L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Issey Miyake 1994 Eau de Toilette

Certainly a really complex, refined and intelligent composition; maybe too much for some noses unable to smell anything other than farts and sugar.

Its sophistication is evident, this is simply a masterpiece: The delicate smell of a typical Zen garden, full of nuances. This male iteration simply brings us closer to the woods and grasses on the shore of the little “mental” lake, while the female version takes a little more pleasure in the flowers. But both are in the same garden…

This fragrance has average longevity and projection; maybe at the beginning it was bigger, but currently it isn’t negligible at all. Certainly not.

In conclusion:

- This is an impressionistic fragrance: The mental picture of a Zen garden. It could perfectly float in a luxurious spa.

It’s a witty, delicate and wonderful scent: Simply a timeless masterpiece.

By the notes you'd guess this would be a feminine perfume, it isn't REALLY masculine, id call this unisex if anything since it first came out in the 1990s unisex craze.
Blended yuzu and mandarin at the top that's actually so well done & delicate, you dont see that combo a whole lot, soft white florals with soft-sweet spices and a woody backbone.
No need for a blue fragrance when you've got this masterpiece that won't offend anyone and will always bring your mood up.

Thats a wonderful citric floral for all seasons.

It's classic and timeless.

Not too sweet, not too citric: it's a very well balanced scent - lots of yuzu and other citruses very well blended with herbs and a little of woods.

Sillage, projection and lasting power are excellent!

Definetely a MUST HAVE! Worth a bottle and a backup bottle! Thumbs up.

Updated January 2014

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme is lovely and crisp. Issey Miyake is certainly the house to go to if fresh, citrusy or aquatic Summer scents are what you crave.

Scents like these are often what my male friends tend to always smell like. For this reason, crisp and clean scents put me at ease, however they don't entice me or turn me on. Which is a good thing.

The scent is a little predictable, however I really like it in its inoffensive and refreshing state. There's nothing nicer than a man that smells clean.

L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme opens with zesty citrus, mostly the bright, sparkly, yellow kind, with a subtle hint of garden herbs. As it develops further, the watery aspect becomes apparent with a slight sea water saltiness counteracting with the woodsy and somewhat bitter vetiver.

Some reviewers are saying that this composition is quite synthetic smelling. While I somewhat agree, being one that finds almost all aquatics quite chemical, L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme doesn't smell too much like a scientist's lab. The synthetic ingredients are only very light on, not nearly as harsh as some aquatic fragrances are.

The longevity is superb, if not the longest lasting masculine aquatic I've ever encountered. I can understand why this fragrance is so popular amongst the men during Summer and a particular favourite among the women.

I can't think of a fragrance relative to D'issey because it's that unique. This is everything a freshy should be like. A bright uplifting opening of yuzu citrus and florals but it's contrasted with warm amber and spice. This makes it a freshy that doesn't disappear after two hours. The base notes really hold everything together and the fragrance changes or cycles throughout a wearing. At times you smell the lily and citrus and other times you smell the spices. When I first bought it. I tested it on my arm and walked around the mall for an hour smelling it randomly as it developed. I hated the opening blast at first (I smelled too hard, rookie mistake) and was afraid it would just be like every other headache inducing fresh watery fragrance but no, I'm so glad I was patient. But I still wasn't completely satisfied with it until after a week I realized it was my dumb reach everyday and I could smell how it alternated from bright to sensual depending on my heart rate or heat. It's also a fragrance that never loses relevance. Both young and old can wear this. I'll always be sure to keep a large bottle in my rotation. I look to add the aftershave and deodorant for a really nice way to start my day. I'm even buying my girlfriend the female EDP soon because it pairs perfectly with the male version. Everyone wonders about longevity and power but I could care less but for those that want to know, longevity is above average to excellent on my skin and it fills a room in the first hour then drydowns enough that people will certainly smell you as you walk past. Sprayed the very last of my bottle which was barely a spritz this morning and it's wafting off my chest 7 hours later. The perfumer that did this also did another favorite perfume of mine and that's Opium pour homme. Anything Jacques creates, it becomes timeless. The man is a master. Be aware that this is my own skin chemistry. Don't wear this bear your nose either, spray behind the ears and wrists if you so desire. You won't get fragrance fatigue this way.