The next biggie coming up in the fragrance world is YSL Manifesto which they hope will become as inextricably linked with YSL as Opium or Rive Gauche. The bottle is highly distinctive and actually very beautiful, with an hourglass shade belted with jewel-like purple – opulent and indulgent and if you look at it in packaging terms, it reflects the fragrance perfectly.
So, to the scent. A blend of jasmine, cedar wood, vanilla and tonka bean, with blackcurrant, lily of the valley and sandalwood thrown in, the result is deep, warm and beautifully feminine. Although I have a horror of vanilla, and it came through too strongly for me to start with, the dry down merges into the skin to create a you-but-better aroma. You can smell skin, but also flowers and soft woodiness.. it’s lovely. YSL Manifesto is sexy – really so, but also gently reassuring and everything elegant. Clever. It launches in September.
The face of YSL Manifesto is Jessica Chastain. I’m not in the least concerned about celebrities to be fair, but she does seem like a match for the perfume. What I found really interesting though, is that during the promo film, she pronounced Yves Saint Laurent without a trace of the French accent it needs, instead of ‘san’, she says saint and adds the t to Laurent. I thought it commendable that they let her keep her individual way of saying it when every French person on the team must have been cringing.
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5 comments
I myself cringe often at mispronounced words in other languages. If you’re going to get all fancy and speak French -or any language for that matter- please learn how to say it first. Don’t butcher it with your own interpretation.
Other than that, I see this as a good launch to affirm that YSL stays YSL.
Cult classic? Remains to be seen still, as none of these notes are really.. all that different from what’s out there now.
Sounds lovely, cannot wait to try it
This looks lovely! The bottle is bound to become iconic and from the description, the scent sounds beautiful! I’m a massive Opium fan so such a deep scent is sure to be a hit with me.
Its such a nice touch for Jessica Chastain to remain true to her own way as it allows YSL to be viewed as more approachable and accessible to all people.
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Sounds nice and I like Jessica Chastain. But I LOVE Emily Blunt (for Opium) more 🙂
Beautiful bottle and LOVE the sound of the fragrance.
Nic x