I first “met” Ilsa through Twitter. ¹ Mrs. Scents (Ilsa) impressed me because she was so knowledgeable on top of expressing her love of perfume. It ends up she has professional experience within the fragrance industry. Fast-forward many years and she has launched her own perfume, Ilsa Infinite No. 1.
With the note list of Infinite No. 1, I really didn’t know what to expect. These notes are relatively common but can go in many directions. The perfume opens with a bright, dazzling citrus. To my surprise, the patchouli is rather dominant. It’s a doughy, earthy and rich patchouli but it does not come across like a lot of other patchouli-centric perfumes. There’s an elegance and refinement in Infinite No. 1. As it wears, it’s like a dry patchouli with indolic jasmine blossoms. To me, it smells like if you opened an old steamer trunk to find a collection of fur stoles and an unlabeled crystal bottle with just a few drops of some sort of dark amber-hued perfume. Sometimes I suspect there is vanilla in Infinite No. 1 but then I realize it’s creamy white florals giving an illusion of a custard. It dries down to a patchouli-amber with soft woods.
If you are a patch-head like myself, this is a perfume that should be on your radar. Whenever I wear these sort of patchouli-heavy floral ambers, I can’t help but to think of French Belle Époque art and fashion. All this patchouli adorned in gold and floral embroidery makes me think of a romanticized perception of Parisian bourgeoisie.
Notes listed include bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, patchouli, sandalwood and amber.
Give Infinite No.1 a try if you like patchouli-heavy floral amber. Or perfumes like Tom Ford White Patchouli, Serge Lutens Borneo 1834, Deco London Constance, Rancé Laetitia and/or the “original” Prada.
Projection and longevity are average.
Infinite No. 1 comes in a few sizes with the 1.7 oz retailing for $110 at Ilsa Fragrance.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A floral amber for patch-heads. Being someone that loves perfumes like the “original” Prada (Amber), I absolutely adore this perfume. What can I say? I’m a patch-head. These sort of things are my jam.
FYI – 5% of net proceeds are donated to Girls on the Run, an Arizona-based non-profit that creates curriculum for girls.
¹Yes, I still use Twitter but that’s mainly because I’m a blogger and words are my sort of platform. I use it to mostly talk about perfume but of course, I use it to complain about local customer service and also share links of infectious diseases or cute pugs because I am a well-rounded person that can’t stay “on brand”.
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*Disclaimer – Product provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Geneviàve Lantelme pic from alchetron.com.