Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum Intense

Most Helpful Positive Review

The Best Y Yet, With Caveats

They supposedly added juniper,lavender and patchouli (They basically just took out apple, moved juniper to the top, added lavender to the mid, added patchouli to the base and then removed all the sweetness from the base - removed amber wood, tonka bean and olibanum). Opens very soapy and fresh Jun...iper adds a fresh boozy quality but isn't really much different from the EDP in opening except it's missing the apple that most people adore. It's pretty obvious the edp is fresher and more citric but it also has the exact same dna of cedar ginger geranium and sage/juniper. The edp original is a lot louder and projects more, at first. At first whiff, this is VERY VERY similar to the original. I'll be honest, the additions are fine but this is more soapy in the open and mid than the edp. I love lavender but it doesn't really add to the mix here imo. The juniper was already in the mid the edp but they took out the apple, tonka, Amber wood and olibanum. Glad it doesn't have the aldehydes of the parfum. There's already 3 concentrations and tweaking 3 notes didn't really change the scent enough (I eat these words in the drydown). I wanted to despise it because of this but it's the best Y for me because of the drydown is fantastic with the patchouli but I wish they'd kept the apple in the top too Moving the juniper there was pointless and it ends up being too much of a soapy clean scent at the top with a bit of a pop from the ginger. I think it would be by far the best Y if they'd kept the apple in the Top and made the other changes. The patchouli in the base gives it more longevity and a dirty and chocolatey kick that is missing. The edp is far more sweet in dry down with tonka and vanilla. I see this being a hit or miss. I think most folks will be annoyed and disappointed. I adore the scent with lavender in it, the performance isn't near as good until the patchouli kicks in in the drydown. It's there but more of a skin scent. Actually this changed on side by side wearings and it was projecting better and lasts longer than original edp. The patchouli is probably why. Way more refined and gentlemanly and mature scent that I'm guessing will get poor ratings and be discontinued soon. The soapy lavender and patchouli will probably not be for most. Ratings: Scent - 9/10 - I think they improved this significantly, at least for me. It's less annoying and youthful now Longevity 9.5/10 - shockingly, it's even better than the parfum Projection 8/10 - decent but it's not gonna fill up a room Versatility 10/10 - can be worn year round and would be great signature scent for men over 35. Overall 8.75/10 - I'll eat my words as these releases rarely are worth it. The changes made from the original edp make it a more versatile and unique fragrance that's not at all linear. By far my favorite from the Y line and a worthy addition to any collection.