Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, 1981

OK...finally reviewing Kouros...god help me. I ended up trying to clean it off me the last time I tried it. Right away I find soapy cloves and honey, as others have commented. There's a sliminess (civet, or faux-civet?), kind of like a very greasy musk. I don't find much piss or sweat yet, but I'm starting to get some anise/licorice, which for me usually means trouble ahead. It's surprisingly sweet in spite of all the pine, leather, turpentine, cowboy sweat, and whatever other horrors lurk within. What I'm noticing, though, is that when I test it on a bit of toilet paper as I'm doing now, it's way sweeter and less rank, but when I wear a splash of it on a T-shirt it's stale and pissy, and not very sweet, and this is when I had to get it off immediately. (I'm afraid to put it directly on my skin because I think it would beat me up.) Later, the sweetness and licorice start to subside, and it gets more sharp and herby like Yatagan, which I like, but it also adds a rubberiness which really bothers me. But the funny thing, the connection which I never made before, is that the mid-note stage immediately made me think of Aramis. It's so obvious now: Aramis has more soapy musk, and this stage of Kouros is surprisingly similar but with a bit of Yatagan and lumberjack extract to sharpen things up. Some time ago, I decided Aramis was too much for me, but that I could deal with Yatagan (or Eucris, along those lines). Kouros, however, combines the aspects that I _don't_ like of these scents, adds the rubber, and is too dated; it lives proudly in 1981, but I don't.

It all started with something that could qualify for the march of the Absolute. I was looking for something that could capture the feeling of not just unrestricted empirical power but transcendence of the world at the same time. This is not to say that i was looking for a fragrance which made me feel powerful, but a fragrance which i could wear when i feel powerful. These moments come when one is high on stimulants( preworkout products) and coming out of the gym with sweat and pump. I narrowed it down to : fahrenheit, kouros and antaeus. These three turned out to be the only available options where i live. Fahrenheit being reformulated was too weak, for the purpose i wanted it to serve. Further, fahreneheit is more of a boyish scent, beautiful but empirical, powerful but only what a leather jacket can convey. Sadly antaeus went out of stock. I was left with kouros. The smell is indeed what i was looking for. Not an instance of a category, but an individual, powerful, other wordly and standing alone - not in search of validation, not out there to please somebody, not afraid to be abrasive to protect it's freedom. The smell was not at all dirty or urine like to my nose, but rather clean, the same image which the white bottle evokes. My only problem with the fragrance is that it is the latest reformulated version with no silver on shoulders and bottom. the only silver is in the cap.This version is very muted as compared to the descriptions i head here and elsewhere. I have not smelled the ones with silver shoulders and bottoms. It stays on the skin for more than 6 hours may be even 8, but the projection is not legendary. It has got the smoky feel to it. i really like it and might look out for the silver shouldered bottle if i use this bottle more than 20% of the time before march. I need a bottle with better projection.

Do you want your perfume to stays long and can be smelled by anyone that you met that day? a perfume that would make you feel invincible? this is what you want. if you're strong enough to hold its persona Yes, Kouros have its own lively persona. animalic, strong and full of character. You don't wear Kouros, since Kouros will wear you. It will drive your emotion, giving certain sense of masculinity into the limit previously unknown. not a scent that you would love, nothing sweet or spicy here. pure animalic civet and slight leathery honey to make you feel like Tarzan in the modern world there's a sense of animalic masculinity in every men. we need certain things to trigger its up. some men goes to the gym to build up their muscles, some work in military and some wear Kouros. the scent is too masculine, its so strong that drive yourself wild. you can feel the heat that caused by this beast, a heat that almost as strong as instinct of animal. a sense of power and confidence together with courage to show yours into other men this fragrance isnt build for those who want to impress girls or other people (the drydown smelt like armpit, really) this magnificent perfume drives your instinct and emotion wild to break the limits

Kouros is such a polarizing scent that when I tried it on my skin for the first time I almost expected to need a shower. I am happy to report that at least in my case, I kind of like it. Kouros does indeed have kind of a fresh, but dirty vibe going on as many amateur and professional reviewers alike have stated previously. That said, the statements about it smelling like a man's crotch and similar ilk are off the mark to my nose, at least. I do get the "smells like a cross between a barnyard and a gents' restroom, complete with its urinal cakes and other cover-up freshener" comments, but it is really not in an off-putting way as it is easy to imagine if reading it over and over again. It is not really the kind of smell I personally want to wear, but I would not be offended by smelling it on someone else, as the fresh nature of the scent is far more dominant than the supporting "dirty" notes. I will say that those looking for the notes should read some of the reviews and not be swayed one way or another by the pyramid at the top of this page, as it is much more complex and complete than that indicates, IMO. As for sillage and longevity, they are both superb. My bottom line feeling on Kouros is it is not for me. That said, I can recommend it to folks who like more challenging scents, but don't want "Secretions Manifiques by ELdO" challenging... This classic is definitely wearable, but just not to my personal tastes. Just go easy on the trigger and avoid a blind buy if possible. 3 stars out of 5.