Cedar, saltwater and translucent green algae – the cute frilly kind. A splash of amber, like weathered sea glass glistening in the sunlight. The gooey sweetness it adds to the composition feels a little odd, but I can live with that. Playful and bright. A sunny spring morning – lovely and warm, and just early enough in the season so that there's no tourists around. Just you and the shore (realistically, also at least two old men who are really into winter swimming).
A roomful of sillage at the start. Fades out over the first ~2 hours and settles in the wearer's immediate vicinity. Takes another ~4 to settle on skin entirely. Once there – lasts through the night and into the morning.
It's a lovable scent, though I'd personally prefer it to have less amber. It doesn't quite mix with the rest of the composition, and I find it distracting more than anything else. But the algae note is absolutely delightful and vibrant, and the shore I imagine is clean and enveloped in soft salty breeze.
Doesn't change much with time. I start the day at the seashore, and as I drift off to sleep ~11 hours later – my skin still smells of clear sky and calm sea. A whole day of unchanging perfect weather. A treasured rarity.
Through the time that it lasts, I write down several times that it's quite beautiful, really! But something is missing. Everything is so still and perfect that it doesn't feel real. I find myself missing the original Le Sel d'Issey Eau de Toilette. As with everything else in life, it's a matter of opinion and personal preference, but to me it doesn't smell in any way similar. It's marine, yes, but in a completely different weather and season. Much colder and heavy on thick pungent kelp. Disgusting. Delicious.
This version is much more smooth, rounded and conventionally attractive. I can see the appeal. But personally – I'm uninterested. I wish there was something more than just pretty clean face to it.
