Caftan by Yves Saint Laurent

Smells incredible and is very original. The opening features resin, incense, and pepper; it sounds like a church but smells like luxury perfume, not a temple. It then evolves into something sweet, almost chocolatey but more caramelised than dark. This has happened to me and others. It is unique; I haven’t heard anything like it. So far, I’ve only received two compliments, both in the final phase (after 4+ hours): ‘your lotion smells delicious’ and ‘your perfume smells like chocolate, I love it’. I see it as elegant, opulent, casual yet formal, suitable for mild or cold climates. It is unisex, though I’d say it’s 65% male and 35% female. It lasts 7 to 9 hours on skin and days on clothes, projects strongly, and has a potent trail. The price isn’t cheap, ranging from 3,500 to over 5,500 MXN in shops, though there are niche perfumes that are more expensive yet perform worse. It comes in 125 ml, in a minimalist and elegant bottle with a magnetic cap. Overall rating: 8.

An autumn morning, I accompanied my mother to the village market. Being off work due to a terrible molar, I had no better plan than to enjoy her company while carrying her shopping bags to spare her back pain. I sprayed on Caftan, the first perfume I spotted on the shelf. While chatting by the knickers stall, with cod and olives nearby, my mother encountered three cheerful octogenarians. They talked at length about their lives and gossip until one, puzzled, asked what scent was drifting through the air. She remarked it smelled like a church. Undoubtedly, it was me. I explained in a serious yet relaxed tone, very much like a 21st-century Pompey, about the fragrance and my hobby. The ladies were surprised and asked questions about my ethereal existence with the troublesome molar. It turned out that thanks to the aroma, I was winning over the octogenarians. I had to cut the conversation short as the toothache was becoming unbearable. I’d used it before without causing such an impression, but this time was different. I concluded it’s a scent that appeals to older people, as they are more accustomed to this type of fragrance. It is resinous, one of the best incense perfumes on the market, by far. The middle notes are sublime: Olibanum, Benzoin, and Styrax of the highest quality. Elegance, distinction, and opulence bottled up. I’ll leave you to play a game of tute.

A book-worthy oriental. Opens resinous to the max, you smell the olibanum right away, so the opening is sweet, slightly spicy, with the warmth and ‘smoky’ quality of burning olibanum. The middle phase is a challenge if you don’t wear benzoin; it’s INTOXICATING. I love it, but here it became cloying for me, watch out, I’m not saying it ruins the composition, but it can be tiring. It projects like a demon and there’s a struggle between the olibanum and the benzoin that ends in a draw, both very clear. The dry down is the best: resinous, balsamic, with a sweet, welcoming, and mystical incense that makes you want to smell it until you lose yourself. In short, a YSL masterpiece, with extraordinary quality and performance. It’s worth the cost of over 200 euros. When is it for? Winter exclusively. How long does it last? Easily 10 hours.

The opening of CAFTAN DE YVES SAINT LAURENT is staggering in its intoxicating beauty. A hesperidic composition based on bergamot, mandarin, and pepper, of supreme quality. And if the opening is beautiful, the dry-down is pure ambrosia. The house launched the Le Vestiaire des Parfums (The Wardrobe of Perfumes) collection in 2015, with five day fragrances and five night fragrances. Among the day scents, its inspiration came from Yves Saint Laurent’s haute couture collections: tuxedo, parka, gabardine, caftan, and safari. Specifically, the caftan starred in the Trapeze collection of 1958, inspired by Moroccan caftans (Yves was born in Oran). This curious citrus opening is notable for the absence of oriental resins. It seems to send us to the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, among oranges and mandarins. Facing the current vulgarity of the ‘proletarian’ line (Black Opium, etc.), L’Oreal cares for its club of millionaires with this wardrobe. After the first half hour, like the sun in Marrakech, the desired woody sparkles emerge. The resinous essences, used in religious rites for the chosen, spread their wings with benzoin, frankincense, and labdanum. There is confusion in the notes: Styrax is the tree from which benzoin is extracted. Labdanum replaces ambergris and animal musk, so including both is redundant. The dry-down is prolonged, vanilla-scented, with the sweetness of oriental woods, a mix of tobacco, smoke, and incense. It is used in special circumstances, not intrusive, contained and elegant, but of great longevity and presence.

Not being as highly regarded as Darkbeat, I’ll offer my humble take. I managed to get my hands on a bottle of this exquisite elixir. The opening and evolution are well described; the sensations are exactly what one expects from a luxury ‘Oriental’. Upon putting it on and stepping out, it smelled clearly and made me feel different, reminiscent of the scent in luxury shops in Arab countries. On paper, it seems more feminine, but on a man’s skin, it evolves beautifully, enhancing the incense and spices with a natural sweetness. The longevity is beastly, with excellent projection and an interesting evolution. If you like Orientals and are willing to pay a high price for something exquisite, this is fantastic. As a gift, it’s perfect for sophisticated men or women who appreciate the exclusive. It’s hard to find, and even harder to try in stores.