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

What a smell. WHAT a smell.

It's like driving an Austin Martin DB7. It's like what you want your wedding night to be like and more. It's like eating your favourite food with your favourite person at your favourite place with your favourite drink. It's like being immune to swine flu. It's like winning the lottery, investing it and then getting 10 times your money back and then going onto Dragon's Den just to boast at how much richer you are compared to them. It's like England winning the World Cup and then the Euro's just for fun.

And about the smell... it's just awesome. Do you get the hint I may like it? :-D Ok I'm not totally stupid - I realise it's not to everyones taste. But I just love this stuff. It's fresh and yet complicated / mysterious. But for me not too rich or ironically, intense. It just sits so well like a companion. It's fairly strong but used carefully it is a great reward for those lucky enough to get close to you. It's perfect for daytime wear but also fantastic for evening wear.

It lasts for a good while, it develops real character as the smell wears on. Yes it is fresh but there is a beautiful darkness to it with a warmth that is carried through by the bergamot.

I just love it. What a smell. WHAT a smell.

It has a nice bottle. Does the world really need more of these awful Aqui da Gio clones???

I am agree with TONYSOPRANO and HEAWNS...."Good lasting power and sillage" until this side of Tropico inclusive, very good fragrance smells something in the line of: Curve Crush, Swiss Army Altitude, Perry Ellis 18 and others more.
IMO Better than its Stepbrother (Le Eau D Issey) less overpower, overwhelming and intoxicant.

It really isn't a stronger version of the original. Both have their own identities if you ask me; not sure what Issey was thinking. I like this version better. It lost the original's spiciness however.

That said, the Intense version is more of an office scent if you ask me. You're not going to impress anybody, but you're definitely going to smell fresh. Thumbs up.

Good and long lasting effort of Issey Miyake.

Young, intense, metrosexual and sporty. Compliments? Of course! People loves this kind.

Excellent option for people who loves aquatics with good longevity. Thats not easy to find, that s why this bottle is a good choice for this fragance concept.

My mom got me this one as a birthday present and during my first tries I wasn't that big of a fan. After a couple hours though, the base smell is quite good. It has a nice citrus smell that makes the wait worth it. I've only smelled the original Issey once but I didn't see much similarity. I got no idea why this is an intense version but it has a similar citrus - floral smell. Check this one out and give it some time!

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'll start with saying I tried the original which was a mstake. Poor longevity. I really can't understand how so many people do not have an issue with this when 1 person who approaches it (me), does. For the amount of money forked out for the original, it is quite disturbing.

Nevertheless, I was hesitant when I approached the intense version however, the next day, was awe-struck. When paying 70-100 dollars for a fragrance, I expect it to last long (at least 8hours) and this intense version surely fits the bill. Plus, the scent stays true to the original in a better, well rounded and thicker fragrance. Absolutely wonderful.

From first blast is the citrus which warms up to cinnamon and incense, with a hint of the citrus. It is quite a unique scent and a compliment getter. Very inoffensive and perfect for anytime where. It is a thick scent so it need be appied sparingly.

After the first hour, the cinnamon really begins to make its appearance known. I've never really come across a cinnamon so well rounded before. The scent itself, is from what I believe because of the cinnamon and incense, a very exotic one at that. I own a few bottles of Opium Pour Homme EDP and this certainly reminds me of that. It comes across as an attractive remake of a classy scent which had no longevity or sillage but yet, does have much potential due to its fresh/smooth mixture of ingredients, only to make it unique thus, exotic.

I mentioned above if I spend the money, I want something worth it. With Issey, you pay a heavy duty price, but for me as I did with Opium EDP, went ahead and payed it because it lasts and lasts and lasts as if it were an EDP; and in addition, holds to the classy, well rounded, rich but exotic blend of ingredients that when you are in contact with someone, will make them wanting to getting closer to you, and perhaps you getting closer to yourself.

If you want a unique scent and for those Opium lovers who unfortunately do not have access to the EDP version of it or cannot afford to pay the high price of it, hunt down Issey Intense. It is somewhat difficult to find but is accessible and cheaper in price. You won't regret it.

....I wish I could have said that when I purchased the original.

Good lasting power and sillage on myself.

Its a tad to soft for me (especially some late part of the drydown wich at a time mostly smelled sweet and cozy), would like it to be a bit more ''intense'' rather than (intensively) sweet and tolerable. Not as vibrant as I hoped, for me it smells very good tough.

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!).

the original with Saffron amplified, i do not like this a bit. A total disgrace to even call it a intense version of the original. this can get quite cloyingly sweet too. thumbs down on this one.

Intense is a hard frag. To be used in cold.
Though there a lot of things put in it (mandarin, bergamot, orange, nutmeg, lotus, cinnamon, cardamom, amber, papyrus) , it stays the same from first to last inhale. For me it is synthetic and not "natural" at all, but that does not worry me. On the contrary I Iike it a lot. It's harmonic and vibrant, but I hate it when I cannot decipher the particularity of the mix.
And maybe they should think about changing the shape / vision of the bottles as well, not only the colour
Final word, very good winter smell.

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.

Wow! Great cologne here! I am unsure how to describe it, whether it would fall under aquatic or not, but it is beautiful in every regard. Great longevity and silage. Compared to the original it is a little more metallic.

I thought I would like this scent since on paper it had a great incense smell. But after I sprayed it on myself, the incense disappears in a few short minutes and your left with a weird synthetic sweet scent. A few hours after that, it drys down to a nice floral. If only I could take out those midnotes and extend the topnote, than it would be great. But otherwise, this scent isn't worth it.

I got a bottle of Issey Intense as a birthday gift this year and I absolutely love the stuff! The beauty of this fragrance reveals itself at night when it just seems to come alive. The initial application has a citrus feel that after about twenty minutes fades into incense and spices. The base fir me is the most amazing part of this fragrance. It has this feel of exotic wood smouldering with spices into it. WOW! Issey Intense unfolds like a mystical concerto of notes and its difficult to say when each note starts but its almost like you accidentally realise that you smell sexy during the day and it just brings a smile to your face. Almost like "Wow! Thats me!" It has excellent longevity and in my opinion smells the best very late in the drydown.

A Royal Treat. Heavy, mediterranean, spicey. A cheap replacement of the Creed fragrances and almost as good & unique

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.

This was a blind purchase and at first sniff I thought Hmmm its OK, but after an Hr or so this transform into a great fragrance. This is going to be another classic from Issey Miyake and the ladies like it and that makes for a great combination.

I found a tester vial of this in some shopping bags that I was going to discard and decided to wear it for the day. I did not have much in the form of expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Intense opens up strong, very different from the original which has that citrusy sprits that serves as the perfect pick-me-up in the summer mornings. With this version, I get a blast of woods and incense, though these are well blended and it is hard to detect the timing of each note. I don't think the overall effect is "intense" but rather more "heavy". I find this to be a completely different sort of fragrance, either way it is well done, and has a richness to it that the original lacked. For some reason halfway through the day I almost thought I had put on B*men, it gave a very similar vibe as the drydown was in full effect. I tend to like B*men so I like this one too, and I must say that longevity is quite good, 12 hours later it was still noticeable. which for me is one of the necessary characteristics for a purchase. Still, I am not in a hurry to rush out and buy it, after all, I still have to get the Bleue edition first.

I absolutely love this. Perfect for nights out and the women won't stop complementing. A MUST BUY!!!

If you love the original but hate how popular it is, get this fragrance!

It took me about a month of testing before I could form a real opinion about this scent. I like it because it is a great variation on the original L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme. It has many similarities (which makes it smell great), however it is different enough that nobody will be able to mistake it for the original. It has a slightly familiar scent, like the lightness of the original but is a little more smokey, almost more of a bite. The bottle is sexy and the fragrance is aptly-named.

Carl999's review did not explain anything to me.

WOW! Issey has done it again. I fell in love with the original though it was already 5 years old at the time. Like ALL miyake fragrances for men (save for the summer and eau fraiche varieties), pour Homme Intense is very strong. 2 sprays can be too much. That said, if you did not like L'Eau Bleue D'Issey, then don't bother with this.

It starts out very dark and woody-herbaceous with a icy blue tingle...it does to your nose what chewing a cigar and toothpaste at the same time would do to your mouth.

As the day progress the scent gets lighter and you get to enjoy different aspects of the afformentioned notes. Even in hot weather, the icy blue keeps you smelling cool and blue while the woody notes don't fail to assert themselves.

Without a doubt, this is another homerun for Issey, I predict it's popularity to be like that of the original. It is unique and it is very manly.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for Issey Miyake fans.

The cardamom and incense have really caught me, I have been wearing this now for a while with good reactions. Minor sillage, but when somebody gets close....wow

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