L'Eau d'Issey Eau de Parfum for women

Scent story

To me this smells like the lotus pond at a Kyoto temple, but make it Paris — lotus and freesia floating on that cool calone water, rose just blushing at the edges. It's the 90s aquatic-floral at its most elegant, all light and air and perfect posture. Lily and osmanthus bloom in the heart, soft and slightly apricot-sweet, and the base is all whisper: ambrette musk like skin after a swim, Virginia cedar and sandalwood dry and pale as driftwood. It never raises its voice; it doesn't need to. The scent of someone who has never once been in a hurry. Beginner-friendly.

✓ Beginner-friendly