1958 - L’Essence de L’Essence

I discovered YVRA1958 after reading about it in several Dutch media. As a fan of transparent perfumes like Eau de Hadrien of Goutal, and the (what a pitty!....) discontinued Monsieur de Givenchy. And of course I like the sophisticated Eau de Bigarade of Editions de Parfums and may be the greatest of all eau fraîches Eau Sauvage! So I was very interested in this Dutch creation as it is promoted as a cologne / soapy like fragrance. When I smelled the perfume for the first time, I was very pleased while it was both fresh and very comforting. Compared to my favourite fresh perfumes I think YVRA 1958 opens indeed very rich on hints of lemon, but quite soon it shows it’s more woody aromatic side. After I got a sample (a perfumed tissue the way only Hermès is still producing I think) I really missed the scent the day after and decided to buy my first bottle and I am a fan ever since.

Just picked up a 2ml sample of the two fragrances from this house and yes I do agree L'Essence de L'Essence has that "smelled this somewhere before" aspect to it but is a more natural and higher quality interpretation of a citrus/ginger-woods manly scent. I really like it. Citrus Woody aromatic type fragrances are among my favourites, they have an uplifting character to them that just gives you such an enjoyable mood-boost. L'Essence de L'Essence is definitely a bright Spring/Summer scent and I'm happy to report is one of the few scents that I wear that has received several unsolicited compliments in the office where I work within the first few hours of arrival. :o) There's just one slight snag.....£107 for 100ml EDP is pretty steep for what is still a fairly mainstream style of scent. Might have to save up for this one.

The first time I came across YVRA 1958 was when I saw their online Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Usually I don't buy these products, but this was just a very convincing video. Perfumer/lifestyle journalist van Regteren Altena was being interviewed at his house and was speaking about the people he had interviewed in his career... Jean-Claude Ellena, Francois Demachy, Michel Roudnitska... And they all gave him his blessings for his creation. It made me too curious to not buy the bottle. So I did! In short: Love the scent. Great cologne. It really has that "sophisticated gentleman" smell... Lovely citrus opening notes and woody second notes. Will definitely buy the bottle again!

This scent is absolutely stunning. I’m always looking out for ‘the’ scent for me and I think I found it. This has everything. Every ingredient is so wonderfully integrated. It is fresh, smooth, aromatic, seductive all in one! Wouldn’t describe it necessarily as Italian or mediterranean, it is more allround.

Absolutely gorgeous spices! Beautiful cardamom and pepper notes, plus, fresh and zesty citruses. The base is more dry and woody. Probably some can cat it’s a manly scent, but I love everything about it! Just finished a big decant of it. My ig: scent.guide

I'm really, really satisfied with this purchase! Saw it on the review done by the Fragrance Bro's (youtube) and just bought it. Love the soapy scent, it gives you a really clean feeling. In short: it's sophisticated and very fresh. A great cologne!

Great fragrance, nice blend of woods. Works well on hot summer days. Always get compliments when wearing this.

This is the second bottle of this brand that I have sampled, and compared to Yvra 1500, this one is much more mass appealing, much easier to appreciate. It does not really smell unique or special. I agree with one review below, it does smell familiar, having this "I have smelled it somewhere before" vibe. I tested both on paper and on skin, and to my disappointment, it does not perform well on my skin, as I really enjoy how it smells on paper. On paper it opens with juicy and fresh citrusy notes, and cardamon comes to the spotlight soon afterwards. After 5-10 minutes, it develops into a total cardamon bomb, spicy yet fresh. When sandalwood comes up, it brings me calm and comfort. The milky woody sandalwood mixes so well with the spicy cardamon. The drydown really reminds me of Marrakech Intense by Aesop. However, on my skin the soapy orange blossom stands out in the opening, and it stays soapy for quite long time. Later I also get cardamon, but not as dominant as on paper; instead, I get woody note from cedar more. It smells ordinary to my nose. When it dries down, I get a balanced mixture of spicy and woody scent. It is pleasant, but nothing special. In general this is an easy bottle to wear, and also suitable for the office. As for the performance, it is rather subtle, does not "scream" loudly. The longevity is fine.

Pleasantly suprised by this one. Opens up like a normal fresh citrusy scent, dries down to a really pleasant cedarwood, spicy scent, with a nice ambry and sandalwood backbone - not your average everyday citrus smell. Performance and longevity is decent

This smells like generic ginger lemon men's fragrance with woodsy dry down. Not bad, but not unique enough.

Mostly cardamon bomb with some citruses on the top and a woody base (a lot of ISO E Super!). Not very interesting though. I was counting for something much better and classy. And I am not a fan of cardamon unless it is Declaration by Cartier. :) Someone mentioned here that it reminds him of Gucci Envy... What? C'mon....French Lover? Neroli Portofino? Pure nonsense. It smells nothing like these!

Very pleasant and refreshing! It's not a niche level masterpiece with high complexity but it's still totally a keeper and full bottle worth in my opinion. Performance and longevity is decent

Gucci Envy for men, but even more ginger. A bit more natural, perhaps. But REALLY heavy on the ginger. Just tried it for the first time. Like it, don't love it.

A top perfume for the man who likes to be remembered, it also gives you a refreshment feeling after a long trip.

ISO E Super a lot. Plus white woods, cedar and lemon honey notes. Modern cologne. A bit serious and melancholic.