The Mainstream Monday: Sniffing A Popular Fragrance

Oh, the ever so popular L’Eau D’Issey! This fragrance has a cult following and I smell it on people all the time when I am out and about. It’s a very popular aquatic floral and I remember for a few years there all of my girlfriends wore it. So it has taken me so many years to revisit this scent because I was so tired of it. I brought out a sample of it a few days ago. It’s a pretty scent. I’m not a fan of “aquatic” scents but I can handle this one (on other people) and as far as that genre goes, this is one of the best.

Issey is very, very floral at initial spritz (and throughout wear). It’s filled with humid, aquatic flowers. They are dainty and seem to have the most fragile of petals. These notes are listed as lotus, freesia, cyclamen, rose water, fresh peonies, carnation, and white lilies. I would say the floral that stands out most to me is the freesia and cyclamen. I can “feel” the lotus. This floral bouquet seems to create an atmosphere of water garden flowers. You just feel the humidity from them and you can almost see the sweating paper-thin petals. It’s an exotic fragrance (if you don’t live in a hot, wet tropical climate) because it smells like “jungle” flowers to me because they are so fragrant and so wet. The company describes it as “when Flower meets Water”. It wears very floral for a very long time.  Other notes in this fragrance include: precious woods, osmanthus, tuberose, amberseed, and musk. After hours and hours, no kidding, I can pick up a faint trace of the musk and woods, but their companions are still strong florals.

I can’t wear this fragrance. It gives me a headache. It is an attack of aquatic florals that doesn’t ever cease. That being said, for an EDT this wears for a long time. I also think it wears nicely on other people and it doesn’t bother me on them. It is just too much to be on my body. If you love lingering complex floral scents then you’ve found your soul mate with this one. If you want a long-lasting floral than this is it too.

I would say that you would like this if you like aquatic/fresh florals Estee Lauder White Linen (and all of its spin-offs), Demeter Rain, CK Eternity, Davidoff Cool Water, Susanne Lang Lotus Blossom, Armani Acqua di Gio, Lollia Imagine, and/or Avon Haiku.

It’s available in a few sizes. The 2.5 oz bottle retails for $105 at Sephora and Nordstrom. It can sometimes be found at discounters like Perfume.com.

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Fragrantica. Post contains affiliate inks. Thanks!