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.

I feel like this one is underappreciated. It really is a good bang for your buck fragrance. This one immediately reminded me of Philosykos and Fico di Amalfi which is interesting because there is no fig in this fragrance. It has an ever so slight fruitiness and creaminess which I feel like is mainly due to the cashmeran. Overall I would say this is a more transparent, airy version of Philosykos which is actually a good thing for me because I thought both Fico di Amalfi and Philosykos were too heavy on the fig. This is a good alternative to those two if you felt the same way. Overall good frag for the price. 8.5/10

Shades Of Kolam (2020) Im curious why coconut is not listed in the note breakdown here. It certainly smells like it is present. Im also surprised that this fragrance wasn’t created by Nathalie Lorson, because it smells very similar to Fusion Dissey/Fusion Dissey Extreme. Kudos to Marie Salamagne for capturing this vibe. Basically if you take Fusion Dissey and combine it with Santal 33, you get Shades Of Kolam. This fragrance is fantastic.

تازه با این عطر بهشتی آشنا شدم چه لطافت ظرافت و ترکیب زیبایی از کشمران هل و برگاموت هل در این عطر به کمک کشمران تمی شرقی بهش داده و لطافتی بی نظیر تا کنون رایحه هل را به این زیبایی در عطری ندیدم آفرین به طراح این عطر که خانمیست کار بلد و باتجربه و کمپانی ایسی میاکی که کاراش را خیلی دوست دارم از این کمپانی اولین بار حدود ۷ سال قبل کاری داشتم یوزوش هم به نظرم بی نظیره اگر کسی دنبال کار سیتروسیه نابه

Picked this up on the extremely cheap, love it. Before I cut grass in the summer I love to hose myself down with this, I don't know why but it has just become a habit. Props to Marie Salamagne for making a comforting mens tea scent! It makes me feel and think of hard earned days off, sunshine, and cheap cold beer.

Totally underrated like all of the Issey Miyake scents from this range. Well blended, long lasting and a great fresh scent - whilst it shares some DNA of the original Issey it is still unique and stands up well on its own. Recommended - disappointed it’s been discontinued already though.

very fresh i feel more cardamom but lemon and cashmeran also very good play here nice perfume bottle is very beatiful blue remember me seaside and summer one day i tested more than 20 perfume i was tired after ,sudenly i tried this perfume i bought it i am happy this perfume is a jem.😊😍

This is a dead ringer for Plesasures for Men. Almost identical. I wore Pleasures when I first came out in 97 and wore it for years. It is a salty sea fragance and I like it.

It's unique and has character, it smells wonderful, its very affordable, it's summertime worthy, it's Issey. What more could you possibly ask for? 10/10

This is an extremely pleasant icy cashmeran freshie. How dare this be limited edition. Absolute winner for a day at the beach.

Guys it's 25 bucks for 125ml. Just buy it already. It's calming and uplifting!

If you took CK One Summer 2019 or CK Everyone, Pitbull Cuba Man and Montblanc Legend Spirit (and by default most Invictus flankers), you get L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Shades of Kolam by Issey Miyaki. Now I am not saying it as a bad thing. Just that for whatever reason that isn't a part of the hype train this fragrance had. Had I known that, I would have thought of it as slightly redundant. That said, I do really enjoy it. I purchased it when it was a steal on a certain discount website. Shades of Kolam opens with a mix of bergamot and grapefruit with some cardamom. That is not too similar to both Montblanc Legend Spirit and Pitbull Cuba Man. From there, Shades of Kolam goes in a tea water like the CK One fragrances I mentioned. The big difference is the cashmearan which honestly somewhat sets it apart from the rest. The cedar is also featured in Legend Spirit FYI. Luckily unlike Legend Spirit, it doesn't smell deodorant as it dries down. I get pretty good performance from this. Issey Miyaki L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme gets good performance from me so I did expect that of Shades of Kolam. I find this will work in spring and fall but best in summer. It is a nice spicy fragrance to separate it from the pack. It works best in casual and work settings. Now let me say this, unless you absolutely love L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme and always get the flankers, this is replaceable. Not that it isn't the best of the bunch I mentioned except if you compared the OG Invictus to it. While having better performance than the Pitbull, CK and Montblanc fragrances I compared it too, those can be found cheaper and may not be a rare gem tax like Shades of Kolam should get when supplies runs out. I wouldn't rush out and get it, despite the hype. Now is it worth the hype it got, I would say so. Just know going in that maybe it is more inline with male fragrances of today with an added spiciness to it. For this reason I give it a 7.8 out of 10. I want to rate it higher. I honestly do, but it can get lost in the pack despite it performing better than the pack.

When I first got Shades of Kolam it was a little disappointing, it wasn't bad at all but nothing extraordinary or exciting so it went to the back of the fragrance cabinet however, me being a Issey Miyake fan I decided to revisit it today. Man, was I wrong about this fragrance! I've been getting whiffs of it all day and it's heavenly. The bergamot and grapefruit team up with the tea giving it a fresh but soothing feel, very nice, in addition to that I get a strong fig milk with a creamy coconut feel which is strange as this is what I get the most and none of them are listed in the notes and then there is the cashmeran which feels a little synthetic but Kolam pulls it off alright. Performance on this is very decent for a freshie, I get easily 7 hours just spray freely and don't be shy. Projection is also real good, I'm impressed. This is certainly a spring/summer scent, it's ideal for warm days I just wouldn't recommend it for scorching hot days as this milky note may be a little heavy in the dead of summer. A very nice release by Issey Miyake, I'm really glad to have it in my collection specially since I've read many comments about this being discontinued.

2020 batch Profile - Soft, comforting, smooth citrus and woods Description - I was in the look out for a casual scent, which I can reach out to anytime, at home or a quick errand. 125ml at the price point was a good value. The scent comforts you, wraps you in a soft, warm, cashmere blanket and holds you a cup of cardamom tea while you're sitting amidst citrus trees. I absolutely love the scent profile of this and the concept of the bottle and the box design is just an added bonus. The notes are quite easy to pin point at the same time it isnt the most complex scent. Lives as a moderately linear scent. Usage & longevity - Anytime when you just want to comfort yourself this is the one to go for. 5-6 sprays as this doesn't last long, 3-5 hours max and not considerably longer on clothes. Suited for - At home, causal, spray and go. A decent compliment getter and it comes across as a unisex scent. Reminds me of - Shares similar scent profile with Bvlgari BLV, with far less sophistication and longevity. Rating - 8/10, not sure if I want to repurchase ( if i can find it, as its a limited edition).

Is it possible (it's possible) I'm influenced by the name **Shades of Kolam**? "Kolam refers to a floor art, also known as Rangoli, originating in South India, especially Tamil Nadu, and other parts of India and Sri Lanka. It's a traditional daily ritual and ceremonial art form involving intricate geometric designs drawn with rice flour, chalk, or colored powders at home entrances to symbolize prosperity and positive energy. Kolam is an integral part of the cultural identity of the communities that practice it. The precision, geometry, and logic involved in creating a Kolam connect it to mathematics and spirituality. Each day's Kolam is intentionally erased to make way for a new one, signifying impermanence in life." **Shades of Kolam** smells exotic to me. It's unique....different....certainly not ordinary. It smells like nothing else in my personal fragrance library. If I desire to change it up (I enjoy layering//fragrance alterations) ...I most enjoy adding a few sprays of something vanilla, bergamot or mandarin. I haven't worn it often and I only wear it in sweater weather.

Goodness gracious me! This one unexpectedly blew me away. It's extremely good!! At first I was afraid that it'd be too spicy for its coriander and cardamom notes and the fact that it's been 'inspired by the Indian market,' but thankfully the perfumer didn't go into the Tikka Masala or heavy spice route. I'm just glad it's not spicy like that - just fresh. Truly exceptional. The cashmere is smooth and classy, and hence not offensive at all. I got green tea and cashmere prominently. The scent is similar to Bvlgari pour Homme Soir, which I also own and love. Just so glad I got this one. I sprayed it on my shirt. Works wonders. If your skin chemistry doesn't work with this one, try spraying it on clothes instead. However, do so lightly - at least 30 cm from your body is best. PS. I get no coconut. Just tea and cashmere with a hint of fresh spices. Gorgeous. Edit: I'm moving the rating down to 'like' now. The cashmere note overpowers the tea, unfortunately. Also, on my skin, it is nowhere as good as on the clothes.

It's a meh for me. I really like this house and they have some winners (and some not so great as well) and this one doesn't do it for me. Everything this fragrance does, NR bleu noir EDP just does better. And even though NR BN EDP has issues with longevity, Issey SOK is actually worse in that category. It lasts around 2 hours with basically non existent projection. Save your money and buy NR BN EDP if you like this scent profile as it's definitely an upgrade and about the only difference between the two is the far dry down where SOK is creamy and BN is musky. Edit: after more time with this I think I maybe jumped the gun a bit, as this has grown on me. Yes it does have similarities with NR BR EDP, but it does do it's on thing and I can appreciate it's take on this type of profile.

Another good release from issey miyake, along with Fusion D'issey. They share a similar creamy vibe, but while fusion is ambroxan based, this one is cashmeran based and the result is milder. The combination between cashmeran and tea leaf results in a fruity, airy yet creamy summer scent. Sillage is good and longevity is around 4 hours on my skin, then a skin scent. Kolam works great as per se but could also be layered with something more pungent. Totally relaxed, if it was a colour it would be a light shade of pink orange. I am very happy with these new releases from miyake since I was intrigued by the eaux majeures but they were too challenging for me. Anyway, always a house with a personality and stunning bottles.

Smells great, I get a clash of bergamot coupled with smokey coconut even though coconut is not one of the listed notes. The tea note is very faint and in the background, an interesting composition, considering it is inspired by the southern part of India, where Coconut has a big influence in day to day life as the southern coastal waters of India have a lot of coconut plantations. Gives the scent a fresh airy vibe of citrus and coconut and has a bit of watery soapiness and freshness as well! All in all a pleasant wearing for spring and summer!

How can we forget CK one It’s 70% similar with cardamom as addon WoW beautiful fragrance for Indians They ll know why when they test spray this.. it’s nostalgia in bottle That sweet spicy fragrance we used to get in morning class in school .. And there’s hidden note of holy basil which gives it Indian flavour This is definitely summer fragrance Go buy this in case you re Ck one fan It’s herbal gourmand Awesome work in this price range 7/10 (poor lasting)

Creamy is a good word to describe this one. The citrus is not nearly as strong as in most Issey Miyake "summer" fragrances; to me, the tea and cashmeran are the dominant notes, leading to a soft, somewhat bitter smell. This is nice for a while but once the citruses dissipate the fragrance becomes somewhat flat. It's a laid-back fragrance for sure and reminds me of something I'd wear to the beach on vacation. Nice, but not particularly memorable.

Very pleasant fragrance, and a great price point as well. Gives a good creamy, slightly spicy twist on your run-of-the-road citrusy summery fresh scents. However, I do find longevity to be quite poor maybe 4h at a push which really lets it down as the scent is pleasant. Very easy fragrance to like, but very hard to love. 6.5/10.

Very soothing and pleasant scent. I get mostly citrus with the tea holding it up in the base. I usually wear this after my workouts during the evening after I take a shower. Helps to put me in a relaxed mood. You could honestly where this anywhere and for the price it’s a good blind buy. Got a 4.2 oz for $30

My first ISSEY MIYAKE other than samples. Pretty impressed by the quality and I like the scent. It's not super projecting and turns into a skin scent pretty quick. I would definitely recommend for the price, it's a dumb reach type of scent I am looking forward to rocking in the summer.

I'm still testing the fragrance out on my skin because it's fairly new, but I just wanted to say it feels like a very uplifting lemon iced tea with woods. Happy to enjoy this more than I expected because I got this for a relatively cheap price

The grapefruit is not overwhelming overall scent and hints of tea and cashmeran make it look softer and cleaner. Perfect for freshening activities like workouts. The only weakness is this perfume doesn't stay long but still worths the price.

I like it, but I don't love it. Very fresh and clean. Almost soapy in my opinion. I get a lot of citrus at least in the opening.

Tea and cashmeran? Yes please!

No Green tee, No coriander, No Grapefruit and defenately not a trace of cardamom in this. Can't tell what they put in it but it's not worth the money not even if it's this cheap. Does not have any similiary with L'eau D'issey or any Issey miyake that I own. don't blindbuy. Scent 3/10 Long. 3/10 versatility 5/10 it's Ok not more, its not off putting but does not stand to the standards of other scents from this company. Not good job Issey Miyake.

Cashmeran and cardamom play the leading role here. Bergamot and grapefruit are used as a fresh contrast. I don't take tea. Yes, it's a beautiful scent. However, you can only wear it for one day and then you need a break of several days. Somehow the strong Cashmeran is exhausting.

Somewhat similar to CK One but smoother, greener and less synthetic. It feels like pouring a fresh earl grey iced tea over your body

Every Marie Salamagne fragrance produced under the Issey label for men has been an exercise in how to fleece men with less-developed taste of their hard-earned money. Fellas, I do not judge you, for you are truly victims of this charade. Do not fall for the poetic permutations of regurgitated marketing notes masquerading as reviews below. Spare yourself, your coworkers, your loved ones, and your bank account. Don't buy anything crafted by Marie Salamagne for Issey Miyake, for she believes "...that fragrance has the power to evoke emotions..." but fails to disclose the intended emotion is that of rejection for smelling like a 1990s boy band idol....unless that's your vibe in which case you do you.

This has a projection for about 10-15mins at max, then becomes a skin scent. Very very weak performance. I don't even consider this as a perfume.

I was excited about the fresh cashmeran and tea but I only get grapefruit deodorant. Maybe I need to let it macerate

90% cashmeran and 10% tea. This one is a hard pass for me, I don't like it at all. The cashmeran is so overpowering that the other notes are buried by it. Also, it becomes a skin scent in 20 minutes. I wish I hadn't blind bought it, although it was only $30. Still not worth it though.

I like this. It’s unique but mass appealing like all Issey fragrances. Borders the line of mall scent with niche. Not simple, but not too complex either. It has a lemon rind note that is prominent in the mid and opening but fades a bit in the dry down. The green tea and coriander really come out in the mid and dry down someone said this is a young guys scent and I disagree. It is very versatile and imo the tea and cashmere/coriander give it a mature vibe. It is neither too youthful nor two mature It’s a casual or office scent all around. The longevity is average to slightly below average. It has a little bit of a sticky sweet synthetic vibe going on but not too bad. It does resemble the original in the lemony vibe but has more depth for sure Overall I’d recommend it. Hard to go wrong with Issey scent-7.5/10 value-8/10 performance-5/10 uniqueness-7/10 overall-7/10

This is way better than CK One, which I personally hated when I bought (once), because of its headache-inducing potency. Shades of Kollam is much more subtle and layered. It's a wonderful fragrance! It's definitely a summer choice, and still has the same DNA as the Issey Miyake line. All the top notes are present upon first spray, and as with all summer flankers, it's staying power is limited. To mitigate this, I can recommend applying to the top of your summer shirt, when you'll enjoy this fragrance for at least 48 hours. Application to the skin will vary, but a day care skin cream will help to prolong the pleasure. As the top notes fade, the most pronounced middle is the tea. So Indian! The eventual dry down is as beautiful as a sunrise in New Delhi and as beautiful as the packaging portrays. Highly recommended from an amateur who blind bought...

Got this when I was going through an Issey phase. Glad I'm over that now. Issey frags try hard to be unique but end up kind of just in the mid territory. It's pretty ok for what it is. But nothing that wows me A basic tea fragrance. I didn't have any tea frags before this one so I didn't know what to expect. It's herbal, pungent, and spicy. But ultimately not all that great. It's ok. I liked it at first, then it got boring, and there's something slightly off putting in the blend, and now I never reach for it

On my skin, the Citruses don't stick around all that long. The Cashermeran is strong in this one. Don't really perceive Tea all that strongly. Cedar creeps in and is in the dry down on this. Not a super strong projecting or performing fragrance on me. Would have liked a little more Citrus personally. On the upside, this can be found pretty cheaply. For those who are avid Issey collectors, this may be a good pickup. For me, it just doesn't really capture me, but by no means a bad fragrance.

Kolam is a drawing that is drawn on the floor by using rice flour on a daily in front of every home mainly in Tamil Nadu located in southern India. It's a huge part of the tradition to do so, colours are used on special occasions, there are a million patterns which are made using dots as references to draw a Kolam. I'm excited about this release, I'm a huge fan of cashmere in fragrances. I'll update and edit this review once I put my nose on this blend.

Nothing special, from beginning till end you get the cashmeran with VERY soft hints of some freshnes under. Longevity surprisingly is not bad on clothes for about 6h on skin is not so good about 3h. I buy it just to support the house witch i really like in hope that for autumn they hit with something special(or encense,noir amber,noir argent,pulseOfTheNight...) If you can find it cheap is ok to try but i guess for most will be a pass

After I smelled the bottle, I liked it so much, that I was almost ready to go to the cashier and buy it, but then I sprayed it on my skin and - oh, what a big disappointment! It smells like a vintage shaving foam, very sad, cause the price is also very good...

Creamy coconut sun tan lotion vibe. Awesome fragrance that's unique in the sense no one is wearing this but not weird. Not talked about idk why. Excellent performance from my bottle. Great buy for summer highly recommend

Lemon iced tea vibe with a soft woodsy drydown. Fresh, clean, with just enough cardamom to make it a little flirty. Cashmeran smooth. Feels like summer on skin. I bought it instantly! Hidden gem.

In Indonesian 'kolam' means 'pool',,,maybe it smells like swimming pool, :-p

This has not been discontinued. Keen to try since I love Cashmeran.