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Libre by YSL has become a pretty popular lavender based fragrance. Another such option, is the even more popular Mon Guerlain. Due to their similarities, they often can get compared and become the final two options that women are deciding on to purchase. In this post, I want to give my comparison of these two perfumes, and go through why I think one is better than the other.
Tale of the Tape: Mon Guerlain vs. YSL Libre
Mon Guerlain
Notes include: jasmine, vanilla, lavender, sandalwood, tonka bean
Click here to try: Guerlain Mon Guerlain Eau De Parfum Spray 100ml/3.3oz
Read my review: Mon Guerlain EDP
Libre EDP
Notes include: lavender, white musks, orange flower, vanilla, orchid
Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum Spray for Women 90ml/3oz, clear
Read my review: Libre EDP
Opening
Mon Guerlain starts things off with a sweet aroma of vanilla and tonka bean. Though, the way that the fragrance mixes with other notes in its composition, it starts to develop a caramel-like scent.
Then, Mon Guerlain will shift and become more about the lavender and vanilla notes, striking a somewhat similar smell to Libre.
Libre begins with citrus, but is already heavily floral from the start. Orange blossom is paired with the lavender early on, but the lavender will take on the much stronger role between the two.
Which is better? I prefer the start of Mon Guerlain. You still get the lavender note like YSL Libre, but you also get that sweeter and delicious opening. I think that it smells better and also more interesting.
Edge: Mon Guerlain
Projection
Mon Guerlain has a moderate sillage overall. It’ll be noticeable and project itself fairly well, but isn’t going to overtake a room with a normal amount of spraying.
Libre is firmly in the strong camp. Not the most powerful scent that I’ve come across, but it is well above average, especially among most popular designer scents. Both have nice performance, but Libre is a notch above.
Edge: Libre
Longevity
During testing, Libre would last on my skin for just over 9 hours. While it does have the stronger sillage, I actually get better performance most of the time from Mon Guerlain.
So, Mon Guerlain will do 8 hours at the low end, but it does go over 10 hours. It has a higher ceiling, but lower floor when compared to the Saint Laurent perfume.
Edge: Mon Guerlain
Versatility
Both of these scents can be worn for much of the year, outside of the summertime. So, seasonally they are about equals.
They are both very versatile, being daily wears, that can also be worn casually. I’d say that Mon Guerlain has the edge, as it can venture closer to formal wear and doesn’t skew as much to the younger age range as Libre.
Edge: Mon Guerlain
Overall Scent
Libre is an interesting fragrance and has it merits, but I’m not in love with it. It’s a bold lavender fragrance, that dries down into a creamier scent, with its vanilla note. Not a very deep scent and has an emphasis on the floral notes, including that opening orange blossom.
Mon Guerlain is just better to my nose, overall. It also has the lavender and vanilla, but feels more balanced, especially when the jasmine comes into play. Beyond that, the opening sweetness is a great touch, and Mon Guerlain is smoother/creamier.
Mon Guerlain pretty easily wins this one. Libre isn’t a bad perfume, it just doesn’t reach the same level as its competitor.
Winner: Mon Guerlain
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides.