YSL La Nuit de l'Homme: fragrance review

"Sexy as hell" is what our Hellenic readers hail this cologne as. An enthusiastic endorsement from people who do actually enjoy a wide array of male colognes, La Nuit de l'homme has been YSL's best release in their masculine section for quite some time. Recents batches have become decidedly weaker, but the magic of the spicy woody notes persists.

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Woody scents are typically manly, mainly due to a lack of distracting elements from their solid "watch me chop the wood, I'm a lumberjack" impression. But the cunning in La Nuit de l'Homme lies in interweaving a coolish tinge of spicy cardamom which interplays with the traditional barber-shop lavender to give a juxtaposition of cleanliness and mysterious exoticism. It's definitely one to wear when out flirting. There are very few women who don't like this one.

Vintage Advertising Champions: The Two Faces of Y

What would you think if you were called  a designer's "devilishly aware clientele"? Flattery goes a long way, that's a given. But when it comes to Yves Saint Laurent in particular, it's such high praise that one has to swallow  hard a couple of times and seek what the advertisement indicates immediately. "The invisible dress" is also a great term for a perfume; something to make you "dressed" in the dark; dressed but also flatteringly revealed, mise en valeur as the French say. 

The vintage advertising for Saint Laurent's formidable first perfume, a cool dry chypre  like they used to make them, is noteworthy. [You can read my fragrance review of YSL's "Y" perfume on this link.]

Enjoy two versions of it. One insinuating, the other more explicit while still classy. As befits the designer of designers. 

Further reading on PerfumeShrine: Yves Saint Laurent news, history & fragrance reviews