L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme: My new NEW favorite

[stryker4526]

So previously my favorite scent was T&H's 1805. I was advised by some that L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme is an almost identical scent (which 1805 attempted to copy). Today I finally tried it for the first time. I have to say, they were right. These two scents are VERY similar to the point where if I'm not paying attention I can't smell the difference. The major difference to my nose is that Issey is sweeter on the top notes, compared to 1805's top, which can be somewhat harsh and synthetic.
So I have to say: this one is a definite winner. Next I'll have to make my comparison of Cool Water to T&H Freshman, which was my other well-liked scent.
What do you guys think?

 

[Matt555]

Issey is an incredibly popular fragrance. I don't get it. It burns my nose......

I find the "Intense" version to be okay, but it is really an entirely different scent.

 

[stryker4526]

I find that I am just a designer fragrance man. Then again, I haven't really tried many niche fragrances. Just T&H and GFT. Neither of which are... well regarded.

 

[Timmy Dee]

Yeah that sour yuzu makes Ld'I a big no for me - I admire its longevity for a summer-suitable fragrance, but it's one of a few frags (also including Bulgari Aqua, FCUK Him, Amouage Gold, Kenzo Boisee) from which I steer well clear.

I've gotta agree with Matt. It really gets into my nose and sticks there like a, well, a bad smell.
But, hey, I also dislike Versace Dreamer and M7, and quite like Fahrenheit 32, so my opinion is to be taken with a huge block of salt

 

[tehtimmeh]

I toldja so!

 

[Johnny Boy]

I like it a lot, it's a great summer scent for a nice warm day.

 

[StylinLA]

I wore Issey a lot in the late 90s. It was my everyday scent for quite awhile. It is certainly pretty well received by women.

Im sure it is still a best seller. There's a reason for that. I like it much more than Acqua di Gio, which is probably it's biggest completion at the designer level.

 

[VT_Hokie]

I can't stand the overly feminine floral opening, or the flat woody dry down, but for the few hours in between its a really nice fragrance.

 

[stryker4526]

I can't stand the overly feminine floral opening, or the flat woody dry down, but for the few hours in between its a really nice fragrance.

I find the opening more citrusy than floral, and definitely not feminine. I also like the woodiness in the dry down.
Maybe the younger "gen Y" crowd like me prefers less the traditional musk and spice "manly" fragrances, but I never did much care for vetiver, fougere, or overly musky scents. Aquatics are more my thing, I guess.
Or maybe I'm just not a fragrance hipster like so many on internet fragrance boards tend to be.
Side note: CW smells almost exactly like Freshman, so I am also enjoying wearing it.

 

[Timmy Dee]

I find that I am just a designer fragrance man. Then again, I haven't really tried many niche fragrances. Just T&H and GFT. Neither of which are... well regarded.

Which Trumpers have you tried?
Eucris and Spanish Leather are my two favourites, but my blind-bought GFT is growing on me a bit.
Its lemon reminds me of lemon-scented wood polish, but the harsh synthetic smell burns off quickly leaving a more subdued lemon that lasts a lot longer than any other lemon fragrance I own.

I've found that a few GFT frags are held in fairly high esteem both on B&B and on the fragrance fora.

I find the opening more citrusy than floral, and definitely not feminine. I also like the woodiness in the dry down.
Maybe the younger "gen Y" crowd like me prefers less the traditional musk and spice "manly" fragrances, but I never did much care for vetiver, fougere, or overly musky scents. Aquatics are more my thing, I guess.
Or maybe I'm just not a fragrance hipster like so many on internet fragrance boards tend to be.
Side note: CW smells almost exactly like Freshman, so I am also enjoying wearing it.

I don't think its a generational thing, more a personality thing. I'm part of Gen Y (granted, at 29 I scrape through by the skin of my rather long teeth) and I've never been into aquatics.
Cool Water is mostly used by the older generations, at least here in Australia. You won't find too many younger Aussies wearing CW, I fear.

A good dry vetiver or dirty musk though, and I'm there (my lovely gf surprised me with a bottle of MKK for our anniversary).


Fragrances like Ld'I, AdG and most of the CKs are excellent starter points for many people, as they're not too daring, readily available and very popular - word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool.
For many people, that's as far as they go with their exploration of fragrances, but don't be surprised if your tastes change as you test more and more.

Your changing lifestyle may also demand a change of fragrance in the future- I wore (among other things) Versace Blue Jeans when I was at university, and even if I hadn't discovered better fragrances over the years, I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it to work today. Suit and tie doesn't really jell with a young floral/vanilla scent, especially when holding meetings with new people.

You just might end up becoming one of the fragrance hipsters - I'm sure to many of your friends (who don't discuss openings, dry downs and fougeres) you already are.

Embrace it.

 

[stryker4526]

I have several that they sent to me in their sample pack... among them GFT, English Fern, and some sort of Lilac scented thing, I think? I'd have to go dig out the samples to see for sure which were included.
I didn't really like any of them, and some of them seemed more like flowery women's perfumes than male EdTs to me.
I'm sure my tastes will change over time. Notably, when I have more spare cash I'm 100% certain my tastes will get more expensive over time. I've been sticking with the stuff like Ld'I and CW because it smells very similar to fragrances I like and they are in genres I like while also being quite affordable. I don't really want to pay $100 for AdG or $200+ for Creed (or any juice, for that matter), no matter how good they may smell. I might try some sample decants of CK frags though.
I think the reason I dislike fougeres is because they remind me of Lagerfeld Classic, my dad's EdT.

And who knows, maybe I will end up being a fragrance hipster. I'm sure just by wearing fragrances I already am to my friends, as none of them wear anything at all (wait, one of them might wear some kind of Axe, come to think of it).

 

[Wildalaska]

Im a long time wearer of Issey Miyake and they make a lovely and soothing ASB in addition thereto, which gives it more points in my book.

Like Stylin, I find it superior to Aqua di Gio, which I wore today to remind myself of how bleh it is.

 

[Renato1]

If you like L'Eau D'Issey, you may one day be wandering around and come across a bottle of Fujiyama Homme going cheap - give it a try (I've paid between $5 and $15 for bottles of it). It smells like a cross between Issey and CK1. The opening is very reminiscent of Issey, but its dry down differs as it's not as woody. It's only good for about 3 or 4 hours though.

I own both and tend to save Issey for special occasions on hot days, while I've been wearing Fujiyama a lot as my scent for quick visits to the shops or the beach during the current hot summer.
Regards,
Renato