In recent years since I've started blogging, I'm occasionally approached by some well-meaning but somewhat misguided people who try to show how well-versed they are in perfume. They tend to ask me what I think of their favorite fragrance, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme. My reply is usually "Oh, it's a classic. Very popular". And then I try to talk about something else. Because while there is currently a bottle of this masculine Issey Miyake juice in my possession, I use it as an air freshener in the basement.
The thing is I find L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme smells a lot nicer in the air than on a man's skin (or on mine). The aquatic-ozonic note is certainly fresh and clean and I like the brightness it brings. I just don't think a person's body should smell like air and water. It has a screechy chemical aura that I detect from afar and find unpleasant mixed with skin chemistry. All the sunshiny citrus note in the world (this Issey Miyake is supposed to have yuzu, mandarin and verbena) can't compensate for the aquatic accord, and the combination of that with a water lily is probably the part that doesn't sit well with me.
It's not that I'm opposed to citrus perfumes. I loved the original (pre-reformulation) Eau d'Hadrien, and if pressed to pick a more modern one I'd go with Parfumerie Generale Yuzu Ab Irato. However, generally speaking, a traditional but well made eau de cologne (such as the one from Chanel Les Exclusif) smells infinitely better.
L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme is available everywhere under the sun for under $60.
