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Yves Saint Laurent is one of my favorite fragrance houses there is. Two of the first bottle of cologne that I bought were Body Kouros and Opium Pour Homme. Both of these are among my favorites to wear on the cooler days and nights of fall and winter. Needless to say, there are also many YSL scents on the women’s side of things that I also absolutely adore. For this list, I have selected what I feel to be the best offerings by Yves Saint Laurent for ladies.
What are the Top YSL Perfumes for Her?
Floral Powdery Scent
Paris By Yves Saint Laurent For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Oz.
A wonderfully feminine perfume named after The City of Lights. It is a long-lasting fragrance that isn’t overpowering and includes notes of rose, amber, mimosa, moss, sandalwood, and orange flower.
This is a classic type of floral, with rose, violet, and iris leading the way. It can be quite powdery, so, if that’s not your thing maybe stay away from this. However, I wouldn’t put that down as too much of a deterrent, because this fragrance is still beautiful in its vintage presentation.
Top Mon Paris Fragrance
Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Intensement Women EDP Spray Floral 3 Ounce– The original Mon Paris release wasn’t bad. However, I think that Intensement is for sure the better smelling overall perfume.
It starts off with the same black currant and berry accord as the original. Though, Intensement tones down the use of datura, and has a more prominent rose note. With the fruits and patchouli early on, Mon Paris Intensement has a fruit-chouli vibe, but the rose and peony will take over the composition.
The sillage and longevity are good here. In testing, this one got me 8-9 hours on the skin, and it wasn’t a weak skin scent for that duration. Read my Full Review
Best Overall YSL Perfume
Cinema By Yves Saint Laurent For Women Eau De Parfum Spray, 90 ml, 3 Ounces
A beautiful and bright perfume to help make any woman feel like a star. This is a soft and feminine scent that will get positive reactions while still remaining perfectly elegant. A tremendous addition to any wearer’s collection.
It starts off with a juicy clementine note, that gets wrapped up in warm amber, sweet vanilla, and a great almond blossom. It’s sweet at first and amber-laden with floral notes, such as jasmine sitting underneath. It dries down into more of a floral with a vanilla powder finish. Lovely, sophisticated, and it stands out.
Cinema is probably the most balanced and top scent overall. It not only has a great aroma, but it is balanced, and versatile. The vanilla and almond is a very attractive blend, with citrus giving Cinema a sweet supporting ingredient.
Best Le Vestiaire des Parfums Scent
Trench by Yves Saint Laurent- Trench is my favorite Le Vestiaire des Parfums option from YSL, that leans toward women while being unisex. A lot of designers now have these higher priced niche perfumes, but most of them seem to be loaded with amber, oud, rose, etc.
Trench on the other hand, is a beautiful citrus floral with notes of iris, cedar, musk, and bergamot. What sets it apart is the infusion of fig and a nice tangerine. Yes, the iris is powdery, but it isn’t overly so despite it being the lead ingredient.
This one is a musky citrus floral up top, which dries down into a woody floral. The citrus notes are there but don’t come across as a super tart and juicy. Instead, they play the background and support the main structure.
Very subtle fragrance, so don’t expect a huge sillage. Though, the longevity is actually great in its understated elegance.
Best Winter Fragrance
OPIUM For Women By YVES SAINT LAURENT Eau de Toilette Spray 3 oz
An exotic classic that is spicy and oriental in its presentation. Mandarin, myrrh, jasmine, and bergamot. Opium is a sensually intriguing experience that drives the imagination to dream up distant lands.
Beautiful. Obviously, since the release in the 1970s, this perfume has undergone reformulations as just about everything has to.
However, the newer incarnation, is still a very nice fragrance. It still has its spicy, warm, and sweet notes with its underlying herbal and citrus tones that waft up throughout the wear. Opium has retained its charm and is actually a breathe of fresh air when compared to many newer releases.
Having access to the classic formula, would be great, but Opium is still a fantastic option for women; especially when compared with many other perfumes out there.
Top Classic Yves Saint Laurent
Rive Gauche By Yves Saint Laurent For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Oz
A blast from the past, this 1970s fragrance is a sure fire classic. Notes of sandalwood, oakmoss, honeysuckle, gardenia, and others form an intense, clean, and powdery scent. Unique, inspiring, and long-lasting.
It blends together as a powdery smell, but underneath you can pick out the floral notes such as rose and gardenia. Plus, the fresh oak moss, vetiver, and other woody elements come together to create a clean and simply sophisticated perfume.
The Top Libre Scent
Yves Saint Laurent for Women Libre 1.6 oz Eau de Parfum Intense Spray– Libre Intense is the follow up to the popular YSL Libre. The thing is, Intense is the better perfume, due to its balance and deeper profile.
Libre Intense begins as a sweeter fragrance and less of a complete lavender bomb. This allows Intense to not be as much of a soapy sort of scent and they really ramp up the vanilla and orchid notes in this version.
The performance is also fantastic. The original was no slouch, but Libre Intense will go for over 12 hours, and maintains a powerful stillage. If you do want the super lavender punch, go with the original. Intense is still better for most folks, however.
Soft and Sweet Vanilla
Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3 Ounce
A discontinued YSL release which features notes of lily of the valley, black currant, bergamot, and other green notes. Manifesto is a lovely and soft fragrance that is both sweet and captivating.
It starts out with the black currant and bergamot, which are both sweet and tart together, and get paired with a creamy vanilla note.
Manifesto dries down to a green/woody floral, with vanilla and tonka bean sitting on top. This is an attractive daily wear fragrance, that isn’t too loud, but still smells wonderful.
Most Unique Fragrance
Belle D’Opium FOR WOMEN by Yves Saint Laurent – 1.6 oz EDP Spray
It a deep and exciting blend, which hits many different aromas, and goes from sweet to spicy to floral to woody and everything in between. Oh, and let’s not forget to mention, the prime role that the tobacco note plays in the whole thing.
The tobacco is more of a sweet and cured note than an unprocessed green-ish type of fragrances. Blended with the smokiness, you get a sweet and woodsy fragrance, with a lot of depth. If you can find a bottle around, it is well worth a try.
Most Popular YSL Perfume
Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce
It is led by coffee and vanilla, as its main notes, along with warm pink pepper and cedar. This is warm, sweet, and powerful but not for everyone. Sure, it has mass appeal, but some think that the sweetness is too much and the perfume can become too enveloping.
I generally like Black Opium and I think that it has also spawned some fairly nice flanker scents, as well, such as Intense. Though, none of them are all that amazing, when compared to the original.
It’s pretty much a cold to moderate climate wear, so, it won’t get too much use in summer or if you live in a tropical area. Black Opium Review
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.