Muse Yves Saint Laurent 2026 Extrait de Parfum

I find it hard to adequately describe “Muse.” It strikes a chord with me - one that perhaps has little to do with perfume. I write almost everything with a fountain pen. And indeed, with a piston filler. Sometimes from Pelikan, sometimes from Montblanc - but always a fountain pen. I enjoy the tactile experience, the refilling at the inkwell, and also the actual smell of good ink. Because ink does indeed smell different, depending on the color and quality.
And then I discover Muse. A bottle that resembles a fine inkwell and a perfume that is like rich, dark ink. Deep red, which only reveals itself in backlight. Just that alone has captivated me.
And the scent? It is powerful! According to the sales associate from YSL, the approach with this fragrance is an immediate presence of all scent elements. And I can confirm that feeling. There is little scent progression. Muse is there right away and captivates you.
Muse is sweet, dark, heavy, noble, simply opulent. In the first few minutes, I noticed that it is almost a bit too much of everything for me. And it is also immediately full of contradictions. This is heavy sweetness - but also a dry note.
But Muse is also an incredibly dense and beautifully interwoven fragrance. Fitting to the theme of “ink,” it gives me vibes of old, noble paper. The vanilla is present without bothering me - which is unusual for me, as I am not really a big fan of vanilla scents.
I keep perceiving gentle hints of incense, which only subtly emphasize the depth of the fragrance.
I would love to praise my fine nose and analyze ingredient by ingredient... But that would be a lie! Muse completely overwhelms me. I perceive it as a total work of art, because that is definitely what it is.
One thing I can say for sure: those who do not like oud can still confidently go for this. Because the oud is so finely integrated here that I don’t really notice it.
Muse will have to wait a while, because at medium to warm temperatures, it is definitely “too much” for me. But I look forward to cold days, when it will surely be a good companion for me.
If YSL has created a work of art with Muse, then it is definitely rooted in the Baroque or Rococo - and not in Classicism!