Nuit d'Issey Polaris

This is one that I had seen hyped up multiple times, but had never had the chance to try it due to it being discontinued. And I certainly wasn't going to spend the $300-400 people are asking for it on ebay. So when I saw this come up for sale at Jomashop for under $70 I scooped it up right away! I'm excited to finally get to experience this fragrance. Let's get into it! Scent: Opening is sweet, spicy, and woody. The primary notes I get are vanilla, Gurjan balsam, leather, and oud. The strongest of the notes are the vanilla and leather. The vanilla is sweet and natural, similar to a vanilla bean pod. The leather note is instantly noticeable and not the typical designer offering. I liken it more to a niche leather note; animalic and sharp but not overly funky as some can be. This is followed by the Gurjan balsam and oud. Both notes are very woody and provide a very masculine foundation, with the balsam being very spicy while the oud is dark and funky; albeit not as funky as a niche oud. There's also a good dose of cypress in the opening that helps to amplify the spiciness brought by the Gurjan balsam. The dry down is sweet, ambery, and woody. The primary notes I get are vanilla, amber, oud, and Gurjan balsam. The strongest of the notes are the vanilla and amber. The vanilla note from the opening has continued into the dry down and synergizes with the resinous sweetness from the amber. This is followed by the oud and Gurjan balsam, still retaining the spicy and funky woodiness from the opening; just in a more subdued manner. The leather is also still there in a small but noticeable portion. Performance: Initial projection is nuclear and easily fills the room when walking in. Sillage matches that intensity with an unmistakeable scent trail. After a few hours the projection was still around 3-4 feet and the scent trail was still easily noticeable. At around the 7-8 hour mark the projection was still outside arms length and the scent trail was still noticeable. The fragrance lasted about 10-11 hours before it became a skin scent. When to wear: This is a fall/winter fragrance most suited for evening wear. I would not pick this to wear to the office, but it would work great on a date night. Blind buy: If you like fragrances like Prada Luna Rossa Ocean EDP or Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum, or if you just like sweet and woody fragrances in general, this is a safe blind buy for you. Keep in mind that oud is a main player here, so you have to appreciate oud to enjoy this fragrance. Final verdict: This fragrance definitely deserves all the hype it gets; I loved it. The opening, the dry down, the performance; everything was outstanding. If it had lasted just an hour or so longer it would be a perfect score; but I'm not even mad at it. If you ever find this one available somewhere, do yourself a favor and grab it before someone else does. You won't regret it. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 9/10 Sillage: 9/10

There is something absolutely intoxicating about Nuit d’ Issey Polaris. The leather is some of the best I’ve smelled, & together with the cypress, labdanum, & vanilla, Nuit d’ Issey Polaris is the most mesmerizing fragrance I’ve yet encountered. In the beginning, you mostly get the cypress, black pepper, bergamot & just a touch of sweetness. The sweetness in Nuit d’ Issey Polaris comes from a beautifully earthy & dry vanilla which gets more pronounced deep in the dry-drown, but earlier on, it’s much less pronounced. Throughout the life of the fragrance, the vanilla serves to balance out the seductive amounts of darkness that’s present in this composition from the combination of cypress, black pepper, patchouli, leather, labdanum, & amber. This fragrance (unlike many that carry the moniker) would be highly deserving of ‘noir’ in its name; the cypress & labdanum are especially gorgeous against that dry, earthy vanilla, which in-turn accentuates the dryness of those accords very nicely. This fragrance is incredibly balanced & well-blended. There’s something I smell in Polaris that I remember from my childhood. A scent I’m immediately connected to, but unfortunately, can’t place. A scent that’s very alive & powerful...emanating from the leather, earthy vanilla, & the surrounding coniferous darkness of the cypress & accompanying labdanum that’s contained in the fragrance. Something absolutely beautiful & yet unidentifiable. A mystery or riddle in scent form. It’s got me researching everything I can about leather fragrances from the 1980s. One thing I’ve learned is Polaris needs balmy to cooler weather to smell optimal. 25C (77F) & below. In higher heats it can emanate a fleeting band-aid like scent (which is in itself very enjoyable & pleasant—think Gucci Guilty Absolute, Pure Malt, among many other fragrances containing this one particular accord). I think this may be from the oud accord, although many fragrances with a whiskey or leather accord also share this band-aid like olfactory trait at times. This is by no means indicative of the scent’s normal profile, just something I noticed occasionally on hotter than usual days. In summary, Nuit d’ Issey Polaris is a very special fragrance. It partially smells like a modern remake of something from the 1980s to early 1990s; very powerful, yet smooth. A fragrance that’s both masculine & intellectual...while remaining alluring & mysterious. Polaris is a fragrance that’s seductive & intriguing. A raw & powerful fragrance—underlying a smooth measure of control.

I recently got this perfume after it was discontinued as a gift from a colleague at work. He is a generous, well-mannered and gentle young man. He gave it to me after he got it for a good price from a large perfume store. When you first spray the perfume, you find the scent of black pepper prominent with some bergamot and a slight green touch of cypress. The opening of the perfume lasts for about half an hour and before it disappears, a sweet note of vanilla enters. In truth, this part of the perfume is not my favorite. In the heart of the fragrance, vanilla becomes more prominent with the entry of the oud note, but in a smoky way, with the cypress continuing but in the background, which begins to withdraw and fade gradually. The smoky atmosphere may be due to the labdanum, I don't know... but I liked this combination. Creativity and distinction are all found when the perfume dries down, where vanilla remains perceptible with a bit of amber that gives a soft and creamy appearance, and with the presence of oud, whose sound becomes louder, the role of leather is to give depth to the perfume, but in a hidden way. Overall harmony between the notes and great balance, there is no single dominant note, oud wood with a captivating incense scent and creamy vanilla that gives the perfume a smooth, soft texture. It is not a heavy, dark or gloomy fragrance.A pure scent with high quality, makes the perfume smell expensive and luxurious. It is for men over 30 years old. It is a mature, masculine fragrance that women love to smell on men. It is perfect for dates as well as night outings, in cold weather, especially in winter and fall. It is not ideal for indoor spaces or for daily work. The perfume has very good longevity and lasts on the skin for about 10 hours, with a sillage for two hours or more. It is suitable for formal and semi-formal clothes. Unfortunately, the production of this gem has been discontinued and it has become difficult to find... and its price has increased many times over. Fragrantica did not mention the names of the noses who created this perfume, and I do not know why. They are: Fanny Bal, Dominique Ropion, and Loc Dong.

I think this is the best fragrance Issey Miyake has released to date. I own many of the highly regarded fragrances from the house: Noir Ambré, Or Encens, Pulse of the Night, Noir Argent, Noir Absolu, Bois Arctic, Nuit D'issey Parfum. Out of all the IM fragrances I have had the pleasure of experiencing, this one is by far the most complex and nuanced. The first time I tried Polaris, I was more pleasantly surprised and curious than in love, but over time I felt to myself drawn back to it. I purchased my first full bottle on the cheap after running through a 5ml decant rather quickly. I have purchased 3 more since even though I haven't completely used the first bottle; it's that good! This is a beautiful, lightly smokey fragrance, with green notes, over a rich vanilla and amber base, with a beautiful leather accord. I see bergamot listed but I have been unable to detect any citrus. I once heard someone compare the smell of Polaris to a freshly charred marshmallow and I think that is the easiest way to describe it in only a few words. There are so many layers to this beautiful creation and it's absolutely blended to perfection with extremely high quality ingredients. This may be a Nuit D'issey flanker, but I don't really detect any of the original Nuit D'issey DNA in it, there are some notes similar to the Noir Argent flanker (likely the black pepper and labdanum shared notes), but not so much the original EDT or Parfum versions. I see some people comparing this fragrance Lattafa's Qa'aed and Amouage Interlude Man; it blows away both of those fragrances in terms of quality and scent profile. Polaris is 6 times the price of Qa'aed (and smells 10 times the price) and half the price of Interlude, but Interlude smells like it should be the mid-range offering if you compare all three side by side. This is a 10/10 for me, the only downsides are that it isn't something that can be worn in the warmer months, and it's sadly discontinued, but it wouldn't be so special to me if it changed in any way. I can't praise this fragrance enough and it's one I will dearly miss one day.

I own the entire Nuit D'issey range, it's my favorite line from one of my favorite houses. I have had a lot of time with all of them, and this one is easily my favorite and is one of my top 5 all-time frags. Absolutely beautiful, dark sweet, smooth. Beautiful dark bergamot zest over charred marshmallow, with wood and leather undertones. There is nothing else like it. MUCH closer to Reflection Man than Qaa'ed (which is actually a clone of Soul by Costume National, not Polaris despite what many pedestrians may opine). This is much nicer than RM, and smells like it costs twice as much. Longevity is fantastic as is the projection. Easy 12 hours on skin, days in clothes, 4 hours of huge projection. Polaris is suited for colder weather, although I have been playing around a bit, layering it with some lighter things trying to get more of it in the off seasons. This is the best of the Nuit D'issey line, it shares the bae DNA with Pulse of the Night (and to a lesser extent, Bois Arctic) but is a more complete composition than Pulse. I am very happy that IM produced this for a longer window and in greater quantities than the previous flankers. I snap up every bottle I see for under $100. There's a reason this has the highest rating of any frag in the line and only trails Noir Ambré by a hair; it's absolutely phenomenal! 10/10