Eau de Miyako

It seems that I’ll be the first person reviewing this fragrance here, so I’ll be 100% honest. First of all, if you’re thinking about buying this perfume because some people claim it’s a dupe of L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme, forget it. I bought it because several influencers were saying it was inspired by the famous L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme EDT (one of my all-time favorite fragrances). Normally I don’t buy perfumes because it’s similar to a Specific perfume, but this time I did. The listed notes were almost identical, so I decided to give it a try. Well, they couldn’t be more different. They may share some of the same notes on paper, but you’ll only find a slight resemblance once it becomes a skin scent. That said, this is not a bad fragrance at all. In fact, it has much better longevity, projection, and sillage than the original. I’ve actually received more compliments wearing Eau de Miyako than I ever did with Issey Miyake. However, you need to let it mature for a few weeks first. If you do, you’ll see this fragrance truly shine. What initially lasted 6 to 8 hours on my skin started lasting 8 to 10 hours after about a month of maturation. I would also consider it more office-friendly than L’Eau d’Issey. It opens with a citrusy vibe, but after a few minutes it transforms into a sweet floral fragrance and remains fairly linear throughout the dry down. Sometimes I struggle to describe exactly how it smells, but one thing is certain: people around you will notice it. They’ll ask what you’re wearing and whether it’s an expensive perfume. I wore it as my work fragrance for months. I completely finished one bottle and nearly finished a second before deciding to move on to another signature scent for work. To sum it up: buy it if you enjoy citrus-floral fragrances, and let it mature for at least a month. It will reward you with compliments. With Eau de Miyako, you may not be the best-smelling person in the room, but you’ll always smell good.