The Beauty of Water - Crystal of Life

Water is an element, chemically expressed as H2O, which stores information. The beauty of the water has many faces, sometimes silent and peaceful, but also deep and unfathomable, sometimes wild in motion, which make a beautiful sound passing between the stones. The flowing river, in which the clear, fresh, and sweet water flows impetuously forms lakes and waterfalls. Still, waters running deep means that a river is calmest when it is deep and makes noise when it is shallow. The sea is also a beautiful medium where its water can be warm and thoughtful and deep and cold, showing its unique life. We all know what it feels like to sit on the beach lying in the sand, periodically covered by the waves of the sea, which come and go. Coupled with the beautiful life-giving sun, it is an experience that makes you relive and relax at the same time. Rain is another exciting form of water, originally evaporated water collected in cloud-forming molecules. The sound of rain and its different shapes, its ozone-rich smell, like a thunderstorm or light rain, calms me, promising new life. When I look at the plants in my garden after a rainy day, I see them revived and full of life.

And water is the dominant theme of the newest Issey Miyake fragrances. If you register on the website of the stylist Issey Miyake, a sample of the perfumes of their brand arrives at your home for free, and in this case, the latest news. I have just taken out of the mailbox a small black envelope containing this splendid composition: Eau & Magnolia and Eau & Cèdre. If you are curious like me, let’s find out together what they are.

Water & Magnolia - Still Clear Water

L’Eau D’Issey Eau & Magnolia unfolds with dewy, slightly acidic and floral accords, mostly aquatic like the water of a stream but not salty like the water of the sea. I can smell the magnificent white magnolia petals from the initial spray. Bloom Eau de Parfum is the first thing that jumps to my mind smelling this mischievous note of magnolia. How come? Bloom is a tuberose bomb, while this one is a magnolia-centred essence. Oftentimes, magnolia, tuberose, and gardenia have some facets in common, all are carnal and sensual white blossoms. The bergamot intensifies the slightly lemony aspect of the flower, while an abundant handful of neroli adds a hint of bitterness and soapiness.

In the heart, the fragrance turns to a more watery aspect, and the fleshy and thick white petal is now soaked, filled with misty drops of water, like the early morning flower covered in the moist dew of the night. I don’t get the rose, perhaps the other opulent flowers obfuscate it. The water aspect is fresh, clear, and dewy, like a morning rain or a still lake, aquatic but salty.

A creamy sandalwood accord appears on the bottom and clean white musks help to balance the final classic accord. The dry-down, however, is more on the mossy side than the woody one.

Harsh, humid, and practically linear, the fragrance does not undergo notable changes, from opening to dry-down. It is a pleasant late spring / early summer scent, good for any daytime occasion, from morning until late afternoon. Again, despite being a flanker, the perfume does not recall the original L'Eau d'Issey Eau de Toilette. If I have to be honest, this variant looks more like #issey pure, also because it has many notes in common with that fragrance.

Eau & Cèdre - Wild Moving Water

L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme Eau & Cèdre opens with an explosion of bitter acid and balsamic accords. Green cypress wood dips in a grapefruit juice, with a few crushed green cardamom pods floating to the surface. It sorts out fresh and aromatic with a fougére slant.

As soon as this initial chord subsides, a slightly salty woody and the aquatic scent slowly escape, as if the ocean waves caressed cedarwood driftwood. The scent of wood shavings mingles with the brackish ones of the seawater, resulting in a refreshing wave on your face. The freshness of water contrasts with the dry and vibrant wood. I seem I get the blue and slightly metallic nuances of the lavender, although it is not listed.

The base is slightly earthy and green, with modern and clean yet deep patchouli alternating with a more radical yet gentle vetiver. Hints of dry cedar alternate with salty and earthy facets.

The essence is not innovative, and it is not as disruptive as its progenitor had been. However, it is excellent and pleasing to the nose and mind. It is an airy, watery and woody aroma that is perfectly suited for spring and summer days. Maybe a little light, harmless, yet elegant, so if you wear it to go to work you will need to reapply it in the early afternoon. Despite being a flanker, Eau & Cèdre shares nothing with the original L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette, and the DNA made up of water lily and nutmeg is absent. If I were to smell the perfume blindfolded, I would never think that it is an Issey Miyake perfume or a variant of it.

I base the review on a couple of samples I have owned since June 2022.

-Elysium