Please compare l'eau d'issey to acqua di gio

I can't go very in depth jonny, but Issey just seems better crafted to me. I've worn both and AdG just disappear on me; Issey does not.

Part of me like the original. I believe both make use of calone, which has an aquatic vibe, and Issey was first. Personally, I think AdG was a ripoff of Issey. Through marketing muscle and money, AdG passed Issey in sales.

l'eau d'issey is more well crafted, more complex and longer lasting. I honestly don't like either, but I respect l'eau d'ssey more. Aqua di Gio is easier to like, but it's very boring not only due to the fact it's common but also because, well, there are so many similar fragrances, some of which do the job better (allure sport/edition blanche).

I talorate Aqua di Gio more, even though I dislike aquatics in general, it just has some citrus notes that makes it less aquatic to my nose. But if you like them, L'eau d'issey is the better one.

And no they're not very similar. L'eau D'issey is more of an aromatic oriental aquatic with some woods and spices. Aqua di Gio is more of a citrus aquatic.

They are both equally horrendous IMO.

I am not good at describing scents but:

Acqua Di Gio on my skin starts with fruity melon and finish as soft sensual and bit sweet floral. It's very long lasting, bit feminine but elegant. I cant see myself wearing this to gym for example

L'Eau d'issey on my skin starts as burst of sharp lemons and finish as woody something. It has nothing sweet at all, just sharp citrus + woods. IMHO it is less complex than Di Gio, but more masculine and easier to wear everywhere and anytime. L'Eau (sample I have) lasts on my skin less than ADG..

Edit: BTW girls like ADG more...

No striking similarity, unless if you're new to the fragrance world and divide everything to sweet/not sweet.
I'm not a big fan of aquatics but I own both. When you live in a warm climate 300 days a year, nothing will beat an aquatic/fresh scent.
ADG is much easier on the nose. Issey, on the other hand, has that sharp citrus-y vibe that might be challenging at first.

Never base your choice on reviews, go out and compare for yourself.

Ditto.

I can't say it any better than this

In my opinion, Eau d'Issey is the far smoother, subtler and less generic of the two

Neither can I.

AdG is fresh throughout. L'eau D'Issey is sharp citrus shifting to soft and woody. I own and enjoy both, though I'm not wearing either a lot these days. When I want a fresh/citrus I've been reaching for Allure Edition Blanche.

Anyway, on topic:
Longevity - Definitely advantage L'eau D'Issey. It seems to last forever.
Projection - L'eau D'Issey again (I think).
Versatility - Advantage AdG. It won't likely offend anyone. Some find L'eau D'Issey to be harsh.
Commonness - Depends upon your location, but in my area AdG is more common
Overall smell - Toss up for me. I like them both, and prefer one or the other at different times.

You should definitely sample Issey for yourself. My local Macy's has a tester, so it shouldn't be hard for you to find one.

I've never tried either but have Issey Miyake L'Eau d'issey INTENSE

How does the intense version compare to the standard one. I really like the intense version, does it just have a stronger projection?

I received samples of both from Issey Miyake website. I have Intense on left and standard on right wrist at moment.

Standard one is transparent and sharp woody citrus. Citrus in it smells like fresh peeled lemon or very sour grapefruit.
Intense is darker. To me it smells like if someone pour flask of ink into standard one. Maybe it is incense that spoils it for me. Citrus is not so pronounced as in standard version. I dont like it.

I like standard one. Intense is not my type of fragrance.

The citrus in EdI is yuzu, a distinctive Japanese citrus. It is hard to describe, maybe more herbal than most citrus. Or using the shift from a lemon to a lime as a basis, then shift one more step to get yuzu. It is a very cooling scent. Then, after the dry down, vetiver becomes very noticeable to me. I am not so familiar with AdG, but they seem very different to me--does AdG have vetiver?

L'Eau d'Issey is more floral (read: more feminine), but because of this is a more daring scent. I always find it funny that people put so much importance in what others say regarding whether a scent garners compliments or not. I mean, if someone spends time around a lot of women, the chances of getting complimented are inherently higher than for someone that doesn't, thus making others' stories of getting complimented almost irrelevant.

I like both and own both. AdG was a gift from my wife, whereas LEdI was my own purchase. I like regular LEdI more than the intense. Both scents (AdG and LEdI) have a cool, fresh-water vibe. AdG is mostly cool water with some florals, faint smoke, and other interesting notes buried well under the water. LEdI is more obvious citrus and wood underneath the cool water effect. Because I like wood scents, LEdI really appeals to me.

I enjoy both scents during hot weather. They really appeal to me then.

Let's put it this way. I can wear LEdI, and I cannot wear AdG.

Everything I have tried that has loads of calone comes off smelling foul on me. I have described it in other threads as "smelling like a North Sea Trawlerman".

All except L'Eau d'Issey. Which is why I don't even count it as an aquatic.

For me, it starts with that very sharp, nose irritating note. This is reminiscent of the zing you get from Black Pepper and Ginger, but it is not exactly either of them, it is kind of between the 2, clearly synthetic but somehow not artificial. This is the note that causes people to sneeze when they first put it on.

This zing subsides allowing you to notice the citrus note. I get the comment about it being 'next step after lemon, lime'. After a couple of minutes this citrus becomes waxy. I'm not sure if this is an aldehyde, or the Verbena coming in (Verbena can smell waxy to me).

It then settles into this zing/wax/citrus accord for a few hours.

As the zing note calms down further, you might notice that it is changing to a mix of sweet and savoury spice, like the cinnamon & nutmeg are trying to sneak in without you noticing. A new note comes in a this point. It is floral, but it is like you have taken a flower, snapped its stem, and are smelling the green sap along with the petals.

Finally after 8 hours it has mellowed to a lovely Sandalwood.

LEdI's key strengths are Fresh but not Boring, Citric but Longlasting, Synthetic but not Artificial.

AdG is unpleasant and boring by comparison.

IMHO people that say that they are similiar are usually:

1. aquatics haters that just put all aquatics into one bag
2. beginners that think that if fragrance A is fresh and fragrance B is fresh then they are similliar

I hate aquatics and I can't tell them apart. Yet the difference between the two is huge. One is an oriental aquatic with little citrus, the other is a fruity aquatic.