L'Eau d'Issey Pure Nectar de Parfum Issey Miyake

Honeyed pear hits with deceptive gentleness—the pear juice feels almost watery, diluting rather than amplifying the honey's sweetness into something closer to diluted nectar than actual honeycomb. Within minutes, the composition already seems diminished, as though someone's turned down the volume on what should be an immediately arresting introduction.

The roses finally emerge around the 45-minute mark, and here the fragrance finds momentary focus. The lily of the valley cuts through with green, slightly metallic freshness whilst the sandalwood begins its gradual ascent, creating a brief window—perhaps an hour—where the composition feels balanced and contemplative rather than diffuse. The maritima adds an almost salty undertone that prevents pure sweetness from dominating.

By the fourth hour, the fragrance has largely retreated into a soft, barely-there skin scent dominated by sandalwood and cashmeran. These base notes are competent but forgettable, offering warmth without character. What remains is less a fragrance and more a memory of one—faint, abstract, and genuinely difficult to detect beyond arm's length.