L'Eau d'Issey Issey Miyake 1992 Eau de Toilette

Roses, carnations and pungent florals are accompanied by a light “pissy” scent in the open. As it sits on skin, the florals open up and become more rounded, balanced and less sharp whilst retaining a dreamy quality. The florals are not photorealistic; they are like a shiny, glossy, plastified rendition of a floral scent. It reminds me of trashy early-Photoshop digital advertisement artwork. There is also a green note that comes through. I guess it’s supposed to be watermelon, but I would not have guessed that before reading the notes. This is one of those examples where artificiality is pleasant; it paints an impossible dream world that moulds to your own olfactory memories. Real enough to be believable, vague enough to allow you to create your own connections with the scent. There is a reason why this was and remains a hit.

The drydown is elegant and on my skin leaves a fruity, artificial watermelon candy sensation along with a surprisingly strong rose and carnation note. I don’t get any musk or amber, although I’m sure they are in there as balancing elements, but I’m not at all disappointed by that.

Performance is perfectly adequate for an EDT. Value is incredible. A fragrance doesn’t have to cost 150+EUR to move your imagination, and this is the proof.

Is it infinitely refined? no. But is it successful? Absolutely.