Caftan

9 reseñas

Mostrando las más recientes primero.

• Darkbeat

  June 9, 2017

  

  This is a perfume with capital letters, a true cult classic by Yves Saint Laurent. From the opening, you feel the resins with an exquisite initial citrus and spicy sensation, nothing intense, buffering what comes next. Gradually, the citrus notes fade to reveal the resinous heart: warm, balsamic, and incredibly smoky. Here, the combination of incense, benzoin, labdanum, and styrax creates a sweet, dense, opulent, and baroque oriental aroma, but with a cheerful character you’d expect. An oriental for a thousand noses. It seems linear, but it isn’t; the notes fight to stand out, sometimes highlighting one, then another, giving it a lot of dynamism. The dry-down has a very subtle, almost effervescent musk touch that reawakens the aroma with a hint of animalic character, though not very prominent. It’s in the vein of Annick Goutal’s Ambre Fétiche or Tom Ford’s Amber Absolute: it doesn’t smell the same, but shares that opulent and dense oriental essence. The longevity was superb, exceeding 15 hours with magnificent projection, but I think it’s more recommended for fresh weather; in the heat, it might be too much. The only downside is the price, really prohibitive, but I believe it’s worth every cent.

• MIQUELEMG

  June 10, 2017

  

  Not being as well-known as Darkbeat, I’ll offer my modest opinion. I picked up a bottle of this exquisite elixir. The opening and evolution are well described. The sensations are what one expects from a luxury ‘Oriental’. Upon putting it on and stepping out, it smelled clearly, making me feel different; it reminded me of the scent of luxury stores in Arab countries. On paper, it seems more feminine, but on a man’s skin, it evolves very well, enhancing the incense and spices with a natural sweetness. Beastly longevity, excellent projection, and 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. Hard to find, and even harder to try in stores.

• MIQUELEMG

  June 15, 2017

  

  Not claiming to be as well-regarded in the East as Darkbeat, I offer my modest take after the eccentricity of buying this exquisite elixir. The opening and evolution are already described perfectly. As for the sensations, which are subjective, they are exactly what one expects from a luxury ‘Oriental.’ Upon putting it on and stepping out, it projected clearly and changed the ambient smell, reminding me of luxury stores 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. Lasting power is beastly, projection is excellent, and the evolution is interesting. If you like Orientals and are willing to pay a high price for something exquisite, this is fantastic. It’s perfect as a gift for sophisticated men or women who appreciate exclusivity. Hard to find, and even harder to try in stores.

• Josesan

  December 10, 2017

  

  The opening of CAFTAN by Yves Saint Laurent is breathtaking 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 Perfume Wardrobe) collection in 2015, with five day fragrances and five night fragrances. Among the day scents, the inspiration came from Yves Saint Laurent’s haute couture collections: tuxedo, bomber jacket, gabardine, caftan, and safari. Specifically, the caftan starred in the Trapeze collection of 1958, inspired by Moroccan caftans (Yves was born in Oran). It’s curious that this citrus opening lacks oriental resins entirely. It seems to send us to the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, among oranges and mandarins. Against the current vulgarity of the ‘proletarian’ line (Black Opium, etc.), L’Oreal takes care of its millionaire club with this wardrobe. After the first half hour, like the sun in Marrakech, the desired woody flashes emerge. The resinous essences, used in religious rites for the chosen, spread their wings with benzoin, frankincense, and labdanum. There’s some confusion on the card: 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’s for special occasions, not intrusive, contained and elegant, but with great longevity and presence.

• JohnMilton

  October 5, 2019

  

  A textbook oriental. Opens with resin at full blast; you smell the olibanum immediately, so the opening is sweet, slightly spiced, with the warmth and ‘smokiness’ inherent to burning olibanum. The heart phase is a challenge if you don’t wear benzoin; it’s INTOXICATING. I love it, but here it got cloying to me; I’m not saying it ruins the composition, but it can be tiring. It projects like a demon, and there’s a tug-of-war between olibanum and benzoin that ends in a draw, both very clear. The dry-down is the best: resinous, balsamic, with a sweet incense that’s cozy and mystical, making you want to sniff it until you disappear. In short, a YSL masterpiece with extraordinary quality and performance. Worth the price tag of over 200 euros. When to wear it? Winter exclusively. How long does it last? Easily 10 hours.

• FranSeatJones.

  September 1, 2021

  

  Caftan is incredibly elegant, sophisticated, wearable, and delicate. If it were more opulent, it would be eccentric. Few words have been said about it already, but if I’m forced to describe this treasure, I’d say it smells like oily resin, amber, with hints of incense-orange, something ecclesiastical. Literally, it smells like the best stick of incense without being lit. Perfect for the coming cold days. Day or night, very versatile and unique. I love how the labdanum is handled; it’s much better balanced than in Le Lion by Chanel, which I find excessive. It lasts over 10 hours on skin and infinitely on clothes or hair. In its dry-down, it’s a sweet amber combo without losing the incense, which is my favorite part. Incredible for a date. I’m not an expert, but few aromas surprise me lately, and Caftan definitely did. Thanks to Ivancerio for the tip on the 125 ml deal. Expensive? Not cheap. Does it do something new? Not entirely, and it doesn’t need to. Is it worth it? More than you’d think. 10/10. One of my best blind buys.

• calvofe

  July 19, 2023

  

  A crisp autumn morning, I walked my mom to the town market. With a rotten molar keeping me on sick leave and no better plans, I figured I’d enjoy her company while carrying her bags to spare her back pain. I sprayed Caftan, the first bottle I spotted on the shelf. While chatting near the lingerie stall, with cod and olives nearby, my mom bumped into three cheerful octogenarians. They chatted endlessly about their lives and gossip until one, puzzled, asked what scent was drifting by. She said it smelled like a church. Undoubtedly, it was me. I explained in a serious yet relaxed tone—think 21st-century Pompey—about the perfume and my hobby. The ladies were surprised and asked all sorts of questions about my ethereal life with a throbbing tooth. Turns out, thanks to the aroma, I was winning over the octogenarians. I had to cut the conversation short because the tooth was really bothering me. I’d used it before without making such an impression, but this time it was different. I concluded it’s a scent that older people love, since they’re more accustomed to this kind of fragrance. It’s resinous, one of the best incense perfumes on the market, by far. The heart notes are sublime: Olibanum, Benzoin, and Styrax of the highest quality. Bottled elegance, distinction, and opulence. Go ahead and play a hand of Tute. I’ll leave you to it.

• calvofe

  July 30, 2023

  

  One autumn day, with a throbbing toothache, I accompanied my mother to the town market. I put on Caftan because it was the first one I saw on the shelf. At the lingerie stall, right next to the cod fish counter, my mother ran into three octogenarian friends. When they asked about the aroma floating around, they commented that it smelled like a church. Undoubtedly, it was me. I explained in a serious yet relaxed tone about my passion for perfumes. The ladies were surprised and asked me questions about my life. Thanks to the scent, I was winning them over. I had to leave because my tooth hurt. I’ve worn the perfume before without causing such an impression, so I conclude that older people tend to like this type of aroma more. It’s resinous, one of the best incenses on the market, far superior to others. The middle notes are sublime: Olibanum, Benzoin, and high-quality Styrax. Elegance, distinction, and opulence bottled up. You’re invited to play a game of Tute.

• Rod Zaid

  January 7, 2024

  

  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. Then it evolves into something sweet, almost chocolatey but more caramelized than dark. This has happened to me and others. It’s 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 so good’ and ‘your perfume smells like chocolate, I love it.’ I see it as elegant, opulent, casual yet formal, suitable for temperate or cold climates. It’s unisex, though I’d say it’s 65% masculine and 35% feminine. It lasts 7 to 9 hours on skin and days on clothes, projects a lot, and has a powerful trail. The price isn’t cheap, ranging from 3,500 MXN to over 5,500 in stores, but there are niche perfumes that are even more expensive yet perform worse. It comes in 125 ml, in a minimalist and elegant bottle with a magnetic cap. Overall rating: 8.