La Nuit de L'Homme Yves Saint Laurent 2009 Eau de Toilette

I am slowly starting to enjoy writing comments in this forum.

The next selected fragrance is none other than what many of us consider a masterpiece by Yves Saint Laurent - La Nuit de L’Homme (LNDH). In my opinion, the name does not reflect the reality, as this fragrance can also be worn very well in the office or in everyday situations.

To get straight to the point - I will not go into detail about the fragrance itself, as a lot has already been said/written. Rather, I want to point out the various batches that I have acquired thanks to extensive research on the internet, at not so outrageous prices as, for example, on eBay.

First of all, I was able to sniff the 2015 batch at a drugstore, which I really liked, but unfortunately, it fades very quickly. Since I also enjoy exploring various affordable and hopefully good dupes, I came across the YouTube channel of KillaFrags, who praised the Frederico Mahora FM 329 as a very good alternative to LNDH.

Immediately after watching the video, I ordered the fragrance on eBay for a mere €25 and sprayed it on as soon as I received it. Initially a bit confused by a strong alcoholic note, the fragrance becomes rounder and comes suspiciously close to the original (2015 batch).
Since the fragrance - whether original or dupe - did not exactly blow me away, at least the FM329, which I now own, was put away in the cupboard.

A month ago, I then tested the Frozen Cologne (FC), which is supposed to be used more in the warmer months. I liked it much better right away and, of course, bought it immediately.
Once I got home, I immediately watched the reviews for the FC on YouTube (of course - as fate would have it - also on the aforementioned channel). At first, this fragrance is quite distinct from the original due to its initial citrus-fresh notes, but after about 1 ½ hours, you can definitely sense the resemblance.

I haven't worn it very often lately, as I have bought way too many beautiful fragrances in the last few months, and with so much selection, one doesn't even know which one to wear - I believe all readers here are familiar with this feeling ;)

The FC has drawn me back a bit to the original, and after further research, I delved into the topic of vintage versions and reformulations.

Now I think we come to the interesting part of my post for many.

About 2 weeks ago, I acquired a used 2013 batch. Immediately after examining the bottle and its contents, I noticed the dark yellowish hue - now please don’t think of anything wrong ;). This naturally suggests that the fragrance may be richer in fragrance materials and not as diluted as the current 2015 version.

I sprayed the fragrance on my wrist and immediately noticed that it is indeed significantly more intense. Of course, one should not expect a “monster sillage” here either, but especially in the first 2 hours, it is very noticeable. I cannot detect any difference in scent compared to the current version. Thus, I can already give my recommendation for the 2013 batch in advance.

Just the day before yesterday, I got the 2011 batch, which has thus “fallen victim” to the first reformulation. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the vintage version of the fragrance (not yet, but soon I will receive a decant from dear Leimbacher). Therefore, I can only provide more details about this in the coming week or I will edit my comment and note it with the paragraph “Update Vintage.”
The 2011 batch is actually not distinguishable in color from the 2013 batch, but in terms of scent, I can at least say that it is a bit more powdery-spicy and less sweet, which, in my opinion, gives it a significant boost in longevity. I also find it a bit more masculine, if I can say that, as the sweetness, when it is too prominent, is rather “disturbing” for me. However, it must be noted that the sillage still remains very close to the skin from the second hour onwards.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the comment, it took some time to spark my interest in this rather beautiful fragrance. This naturally prompted me to continue researching, and I found a website where you can simply enter the batch codes and thus know exactly when the fragrance was produced. This site is http://www.checkfresh.com/how-to-find-batch-number.html.

However, whether and especially when a fragrance was reformulated must be found out elsewhere (which is not a problem for me because I am generally always interested in such things).

There are also certain indicators on packaging, bottles, spray heads, etc. that indicate which version of the fragrance it is. The easiest way to do this is, of course, through the batch number, which is visible on the underside of the packaging. To keep it brief, I can describe it as follows:

The vintage version of the fragrance has only a 4-digit batch code. Everything that came to market later has a 6-digit code (in my 2011 batch, for example, 62H900).
The letter H stands for 2011, J for 2012, K for 2013, L for 2014, M for 2015, N for 2016, and so on.
These codes are usually repeated every 10 years - thus, it will probably be the letter H again in 2021.

In summary, I can say that I can unreservedly recommend the 6-digit batches from 2011 to 2013, as they offer longer longevity and can also impress more with the depth of the fragrance.

I do not mean to say that the fragrance is a must-have, but I do not know anyone so far who has wrinkled their nose at this fragrance.

I hope I was able to give you a few small tips regarding the different batch variations.