L’Homme Libre by Yves Saint Laurent

If you can’t track it down, try Givenchy Gentleman 2017. Perfect for at-home days: freshly shaved, robe, clean house. Think occasions where you’d wear Polo Blue or Dior Homme Cologne, but with a drier twist.

One of my husband’s personal fragrances. I’m obsessed. It’s just, so wonderful. I understand why some might find the presence of astringent woods with a spicy base overwhelming; it suits him perfectly. I love that intense sensation that almost makes me sneeze; it doesn’t bother me—it feels invigorating. The pink pepper steals the show for hours. A delicate yet persistent trail. It smells spotless. It’s a clean, clear, and powerful scent all at once. Complex and beautiful; you have to let it develop on the skin to truly know it. Safe buy if you like modern masculine scents with a strong presence.

Am I the only one who thinks it smells like Smirnoff tamarind, or did the decant I was gifted just go bad?

Less sticky than Invictus, similar to L’Homme Ultime. I prefer the June 2022 edition from Chile; I don’t see much distinctiveness in this one, though I haven’t tested it enough yet, just based on the scent.

I disagree with reviews calling it fresh. To me, fresh are the summer versions, some sports, or aquatic, ozonic, and citrus families. Libre doesn’t belong to any of those. It’s clean, slightly spicy, elegant, and discreet. It reminds me of the Gentlemen Only Casual Chic flanker by Givenchy (not so much the original Gentlemen On its own) and has a bit of Fahrenheit in the air, but much softer and more wearable. Zegna Uomo is more ‘colony’ style—slightly more citrusy and woody.

Fresh, spicy, clean, and elegant. At first, it smells strange—pastel and salty—but within minutes, that soapy and spicy aura emerges, making it sophisticated. It becomes more pleasant over time. Projects for about an hour and lasts 6 to 8 hours on the skin. It doesn’t feel suffocating; I’ve received many compliments at the office and on dates. Over time, Enamora becomes addictive.

Haha, Javier Zurbano, we’re on the same page. All I can say is that it’s very fresh and versatile, perfect for day and night. It lasts about 6 hours on the skin, and people always ask what I’m wearing; it’s quite noticeable.

Explosive, spicy, and citrusy opening; basil, bergamot, and violet leaves come out immediately. In my opinion, I loved that initial cucumber-and-lemon vibe. Then the basil fades and pink pepper takes over. Up close, it’s sweet from the patchouli and earthy from the vetiver. The star notes are the violet leaves and star anise. Very summery; it reminded me a lot of Ermenegildo Zegna’s Uomo, but this one is better. An excellent choice among my favorites.

I can’t recommend this for more than three sprays; it bothers me and makes me sneeze. It’s spicy and strong; to keep applying it, I have to move around and reapply twice. I bought it because it was half price two years ago, I liked the bottle, and thought, ‘What could I lose?’ I find it linear; I believe the notes evolve from strong to soft, but I always detect the violet and pepper. The anise adds a sweetness I can’t quite distinguish, but it’s there. The base is soft and creamy. It’s true that it has a soft sillage and doesn’t project much, but I smell it very well, especially in heat and humidity; sometimes it feels suffocating, which is rare. Longevity: good on clothes for over 12 hours, maybe 9 on the skin. I’ve tried weaker perfumes than this. It’s more for personal enjoyment, but if someone asks if you smell like that or what you’re wearing, that’s enough projection. The scent reminds me of Givenchy Gentlemen; a colleague wore it, and I thought, ‘I’ll copy him,’ but he was wearing the Givenchy. I wear it during spring and summer; it performs better, isn’t intrusive, and suits these temperatures. In cold weather, I don’t detect it after three hours. Five sprays are good; it lasts my workday: the first one is full strength, then it fades, but I still smell it softly. The aroma is classy—not loud or common; it shows a certain refinement. It doesn’t have strong woody character for a distinguished image, but it fits well in almost any corporate environment. For some strange reason, it reminds me of CH 212 (which I bought recently but haven’t worn in 12 years). Something is there, but it’s simpler.

Very similar to Givenchy Gentleman Only. Summing up its scent: ‘Spicy Violet.’ Future purchase; it’s fresh, elegant, mature, and office-appropriate, yet youthful. Where I live, it’s not overused, so it’s perfect. The only downside is its sillage, which is quite moderate, but its longevity is decent.

I want to buy one for these summer holidays… I liked it a lot the other time I tried it, so I’ll probably buy it again 🙂 fresh and elegant.

A rich perfume; the opening has that spicy touch. Very good trail and lasts quite a while on the skin once dried down. I bought the 200ml bottle, it’s almost unused, but I’m looking to trade because every time I wear it, I start sneezing. I must be allergic to one of its components.

L’Homme Libre resembles its brother L’Homme a bit but is sweeter, without ginger, better for full summer use because it’s fresher and perhaps more aquatic. Honestly, I’m always tempted to buy it and add it to my collection, but every time I try it, it just doesn’t fill me up. It’s a fairly linear fragrance; maybe only two phases occur here… It also doesn’t last more than 4 hours on my skin; by the first two hours, it’s already not projecting. Unfortunately, even though I’d love to like it since I’m fascinated by its bottle and details, I can’t buy it; it’s simply not worth it. Maybe my pH isn’t right or who knows what, but I think it could have been made with better quality. Longevity: 4/10 Poor… Versatility: 7/10 Projection: 6/10 Sillage: 4/10 Quality: 5/10 Scent: 8/10 TOTAL: 5/10 Simply very mediocre.

A safe bet from YSL, a house that hasn’t scored a hit in men’s perfumery in quite some time. I’ve been using my second bottle of L’Homme Libre; its fruity and sweet trail seems pleasant and not annoying, perfect for safe use at the office or enclosed spaces. I don’t think it has a distinctive scent or sets it apart from other sweet gourmand fragrances currently in fashion; to a certain extent, its smell is quite generic. However, I use it as my go-to when I don’t feel like choosing a special scent for the day, as I don’t consider it black or white, simply gray—a commercial aroma destined to be forgotten. Moderate trail and projection.

I didn’t like it at all. I expected something fresher; I would only buy it for the beautiful bottle, haha.