Category Archives: Aromatic Fougere

Issara: A Tobacco Scent That Does Not Wear You

Issara by Parfums Dusita
Aromatic Fougere
Pissara Umavijani

Issara is the second fragrance of my Dusita series. I am happy I have reached out to Dusita website and ordered eight of Pissara’s perfumes. They are all unique on their own terms; however, she has her signature in each of them.

First of all, her materials smell raw and naturalistic but somewhat very much wearable. I am not sure if wearable for the general public but definitely wearable for someone who is used to niche aromas. Second, they smell rich and luxurious but at the same time fresh and effervescent. Even the heavy note profiles smell doable during daylight. Third, her scents are well balanced, it is hard to detect notes in particular.

Fourth, although her scents are light they all have a hint of natural sweetness which is perfectly dosed, most of the time. Fifth, we can see she puts into her Asian heritage into her creations and gives them meaning. We could continue like that for a long time. Long story short, you clearly see I am amazed by Parfums Dusita. Pissara gives us hope that anyone talented and passionate can create a top notch fragrance.

And now finally, let’s talk about Issara. I smell subtle tobacco, earthiness and dates. After looking at the notes listed, there are no dates but the sweetness comes from coumarin. The fragrance smells oriental but is not stuffy, somehow flies around and above, not overpowering. You wear Issara, Issara does not wear you which is pretty amazing with such a strong note profile. I see a slight similarity with By The Fireplace by Margiela in the sense it is sweet and smoky yet not too much.

Issara is a tobacco scent you can wear daily, man or a woman, the genderless quality is obvious here. If you are a collector or a fragrance fanatic, you need to have one or two tobacco scents in your wardrobe. Tobacco is decadent and daring and when done well, can be also versatile, pleasant and inoffensive. Issara is such a good example of the latter.

Sauvage: Swagger Without Style

Sauvage Eau de Parfum by Dior
Aromatic Fougere
Francois Demachy

Yes, finally the famous Johnny Depp Sauvage by Dior. The frag was launched in 2015 as a modern fresh formal scent for men. I can confirm that it is a beast when it comes to lasting and projection. The aromatic aspects of the aroma are enhanced with ambroxan which helps with sillage and longevity.

Ambroxan is a musky synthetic compound. The reason I am saying this is because you get the molecular feeling out of this fragrance. I am sure it guarantees you many compliments from people who are not into perfumes. They will smell you and think he smells damn good. I personally don’t appreciate the chemical feel. I would rather have a fragrance with less power and wear some natural and raw materials.

On top of that, when you say Sauvage I picture a swagger character not in a good way, a bit arrogant and big-headed. And not because I don’t like Johnny Depp! 🙂 I also think Sauvage can be a bit too much for some women. I am not sure if they really appreciate it on a guy. To my nose, it can get almost repulsive. I gave to test it to my dad (70) and husband (35) to see if they like it or not. Neither of them enjoyed it. What a relief I am not going to smell Sauvage around 🙂 They thought it had a typical male fresh smell and they were looking for something more sophisticated and edgy.