Cinéma (2004)
by Yves Saint Laurent

Cinema is a “happy” sunny vanilla floral powder. It is warm and very easy to wear. It’s a little bit sweet, but not cloying. The lasting power is pretty good and the sillage could be very strong if over applied. It makes me have the same luxuriously satisfied feeling I get if I have a wonderful, indulgent nap in sunlight or in a magnificent downy comforter. There is no getting around the fact that Cinema is really a sophisticated comfort scent. In case anyone is wondering….get Cinema rather than Estee Lauder Private Collection AmberYlang Ylang. Both are pretty, but I actually think Cinema is smoother and just better composed. Truly they almost smell the same. ELPCAYY does have a lovely opening, but once that passes, it seems a little bit clumsy in comparison to Cinema. ELPCAYY almost seemed to copy Cinema’s heart and base and add a dash of nice woods. Cinema is overall better and a better value.

Cinéma opens up with an irrepressibly perky accord of tart citrus, sweet fruit, and flowers that might have been the blueprint for today’s parade of trite, adolescent fruity florals. In fact as soon as I smelled it I was struck by the idea that the designers behind all of those twerpy pink-tinted bimbo juices sniffed Cinéma’s happy little amuse guele and mistook it for the entrée. More likely, they understood it’s appeal and then spent just enough on their concoctions to mimic it, without putting in any more funds (or thought) to extend it with anything substantial or intelligent.

At any rate, I digress. Cinéma itself is a clever and sophisticated scent: a light green-fruity floral that keeps itself elegant and balanced by avoiding excessive sweetness. A naturalistic, dark, and moderately indolic jasmine lends Cinéma some depth and mystery beneath its bright, pretty surface. Sillage and projection are moderate, so while Cinéma is not weak, it’s not distracting either, and would make a perfectly nice everyday scent. The drydown sets in after about four hours, and consists mostly of very soft, creamy woods and vanillic notes. Is it groundbreaking? No. But in an age when scents of this type are almost invariably idiotic, Cinéma is refreshingly smart, and that has to count for something.

So is no-one else getting pure Charlie Sunshine (yellow packaging) from this? Perfectly pleasant, quite generic, a little fresh, quite happy and outgoing. Really not for mature, dress-up, complicated, earthy or dark days - wear this to the office when you just want to smell 'nice'. Not a big favourite here.

Glamorous!
It smells expensive and sophisticated, a little old fashioned but still modern and light mixed with lots of vanilla. To be honest if you do not love vanilla you are not going to like it.
Be warned though it is very strong and dominant! I would only wear it for a night out... and preferably not in summer.

Sweet almond cookies. Oh, and some flowers and resins, too. Lasts, and gets more resiny with time. Not bad, but you may have more luck with Hypnotic Poison (both smell like Play-Dough on me).
NOTE: I sampled the parfum.

This is an attractive scent overall. To me it is too much of Bourbon Vanilla, and the fragrance is very powerful, so I would not recommend it for a business meeting. However, it could be useful for a night out; jasmine, peony, vanilla and musk could be considered sexy and complement a little black dress, helping you to be dressed up while dressed down. Cinema it is!