Irish Leather starts with a combination of bright citruses, aromatics, and leather accord.
In the beginning, the mixture of juniper berry and clary sage creates a luminous and captivating opening. It makes us imagine sipping a glass of fine gin–delicious and satisfying. Meanwhile, the clary sage provides a somewhat cooling effect, giving the impression of ice rocks inside our luxurious crystal glass.
Interestingly, a hint of the leather accord’s is peeking on top. It intensifies the juniper berry’s fresh and piny scent, immediately boosting the freshness and giving texture and depth to the top notes. This small hint is sufficient to declare that this perfume is going to be all about leather–a bold and sophisticated one.
In the middle of this excitement, pink pepper gives out its rich and peppery facet, beautifully blends well the citrus accords. They give a nice touch in the body of this composition, strengthens the aromatic and woody aspect. Sweeet and acidic citruses reminiscent of bergamot and lemon reaching out together with the pink pepper. The terpenic facets of both pink pepper and citruses are in a perfect marriage as they complement each other. The citrus notes are much more lively after the scent develops for some time, although it contributes to the opening notes. These bright and luminous notes make a sparkling sillage on top of the skin, lingering for longer than expected.
The leathery facet in Irish Leather reminds me of leather in the quinoline family–green and intense.
This type of leather is usually harsh and aggressive; however, it is pleasingly composed here in combination with the tonka bean and amber notes. A powdery, creamy, and sweet-herbaceous tonka bean imparts softness to the leather accord, making it less aggressive, more delicate. The amber complements this effect, smelling balsamic, honeyed, and animalic at the same time, like a polished dark brown leather.
However, there’s a sexy and mysterious smokiness in the accord that reminds me of amberwood, tobacco, and birch tar. This facet makes me imagine the mood in an upscale lounge with the smell of the leather sofas, wooden furniture, and cigars. I personally love this facet so much as it gives a detailed visualization of leather and its characteristics–dark, mysterious, yet so tempting.
Irish Leather used to be my least favorite from Memo Paris leather collection.
After a full-wear, I completely changed my mind. I love it! I’m not a fan of Irish Leather on the smelling strip because of the aggressive green notes from quinoline, which I find less evident on the skin. It smells much more pleasant combine with the skin’s scent, and its projection is oh so gorgeous.
I guess my favorite part of Irish Leather is the juniper berry. In my opinion, the juniper projects a clean scent, and it blooms excellently. It somehow balances the leather accord’s intensity and, at the same time, illuminates it, giving it light and air to breathe.
Finally, this will be my next Memo Paris.
I am happy that I did not give up with this fragrance after the first sniff. Take note, this is the importance of being open-minded about fragrance and always test a perfume on the skin.
I am looking forward to owning this in my collection while testing other Memo collections. I am starting to love this house as it has a gorgeous collection, very well-made with high-quality ingredients.
Irish Leather is a masterpiece of Alienor Massenet when she was still in IFF in 2013. In 2016, she joined Symrise as a senior perfumer.
Voilà! That’s my review of Irish Leather. Have you tried it? What do you think? Tell me in the comment below or connect with me through my Instagram account.
Cheers,
Gia.
