FoxyJackal

There are fragrances that you find so extraordinarily good that you never wear them. Too special, too loud, not suitable for work. And then there are those like this one.

Admittedly, I didn't know this classic at all at first sniff. High expectations were accordingly disappointed. What? Is that it? Smells fresh-citrusy - and what else? But with the warm days, I learned to appreciate this classic, because it really works anytime. Whether for leisure, office, or university, it will always be fresh and clean. No one will wrinkle their nose. Well, as a perfume connoisseur, you certainly won't be noticed with this milky glass water, but I don't want that at all! Usually, you just want to get through the tropical temperatures feeling fresh and clean, and this fragrance does that wonderfully.

L'Eau d'Issey is indeed one of those fragrances that you can apply without even thinking for a second. The longevity on my skin isn't particularly good, but thanks to the low price, that's not a big deal. On the contrary: Maybe my psyche is playing tricks on me, but even at room temperature in summer, the spray feels somehow fresher and cooler than other freshies from my collection. I love to spray more!

The bottle is, as is typical for Issey, a little show-off. The cap is huge. Not really my style, but the glass bottle impresses with its milky glass. As always with Issey, I'm amazed at how good the sprayers are compared to more expensive fragrances from Chanel & Co.

All in all, a fragrance that should not be missing from my collection in the future.

After I already criticized Playboy New York here, both fragrances ended up in a kind of collective punishment in the basement. Today, while cleaning up, I sprayed the unjustly banished London on my arm again. At first, London smells like alcohol, as is usual for the price. After about half a minute, it reminds me a lot of Montblanc Individuel. It smells clean, sweet, and somewhat fresh. In short, it's somehow pleasant, like fabric softener. After a few more minutes, the spicier undertone starts to emerge. Not too strong, not too weak. All in all, quite pleasant. I can't understand why this fragrance is rated so poorly here. Maybe it's not world-class, but a 5.9? I would give my batch (2018) a 7.0. I can imagine it working well in the slightly warm spring or summer.
Unfortunately, the longevity is pretty poor, which is not surprising given the price. After 2 hours, it should be gone, and there's not much sillage either. It's probably more of a close-to-skin clean guy. But for the price of €5 / 100ml, it's quite interesting.

One of my first fragrances, thanks to the pirouetting Jeremy and the surprisingly low price (200ml for a ridiculous €22.50). The scent smells strongly alcoholic on the first spray. Only after a minute does the lavender come through. The fragrance has rightly been described as a candy scent, as that is what you smell in the first minutes. Slowly, the spiciness increases. After 10 minutes, the scent strongly reminds me of speculoos and other spiced Christmas treats. All in all, a very delicious, gourmand fragrance for the first hours. At the end of the progression, the tobacco comes through nicely and relaxes the sweet breeze a bit, which I really like.

Overall, I quite like the fragrance composition. Admittedly, it is quite sweet, but the spiciness balances it out. The scent is not particularly high-quality/natural, but it simply smells delicious enough to eat. However, this is also a problem for me, as after about an hour I have already had "enough" of it. Even in the cold January, I find myself asking: Do I really want to smell like a Christmas plate full of speculoos? For me, it’s a fragrance that is probably somewhat limited in its application. I really can’t imagine wearing this scent while the first crocuses bloom. It’s just too sweet, too heavy, and too...Christmasy? Therefore, it’s a fragrance for the cold and dark winter, but by spring, I’d prefer to put it away.

The sillage is okay. Not impressive, but not bad either. I can smell it clearly for about 2 hours and I am also noticed. After that, it fades a bit but lasts a good 6-7 hours overall, which is totally fine for the price.
The bottle is a matter of taste. Probably due to the young (?) audience, it looks very youthful. Not my style, but for the price, it’s not that bad.

...and unfortunately not for me! But let's start from the beginning: The scent opens with a strong citrus note. For me, it's too citrusy. Naysayers might dare to make a comparison to citrus cleaning milk. Fortunately, the citrus intensity quickly diminishes and the hallmark of the icon emerges. Pepper, pepper, and more pepper. The pepper note is truly very intense. I felt a bit like I was sniffing a pepper shaker. At this point, opinions will likely diverge. The intensity is really remarkable and unique, but for some (including me) it’s simply too strong. After about an hour, the pepper note relaxes a bit. The sage and lavender become noticeably prominent and remind me, despite the lack of sweetness, of strongly spiced candies. Northerners might know pepper liquorice (Turkish Pepper). That’s roughly how the icon smells to me. However, for my nose, the pepper remains clearly dominant.

A truly very intense and high-quality scent that, for all its worth, does not suit my taste. It is really special and probably cannot be worn by everyone. It’s definitely worth getting a sample instead of risking a blind buy. The sillage and longevity are fine, but nothing special. Quite different, however, is the bottle, which is undoubtedly a real eye-catcher.

New York used to be one of the decent Playboy fragrances, along with VIP and London. At some point between 14 and 16, I received it for my birthday and was positively surprised. The scent convinced me as a first perfume. Fresh, sweet, and youthful, the good drop smelled great. And at a price of about 5 - 10€ / 100ml. The longevity was rather poor, but it was always enough for school. Back then, it was a sufficient and, above all, affordable fragrance that was bought quite often. I even received the occasional compliment from my peers for New York - what more could you want? At some point, I lost track of the Playboy. In the meantime, it was re-released with a new bottle, so I, tempted by the low price, decided to buy it again. However, instead of the hoped-for nostalgia, the first scent impression was biting alcohol and then... nothing. Only after a few minutes does the somewhat familiar sweet note slowly emerge, only to then weakly fade away completely after 2 hours. The disappointment was deep. Counterfeit? Bad batch? A batch ordered directly from Amazon, 3 months younger, delivered the same result. To check, I also ordered the Playboy London - also in the new bottle. This one still smells like it used to.
Therefore, unfortunately, a disappointment for me. Once a recommendation for young owners of a chronically empty wallet. Now I can no longer recommend this fragrance to anyone, not even for 5€. Because now it seems no longer affordable, but just cheap. Better to go for the inexpensive London.