Yves Saint Laurent

La Nuit de L’Homme by YSL

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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.

Kouros Body by Yves Saint Laurent

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I first posted this review of Kouros Body back in 2014 or so. But, this was one of my go to wear’s in the previous decade also. I love this fragrance. So, I had to do an update for the site. It doesn’t quite fit comfortably in a category, the notes are unusual on their own, and quite weird when placed together.

However, it was always great, and an absolute joy for me to where. I’m going to cover: how this Yves Saint Laurent cologne smells, what’s in it, how it performs, and when it should be worn.

What does Kouros Body Smell Like?

KO14M

Body Kouros Notes: Incense, eucalyptus, benzoin, cedar, sage

Click here to try: Kouros Body by Yves Saint Laurent for Men – 3.4 oz EDT Spray

I would describe the scent of Kouros Body as sweet with a spice. Not sweet like a fruity scent would be,  but rather a bit like candy. The spice is subtle, more of an undertone, but gives Kouros Body a certain character and warmth. This cologne is highly distinctive and memorable.

On nights I’ve worn it out to a bar, it always seems to have women inching closer before they ask, “What are you wearing that smells so good?”

The scent profile is rather unique, as I’ve never come across anything else like it, and it doesn’t share any real connection with the original Kouros from YSL.

I mean, when the strongest note is benzoin, and you have a smokey incense note throughout the wear…you’re going to be a different type of cologne.

Anyway, Body is pretty warm and enveloping, with a medicinal touch from the inclusion of eucalyptus. I find it to be smooth and soothing.

The benzoin and eucalyptus are paired at the top of this cologne, along with the spicy sage note. It’s not a heavy spice, by any means, just a part of the warm cloud everything is wrapped up in.

As it dries down, Body Kouros, feels quite herbal and sweet but with less of the eucalyptus and more of a cedar coming through. The composition is so simple, but manages to have such a great smell on my skin.

In the end I get, lots of benzoin with burning incense, and sage and eucalyptus flanking that. Very fresh.

I have to admit that Kouros Body is one of my personal favorite colognes and one that I like to have on hand. It doesn’t have the same attention grabbing qualities as other scents. Body is to me, like a slower and more methodical seduction, almost hypnotic in its draw.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this one was always pretty moderate on my skin. Body Kouros isn’t a heavy fragrance and the sillage is going to hang pretty close to you, after about an hour of wear or so.

But, it’s not a total skin scent. Just one that is lighter and not a powerhouse.

The older bottle that I had would give me about 6-7 hours of wear, sometimes better on colder days. I’m not sure what the newer bottles are putting out, but it was always solid.

One draw back for me is that it doesn’t perform as well during the summertime. Especially, if you live in an area of high humidity like I do. No, Kouros Body begs to be worn during chilly days or evenings when it’s warmth can fully emanate outwards.

Stick to wearing it in the autumn through early spring and you should get Body at its best.

This was definitely one of my go to scents during the winter time, in the 2009-2013 era, of my life. I could wear this out for a night at the bar, somewhat dressed up, with an overcoat.

It wasn’t clearing out the room, like 1 Million would, during that time period. However, when women got close to me, a whole lot of them were digging this YSL gem.

It’s got a good age range on it too. It’s not irreverent and young, nor does it smell stuffy and old. Men in their early 20s and older gentlemen, can spray this one on without issue or feeling out of place.

Overall Impressions of Kouros Body

Kouros Body will always have a soft spot for me, after being a great wear for such a long stretch. I should get a new bottle at some point, but I have so many reviews and tests to do for this site, it gets difficult to not have sparsely used bottles laying around.

However, I can recommend this scent, but it’s not going to be one that everybody enjoys wearing. Body is its own thing completely, and kind of a time capsule cologne, that represents the turn of the new century when not every fragrance felt like a clone of another.

Eucalyptus and benzoin are actually a great combination. It’s resinous and herbal, while being smooth and fresh. It’s an easy to wear fragrance, even with its more unique style, and women have seemed to compliment it quite often over the years.

Then, you have the warmth, sweetness, and smokiness from incense. It’s not really anything like the original Kouros, but does its own thing, and does it well.

Again, I’m not sure if the newer bottles got reformulated or not, but it’s one to try out. But, understand that it might not be a favorite for everyone.

YSL Opium Pour Homme EDT

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One of the first colognes that I ever bought for myself was Opium Pour Homme eau de toilette by Yves Saint Laurent. I remember that I had read positive reviews on the fragrance, but I think what swung me to buying it, was the name. Yes, as stupid as that sounds I simply liked the name, Opium.

It made the cologne sound exotic and addictive to me, which were two qualities that I thought would work well in a fragrance. Opium was introduced by YSL in 1995. In this post, I want to cover how it smells, what the notes are, how long it lasts, and whether or not it is worth a try.

What does Opium Pour Homme Smell Like?

opium

Notes in Opium Pour Homme: Vanilla, ginger, pepper, cedar, black currant, star anise, and balsam

Click here to try: Opium for Men Eau De Toilette by Yves Saint Laurent 3.4 oz

Full Review of Opium EDT

Note: I am reviewing a bottle that I bought in the mid-2000s, on this page. I did recently purchase one of the last batches that was produced. I don’t recommend getting one of these newer bottles, as it just feels weak and watered down. Unfortunately, it is absolutely gutted in comparison to its vintage formula and not very good.

Opium Pour Homme EDT opens up with a blast of warm spice and a sharp but mellowed black currant. The black currant note is fruity and juicy but is really only noticeable at the top, quickly fading into the background.

Immediately, one is going to notice the presence of balsam, and how its thick warmth envelops the entire composition of Opium. To me, that’s what gives this cologne its whole, ethereal and exotic feel.

It can sometimes seem too concentrated when fresh out of the bottle but it quickly settles and exposes the underlying notes which give it its intoxicating power. This happens when the black currant fades and the spices take hold over more of the scent.

Star anise, pepper, and I also believe that ginger is in the mix as well; this trio provides an Oriental spice and freshness to what otherwise could become a warm almost medicinal mess.

As it dries down further, Opium takes on a sweeter aroma, thanks to the classic vanilla. Vanilla wrapped in that same balsamic note and sitting on top of a cedar base.

It feels somewhat woody, but it is mostly all about that vanilla/balsam combo and the spice (mostly anise, at this point). The cedar does provide more substance here and allows the other notes to do their thing.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of the mid-2000s bottle that I have, was really quite heavy at first before settling down to a more moderate wear. Upon first applying it is going to be pretty loud and somewhat harsh, with a rather large radius off fragrance surrounding you.

The longevity was always really good too. I’m not sure if the newer bottles have been reformulated (it might even be discontinued?), but I could get 10+ hours of wear out of the EDT, without any problem. Beast.

I like to wear Opium mostly in the daytime as I feel it is a perfect complement to casual environments. It is still a captivating fragrance however and routinely draws complements from others including perfect strangers.

Yes, it is bold enough to go into the nightlife, also. Seasonally, it is a cold weather cologne, all the way. Don’t bother wearing this in the heat, as it can get messy. However, in the cold, it is utterly great.

There are certain fragrances on the market that cater to the sensibilities of the younger man, though, I don’t believe this is one of them. That’s not to say it is an old man’s fragrance, it just has a certain sophistication that many of the more fruity based colognes lack.

This cologne has an elegant spice to it, that almost demands it be worn by a man with a certain gravitas. Opium is seductive and always has worked well around women in my experience.

Overall Impressions of Opium Pour Homme

Opium Pour Homme is a fantastic fragrance for those who have the right style and sensibility. I don’t think it will mesh well with the stylistic presentation of some guys but I do know that it is a damn good smelling cologne.

I don’t have much left of my more vintage bottle and I’m pretty sure it got degraded from heat exposure, but I really do love this scent. Definitely more niche than many other colognes, but Opium EDT, just has a charm and essence that you don’t find too often.

The vanilla, the spices, and the resinous quality are all great to experience. There aren’t too many mainstream designer releases that smell quite like Opium. The ginger and the star anise help to bring it all together for me.

Performance is good, not amazing, but I always felt as though I had gotten my money’s worth. It’s a cologne that seems to come and go from YSL’s collection, but for sure worth a try for those who want something different.

L’Homme Le Parfum by YSL

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L’Homme has become a long running and popular series of men’s fragrances for Yves Saint Laurent. In 2020, they released a Le Parfum version of this scent, and I’ve been recently testing it out to give it a full review on here. What does it smell like? Does it have good performance? Is L’Homme Le Parfum worth a buy?

What does L’Homme Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, cardamom, cedar, vetiver, amberwood, basil, violet leaf

Click here to try: L’homme Le Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray 2 oz Men

My Full Review

The opening of L’Homme Le Parfum really matches the color of the juice. This is a very modern blue-ish fragrance. You can tell the original L’Homme’s DNA is here. But, it is infused with elements of other YSL colognes.

L’Homme Ultime and Libre, come to mind. Those aren’t made anymore, but when it is all blended together, the opening gives off strong Y EDP vibes also. So, it becomes the original L’Homme blended with Y EDP.

The opening act features a strong blend of citrus and the basil. That basil note is what L’Homme Libre was built around and along with the violet leaf brings me flashes of that scent, within Le Parfum.

The basil, lemony spicy cardamom, and actual lemon are all sitting on top of the fresh and dry cedar wood and that synthetic amberwood aroma. The amberwood really steers the blue-ish feeling of this fragrance, like other modern colognes which pair that with citrus.

Unlike Libre, Le Parfum’s basil freshness is tampered down by the sweet spiciness of the cardamom note. Which gives it those L’Homme Ultime vibes, with the geranium. Strip out the sage and apple of Y EDP and Le Parfum is a good approximation, in its early stages.

This fragrance starts out leaning more towards the fresh end of the spectrum, with a solid amount of sweetness. However, in the dry down that flips and Le Parfum becomes sweeter than the other releases that I’ve mentioned.

It’s a woody sweetness with that fresh and hefty dose of geranium in the middle. It ends up being smoother and sweeter in the end, versus the somewhat sharp and synthetic opening act.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

I really appreciate the performance of Le Parfum. I have a recent bottle of L’homme and the sillage and longevity are terrible. With Le Parfum, YSL changes course and delivers something much more substantial.

Early on the sillage is strong. Not a bomb, but one that could easily be over-sprayed. That phase will last 30 minutes or so. After that, Le Parfum fall much more in the moderate camp with its projection. It’s a good deal.

The performance here is also solid. It isn’t elite in regards to how long it lasts, either. But, I’ve been getting around 8 hours of wear on my skin. So, it will deliver what you will need for most purposes and circumstances. Better than almost any other release in this series (it might actually be, but I can’t think of any which exceed it, off of the top of my head).

Seasonally, I’d wear this in the moderate to warmer temperatures of early autumn, the whole of spring, and much of the summer months. It’s a bit too sharp for the cold and probably wouldn’t hold up all that well in the extreme heat and humidity.

Plenty of use, though.

I don’t consider this to be a formal wear. It’s office safe, if you don’t overdo it. However, I’d prefer to wear this out on the town or casually day to day. Think more of evenings in the spring and summer months.

Can easily be worn be any age group. It might be too sweet for some guys, however. That blue-ish ambroxan mix can be a turn off for some and you get plenty of it with Le Parfum.

Overall Impressions of L’Homme Le Parfum

I like it. It has enough of the DNA of the original and blends it with other releases. Not my favorite by any means, but it can do a nice job of replacing L’Homme, which now has atrocious performance.

I like the basil touches, cardamom, and the cedar freshness. Very easy to wear and versatile. A true ‘blue’ cologne with plenty of ambroxan in the base. It is very much an amalgam of other fragrances from this brand, so if you’ve tried any of the one’s that I’ve mentioned, you basically know what this one is like.

I enjoyed wearing it during testing, but it still wasn’t something that I’d personally want a full bottle of. L’Homme Le Parfum does everything well enough and be a solid addition to someone’s rotation.

L’Homme EDT by YSL

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I am a longtime fan of YSL fragrances. In fact, two of the first three bottles of cologne that I ever bought were Opium and Kouros Body.  Needless to say, there is something about this design house’s scents that really speak to me.

Today, my review is going to focus on another entry from Yves Saint Laurent, L’Homme. Introduced in 2006, this has been a fairly big hit in terms of its popularity. Is it worth buying? Read on to find out.

What does L’Homme by YSL Smell Like?

l'homme

Notes include: Virginia Cedar, Ginger, Violet, Citron, White Pepper, Basil Flower, Ozone, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Vetiver

Click here to try: L’homme By Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Toilette Spray For Men 3.3 oz

My Take on L’Homme by YSL

The first batch of L’Homme that I reviewed years ago had really poor longevity. I loved the smell, but I couldn’t get it to last on my skin, it was a similar situation with The One by D&G.

Having essentially forgotten about that experience, I picked up a small sprayer of this cologne to test it out, and see if things would be different this time. Thankfully, it was a much better batch of fragrance this time or my skin is finally adept at taking this.

Note: This has been a continuing review since around 2014, documenting changes as I come back to newer bottles of L’Homme.

YSL L’Homme is super clean and has a soft yet utterly fantastic aroma. I completely dig the way this one opens up. The bergamot and citron is light yet retains their juiciness, but never feel like they ever stand out on their own within the composition.

As such, you don’t get the usual sharpness that you would from these notes in higher concentration.

This citrus aroma is light and joined by a warm and slightly spiced accord of ginger and basil. All of this comes together with the inclusion of a creamy tonka bean, for a very-well blended and balanced fragrance.

Ginger is the standout of the spices. Basil played a greater role in the flanker, L’Homme Libre, but isn’t too much of a factor here.

One further addition at the top is the violet which brings a simple floral touch to L’Homme. The spice on this one is not heavy in the slightest, very herbal/green with enough pepper to make it interesting.

Violet is one of my least favorite notes and I don’t particularly like it here, but it isn’t all that bothersome. To me, that’s the weakness in the mix. In the very brief dry down period, expect some cedar wood and vetiver, with most of the top notes having faded away entirely.

This cologne is a blend of sweet and spicy but under the umbrella of being completely fresh. It is all tied together with a cedar wood base, as the last element to a fairly simple presentation.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this stuff is still very light, quite airy. I really wish they beefed up the sillage. Yes, there is an Intense version, but it really doesn’t smell the same at all.

It’s not going to project much. Potentially, if you spray the hell out of it, you may get some good sillage. It’s a skin scent, in reality. The performance really is my biggest problem with this scent, very frustrating.

Update: 2021 bottles have roughly the same sillage. That actually hasn’t diminished.

The longevity is maybe 4-5 hours on my skin, from this use. Again, I absolutely hate the performance, but love this aroma. I’ve never been able to get more time than this.

Update: I bought a new bottle here in 2021 since it was buy one, get one free with La Nuit. The performance is now 2-3.5 hours with massive amounts of spraying (for both fragrances). For $50 I can afford to overspray this, but just be ready to have extra ready, if you decide to buy.

Also, my skin isn’t the type to ‘eat’ up a fragrance, as I get great performance from many other colognes.

Seasonally, it makes me think of warm weather, not necessarily the heat of summer. However, I do think it can be worn year round without much issue. I’d like it best in early spring or late autumn.

That being said, it works well in the colder months too. Personally, I’d use something else for the winter, but L’Homme is fine there.

It is a casual or dressed up office wear scent. Very pleasant but not really sexy, when people can actually smell it on you, they find it enjoyable. It’s the type of fragrance that you can wear, pretty much whenever, without it feeling out of place. That’s one of its main strengths.

Overall Impressions of L’Homme by YSL

Overall, do I like L’Homme by YSL? I really really like the way that it smells, but still cannot for the life of me, get it to perform up to par. I hate that aspect. Just make it a beast and I would have a bottle pretty much at all times.

Unfortunately, it’s probably a wrap after I finish this newer bottle. At least there are a lot of decent flankers that have stemmed from this name, many of which have been discontinued though.

The original is a great cologne with extremely mediocre performance. L’Homme Eau de Parfum was something that I liked, but the performance wasn’t great with that either.

Performance doesn’t tend to get better, as fragrances have been on the market for longer periods of time. Some batches, may be better than others, but none are super powerful. This has been especially true of this one.

I still enjoy the scent, not as keen on it as when I first started getting into fragrances, but L’Homme does smell very nice. Though, there really isn’t much of a point in owning this cologne anymore.

Maybe the only case is getting a bottle for insanely cheap and not minding re-applying it every 3 hours.

I’ll use my remaining bottle for the gym or just as a quick freshie. As for anyone else, it might be a better idea to look elsewhere, either with YSL or another brand.