Yves Saint Laurent

La Nuit de L’Homme vs La Nuit L’Intense Cologne Comparison

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This post has been sitting in the queue for a few years now, so, I guess it is time to finally write up this comparison. Today, we have to entries from YSL men’s fragrance collection: La Nuit de L”Homme vs. La Nuit de L’Home L’Intense. Which of these smells the best? The best-selling original or its offspring? Which has better performance? Which is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: La Nuit vs L’Intense

La Nuit

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

Read my review: La Nuit de l’Homme

La Nuit L’Intense

Notes include: violet, sage, iris, patchouli, vanilla, tonka bean

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’homme L’intense Eau De Parfum Spray, 2.0 Ounce

Read my review: La Nuit L’Intense

Opening

La Nuit opens up with lots of cardamom and a citrus bergamot note, at the start. It is fresh, warm, and has that light addition of bergamot. Then, the lavender really begins to come into its own, sometime thereafter. It is a really captivating start, that gives you a nice bit of spice before settling down.

L’Intense opens up with violet and iris. It is a very floral fragrance, pretty powdery, and pretty darn feminine to my nose. Later in the wear, sage and patchouli, will help to give it a better profile but the start is really sweet and floral.

Which is better? For me, the original La Nuit has the better opening, without question. L’Intense doesn’t smell bad, but it can be too sweet and powdery, without anything anchoring it.

Edge: La Nuit

Projection

Both of these scents are moderate for me, for a few hours, and then become light. No, L’Intense wasn’t intense at any time, I wore it. Not sure why it has that name.

Edge: Push

Longevity

La Nuit has consistently gotten me 6-8 hours of wear, on my skin. I hear talk about reformulations, taking a toll on its performance, but I haven’t come across that (though, it could be certain batches under performing).

Meanwhile, L’Intense would only last for 3-4 hours. I’ve tried it several times, in different climates, same result.

Edge: La Nuit

Versatility

Both are best worn in fall/winter, but can venture into more mild temperatures, just fine. I’d say the original is more versatile, as it is a nightlife scent, that can go casual/work/date.

While, L’Intense just doesn’t strike me as something to wear in the evenings. Plus, who wants to re-apply constantly?

Edge: La Nuit

Overall Scent

This head to head, really isn’t even close. I never understood the purpose of the L’Intense version of La Nuit. It doesn’t smell like the original, it isn’t intense, and is just a decent overall fragrance in terms of scent.

If it were an actual intense version of the original, that would be awesome, but it isn’t. As far as flankers go, La Nuit Eau Electrique is really good, and underrated. So, you might give that a try.

La Nuit de L’Homme is smooth, fresh, with enough spicy kick to make things interesting. I really enjoy the cardamom and lavender combo, especially once the cedar and vetiver get going in the base. It outperforms its flanker and just smells better.

Winner: La Nuit

La Nuit de l’Homme vs. Creed Aventus

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or this fragrance comparison match up, I want to do a head to head, between two of the better men’s colognes out on the market: Creed Aventus vs. La Nuit de L’Homme by Yves Saint Laurent. Which of these two scents is the better buy? Which has the better sillage? Longevity? Which smells the best? I have worn both many times and have reviewed each. Now, I will break it down by category, before declaring an ultimate winner.

Tale of the Tape: La Nuit vs Aventus

Creed Aventus

Top: Blackcurrant, Italian bergamot, French apples and pineapple

Middle: Rose, dry birch, Moroccan jasmine, and patchouli

Base Notes: musk, oak moss, ambergris, and vanilla.

Click here to try Aventus: Creed Aventus Creed 4 OZ Millesime Spray For Men

My original Review: Creed Aventus

La Nuit

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

Read my review: La Nuit de l’Homme

Opening

La Nuit de L’Homme opens up with its main ingredient of cardamom and the addition of bergamot. Now, the bergamot, adds a light citrus touch to the start. However, the warm cardamom is much more of a force.

It is warm, fresh, with a light spice. After 15-20 minutes, the bergamot, is mostly replaced by lavender.

Aventus starts off quite sharp. Black currant and pineapple, at the top, will have the tendency to be harsh together. Add that mix, to birch wood, and it’s not my favorite. I’m not saying the opening of Aventus is terrible, but I’ve never enjoyed it, even if I do like the fragrance in its totality.

This round is obviously going to the YSL. It is simple, yet very effective.

Edge: La Nuit

Projection

The opening act of La Nuit is fairly moderate, but not weak. It does lighten up much more, as it moves along, but it won’t be mistaken for a sillage monster.

Aventus, isn’t elite with its strength, but it is a strong cologne. Plus, that strength will last for a long time, and doesn’t weaken the same way La Nuit does. Easy win here.

Edge: Aventus

Longevity

La Nuit has always lasted on me for 6-8 hours. I get 8-9 with Aventus. Some wears, they’re about equals, but most of the time Aventus will outlast its competitor.

Update: Newer bottles of Nuit aren’t even hitting that level. So, this is an easy win for the Creed.

Edge: Aventus

Versatility

Aventus is great in every season, except for the height of summer, where it is just so-so. It’s performance in the heat, isn’t spectacular, and I try to avoid wearing it then. La Nuit is better in colder weather through spring, but also not great in summer. Seasonally, they are equal.

Otherwise, they are both very versatile fragrances. They can both work in formal situations, work, date, late nights, whenever. I don’t really see any separation between them in this category.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

When it comes down to it, both of the colognes, are awesome scents to wear. But which one has the upper hand? La Nuit has a great main duo of cardamom and lavender. It is warm, fresh, and smells really damn good.

The next layer of vetiver and cedar, only add to its overall appeal. Very clean, masculine, and receives complements.

Aventus doesn’t start off wonderful, but gets better, and has a whole lot of depth. The sharpness subsides, the woodsy notes led by birch are great and have a smokey touch. Then, there is some vanilla sweetness, with the now weaker fruity top notes.

I have to say, I think that Aventus is the better fragrance overall. The range of smells is more dynamic, the performance is better, and the quality is more consistent from bottle to bottle over the years.

I like the smell of each, for different reasons, and they are neck and neck in that aspect. Every other point, Aventus is equal to or better than, La Nuit.

That being said, if I had to buy one of them, and had enough cash to buy the Creed. I would probably buy La Nuit and some other fragrance(s), for the same amount as one bottle of Aventus.

I like having options and the price difference is pretty substantial here. Keep that in mind as an option, also. Or, you could try a fragrance that attempts to have the same Creed Aventus smell.

Update: La Nuit feels too weak and underperforms these days. As such, I’d probably go with something else. But, Aventus is still better.

Winner: Aventus

Y Le Parfum by YSL

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Y Le Parfum is the latest release from the Y line of men’s fragrances here in 2021. It follows four other scents that YSL has put out over the past few years under this banner. I got a decanted sample of this stuff recently and have been testing out over the past few days. How does it smell? How long does it last? When should it be worn? Is it even worth a try?

What does Y Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: apple, grapefruit, ginger, aldehydes, lavender, sage, geranium, patchouli, tonka bean, and cedar

Click here to try: Y Le Parfum

My Full Review

The opening act of Le Parfum is pretty similar in many ways to both Y EDP and EDT. You get the apple and ginger combination up top, along with the sage and geranium already peaking through.

The difference is, Le Parfum isn’t nearly as bold, has more of a sweetness, while being greenish and somewhat dark. Yes, you do still get the citrus/fruity notes, it’s grapefruit here. Though, the addition of the aldehydes, gives this one a bright/sweet/slightly fresh aroma.

I’m not too enthused with the opening, but it’s still pretty nice overall.

Once I get past this initial phase, I really begin to enjoy Y Le Parfum. It becomes softer, with hints of sage still providing an edge, but with an attractive sweetness.

It’s sort of comparable to Legend Night or Versace Eros, at this stage. Apple, tonka bean, lavender, cedar, and geranium are running the show. A somewhat dark sweetness with a fresh woody base. It just doesn’t have the same density to my nose, as those others.

The final stage is lavender, tonka bean, and a mix of the remaining fruity and woody notes. There are plenty of other scents which have done this pairing, though, it’s really great here. I couldn’t stop smelling the amount that I applied to my wrist.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

After having used Y EDP for a while, I was expecting Le Parfum to have somewhere close to a similar sillage, it doesn’t. It is fairly noticeable at the start but hangs quite close to the skin for the rest of the wear.

I’d rate it as a moderate fragrance and not one that is going to take over a room. My favorite part of the wear, just happens to be when Y Le Parfum is at its weakest point.

Also, the longevity here isn’t great. I get 6-6.5 hours of wear from this one. Maybe it’s gotten to 7 a few times. Not horrendous, but for the price and the previous entries in this series, it’s disappointing.

Only slightly better than Eau Fraiche, which at least has the excuse of being a lighter summer wear. This just doesn’t have the YSL Y EDP performance level.

Even applying the fragrance to an old t-shirt didn’t yield much better results.

Seasonally, Le Parfum is a versatile cologne. I’d stay away from the extreme highs or lows in temperatures, but it wouldn’t feel out of place in autumn, spring, or the moderate days of the other two seasons.

This Y scent has a more mature and subtle profile than the others in the series. It doesn’t have that bold ‘punch you in the face’ power of EDP and it has a complexity that the others don’t. Suitable for many age ranges and occasions.

Overall Impressions of Y Le Parfum

Overall, do I like Y Le Parfum? Yes, particularly the dry down period. The opening isn’t amazing to me, as it feels like a muted EDP, but it distinguishes itself in the second act.

The problem for me is, I already own EDP and this doesn’t do enough in terms of performance, to separate itself.

The opening is the strongest point and it feels like a lesser than EDP. By the time it takes on that sweet and enjoyable dry down, the fragrance is pretty weak.

As of right now, this is my second favorite Y scent, after EDP. Some aspects of it, I actually like better, but it doesn’t take the top spot in its totality.

However, Le Parfum might be a good solution for those who think that EDP is too loud. It has gotten less likeable for me over time, though. Le Parfum doesn’t seem like a great deal, based on its starting price.

Though, once you can grab discounted bottles, it’s worth a try. Very nice fragrance, just not top tier, in my eyes.

La Nuit de l’Homme vs. Sauvage EDT Comparison

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Today, I am going to be taking a closer look at two of the best selling men’s fragrances out there, and comparing what sets them apart. The two contestants? La Nuit de L’Homme vs. Sauvage EDT. Which smells better? The Dior or the YSL? Which cologne lasts longer? Has better sillage? Is the better buy? I have tried out and reviewed each of them, now it is time to see which is the winner.

Tale of the Tape: La Nuit vs. Sauvage

Sauvage EDT

Notes include: Bergamot, Ambroxan, Sichuan Pepper, lavender, pink pepper, and more

Click here to try: Sauvage by Chrisitan Dior Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce

Read my review: Sauvage EDT Review

La Nuit

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

Read my review: La Nuit de l’Homme

Opening

The opening of Sauvage EDT is a spicy citrus blend of bergamot and Sichuan pepper. It is strong and fairly sharp, but is quickly joined by a calm lavender, and the ambroxan note. The ambroxan will become more prevalent as it settles on the skin.

La Nuit de l’Homme kicks off with cardamom and bergamot. It is also a somewhat spicy citrus blend, but the spice is fresher, smoother, and the bergamot is lighter in this YSL. La Nuit is warmer than it is spicy and the lavender note here, eventually takes over most of the citrus.

Which is better? I think that I prefer the start of La Nuit versus Sauvage. Sauvage can be too sharp at the beginning for my nose and I like the cardamom note better than the Sichuan pepper.

Edge: La Nuit

Projection

La Nuit starts off pretty moderate with its sillage, before becoming a much lighter cologne. Actually, newer bottles are fairly light for the entirety. It was never a heavy fragrance, but now it’s got even less punch.

Meanwhile, Sauvage EDT, starts off with a powerful burst and gradually becomes more upper moderate. The sillage is an easy win for the Dior.

Edge: Sauvage

Longevity

La Nuit will last in the 6-8 hour range, on my skin, but it’s usually more towards the six hour end. Update: newer bottles of this YSL don’t hit that 8 hour mark anymore. I can still get six, usually.

Sauvage will go 6-9 hours, but usually towards the nine hour mark. Sometimes, they’ll be equal, but more often than not it’s Sauvage winning.

Edge: Sauvage

Versatility

Both of these fragrances have a lot of versatility and can excel in a variety of situations. I think that the distinction comes in, with the climate. Sauvage can work year round, better than La Nuit, which holds up in cold to moderate temperatures but not so much in heat.

Also, Sauvage is better suited for the night club kind of environment. They are pretty equal in other respects.

Edge: Sauvage

Overall Scent

As you can see, Sauvage performs a bit better and is somewhat more versatile, than is La Nuit. However, I have to say that La Nuit de L’Homme smells better than Sauvage EDT.

Sauvage starts out with that intensity, that I’m not too fond of, and it becomes smoother over time with its lavender and ambroxan note. It is warm, spicy, and crowd pleasing with its citrus.

La Nuit is very clean and masculine with a lavender and cardamom blend, leading the way. Under that, you get woodsy cedar and vetiver. It is fresh with a really nice aroma.

I’m going to give La Nuit the win over Sauvage, because I do think that it is better smelling fragrance. It’s performance is good enough, to make up for lagging behind Sauvage in area, by just having the better scent.

Update: The performance has suffered with Nuit recently. It still smells like a better fragrance. I wouldn’t pay full price for either, but I enjoy La Nuit much more.

Remember though, I’m talking about the more popular EDT version of Sauvage versus La Nuit. I would actually go with the EDP version over either. This is how I’d rank them: 1. Sauvage EDP 2. Sauvage Parfum 3. La Nuit 4. Sauvage EDT.

If it’s between just these two, go with La Nuit. Otherwise, I’d pick Sauvage EDP. If you want EDT, there are plenty men’s perfumes like Dior Sauvage.

Winner: La Nuit

La Nuit de L’Homme Eau Electrique by YSL

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On my way out of El Prat airport, I once again stopped into a duty free shop to explore the fragrance selection, and came across a newer offering from Yves Saint Laurent…La Nuit de L’Homme Eau Electrique. The blue color and the name caught my eye, so I figured that I would try this one out and wear it on the flight home. In this post, I am going to give my initial impressions and opinions about this cologne after a single wear.

What does La Nuit Eau Electrique Smell Like?

Notes include: cedar, vanilla, tonka bean, cashmere, vetiver, lavender, apple, geranium, bergamot

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’Homme Eau Electrique Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml/3.3oz

My Full Wear Review

OK, so, going into this test I had zero expectations or notions about Electrique. In fact, I’d never even heard of it. I think that’s the best way to do a review of this sort, since my mind won’t be clouded by what I ‘wanted’ the cologne to be, and can simply judge it based on merit.

I sprayed this one twice on my arm about an hour or so before my transatlantic flight back to the US from Spain. Update: I’ve since had a travel spray size of Eau Electrique and am updating my thoughts throughout this post.

It initially struck me as smooth with a creamy/powdery offering of tonka bean with a woody base and some fruit thrown in to boot. Electrique was really fresh and drew me in from the very jump and I could smell it on me as I walked to my boarding gate.

That’s a very simple test of whether or not I think something is worth my while, is it an enjoyable addition to the background of my everyday life? For Electrique, I vote that yes, it is.

Eau Electrique opens with a noticeable apple and some citrus notes. The apple, tonka, vanilla, and lavender are really present up top with the main tonka bean note. Really, apple and tonka bean.

Then, the second wave brings in geranium paired with that lavender sitting under a tonka/vanilla combo.

The notes in Electrique have some overlap with Versace Eros, but, I think they are two different fragrances and the similarities aren’t that noticeable.

Eros is a much louder and has more of a citrusy aroma than does Electrique, though, the tonka bean and apple notes are shared.

Update: I could also compare this to Montblanc’s Legend Night, but noticeably lacking the heavy cardamom note.

Electrique is understated and while it has some sweet elements, it never becomes overbearing. I think the prevalence of the cashmere was a nice touch and gives Electrique some more separation from the original La Nuit.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Electrique was good during my one off test. It was noticeable during the wear and even kind of heavy at first. It isn’t a complete beast or anything but it is getting close to crossing that line.

I got 7-8 hours of use out of it. The last few hours it was more of a skin scent. However, I can’t really say for certain how it will perform with just one wear but it seems legit enough. Update: Yep, 6-8 hours, consistently.

Electrique is more suited toward cold weather wear. It worked fine in an air conditioned environment but I’m not sure that’ll hold up in the heat. Update: Not great in high heat, but moderate springtime temperatures, it is fine.

It does seem to have some versatility as both a casual fragrance and one which will work as a date night type of cologne.

Overall Impressions of Eau Electrique

Overall, is La Nuit de L’Home Eau Electrique worth a buy? I actually really liked wearing this fragrance. It’s nothing Earth shattering; but it is very good. It gives good performance and has a very attractive scent with a tangential relation to the original La Nuit.

It’s a good bet as an Eros alternative, if you don’t like the lemon note there. Also, the geranium can come across a bit like mint. It’s not a dupe, but they do have a very similar style.

Eau Electrique has now been discontinued, so, grab a bottle while you still can for cheap.

Electrique is a smooth and fresh fragrance with a powdery finish and a woody heart. It’s not super outstanding or ‘special’ but it is really damn nice.