Fusion d'Issey Extrême

(Review of 125ml Bottle) This is quite the chameleon for me, with specific accords that jump on and off my skin a lot within the first couple hours of wear. On first spray, this was RADIANT with glorious cardamom and coconut. Reminds me of eating a bar of kulfi (a sweet frozen treat similar to ice cream). It's both warm, resonant, and almost nutty. A slight tartness cuts through the cream and spice, cracking the coconut open. The open crevice is then filled and nourished by the refreshing mint and lavender notes. These two in particular were incredibly balanced with the coconut accord and gave a cool, crisp, and refreshing edge to the composition, while still letting the coconut shine beautifully off of the skin. These all would rotate in and out of olfactory presence, like I said before at the start of my review... but then, the real star of the show finally appears. This insane mineral accord comes in when the cardamom starts to leave and never disappears. I genuinely have a hard time trying to accurately describe the minerality of this scent, but I could only describe it as "smacking two strange rocks together and taking a whiff of the dust that came off of it." It's incredibly addicting, and alongside the warmth of whatever they're using for the solar note, you get this sun-kissed, golden-tinged sensation on the skin that's continually balanced and cooled by the aforementioned mint and lavender. The drydown isn't super special, but sandalwood and patchouli are very welcome additions to the party next to that gorgeous coconut. The sandalwood accord is a tad synthetic and basic, but it really glows more than usual thanks to that shimmering aspect that coats everything in this fragrance in the rich orange tones of a summer sunset. Patchouli compliments it nicely, adding dirty green foliage to the scene until night comes, and this fragrance finally fades into the comfort of your own skin. I'm a big Issey Miyake fan, so I'm really glad I enjoyed this as much as I did. The mineral note is the bridge from designer into niche to me, as this scent is just so strange! It's not as wearable as it looks, there's almost an otherworldly feel to it. Despite that, I seriously love it, and it's got decent longevity too (7 hours) with sillage that was on the stronger side of moderate. If you enjoy a creamy coconut scent, I could suggest this if you wanted something a bit stranger or different. Just be wary of how coconut projects off your skin - some people get a lotion or sunscreen scent from coconut fragrances!

For the price you can find this for at discounters, this is arguably one of, if not the, best bang-for-your-buck designers for hot weather. Opens with a minty blast of coconut that also has some minerality to it. Similar smell to some sunscreen lotions, but not in an unpleasant way. Cardamom is listed and can be vaguely detected, but I find it to be more of a supporting role to the creamy coconut. The mint is mostly detectable in the first couple of minutes, doesn't last as long as I'd like. Overall, a refreshing opening that brings to mind days on the beach, sweat and natural body oils mixing with sunscreen...while the opening can be appealing, I'd argue it's the least likeable part of the fragrance. The best part is most definitely the dry down, which comes quickly after about 90 minutes. And the dry down, oh my God this dry down. What a sexy, masculine, mature dry down. Not mature as in old man, mature as in not immature. The coconut remains, but does move towards the background as the sandalwood and patchouli take over. Woody, green, slightly powdery, rich, seductive...this dry down is addictive. I very much love the way the coconut comes across in this fragrance as opposed to something like JPG Le Beau. The coconut here never crosses over to sweet, always remaining a creamy, slightly salty, somewhat tropical backbone. Very masculine, more mature and grounded than playful and aggressive. Sillage is average and longevity is above average. A full bottle can be found for about $35 depending on which website you find it at. Overall, wow, what a sleeper hit. I'm surprised more people aren't talking about it. I guess Issey Miyaki needs to cough up more money to the influencers! If you're a grown man with his life together who is looking for a summer fragrance that ISN'T a sugar bomb, check this out - you won't be disappointed!

Got a sample of this in an order today - and I'm very intrigued. I didn't think I'd enjoy the coconut as much as I did. I've been on a bit of a "Blue" journey lately (BdC, Aqva Atlantiqve, Polo Deep Blue, etc), so was expecting much of the same, but this does something very different. On initial spray, I get hit with quite a dense and sweet coconut, with a tiny bit of cardamom. Not very citrusy at all. The density is what sets it apart from actual Blue scents IMO. I was surprised to see others reviewers getting almost no coconut, as I get a decent amount throughout the duration of the scent. It never leans very fresh or citrusy, instead it goes creamy and sweet, with a very soft woodiness to give it body. The result is something invigorating and I think very sexy. In my mind, it conjured a less generic, less sharp Davidoff Cool Water Intense, mixed the tropical / sun lotion aspect of Set Sail St. Barts, with a bit of the added modern "Blue" vibe and sexiness. Overall, it's quite a unique combination. To me, it's also very addicting, I sprayed it on my wrist and kept coming back to smell it during the day - which doesn't happen a lot and I buy a lot of fragrances. I can see myself on vacation at an open air night club with a white shirt and this on - at the same time it has a lot of depth and density that I honestly think it could be worn all year round. Performance-wise, I did feel it radiate off my wrist after 1-2 hours (2 sprays) - but haven't used it enough to draw a conclusion there. First impression, I'd give it an 8.5 / 10.

First of all... Thank you Nathalie Lorson! Another gem! Just blind bought it a couple of hours ago and... this, this is fantastic! Will it be the next Encre Noir? I don't know yet but will definitely buy again after I go through this 100ml bottle. Unique? Definitely something new. It's light but at the same time has a depth, character. Imagine a summer scent with depth, character. Not headache inducing and fresh in a sense of... memory creator. You'll definitely associate this smell with certain memories. It's clean but not as "commercial" as Mont Blanc Explorer Blue which to me lasts longer but smells more common. This is a blueish, ozonic, aquatic a bit (mineral note) summer, perfect for a casual day at the pool or beach fragrance. Really interesting, will definitely rebuy! It has character and a unique freshness, not the laundry, detergent type that you get from most recent releases from other houses. Recommended 9/10. Buy it if you wish for a clean, sophisticated summer scent. EDIT: 3 days later and... more than 4 people told me that it smells like... garlic. My partner, people at the pub where I go for a beer, cashier etc. It seems that to some people it smells like... garlic. And it started to smell like this to me once you get the note.

First day wearing this today but so far so good. Nothing like anything else in my collection. A perfect summer scent but can imagine this working in all but the coldest of winters. To my nose the character is mainly derived of Cardamom, Coconut and Lavender so I can understand how some might find the Cardamom-forward character a bit overwhelming. As can happen with other spices like Saffron, too much Cardamom can risk creating a love it or hate it experience. For me personally, though I find it strong this particular balance of spice/herbal/mineral/citrus accords really works. It has a real sunny-warmth about it yet I can also see this being an easy going Spring and Autumn warmth too. I wish I could detect a bit more sweet Mint among the notes but that's not a deal breaker, it is still great as it is. The projection, from my skin at least, is more on the modest side which I think lends itself better to the heavy, spicy- herbal-mineral character. I have to say I do really like this and the fact that I managed to find a 100ml tester bottle for £30 is an absolute bonus. As BBB says "F*** the box, man!" :o) Fusion D'Issey Extreme - my new scent for summer 2022!