Isola Blu

Roja’s Isola Blu is my latest acquisition, and I must admit that I primarily purchased it for its exquisite bottle, which I wanted to add to my collection. However, I also desired to own the fragrance in its entirety before writing a review, so I made the decision to purchase a full bottle. Online, I discovered that Isola Blu is a rerelease of Oligarch Parfum, a fragrance I had previously owned before its discontinuation. In my opinion, Oligarch Parfum was a derivative of Terre D’Hérmes, which did not particularly surprise me given Roja’s penchant of replicating popular designer releases. Isola Blu is a very positive and uplifting scent. It emits a persistent wafts throughout the day, which is particularly noteworthy considering it’s a freshie. However, the scent profile lacks originality. After finishing Oligarch Parfum, I purchased a bottle of Terre D’Hérmes and there was not a huge difference in terms of scent profile, so I never looked back. Terre D’Hérmes does not possess the same feel-good wafts as Isola Blu, but its overall scent profile is remarkably similar. Now that I own a bottle of Isola Blu, I am in a position to compare both fragrances side by side. Here are my observations: Initially, Roja’s Isola Blu is heavily citrus-oriented, and it offers a more fruity aroma consisting of mostly bergamot and a juicy lemon/lime rather than the “dirty orange” often associated with Terre D’Hérmes. Personally, I prefer the professional and more mature scent of Terre D’Hérmes over Isola Blu, which I perceive as more casual. As it dries down, Isola Blu undergoes a significant transformation, becoming more floral, while Terre D’Hérmes develops a more earthy character. The ambergris in Isola Blu provides a distinctive boost, resulting in persistent confidence-lifting wafts throughout the day I mentioned earlier, and Terre D’Hérmes lacks this aspect in its composition. This Roja fragrance, like any other in the line, presents a comprehensive list of notes. However, upon analysis, it becomes evident that a significant portion of these notes are merely embellishments. Notably, there are no distinct oakmoss, tonka, birch, leather, or Orris notes. This fragrance essentially follows a floral and citrus-heavy approach to the TdH DNA, which was originally characterized by its earthy and vetiver-focused scent. In the tradition of Roja, it appears to be a derivative of another popular designer fragrance. My bottle bears the batch number 44724/L8291. The performance of this fragrance is commendable for a freshie, lasting approximately 7-8 hours with moderate projection, the projection remains consistent throughout its lifespan, which I find highly desirable. In comparison, TdH and its flankers exhibit significantly inferior projection. I would unequivocally prefer this fragrance over TdH in terms of projection. However, the scent profile is where I believe it falls short. Despite its premium price, which is double that of TdH, I still find TdH to possess a superior overall scent profile. The quality of the fragrance is exceptional, with a smooth texture. Nevertheless, I am unable to discern any discernible difference in quality beyond TdH. This fragrance can be classified as a high-end designer freshie rather than a niche fragrance, and even TdH itself smells to be more niche in nature. In light of these considerations, I must unequivocally state that this fragrance is not worth the asking price. It is, in fact, one of the most overpriced and overrated perfumes I have ever owned, based solely on its scent, originality, and the price being charged. I purchased it solely because I can afford it and wanted to treat myself to a beautiful bottle. Additionally, I wanted to write an objective review based on a full bottle to dispel any misconceptions that I may be criticizing it due to not being in a financial position to own a bottle. The bottle itself is a work of art and is undoubtedly the most beautiful bottle I have ever owned. If you appreciate beautiful bottles in your collection and enjoy the finer things in life, then I would recommend purchasing this fragrance. However, if you are seeking an unique scent profile, I strongly advise against purchasing it.

Despite being quite overpriced in my opinion, in a vacuum where its retail (and even discounted) price isn't a factor, I think its a very high quality and excellently crafted standalone scent. It opens up on my skin with a LOT of citruses and a characteristic Lime above them all, however I also get a hefy dose of soft but elegant Woods and a vetiver kind of smell, it's around here just after the opening and leading into the early dry down that it most resembles TDH on my skin, but it still smells different, in the same way people may get reminded of Aventus upon smelling Hacivat, but it becomes its own thing once the oakmoss settles in, and thats the Case with isola Blu on my skin except with a fruitiness and increase In depth and added nuances that TDH doesn't have, but they're still both great fragrances. After the opening fades, the fizzy and fresh Lime goes I the back and merged with a fruity note that does remind me of an apple, but they merge so seamlessly I can't smell any sharp edges oe airyness that an apple can sometimes have, I also get a bit of a cocktail vibe as well minus the alcoholic smell, which is probably from the Juniper, and lastly the a cacophony of clean white florals, clean musks, and a soft sweetness merge with the woods from the opening and that makes up majority of the wearing,(I don't really get the plethora of another notes listed, and if I do its onky for a few seconds every now and then so it's not that big of an impact). I got around 7 or 8 hours projection, with the fizzy and Lime parts dying down around the 4-5th hour onwards which was impressive, and as for projection, on my skin it had a strong opening but within 10 minutes becomes a soft-medium projecting scent with a beautiful scent bubble and light trail. Leans Masculine but is definitely unisex in my opinion, and in terms of wearbility it very much is a casual spring-summer scent, humidity may be my mortal enemy, but its the best ally possible for this fragrance 😂. Lastly I want to emphasise that to me whenever I get whiffs of this, it just smells like the penultimate "summer holiday" fragrance, even as I'm meandering through my own city it feels transportive in a subtle way, it really does encapsulate an exaggerated albeit stereotypical summer holiday in the best way imaginable, and I can imagine this being something to take the load off to a degree on hot days where you just want to relax, and in that line of thinking I personally thinks a higher quality upgrade of the OG Terre D'Hermes taken to a higher degree, but sadly the price is also taken to a higher (bit too high if you ask me) degree😭, but if you have the money and spot a hefty discount (and you truly enjoy it, most importantly) then I'd say its worth it, all round beautiful fragrance. 8.9/10 for me (I'd give it upwards of a 9.5 if it was priced better)

I just got my bottle and had a chance to compare it to a sample of Oligarch EDP. I had gone through 2 samples of Oligarch but never bought it because it had a slight prickliness in it, a kind of stiff upper lip that reminded me of salespeople in Swiss watch stores. But there was also something about the magical blending that haunted me enough to want to give Isola Blu a try. I was not disappointed because it eliminated all of my issues with the OG EDP - ie at no point did it seem overly dry and snobby in its demeanour. Isola Blu is far deeper and richer - even sensual - and evolves much more slowly. Side by side on opposite wrists, `Oligarch EDP seems thin, but also moves into the woody - earthy phase so fast that Isola is still in the luxurious citrus and lavender opening while Oligarch is in the dry down! It eventually settles into a stronger and more nuanced version of the Oligarch dry down and last several hours more. If this is not the best citrus in my collection of 60+ niche fragrances I don't know what is. All I know is that I prefer it to both versions of Elysium and think it is more luxurious than Xerjoff Renaissance or Nio, better than TDH or Fragrance du Bois Oud Vert Intense, which some call a niche version of TDH. I think Oligarch EDP has some resemblance to TDH, but Isola Blu does not - it is just so elegant and dense and juicy and aristocratic. The pure luxury and roundedness and opulence is just something else. Is this the King of citrus fragrances? Maybe. The only one that I think compares in quality is Xerjoff Fierro, which has beautiful Lifesaver citrus and great longevity, but is more vintage old school and herbal-aromatic than Isola Blu, while Isola Blue is more opulent and luxurious.

Got a 10ML last week and tried it a few times now and I can see this is a very pleasant citrus forward fragrance. Altough every hour something is backing up this citruses, as in the beginning it’s pretty strong and even animalic a bit... The oils used here are very good and quality for sure. It’s overpriced I can say that, but if you like to smell this profile in perfection ( earthy citrus) this is it! For me it’s a nice fragrance and it really gives me a spa treatment kind of smell and vibe.. for some luxury, for some a Russian oligarch as it used to be named.. but in every aspect this is perfection in this profile. Performance is pretty good to, it evolves and evolves with every 30 minutes on my skin.. the very drydown is exact TDH EDT tbh, but that’s okay since that’s a great fragrance as well. The first few hours you will notice the difference and notice the big quality difference.. Anyhow coming back to this, it’s lovely and it’s definitely a full bottle worthy, but not for the retail price.. mostly available for 30% off so check it out! And for those who don’t have much, but still wants this.. don’t buy it blind as for this price you can buy much better fragrances. But again in this profile this is perfection! 9/10 ( as for the price is ridiculous)

Dont listen to the copers. I have both samples side by side. This is Terre d'Hermès Parfum (don't know about the edt) 99% in the dry down. It does open a bit more harsh and has definitely lower quality ingredients like BHT and other "to be avoided if possible" substances, but the smell is "exactly" the same. "Exactly" in the sense Isola Blu might be a bit smoother, but to the average nose indistinguishable and definitely not worth the x5 price tag. If you don't believe me, watch Aaron Terence Hughes comparison on yt. I reckon a professional perfumer knows what he's talking about. EDIT : Just got The Monarch from Dua and let me tell you, its better than both, Isola Blu and TdH. Insane! It is, I'd say 95% the same with the others, but there is that 5% that has something magic to it and I can't really tell what it is. This is unbeatable in longevity, sillage and price. Also, it seems to get better with every time I spray it. Like the first time I've sprayed it, it was ok, but now, 5 days later, the magic unfolds.