The original scent from Issey Miyake, L’eau D’Issey has enjoyed popularity for roughly 20 years since its release. Since I enjoy that fragrance and it has a place in my rotation of scents, I thought that I would perhaps enjoy another version.
I bought a sample vial of Nuit D’Issey to see if this one had the potential to land a spot on my dresser full of fragrances.
Did it make the cut? Well, no, it didn’t. Actually, I was pretty disappointed with its whole presentation and thought that I would write a review for the site based on my experience with this cologne.
Notes include: bergamot, grapefruit, leather, wood, vetiver
I have to say that my recent run of sample fragrances were a major let down. I didn’t find one scent that I would consider purchasing a larger bottle of and Nuit D’Issey is no exception. My first impression was, “Great, another bug spray type fragrance.”
This came after I tried my sample of Versace Oud Noir, which was just awful in my opinion. Nuit D’Issey is better than Oud Noir but still not something I could wear.
Honestly, I don’t get the citrus note in this one at all. I don’t smell any grapefruit, just a really strong blend of pepper and leather.
It’s odd, I really enjoy leathery fragrances, even a mass market one like Dirty English and also like spicy/peppery scents like Burberry London and Opium by YSL. Nuit is just way too much and has a bitter and very synthetic quality to it.
While the scent does calm down quite a bit after a few hours of wear, the opening is too harsh and overboard for my senses. It does get better as time passes and the dry down isn’t as horrid, but still, I cannot get through it. The scent is really unpleasant to me and with so many other better options, I have no desire to wait for a mediocre dry down.
I think that some guys might like this fragrance. It’s more masculine and outdoorsy than a lot of popular scents but quite frankly I don’t find it very good at all. I accidentally sprayed some Nuit on my desk and couldn’t scrub it off fast enough. I’d say stick with the original Issey Miyake, it’s much better.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally test out and written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides. You can also follow me on: YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
