L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Intense

If you're anything like me, you have a bit of a soft spot for Issey Miyake fragrances. I remember going to the USA in 1998 and buying a bottle of Issey Miyake's iconic Pour Homme and it being an absolute game changer. It felt like everyone was wearing it, it had such a buzz. It smelt like nothing else I'd ever got my nose on. I stopped wearing it in the mid 00s and save for one brief dalliance with Pour Homme Sport (which had a broken atomiser and was a bit underwhelming) I never really went back to them. I picked up La Sel D'Issey recently and was very impressed though; particularly about how it does its own thing but harks back in a nicely retrospective way to the original. When I found out Jacques Cavallier Belletrud did an intense version of the OG for Issey Miyake a couple of months back I figured I had to get my nose on it as he can basically do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. The same thing I enjoyed about LSDI is very much what Pour Homme Intense is all about and I'm absolutely here for it. This is a deeper, richer and more complex fragrance than the original but unmistakably linked to it. It evokes it in a very clever way without smelling like it. PHI is a massive, soaring powerhouse of a fresh fragrance that is a hot weather staple for many people. The first thing you notice are the spices running through the heart, tempering the sweetness of the head notes and pushing the bergamot and orange blossom in a really nice direction. We see Jacques Cavallier do this with the fresh citruses in the top of Meteore and Imagination for LV and this is not a million miles away from that in terms of feel, though it is more complex and there is a lot more going on. Like Meteore and Imagination this has formidable sticking power performance for a freshie as well. It doesn't smell like either of these two: it isn't soapy and it doesn't have a black or green tea accord, but instead has a really interesting incense and papyrus base where you'd normally expect some wood of some kind. There is some amber in it as well but not heavy or sticky, and I think it is there in the background just adding a bit of confidence and tenacity to what is quite an individual freshie. I tend to eschew freshies in that rather generic style as I just find them a bit.. well generic. But this has a bit of individuality that I really enjoy. That incense in the base shouldn't work but it really does. There is some saffron and lotus flower in the heart that just works so well. It is a fabulously blended piece of perfumery. It is one where you have to give it some time on the skin to see past that "fresh citrus" label and get what it is about and it is a hugely rewarding experience when you do. It isn't your common garden variety freshie and has real class and a serious bit of power behind it. I love this. It is right up my street. I even like how it shimmers on the skin and you get more of the amber and benzoin in the drydown. It isnt just boring linear fragrance - this has a bit of complexity too. We're coming into summer here in Dubai now and this is going to be in a heavy a rotation as my other favourite fresh reaches, which are also Jacques Cavallier Belletrud creations, funnily enough. I read reports that this is discontinued and that is a pity because it is way better than 95% of the fresh generic summer fragrances out there on the market. I think I will be picking up another couple of bottles to put away before they disappear. Three Word Summary - Summer Fresh Intensity Scent - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Sillage - 7/10 Bottle/packaging - 7/10 Performance - 8/10 38/40

(Review of 125ml Bottle) I am incredibly disappointed to say that - as an Issey Miyake fan, through and through - I must be a rare case when it comes to L'eau d'Issey Intense, as this thing doesn't project or stay on my skin very long at all. Which sucks, because if it was, this would absolutely be an all-day daily driver. I start my review with this just as a quick disclaimer because for most, it really does seem like this fragrance lasts a fair bit of time for them and projects very well, so maybe I just got an odd batch or my skin chemistry isn't really there for this one! I'll update this review or post another should my experience change. All that being said, despite my own experience, I really love this scent. It smells like L'eau d'Issey and Nuit d'Issey had an eclectic child. It has the freshness of L'eau with the resinous depth of Nuit. Many people get a predominantly citrusy and incense type scent with this one - I get a much earthier, greener, smokier experience with my skin. Opens with a strong splash of yuzu and some other sweeter citruses, and an eternal incense/amber combo. I say eternal because this scent for me is dominated by this combination, and warps around it fluidly. I also find that these accords stick to my clothes the most. With a hurried fervor, this fragrance starts to project a ton of spice and a bit of earth. There's some airiness in there, like a freshness that might be residual from the citrus opening but is almost green and floral in nature. It evokes a distinctively rich brown color in my mind with deep streaks of green permeating it's form. The bark of a tree in rural Japan, perhaps - one battered by the elements but still refusing to tumble. Once this scent dries down through that spicy interlude, you're greeted with that incense note that has been floating around since the beginning, now accompanied by that unbelievable resinous amber. It remains fresh, despite being so deep into the fragrance's life thus far. The ghost of that opening yuzu informs the scent, even now. The incense is airy and light while still delivering punchy smokiness and without stepping into churchy or gothic territory. The amber provides much needed body and is almost funky, balanced beautifully with a delicate, dry woodiness. It all fits together so brilliantly. I can only describe it as being on the edge of a forest as a brisk wind carries an ancient earthiness with it as it quietly brushes across the bottom of your nose. The scent reminds you to light a stick of incense as you watch the wind rustle the leaves. A sip of a citrus concoction - easy on the sugar, so you get that tartness and bitter aftertaste. It's a meditative scene, and quite tranquil. And yet, you feel the metaphorical beating heart of the forest that lays before you. An eternal thump. Maybe it was the wind? It's genuinely really impressive that for such a cheap price, you can get an experience like this fragrance. You can get a full 4.2oz tester of this for like $25. And even if you're as unlucky as I am - you'll still be happy with it. I find myself using this before running errands for some time, and when I get home, I enjoy the remaining dry down. Insanely versatile, year round smell. Very brilliant juice in this one, and an underrated rival to Issey Miyake's other incredibly iconic scents.

This was my first 'nice' fragrance. The first one I purchased for myself. I made this decision based on reviews and research, and I purchased it online without prior knowledge, a blind buy. There wasn't anywhere nearby at the time to sample it. It was cheap enough to roll the dice, and I'm glad I did. This is very unique. Even as my small meager collection has expanded, I find myself drawn back to this bottle. It is probably the closest thing to a 'signature' smell that I have. It is the fragrance I have had the longest, and worn the most. It also has gotten the most compliments. The incense in this is incredibly well done. It is very prominent but doesn't necessarily overdose the scent if that makes sense. They perfectly balanced the incense notes. I like the citrus, you don't see citrus and incense combined typically, especially not like this. Plus, Yuzu is a very unique citrus, different from a lot of the Lemon, Lime, and Grapefruit that seem to dominate male citrus fragrances. Performance is great. Not necessarily super powerful beast mode, but I don't want it to be. This is perfect for school or work, as you will get between 6-9 hours out of it, in my experience. Near the end, it becomes a skin scent and lingers at that strength for some time. I don't believe you have to worry about overspray with this. So long as you don't go crazy, I think even 3-6 sprays are doable, and may help with performance. I would recommend, if you are going heavy on the sprays, to apply it well in advance, giving the fragrance a chance to settle. I usually do about 4, sometimes 5 sprays, and have never had any issue or complaint with over-projection. I think this is wearable easily year-round. The incense gives it enough warmth for the winter and fall, but the citrus and general light, airiness of the incense keeps it light enough for summer and spring. Simple enough to not be distracting or overpowering, but unique enough to stand out. As I said before, my most complimented fragrance and these compliments came from nearly every vector, friends, family, coworkers, strangers, and workers at various stores and restaurants I was at while wearing it. It may be biased slightly, as I've had this scent the longest and worn it the most, but compared to just about every other bottle I have, this seems to be enjoyed by most other people. I don't believe in recommending blind buying any scent. They are all so different, and our sense of smell and skin chemistry are all unique, but this one is cheap enough (less than 40$, easily, last I bought it) that I don't think most people would feel bad rolling the dice. If you are looking to get into fragrances and expand beyond standard hygiene products and body sprays, this is an excellent choice, in my opinion. Affordable, and readily available.

This is really gorgeous and complex, but you can see that just by looking at the "reminds me of..." section above. I'm done being surprised by issey miyake fragrances. Every time I get my nose on something, it instantly reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on and it drives me nuts. I think that's the benefit of having the OG around for so long and regarded as such a ubiquitous classic in most community eyes. It's difficult to recall exactly how the OG smells when catching a hit of one of the flankers, but it shares enough of the original DNA to make the whole experience familiar. To me, this is all about the introduction of that beautiful incense note, but combined with this really old-school musk. The incense and smoke isn't anywhere near the level of an Encre Noir a l'extreme, or anything like that, but you can tell the two are cousins in a sense (get it?! Sorry 😔). At the same time, the musk is almost something I'd expect more from a Narcisco Rodriguez perfume. It's the backbone of the fragrance that everything else hangs on, but it's also so well blended that it never overpowers any of the other notes as the fragrance dries down to its heart. The best analogy I can come up with is music (I'm certain no one has ever thought of this analogy before... Pretty sure anyway... Ok, it gets used all the time.): think of the musk as the base (the instrument) that plays on steady, lending the foundation, or, (in a really obnoxious know-it-all-voice) the "base note", if you will (brilliant!). A foundation that is constant but never rises above the melody. The incense then is like the singer or lead instrument in charge of the melody. The amber is the rhythm guitar... and the yuzu (or something else with citrus/fruit) is a faint piano that adds depth... and... and... Shit! I messed up. I can't pick up any more notes. Now I don't have a drummer... Somebody, pick me up and finish this thought, please! Also, I think fragrantica should just change its "notes" section to an image of a stage where we can add the notes from the fragrance to the spots where an instrument would go. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but I'm in too deep to stop now and I'm procrastinating to avoid what I really should be doing at the moment. So yeah, this Issey Miyake hat... jacket? Whatever we were just talking about is really great 👍. I mean, it's also dirt cheap compared to anything else of the same quality and there's something about saying the name Issey Miyake that's just a lot of fun. So in summation: don't go on fragrantica when you have more important shit to do!

I'm not usually a fan of ambergris-heavy fragrances, but I'd heard this was an incense bomb, which I'm always down for, so I gave it a shot. Boy howdy, what a good call. This has the exact kind of incense I like. Dry, smokey, austere. Like frankincense burning in another room. No gross, powdery, cloying, coca cola incense here. Just a superdose of the good stuff. That being said, the yuzu is also very present, and I can definitely see why that note is getting hate in these reviews. I find the bitterness misplaced in this composition, and it comes off clunky and annoying, and particularly seems to fight with the ambergris in an unpleasant way. Luckily, that bitterness fades by the mid and you get a bit more of the other citruses. No one overpowers any other, so it's just sort of a generic citrus. That's about when the ambergriss starts coming out more. It's definitely AmbergrisTM, but I don't mind it. It plays off the incense well enough that it just becomes a musky smokiness that smells very masculine, but remains soft. Beneath all of that is what I'm assuming is the lotus accord, which presents as a cleany, soapy water smell. I don't really get any of the spices. No nutmeg, no cinnamon, and thankfully no cardamom, which is such an overdone note in everything these days that I'm quite thankful I can't detect it here. I don't get papyrus either. Nothing papery about this, to my nose. Great sillage and lasts all day, but mellows by the end of the wear time to not quite a skin scent. It's still noticeable, but softer than it was at the opening. Very masculine. Might skew a bit more toward the 30+ crowd, but not because it smells old or anything. It's just definitely something more staid and confident and together feeling than a lot of these bubblegum vape juice fragrances the yutes seem to prefer these days. It feels more unique and interesting than a lot of aquatics. I'd also call this a great incense fragrance, though I've never seen it come up on any great incense fragrance lists. It's got a beautiful white smoke and soap vibe to it that almost reminds me of Passage D'Enfer from L'Artisan, though they don't really smell alike. Overall, a great fragrance and a solid purchase. I paid thirty bucks for a brand new 100 ml bottle, and at that price, even if I hardly ever wear this, it's a steal. I'd highly recommend this if you like a mellow incense number.