Issara

I named my daughter Issaree, free spirit, after her Thai grandmother, my mother. When I saw Dusita release Issara, I had to try it. It's more masculine than I normally wear but I adore it. Every time I wear it, I'm transported to a humid morning in Kanchanaburi. Tobacco is the leading note on my skin, fresh and fragrant with sweetness and depth from the Tonka bean. Something green and grassy too, that lifts the whole fragrance into something lighter and suitable for year round wear. I get moderate sillage and huge longevity from it too. I bought a FB before I even finished the sample.

I purchased a sample of Issara in a quest to find the perfect tobacco scent for me, and Issara seemed fitting, especially with respect to my Thai heritage and the origins of this particular perfumer. The scent starts out with beautiful tobacco and delicate herbs, then starts to project a little green, dirty vibe I attribute to the coumarin. Beautiful, hay-like and fresh. Then musk envelopes the whole composition and what's left is beautiful clean laundry washed in dreamy commercial soap and left outside to hang on the line, out in an open field in the sunshine under a tree filtering the light, with glints of sweet tobacco peeking through as the clean laundry snaps in the sweet, shaded breeze. And yes, as gregk points out, Issara bears an uncanny resemblance to Dreamer halfway through its evolution which is where I wish it stayed with more pronounced tobacco and herbal notes. For the price, sillage, and sweet tobacco and clean laundry drydown, I prefer Dreamer. But if you're seeking a warm, soft, sun-dappled outdoorsy musk, do give Issara a try -- it's a quiet beauty!

This smells lovely--the initial burst being like a jolt of clary sage and coumarin. It is delicate and grassy, like a lovely windswept landscape. I do get bits and pieces of musk, moss, tobacco, etc., but the coumarin and sage feel like its persistent trail. I wish it lingered longer, as the lasting power is fairly minimal whenever I've tried it from samples. I'd love the chance to spritz it freely to see how that impacts longevity. A beautiful, modern, streamlined take on the fougere.

Smells like dirty sage. Like a patchouli soap. Very “Lush” store vibes. Not for me at all.

I am somewhat underwhelmed by this. Yes the tobacco note is strong and amplified by the Tonka bean, but the entire concoction feels unfinished to me. It would need some floral and/ or hesperidic note (citrus) to give it a lift. To me it is the perfume equivalent of a baking dough that hasn't risen properly and tastes rather dull and bland. I also have a feeling this being somewhat dusty, like an old attic full of books, leathers, unwanted old clothing and some shrivelled up fruit basked of dates and prunes. Verdict: 2/10. A miss from me.