L'Homme (2006)
by Yves Saint Laurent

YSL's lacklustre answer to Chrome by Azzaro, proving yet again that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. No doubt Ropion would be anxious to distance himself from such a bland-astic release.

L’Homme engages the nose with a sweet spiced bergamot accord that’s refreshingly smooth, balanced and natural. The spices move forward and differentiate as L’Homme develops, with bright ginger and a soft nutmeg at the head of the line. The fruity aspect of the opening bergamot remains in place for some time, but the gently rounded vetiver and tonka accord that spreads out beneath it enriches the scent’s midsection beyond mere eau de Cologne.

The basil in the pyramid takes longer to emerge than I expected, and once it does it remains a well modulated accent on the bergamot rather than a bold, independent statement. This may be for the best, since basil expressed in isolation on my skin can leave me feeling like a well-dressed salad. (As in Maître Parfumeur et Gantier’s intriguing but unwearable Baîme.) The combination emanates a clean “fresh” vibe without employing any of the stereotypical aquatic notes that are the current staple in men’s perfumery. L’Homme projects well from the skin without being distractingly potent. It also leaves a nicely judged cloud of light sillage in the air, so its presence remains felt in the wearer’s absence.

Where L’Homme begins to lose me is in the early drydown, which settles into a fuzzy, overly sweetened, powdery cedar structure that is at once a bit cloying and thoughtlessly overexploited in mass market scents for men. I give Yves Saint Laurent credit for executing this formula with more taste and subtlety than usual, but it’s still a disappointingly commonplace gambit. All the more so given that no less than three highly talented noses worked on L’Homme’s composition. (Or is it that fragrances are like film scripts: multiple author credits mean a desperate patch-up job?) While the Flipo/Ropion/Wargnye team deserves points for their masterful use of basil and ginger – both tough to handle convincingly - I keep wanting more out of the scent’s final hours.

L'Homme is really a love it or hate it deal. I find it sharp, almost metallic and unpleasant. The bright citrus, herbal basil and violet and the tonka all clash to my nose. I think I will sum it up in verse:

Not the most terrible fragrance in the land
Although it is rather boring and bland
Totally unlike every other YSL offer
Smells like something from Azzaro's discount coffers

It's easy to write it off as a just another citrus-fades-to-sweet scent that's basically nice but not much more...but I think it really opens up in the heart and base. The ginger is unusually silky, and the basil (which I wouldn't have guessed would blend so nicely with ginger) is just subdued enough not to give an overly herbal feel. This is layered over a pleasant layer of florals.

Tonka is one of the few sweet notes I can tolerate, and I think L'Homme uses it in the base with a lot of class, and does a good job of counteracting the sweetness with a small dose of barely detectable vetiver. The overall effect is quite smooth; just sweet enough, just green enough.

The best thing for me about this scent is that I can actually pick out each of these notes, and I can still appreciate the whole thing as a cohesive and attractive accord. Many scents either smell good but feature muddled notes, or have decisive notes but smell "spiky" as a result. L'Homme balances the equation nicely.

Yes, it does smell very modern, but it also smells very good.

Being a fan of some YSL classics, I must say that L'Homme is YSL's attempt at a modern, mass-appealing scent. While it does not smell bad, it does lack distinction and character. Being a generic "freshie", I can imagine why this is a hit, but having a market saturated with such scents can be a quite boring.

This cologne grabbed me immediately after trying it. Usually I have to try several when I am purchasing something new, but after smelling this I knew I was going to buy it. It's one of those scents you keep wanting to smell throughout the day because it's that good. It's a little on the sweet side, especially on initial spray. The drydown is the best part with a combination of citrus, vetiver and what I would call musk.

The funny thing is I was almost going to return it due to what seemed to be poor longevity in the beginning. Then I learned the real strength of this scent is that it is very subtle, not overpowering. I like the fact you can spray 7 or 8 times and you won't leave a toxic trail. Using unscented lotion prolongs the scent by a few hours, and during summer weather the scent comes alive just when you think it is dead. This is not a fragrance for trying to pick up women, it's fragrance to feel like a confident man.

Seems to be very popular but I haven't smelled it on other people, and that's a beautiful thing.

Update 8/02/09: After owning this a few months now, I have to say that the longevity is really a big problem. You can spray this as many as 10 times on yourself and/or a shirt and can't smell it an hour later. Yes you can smell it very close to your skin hours later, but that's it. That's along with using the uncented lotion. Without the travel size Sephora sells this would be unusable. I doubt it's because of being used to smell since I just use it 1 to 2 times a week.

I still really love the scent but I am considering something longer lasting when this bottle runs out.