I have noticed that in several scents in this line, a metallic note has popped up on my skin which I didn’t care for. Maybe someone will figure out what the Impossible Iris is reminding us of and let us know. Thanks so much for stopping by!