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

Reminds me a little of Azzaro Onyx but more refined and less sweet. It also has a little smokey incense in there that distinguishes it. Nothing amazing here but a solid release and hard to beat at the current price point. There is a unique floral note (lotus?) that some may find too sharp but, for me, makes it a bit more interesting.

I have read the scent profile, but I am getting a predominantly green, sharp, (lovely) bitter barbershop fragrance. I don't get any "citrus blast", though the citrus contributes by lightening the herbal accord. If I had blind guessed, I would have suspected some wormwood (artemesia) or even ginseng - that type of herbal bite. This primary profile continues with impressive duration (though just more-than-moderate projection), with the incense and amber notes increasing at around the 90 minute mark, smoothing and warming this into something really beautiful and with a nice complexity. I think you need to be over 30 to pull this off, and it is not a compliment-puller, though it is office safe. The scent says that you know who you are, you aren't reliant on other people's opinions. It would work formal, casual or rugged, so it is very versatile. Really nice.

The incense here really slaps. I dig it. A perfect rainy day fragrance. Perks you up but puts you in a contemplative mood.

Short of the peppery citrus blast of the original, this doesn’t remind me of the OG.. This reminds me of a modernized - and somewhat dialed down - Ted Lapidus Pour Homme. With incense!

And that’s a very good thing indeed.

The opening is a citrus blast, with mandarin, tangerine, orange and bergamot combining in citrus glory. A bit of yuzu is peaking rim through now and then, but is lacks the gorgeously refreshing brightness of the original L'Eau d'Issey.

The drydown adds florals - Lotus and whiffs of oleander - as well as gentle spices - cardamom and nutmeg, which are restrained though, and a spiced-up saffron that is being infused some sweetness due to a smidgeon of cinnamon.

An ambery bright incense heralds the onset of the base; whose main impression is constituted of notes of old paper, dusty books in an old library, and papyrus, with another set of notes being added towards the end - mainly a surprisingly soft benzoin, with is given more depth by just a pinch of a saltiness that is the hallmark of a synthetic ambergris-equivalent.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and six hours of longevity on my skin.

A bright and summery scent, but this flanker is less vibrant and overall more generic than the original. Still, a pleasant and inoffensive creation for warmer days. 2.75/5

this is definetely a scent for the c o l d seasons - it has almost nothing in common with the original and quite unique l'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme, which in my opinion is a perfect summer night scent

this one lives from green cedar needles and wood, green tangerine, saffron, a hint of tobacco and musk - I quite like it for the cold and grey weather during fall

.green spicy warmth.

Bold turbocharged retake of the original L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme. This Intense version doesn't come across as dark per se; rather a richer, deeper formulation with the following notes in the triangle:

Top - tangerine, yuzu, bergamot, orange
Heart - nutmeg, blue lotus, cinnamon, saffron, cardamom
Base - amber, papyrus, benzoin, incense, grey ambergris

As can be imagined, the introductory spray is a citrus face smack! The yuzu comes across as starchy-thick. Heart notes contain a similar formula of ingredients as with the original, along with fancy lotus (can't detect it because I don't know what it smells like) and cardamom for a mentholated touch.

This flanker may not be for everyone; it has a thick feel that is unlike the airy, aromatic fresh quality of the original.