Sounds like this is the fragrance the Karate Kid would use (Issey Miyake: L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme, Eau de Toilette)

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	Issey Miyake: L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme, Eau de Toilette
Date:	13/01/09 (267 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stylish, modern, classy and smells great

Disadvantages: Expensive (but then it is a premium brand)

I can remember the first time I came across Issey Miyake. It was 1999 and I was in my first year at college. My friends and I had just started hitting the clubbing scene, therefore fragrances were important. At that time the 'popular' types were CK1 (although I never liked this and thought it was a bit too chavy), Tommy Hilfiger, Joop, Burberry (definitely too chavy) and the original Hugo Boss. Trying to find something different was a bit of a mission.

A friend of mine had a villa in Spain and on his return to the UK he stopped off at the duty free and picked up a bottle of Issey Miyake on the way through.

A couple of weeks later we all went clubbing and as he asked everyone's opinion on the Issey he decided not to wear it for fear of being feminine.

I immediately loved the scent, sprayed it on and we went out. The Issey attracted so much female attention it was amazing. It was like pheromones in a bottle. That was it, the harsh 'alpha male' fragrances were now to be replaced by the more subtle 'flowery' fragrances, that were a lot nicer in my opinion.

****Packaging/bottle****

Issey Miyake is all about style and class and the packaging clearly demonstrates this. The bottle comes in a silver mirrored box and whilst it has no real further uses, and is a bit over the top, it is a nice touch especially if it is being given as a gift.

In my opinion the bottle is the classiest and most attractive of all fragrances. It is oblong but it slightly tapers inwards as it gets to the top.

Many bottles are totally transparent glass and look the same quality as that of a typical jam jar. This is not the case with Issey. The Issey bottle has a slightly silver/yellow tinge to it and is slightly frosted. The cap is classy silver in colour.

Issey is available in the typical 75ml and 125ml sized bottles.

****Scent and durability****

Fragrance Direct states "It's an aquatic, sharp fragrance blending fresh water flowers with a hint of carnation". These ingredients really fuse well together and compliment each other to produce a fresh smelling and really sweet fragrance.

I cannot identify any single ingredient. This either demonstrates that my nose is not good/cultured enough for the job, or that none of the ingredients over power the others. Personally, I think it is the latter.

In my opinion this is an evening fragrance. I think that it is an occasion fragrance and it is not one that I would wear everyday for work as it is just too good for that.

****Target audience****

This is a modern fragrance that is designed for the 'modern' man. It is not what I would call a typical alpha male scent, such as Old Spice or Brut, and as such it is not the sort of fragrance that you would catch the older generation, such as your granddad, wearing.

This is a modern fragrance and one that would appeal to younger men and men that still think they are young and going through their mid life crisis (My best mate's father is going through such a phase - he is recently divorced and hitting the clubbing scene hard, he has gone and purchased the token convertible and, unfortunately, he has started wearing Issey Miyake).

****Application****

I have only ever seen this fragrance available in eau de toilette (i.e. with a spray) and never in an aftershave. I am not overly concerned about this since the eau de toilette has many advantages over an aftershave in that

i) The spray helps to regulate how much you use. It is all too easy to pour too much aftershave
ii) The spray application is a lot less messy. Using aftershave makes your hands smell, which isn't a bad thing, but it is difficult to wash off and I have found that the residue will be passed to everything you touch including paper, pens and fruit (and fragrance does not taste too good)
iii) A spray application is easier. A few pumps and it's all good.

I find that this fragrance is quite strong and you don't need to use that much of it. I find two large squirts on my neck and a squirt on each wrist is more than enough to last the day. I have even gone to bed, woken up the next morning and been able to smell the previous days squirts (pre shower of course).

****Cost and availability****

There are loads of offline and online retailers that specialise in the retail of fragrances. If you are buying Issey, or any fragrance, I would recommend that you shop around in order to get the best price.

At the time of writing a 125ml bottle of Issey Miyake can be bought for £39.50 (excluding P&P) from Fragrance Direct. According to Fragrance Direct the RRP for this product is £45.00.

Issey Miyake is one of the more expensive men's fragrances. It is a premium product and, in my opinion, is worth every penny. This is not your typical 'chav' scent.

****Conclusion****

The original Issey Miyake is one of my all time fragrances. Whilst the scent is very sweet, flowery and quite feminine I really do like it and it appears that many other people do to.

It does not get as much attention as Le Male by Jean Paul Gautiere, but many strangers will comment on it. One advantage it does have over Le Male is that when people ask what it is and you say Issey Miyake quickly they don't seem to quite catch it, despite nodding as if they heard it, meaning you are helping to keep it more exclusive.

The bottle is not as distinctive as Le Male but then it doesn't need to be. The bottle oozes sophistication, class and taste. Personally, I think the Le Male bottle is a bit tacky.

Issey is expensive but well worth it. The scent is very long lasting and you don't need that much of it, therefore it is likely to last a long time and is grest value for money.

Whilst there are current Issey fragrances (Issey Blue is one) and there have been discontinued Issey fragrances (Issey Summer Limited Edition) the original is the best an, in my opinion, always will be.

Summary: A modern, stylish and fresh fragrance that is expensive, but worth every penny