L'Eau Bleue d'Issey Eau Fraiche

I got an out-of-season offer on this and have been trying it for the first time today--albeit at room temperature (about 20°C) in Scotland in November. As I expected, it's a fragrance I'd have liked to take to Mexico on holiday a few months ago. I imagine it'd work well there. To my nose, it's light but not weak, straightforward and pretty linear but not monolithic. Yes, I did get an eye-opening blast of alcohol at first (not unpleasant), combined with a strong resinous note of what I suppose must've been rosemary but that, not looking at this page, I felt was more like juniper or maybe fir or cypress--kind of leafy-woody-sappy all the same. I liked that a lot but it seemed to last only seconds. Then the patchouli and especially the mint became more obvious. Incidentally, this isn't at all a leafy, nettly kind of mint but more a sweet menthol aura. I can see why people mention toothpaste, mentholated cigarettes, etc. but to me this seems much more natural and soft. Rounding off the mint and patchouli is a blurry, slightly sexy (I hesitate to say dirty) warmth, presumably from the musk; I really like the balance. The whole does not in any way smell like detergent to me but I did get a kind of fleeting laundry freshness early on. That seemed in keeping with what I agree is a kind of aquatic note but not aquatic in the established, marine sense. (I hate that kind.) This made me think more of rain and, yes, I can see why another poster mentions sliced cucumber. As well as the image of a soft cloud of mintiness all around me, the whole effect made me think of actual white clouds in summer sun and of white egyptian cotton, as much because of the all-pervading feeling of freshness as anything else. Sprayed on the sleeve of my wool jumper instead of--as above--my skin, the fragrance takes on more of a mossy or vetiver note. (I love it when that happens.) I'm a few hours in and can still clearly make out the musk, though not much else that I could name. I would say both sillage and longevity are reasonably good, although to me this is inherently a light fragrance (though, again, not weak) and more about ambience than a powerhouse punch in the face.

#1736 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this sample sprayette from scentwithsense.com. The rare Issey Miyake that I really like and would wear regularly, so of course it’s discontinued. Nice minty/musky scent for warm weather. The two hour performance one can expect from any fraiche, even if you bathe in it, but it smells great. There are some bottles still out there on eBay for $35-99. This musky herbal freshie is quite different from the Miyake “L’Eau Bleue” that is still available. If there’s an exact analogue to this scent I haven’t encountered it. There’s some similarity to Hugo “XY”, an EDT that’ still out there for around $30, but that is woody whereas this isn’t. And the others everyone’s mentioning (and I have had them all), add lavender to the mix which completely changes the character of this combination of notes to which the rosemary is the key. So I wish I had an alternative I could point to, but I don’t. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

This is basically a lighter, more linear take on the original Bleue. Or, as DrNDJas put it, a "fraiche" flanker that lives up to its name. The rosemary and bergamot are still the dominant notes here, just like in the original, but there's less depth to the fragrance overall. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just as refreshing as Bleue - perhaps even more so - and keeps the calming, classy aroma without the heaviness or complexity. As such, it's a great choice for hot/humid weather when a citrus/aquatic just won't do. Now, I blind bought this only because I'm such a huge fan of the original Bleue, and if you own that already, this is probably going to smell quite redundant. That being said, it's still a high-quality fragrance, and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a budget fresh woody scent.

This is a perfect example of how to do an “eau fraiche” flanker! The unmistakable DNA of the original Bleu d’Issey is definitely here, but simplified and made transparent rather than dense. Rosemary is still the prominent player, followed by mint and mild citrus. Fresh and herbal, almost forest-like. Based on the herbal opening, the drydown is unexpected-and genius-revealing a beautiful light musk that lingers for a long time. I don’t detect much patchouli at all. Bleu eau Fraiche is a fragrance that transports me to a calm, serene place: a hot day, but you are sheltered from the heat, cooled by the shade of giant fir trees. If you are looking for a warm weather scent (it can also be worn anytime imo) that scores high in uniqueness and character, this is a great choice!

This is better than the original Bleue D’Issey in my opinion. Very strong rosemary note in this fragrance which helps to separate it from the original while still keeping the overall green vibe. When comparing to the original it almost feels like putting glasses on. It is a lot easier to pick out individual notes and everything feels more simplified, which works to this fragrances advantage in my opinion. Definitely more suited for warmer weather than the original, however I could still see this being worn in the winter. Even though this is a lower concentration I think it lasts just as long as the original. This fragrance is very herbal and clean and I think it can be dressed up or down.