Parisienne
Yves Saint Laurent (2009)

I got this at an estate sale a while back for $1. It had only about 20% left, but that was OK, because I just wanted to test it. I usually like Grojsman's stuff and have worn several over the years, but this one I just can't like. I read that it was supposed to be softer and more appealing to a younger set than the old classic Paris, but I'm just not getting that. I find it much more projecting and cloying than the worst haters of Paris accuse that one of being. I can't get past the lipstick and vinyl notes, they just overwhelm everything else for me. If there is any resemblance to Paris, it pretty much suffocated to death in all that vinyl, which by definition makes this one super-synthetic smelling to me. So rather than spraying this one, I'll just keep dabbing on my vintage Paris and let the chips fall where they may.

Light floral with fresh berries. Nothing bold, even for the eau de parfum. Not interesting, but I can't give it a negative or neutral review though. Sillage and longevity are just ok.

It opens with a handful of fresh red berries. Then comes the powdery rose blended with vinyl. The vinyl can be easily detected on me, and it's an interesting twist. I totally get the plastic makeup bag comparison. The red berries are still detectable, and add a hint of tartness to refresh the rose. However, I can barely smell the woody base. And the fragrance doesn't evolve much after then. The sillage is moderate and the longevity is around 8h on me.

Parisienne is chic and casual, an effortless elegance. However, I doubt if the vinyl note smells good to everyone. I suggest testing prior to blind buy.

As a lover of rose perfumes, this one gets a pass from me. There are better rose fragrances out there. I regrettably bought a 1oz bottle as a blindbuy. I admit I was attracted to the notes list, the bottle design, and the lovely lavender/pink liquid.

There is a sharp synthetic note that drowns the rest. I think it is the "vinyl" accord, in what was an attempt at creating thorns on a delicate rose. This may have been better accomplished with the use of leather. Surely it was mimicking the personality of the original Paris and the 80's. With some effort, I can make out the watery rose behind the plastic. The blackberry note is faint, which is a shame as I love blackberry. If you want a more prominent blackberry perfume, try L`Artisan Parfumeur's Mure et Musc. Reviews make me think that Parisienne A L`Extreme is what I wanted Parisienne to be (and it lacks the vinyl accord). Like many a good fragrance, it is sadly discontinued.

It's not too offensive, and the synthetic quality fades in the drydown, so it gets a neutral rating from me.

This has very similar qualities to the original "Paris", but it's basically a lighter version! I know the notes that are listed for this one are different from those that were listed for "Paris", but to my nose, they smell very similar! I said in an earlier review that "Cerisier en Fleurs" from Yves Rocher was the shy, sweet, quiet cousin of "Paris", and I just realized today that this one actually is too! :D Although it smells quite similar to "Paris", this one goes on smelling quite subtle and light by comparison, and almost seems more like a body mist (or EDT) in it's strength. It doesn't have huge sillage or projection like it's more "in your face" cousin. :D And, I will add that I sprayed it on from the actual tester bottle in Sephora. I wasn't dabbing it on from a test tube! This one actually is surprisingly quiet and subtle! I think it would be great as a warm weather perfume, probably. It also doesn't have great longevity, so you might need to re-apply throughout the day. It dries down to a very lovely, powdery sweet scent though, that I really enjoy a lot! Still, after a few hours it's almost entirely disappeared on me, so yes, this one will probably need more than one application. I still recommend trying it though, especially if you always liked the smell of "Paris" but thought it should be more subtle! :D I don't think you'll be disappointed!

The opening is taking after forest berries, more blueberry-like, and developed in to a floral drydown with a fairly nice rose with a white-floral background taking centre stage. The rose is not of great quality but good enough in this floral blend. So far this is pleasant as a fruity-floral composition.

The base adds touches of spicier notes, especially patchouli but I am also getting a light musk impression towards the end. The base notes are all right but on my skin somewhat dull and unexciting, as well as a bit too generic. I get moderate sillage, good projection and five hours of longevity. 2/5