L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Shades of Kolam

I am so absorbed into this fragrance. It’s indulgent, yet contented. When I first smelled this without knowing the notes( blind buy to get the cart upto free shipping 😅) I felt like I did when I had my first Goldilocks chai- dominant doses of cardamom & ginger with sugar and milk + other needed spices. Everyone has their own way of making chai and this one would forever be the height of the drink for me. Ever since then cardamom has had my heart, and shades of Kolam delivers that same awe in that respect. The Cashmeran in here too is properly freshened up and not at all coming across antiquated or musty. I’m really loving Cashmeran rn in all its facets and for the most part the expensive offerings go for red tobacco level projections which I think is a shame. Right here at this level is where I want to experience the molecule. I talk about chai but that’s not the focus of the fragrance just my association with cardamom. The tea here feels slightly nutty like longjing and a lil marine- savory like kabusecha. I’d say a 70/20 split between the two and that leftover 10% is for the wispiness shared between the two being the evaporating mist coming off the cup and flowing wherever the tiniest breeze pulls it too. Yeah so picture you pour a cup of pure green tea near to the brim and you lay your head just beside it giving it a chance to cool down and watch the mist form, the the gentle breeze moves it across your nose. The tea+ Cashmeran in here gives me that

This is different on clothes than on skin. On clothes it opens up with a lovely sharp grapefruit note. It's juicy and easy to like. You also get the cashmeran throughout the entire thing which gives the scent a wooly feeling like fresh laundry. Soon after the green tea kicks in and this is the dominant note for the majority of the scent. Think lying in bed on a Sunday morning on fresh laundry sheets. The window is open and it's raining outside. You've got a hot cup of green tea in hand with a touch of spice. Really pleasant stuff. On skin it opens similarly, but I don't get any spices, and that beautiful wooly note is replaced with a cheap soapy feel. Much much better on clothes at least for me. This was a blind buy since I couldn't find a sample and I'm thrilled. It's easy going, the smell is pleasant and nothing sticks out. I'd wear this when I feel like mixing it up. Nothing in this is especially unique, but it's a nice mix of notes and everything compliments each other. It reminds me of a more masculine version of Banana republic Vintage green. Performance is a little below average but not awful. Maybe around 4.5 hours total life with around an hour projection.

I just got this in today, and I instantly fell in love with it. I happened to have put on Diptyque Philosykos shortly before it arrived, and I was torn on wearing them together, but (semi-)luckily, Philosykos has a kind of shite longevity, so about an hour later, I sprayed on Shades of Kolam, and it is SO good - and it goes really well with the Philosykos dry down, to the point where I will probably layer them to improve the duration of the Diptyque. I will say that the sillage on this is a little limited, but it's also a mostly spring/summer fragrance, so that's pretty okay - it was 80oF and humid here today, and anything too far beyond a skin scent is a choking hazard, so to speak. All told, I love the sharpness in the opening, and the green-tea-into-woods drydown is incredibly nice. It is exactly the sort of scent I love to wear in the summer, and I fully intend to look into more of Marie Salamagne's fragrances, knowing that she did this, as well as co-creating Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc. A solid 9/10, for sure, and very much worth the current price (at discounters).

One of my new favorites from Issey Miyake. This is such an underrated fragrance that never really got the praise it deserved. This really shines in most settings and stands apart from the typical freshie in all 4 seasons. Very bright and uplifting but cool and relaxing at the same time. Kind of a conundrum. I get a cooling effect in colder weather (almost a peppermint vibe that the tea gives me) mixed with the citruses and cashmere and it's truly haunting. In the spring/ summer this leaves a beautiful scent trail in the air and it just makes you feel clean and confident! Interesting that it's getting compared to CK One. I can only see it being linear in the light, easy to wear lemon top note. Other than that theres really no true comparison to it IMO. If you enjoy uplifting freshies that aren't sweet and have a bit of a snap to them with unique flexibility, you really should give this a try. Great value and sadly it's a limited edition.

Fresh, Bitter-Sweet Summer Mood Shades of Kolam is a very fresh, marine-citrus fragrance with a beautiful, uplifting twist. The opening has that slightly bitter grapefruit sparkle that feels clean and energizing. Then comes the magic with a soft, sweet nuance that smells like cardamom mixed with tea. It’s simple, but very charming and comforting. That sweet-spicy tea note actually reminds me a lot of Kenzo Indigo Homme — because of that same cute, smooth sweetness inside a fresh composition. Longevity isn’t the strongest, but honestly, at this price poin,t it’s perfectly fine. And don’t be afraid to overspray, it shines in warm and hot weather. Great for summer days, beach walks, or just feeling clean and refreshed.