Yves Saint Laurent, it must be said bluntly, has a catastrophic marketing department when it comes to naming perfumes. Whether for men or women. It’s almost a miracle to order the correct and intended one among L´Hommes Parfum, Le Parfum, Parfum Intense, or Intense Le Parfum (I believe some of the examples above don’t even exist like that anymore… Or do they?!:-) )
What times those were with iconically distinct bottles and names like Opium, Kouros, Jazz, and the like. One longs for those days…
As for the perfume itself, the Eau de Parfum is a quite pleasantly crafted all-rounder. More autumnal than the fresh-violet-toned EdT, a bit cozier, yet still casual and suitable for everyday wear, without drifting atmospherically towards the October storm season.
Overall, a rather warm opening, carried by a very softly enveloped orange, which is accompanied by a nicely rounded lavender undertone. Compared to Caron’s “Pour un homme…” or even Gaultier’s “Le Mâle,” where the lavender appears very natural or at least clearly graspable, here it hides a bit under or behind a slightly sawed-off powderiness. Perhaps the oak wood, which comes to the forefront quite early, is to blame, as it somewhat vanillan-toastily-woody stifles any hope for ethereal spaces.
The good thing: The scent is not breathtakingly original, but one wishes that certainly more men would opt for this at least smoothly crafted, harmonious fragrance rather than torturing others with horrors like “Sauvage” or lab news from Boss or Davidoff. My 20 cents on that.
Best, H.