La Nuit de L’Homme by YSL

I wanted to start a whole new swath of fragrance reviews on this site and thought that I’d start with an offering from one of my favorite design houses, Yves Saint Laurent. YSL has several classic scents under their belts for both men and women but it is not content on relying on old staples and continues to crank out great colognes.

In this post, I want to take a closer look at the highly popular La Nuit de L’Homme, and give my opinion as to whether or not it is worth a try. Other YSL Reviews: L’Homme Libre, Body Kouros, L’Homme

What does La Nuit de L’Homme Smell Like?

Notes include: cardamom, bergamot, vetiver, lavender, cedar

Try it out: Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3-Ounce

Full Wear Review

The first impressions that I gather from La Nuit is how utterly perfect it seems for nighttime wear. I mean, there are plenty of great smelling colognes, but this is just built for a night on the town and for getting close to the ladies.

It’s a sweet scent that doesn’t venture off into the super candy-like aroma, rather, it remains steadfast in its masculinity. Sweet, but the opening is a spicy freshness, with dry and woody undertones. That will shift, as we move along, but the opening brings it.

At the top,  you are definitely getting hit with the cardamom right away. This note will often be a supporting player, but in La Nuit de l’Homme, it is the main attraction.

At first, it is paired with a very light citrus note of bergamot, which gives the composition a bit of brightness. However, the overall impression is one of warmth, and super freshness.

After the first few minutes, the lavender steps up big time, along with the cedar. So, you get a mix of cardamom and lavender (cardamom still the strongest), with fresh woody aromas emanating from the base.

It pretty much stays like this for the duration of the rest of the wear, but a nice vetiver does begin to peak through to about the same level as the cedar. La Nuit is a warm slightly sweet and slightly spicy fragrance, that has a fresh cleanliness, and a dark character.

For a time, La Nuit is quite powdery and has a really attractive aroma, as it dries down. I like the opening of this scent, but the dry down is fantastic.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s not a fill the room scent. It is subtle, but still noticeable, to those in your immediate presence. The sillage starts off moderate, but goes light after about an hour or two. Don’t expect a powerhouse from this or the other scents in the L’Homme lineup of colognes.

That initial punch is still pretty solid, though. Just nowadays, it doesn’t keep to that same level for all that long.

I don’t find its longevity to be anything spectacular either, it will usually last for what you need it to do (6 hours of solid performance and then maybe 2 more that it has faded a bit). For me, it has been a consistent 6-8 hour scent over the years, including the last time I recently tried it.

I know, there have been reformulations, and some think it is now weaker. I’m not sure, but again, never been a beast for me.

Update: I recently tried a newer batch of this and it was around 5 hours of wear. That’s pretty bad for a designer fragrance. The scent is absolutely still great, but I’ve really got to spray the heck out of my bottle whenever I wear it. Not too big of a deal, but La Nuit has taken a step back over the years.

It is such a balanced offering and I think that is part of the reason that it is so good. It smooth, not overpowering, and it has an alluring mystery behind it. I would say that this is a date night type of cologne and not a bold nightclub standout such as 1 Million.

Also, where 1 Million is more energetic and youthful, La Nuit De L’Homme is classy and refined. Though, it is quite versatile beyond that application.

You can wear it casually or to work as well. It’ll fit in just fine. Seasonally, best in colder to temperate weather, not a summertime scent.

It is among the sexiest men’s fragrances out there, because it always seems to draw compliments. It’s just been consistent for me over the years, with how it draws attention, even in its lighter state.

La Nuit de L’Homme is one that has been the signature scent for many guys, since its release. It can still play that role, just not to the same degree now, with the performance issues.

Overall Impressions of La Nuit

Overall, though, I have to recommend this scent. It is sexy and pleasing and generally very well-liked by women. I really like the opening burst, with the bergamot. Plus, the dry down when the vetiver arrives is great.

That opening act with the bergamot and cardamom is nice. But, coming back to this one with my newer bottle, I have been remembering how much I enjoy the mid and latter stages of La Nuit de L’homme.

The lavender, vetiver, and cedar…along with the remaining but toned down cardamom is still awesome and a pleasure to wear.

Scent wise, this is a definite buy. Performance wise, it’s just okay. This has been a very popular scent for long time now, so, it has proven itself among the masses and gotten very positive feedback. Give it a try for yourself.

Best Men's Colognes

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.