FRAGRANCE | Irae Extrait de Parfum by V Canto: Cold metal freshness

About a year ago, I blind-bought Irae by V Canto primarily because I was curious about how "iron" and "rust" would smell like in a fragrance. For something that's not exceedingly expensive, it's presented beautifully, its slender, velvet-covered bottle encased in a hard box that opens from the middle like a wardrobe. It's also the only fragrance box I own so far that's secured with a string.

So what now about that purported hot iron accord? Well, I was left wanting. Although I really didn't know what to expect exactly, I suppose I was hoping for something highly unusual, something dark even. Instead, I was thrown off by a generally fresh and bright scent profile. It's peppery spicy but unlike, say, Tom Ford Fougère d'Argent, it's rounded, more like how smooth the spices are in Areej Le Doré's fantastic Agar de Noir.

Irae is fresh and aromatic, its opening topped with a wee bit of citrus. The freshness is akin to a fougère, with a very mild creaminess in the background. It almost feels like there's lavender in it but spiced up for good measure. The metallic note appears after a few minutes, augmenting the brightness already accorded by the pepper. It's quite prominent, like you can taste the cold metal when you dig your nose to where you sprayed. It isn't the same metallic character as in Amouage Opus X but more like Penhaligon's Sartorial, only way more pronounced. Nevertheless, it never becomes overwhelming, carefully balanced by the mild creaminess in the background.

Projection is quite good for the first two hours or so before it gradually mellows. The scent doesn't develop that much and it retains this fresh, metallic, and slightly creamy character for several hours. V Canto's Irae seems like a versatile scent although I noticed that the metallic accord is heightened when it's warm and your body heats up and you start sweating. That said, I think it remains best for cold weather use. It's unisex but given its fougère-like profile, it leans a little masculine. All said, it's a pretty good buy.