Reviews of L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Intense (2007)
by Issey Miyake

Although it is not a difficult task, I actually prefer this to the original. A brief,tart, yet fruity opening is quickly replaced with a smoked spice accord that lingers for several hours. This middle phase is quite long lived, but it does usher in a rather disappointing phase towards the end, that lacks the simple pleasures of the previous phases. The dry down is a little too meek and lacks the warmth and interest that the heart notes have. All in all, not a bad effort, but not quite worthy of a bottle purchase.

The grey liquid belies the rather fresh and vibrant opening of bergamot, so called yuzu lemon and sweet orange (I guess that's 'normal' orange). A bit bitter, probably due to the bitter orange (bergamot) and the yuzu, also bitter. Wiling away a quarter of an hour you will notice this fragrance taking on a new facet. A very weird concoction; cooking spices of cardamom and saffron and an attempt to save the midnotes from culinary oblivion with an additon of a sweet floral note - 'blue water lily'. This hardly works as I get constant diffusions of comestible notes, as though I was invited to partake in a bowl of jalfresi. This pervades into the basenotes where I find it hard to pick up any amber or benzoin notes and very little frankincense at all. Is it the so-called 'papyrus' that I get then? I wouldn't know as I have never smelled papyrus; I can only imagine it to be like the smell of an old book, almost a sweet old paperback. But the base for me mostly smells of tobacco, and I don't know if that is a note here, but that's what I get. I don't think this an improvement on the original Eau D'Issey and maybe it will smell better in the heat of the summer, but I am not wild about it, so only a neutral thumbs here.

I really don't detect anything of the original L'Eau d'Issey in this. It's a different beast altogether, in my opinion. The top two notes I detect are cinnamon (the artificial kind, like you'd smell on those craft brooms in an art/hobby store) and a stony, raw talc smell. After that comes musk and a bit of saffron and various other spices mixed in. There's also a dry sweetness throughout. As another reviewer noted, the fragrance doesn't change or develop much, if at all. What you smell at first is what you get.

This is definitely a winter/evening cologne, and fits into the "oriental" category to me (i.e. best worn by a mustachioed, furry chested, dark skinned man wearing gold chains :P ). Also, as previously stated, it doesn't last very long, so you may be tempted to put on a little extra before going out.... DON'T, as it's pretty noxious when over-applied. If you can, just carry it with you and *lightly* spritz it on every few hours.

All in all not bad. It's not an everyday scent, at least not to me. Try before you buy (as you should with almost any cologne!).

Guess what? Not like the 'original'. The original having a fresh green metallic scent, this is more... gray and sweeter but still fresh. Another instance were names don't make any sense. Still, a nice scent just don't be fooled. Doesn't last as long as the 'original' either.

Initial burst of citrus only lasts for 1 minute. Then the smoky, woody with just a tiny hint of spice scent.......appears. Smells very masculine yet young. Longevity is not that great. Just around 4 hours. Sillage is very discreet and personal especially after 1 hour. I just wish the smoky woody scent would lasts forever.....

Nice! Would not make me ravenous for a guy, but a very pleasant, not-quite-generic scent. And the drydown 12 hours later on my boyfriends skin was fabulous when I woke up this morning! So a thumbs up, but not an ecstatic one.

Honestly, they didn't really need to do this one...That should explain it all!