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

Nuit dissey Polaris is one of the revered flankers for Nuit dissey, so I was super excited to finally find a bottle. My first impression was that it is an incredibly well blended fragrance. It has a nice sweetness to it, but that is tempered by a subtle smokiness that keeps it from becoming cloying. The scent itself smells kind of like candied yams, with Smoky nuances and a slightly woody backbone. As it dries down you begin to smell the Nuit dissey DNA shining through bolstered by the sweetness of the opening. This stuff truly smells amazing. On to performance. Sillage is average, About 3ft for the first 3 to 4 hours, then it drops much closer to the skin. Longevity is nice, I still have a mild projection 10 hrs in. I can honestly say that this is a masterpiece, it's not as dark as hoped, but it will make a stunning nighttime fragrance that imho could be worn 3 seasons with summer being the exception. I give this a 9.75 as a 10 would be Leau dissey noir ambre and I just can't claim that this is it's equal. That said if I didn't have noir ambre this would take it's place as my favorite nighttime/cool weather fragrance.

I know this is nothing special to many, but this is a fragrance I could wear everyday of every winter for the rest of my life. Minutes ago I was overjoyed when I was able to pick up a tester bottle from Fragrancebuy. Then moments later I found a second bottle on FragranceNet. I’m still fairly new in the community and I didn’t know that so many of these flankers are a one year and done kind of thing so I blew through my first bottle so dang fast and when I couldn’t find it again I nearly wanted to cry lol. These two bottles on the way will definitely be put on my winter fragrance pedestal. I’m just gonna have to try my best to supplement with others that smell similar until I have thoroughly worn down the people at issey miyake into rereleasing it. Every whiff I take from the empty bottles atomizer just cements it further into the special place it has in my newbie fragrance heart.

I picked this up last spring and have been using it here and there - but looking forward to wearing more regularly once the temps start to cool off. Overall, this is a very smooth, dark and slightly mature (30+) fragrance. It’s sweet, but nicely balanced by the resins and a bit of smokiness. It doesn’t blow me away, but it’s so easy and enjoyable to wear that it will likely become one of my go to scents this fall. *** Update: This is quickly becoming my go to now that the temps are starting to cool. Really nice mix of resins and vanilla the whole way through and definitely shines a bit more once the weather has a bit more of a chill in the air. I haven’t been able to get a hold of Pulse if the Night, and this one seems to be catching a little bit of hype now - I would try and grab a bottle before they disappear!

Quite a unique scent profile. As a small time hobbyist/collector, I like it and will probably wear it from time to time but much more for personal olfactory pleasure. I will let this one grow on me further. This one has that familiar Issey Miyake DNA on the opening like Nuit D’Argent or Pulse of the Night (my favorite on the line) then quickly transforms in the mid that I couldn’t describe. It’s dark and mysterious that evokes a familiar scent but strangely indescribable, something my nose has to get adjusted to. The dry down has that Amouage Interlude Man vibe but not too close. Very interesting. I’ll give this an 8/10 for now 👍 “Let us spread the scents of peace and kindness. The two most beautiful fragrance in the world that will cost you nothing and will get you a totally different kind of compliments” 🙏

This is the perfect definition of "smooth" and "creamy". From first spray you can sense the quality of this fragrance. I immediately get the vanilla, patchouli, and a little bit of cypress. In the drydown I still get vanilla, but the amber starts to come through with it, which actually reminds me a little of Noir Ambre except without the burnt plastic smell. This remains smooth and creamy the entire time, and it's never over-powering or sickeningly sweet; it's got just the right amount of sweetness. I really like this one, and it's slowly becoming a "love". Not quite as good as Pulse of the Night, but I personally think they're quite different and definitely worth owning both. Polaris I think fits better during the day, and Pulse of the Night is better suited for night (as its name suggests). Overall 8/10

This to me is abit more woody abit more lighter than the previous gorgeous noir amber,argents,encrens,pulse of the night. They are all great dark autum/winter frags. This is the same but abit more more earthier and slightly smoky in the mid to dry. If your wore all the recent dark fags one day after the other in chronological date order you could see an evolution of what Issey Miyake is trying to achieve after a very long line of what felt like spring/summer frags for 30 years. I’ve not tried the Issey Miyake nuit dissey originals as it’s felt that these are the almost Niche like quality fragrances that are at an extremely great price. I have to agree. All around £40-£60 at genuine discounters and I’ve not really owned anything this good but a designer house before

Ive had this stuff for over a year now. After becoming a massive Issey Miyake fan, I searched and searched for a bottle of this stuff. I found one. Batch code checks out, bottle is legit. $60 later and what feels like a robbery... I finally got my hands on this gem. I've tried every flanker of the nuit d'issey line up. This is by far the best in my opinion. Its the perfect amount of slightly sweet, slightly powdery, slightly spiced and resinous. Very much a dark and mysterious kinda vibe but not in an edgy teenage angst way. Its mature in all the right ways. Amazing scent profile, great longevity and great projection. Its a shame it's discontinued hard to find without spending $300+ on ebay. If you can find a bottle of this for cheap.... snatch it up.

Where is the vanilla? Okay so maybe its my skin chemistry or my nose is broken.. but this smells alot different on my skin the the test strip i first sprayed on.. off the test strip started sweet, got smokey and that vanilla became present.. off my skin I smell like I walked through a building that caught fire.. its more smoky off my skin and get almost zero vanilla.. Im super bummed.. With that said in my honest opinion it isn't bad at all..I still love it.. I know for a fact my girlfriend would hate this.. I would rock this Late fall early winter near a fire with the guys sipping on a couple drinks.. Its nice just dont like how it comes off my skin.. Rating 8.9/10

A sleeper I liked initially but pretended to forget I had, so that good old maceration could work its magic. That patience has truly paid off now because this has grown up quite beautifully. Deeper, richer and pleasantly/pleasingly smokier with a mid that still projects but mellow enough to enjoy. I kept getting fooled that I'd sprayed one of the Interludes by Amouage but that's what this does with time. This is best in colder weather but if you're stepping from AC to AC in the summer or warmer regions then you're covered. For the price I bought this, 10/10!!

A compelling amber-leather-vanilla-patchouli combination for the first few hours. Very approachable - nicely integrated - not shy. If applied early in the morning, the scent lingers long into the evening. At this later phase, the scent takes on an almost sweet medicinal character, with hints of smoky resin wrapped around bruised oregano leaves. Update: reapplied today, and now I get the medicinal / rubberiness element earlier.

This is just beast, Issey Miyake is king. I just tried this in sephora outlet liked it so much..immediately got bottle of it. One backup also. It is spicy but just the right amount, not too harsh on note and amber spice just plays all the time. Very consistent performer. If you like Azzaro Wanted by Night, try this..this is well rounded and better performer than Azzaro, i have both

I really love this! I definitely get a Smokey chocolate vibe from this! And the vanilla gives me this creamy-ness also. Amazing sillage, great longevity - you really can’t go wrong with an Issey frag. in general! Definitely a true cold night time fragrance. Not very mysterious tho and one could also state it’s quite generic. But I really am enjoying this nonetheless! 8.5/10

smells like roasting marshmallows over a campfire in deep woods. a wonderful balance of piney green, smoke, and vanillic sweetness. mature but sexy and a little playful. most of the hype is on pulse of the night (which I also own), but I find this far superior and more unique. if you're trying to choose between the two, this takes the cake every time.

This smells awesome. This reminds me of Wanted by Night. Only this is more woodsy and less sweet. Definitely worth trying out. I don’t agree that this smells like Interlude however. I believe interlude is much less sweeter and has the incense and oregano giving that fragrance a more balsamic type of smell.

Wow, what a steal. It's a very seductive, dark and unique scent. The quality is top notch: somehow it reminds me Tom Ford's noir extreme parfum. Although it smells different, but this is definitely the same direction. It doesn't project far away, but staying close it outlast a lot of good fragrances.