Rive Gauche
Rive Gauche by Yves Saint Laurent is a feminine-leaning eau de toilette from 1971 in the designer price tier. It opens with aldehydes, bergamot and peach, moves into rose, jasmine, iris and ylang-ylang and dries down to sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver and white musk. Expect around 8 hours of wear, and it projects strongly.
Notes, explained
Opening
- Aldehydes Fizzy, soapy, slightly waxy. The 'sparkle' at the top of Chanel No. 5.
- Bergamot Sharp citrus with a faint bitter edge. The opening of about half of all men's fragrances.
- Peach Fuzzy, warm and slightly creamy. Soft rather than sharp.
Heart
- Rose Can be jammy, green, peppery or soapy depending on the type. Not one smell.
- Jasmine Heady, sweet and slightly animal underneath. Rarely subtle.
- Iris Cool, powdery, slightly carroty and expensive. The luxury note.
- Ylang-Ylang Banana-custard floral. Rich, tropical and slightly rubbery.
Dry-down
- Sandalwood Creamy, milky wood. Soft and almost edible.
- Oakmoss Damp forest floor. Bitter, green and the backbone of every chypre.
- Vetiver Dry, earthy, smoky grass root. Smells like soil and citrus peel.
- White Musk Clean, soft, laundry-like. The 'smells like nothing but better' note.
Smells like this
- Lanvin Arpege
- Montale Aoud Queen Roses
- Amouage Lyric Woman
- Guerlain Mitsouko
- Montale Red Vetiver
- Guy Laroche Fidji
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