Paris

Discontinued MASTERPIECE ! The most complexly feminine perfume without being bombastic. In a league of its own. Oh I miss the days of the OGs of Jaipur (Fem), Paris, Tresor. Only Grossman could handle that many notes in one formula.

I remember Paris coming out when I was in high school and really loved it. I didn't buy it until years later when I was planning a trip to Italy and I always buy a new frag to lock in the memories of a new country to a scent. Was it odd to pick 'Paris' for Rome? Probably. But it worked perfectly to capture all the traipsing around the Colosseum, grabbing a cappuccino at the nearby cafe, and walking in sandals that killed me through the ruins of Pompeii. Paris sparkles and dazzles with a joyful unseriousness in contrast to other perfumes of the era. It reminds me vaguely of Versace Yellow Diamond, which I also love.

Powdery, perfumey and "makeup" smelling. Almost aldehydic and soapy. Breaking it down it's green, dewy yet somehow slightly sweet and candied violets with rose. As a child I never considered this as loud or typically "80s powerhouse". I was born in 95 and my mother worked with cosmetics and was always bringing testers of perfume and makeup home, from great brands. The perfume I remember most is this, out of all of the ones she brought home - Kenzo Elephant, several Salvador Dali, Gucci Rush come to mind. Probably my intense nostalgia, but for some reason this one stuck in my memory more than the dozens others of my childhood. Discontinuing this was shameful!

I have a vintage bottle of this, and I am obsessed with it. Looking inside the curious diamond-shaped bottle, the perfume looks bright and ambery, and rich with oils. When I spray this, I'm hit with a wave of rich violet and jammy rose. It is really powerful, yet soft and so beautiful. Big, heady Parma Violets and juicy-yet-green roses, making way to fleshy hyacinth, mimosa and linden flowers as it dries down. That candied violet note is detectible the whole time I wear it. There is also a lipsticky inkiness there, not strong, but noticeable, that I think really complements the composition. Vivacious, effortless and uplifting. I simply love it. Edit: Got a new bottle of this in EDP. It smells kind of similar to the vintage one. The liquid in the original, older bottle looks a bit darker, and smells a bit stronger. The new bottle smells a lot more like alcohol. This could be due to alcohol evaporation causing the oils in the old bottle to become more concentrated over time, or perhaps because of since reformulations. Interesting to see pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil on the ingredients list. I wouldn't have known that this was part of this scent. The new formula is less bright and less sweet smelling, and has more of a baby-oil smell than the original. It has less of that luminous violet/rose floral accord, and is now heavier on the musks and soapies. It also has less of that sweet, inky hyacinth smell compared to the vintage, but it is still there. I'd say the new formula smells more synthetic, and feels less soft, flowery and rosy-cheeked. It has sadly lost a lot of that gorgeous candied rose and parma violet which had lasted long into the drydown, and in its place, I get skin musks (which I can't detect in the original formula) slightly sour florals, and a skeletal dose of that signature violet and rose (compared to original which is a full bodied violet/rose/iris BOMB.) The original lasts on the skin for many hours as a sweet, crystalline rose/violet scent. The reformulation lasts for a few hours as a soapy skin scent, but definitely isn't as long lasting or as beautiful as the original after a few hours of wear. It also feels a lot more aggressive and unwelcoming somehow. The newer one has far harsher edges, like something synthetic, metallic and slightly sour which I associate with 'clubbing' perfumes. Unfortunately, I smell this same note in a lot of YSL's more contemporary formulas. This note may have been added during reformulation to keep Paris smelling 'on-brand' and 'contemporary', but instead, it changes the whole feeling of the fragrance compared to the original. This is particularly apparent when it dries down. Such a shame! That said, the vintage bottle is MANY years older, and has had ample time to really macerate and develop. It may even be that the volatiles I find disturbing in the 'new formula' may well have existed in the original formula, but have since evaporated from my UV exposed, 20+ year old bottle. I will still be using the old bottle very sparingly, as the modern formula is sadly no replacement. In any case, original formula Paris is fabulous, and possibly my favourite fragrance ever. Thank heavens for Sophia Grojsman!

In YSL's Paris, it is the violets that steal the show. They are what I notice first, ...and remember most. Yes, admittedly there are also many other florals in this light, yet amply endowed perfume. Including buckets of roses, of course, ...as well as spring blooms, ...and white florals ...and a fine accompaniment of other violet-adjacent notes, such as mimosa, orris, and heliotrope. In addition, o must also take special note of the linden blossoms on the list. Though their olfactory presence here is blended and indistinct; conceptually they must be among the most important flowers in any quintessentially Parisian fragrance, ...for in point of fact, when does Paris ever objectively smell better than when the tilleul are in bloom? All the same, again speaking only of the perfume in Yve's bottle, ...the violets steal the show.

It opens with bright aldehydes, neroli, and peach, then quickly settles into a classic powdery rose supported by violet and clove, giving it a clean, soapy-floral character without being feminine. The drydown is soft musk, sandalwood, and a hint of honey, so it stays elegant and “well-groomed” rather than sweet or loud. Sillage is moderate at 1-1.5m for the first 2-3 hours, then becomes a skin scent. Longevity is 6-7 hours on skin, longer on clothes. It’s not a beast , but timeless, office-safe, date-safe, and perfect if you want a refined rose that smells expensive without trying too hard.

Skyrocketed to a beloved favorite in my collection. Every time I look at the bottle I want to douse myself in it. So deliciously airy and cold with the perfect amount of juicy green foliage and creamy pink rose. Dewy violet, powdery iris, and mimosa reinforcing... cassis slightly bitter and sour and a garden bed of oakmoss. yum yum yum

while I don't love this fragrance, I was really shocked by the fact that I don't hate it. it's floral all the way down, & definitely powdery - a combo I usually can't stand - but this scent was honestly okay. it reminds me of Miranda Priestly in A Devil Wears Prada: no-nonsense, effortlessly classy, confident & competent. I felt elevated just wearing this it's definitely not my style - it feels more mature & femme than my tastes typically lean - but I respect how well crafted it is. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a classy floral scent

Je veux mon Paris… mon bien-aimé 💔 Paris was the first perfume I ever owned. I’ve worn it since I was 16, and I’ll never get over YSL discontinuing it. I’ve spent years searching for another rose perfume, but nothing comes close. I still don’t understand what’s going on with YSL, getting rid of everything that has character.

Smells like a rich aunt. I appreciate it for what it is, but the powder is overwhelming to my nose. I liked it best as it was wearing off. It might be my skin, but there's a strong baby-powder scent that has a chemical note in the first hour or so, but it become more floral-powder later on. I found I had to mentally picture a rose and a violet to pick them out from the powder. It's a little too big of a fragrance I think. I feel I couldn't wear it anywhere without annoying people with it. An outdoor wedding might suit though. It's definitely an 80s scent. My husband said it reminded him of church ladies.

(Review of the EdT, bottle from 1986) I love you. Three one-syllable words that have the power to start wars or end them, to make a heart swell until it breaks with joy or in absence of them terrible sorrow, to be used flippantly in a greeting or a departure as a reminder, or to be weighed more carefully than the deepest of spiritual postulations before saying it to someone for the first time. Yves Saint Laurent wanted to say I love you to Paris, and so asked Sophia Grojsman to help him make the gesture. I think he succeeded in getting his message across, and he hands his beloved city the most beautiful bouquet of red roses. The simple red rose was not enough though. Every flower known to man was placed into this bouquet in exacting proportions so that what was abstractly achieved, in the grandest gesture possible, was a red rose accord of enormous proportions. Whites, purples, greens, oranges, golds, beiges, and reds are all here and given a generous shawl of powdery aldehydes as if you’re looking upon the love of your life in hazy sunlight. The musky and creamy woody base nestles you like an embrace. For many this is going to smell unforgivably retro and derivative. The inability for some to not compare and contrast a perfume to others as a means to assess, to simply let it take you somewhere, and to not assign a date or an era to it, is unfortunate for them. I, on the other hand…. This perfume does something to me. It’s irrational and inexplicable, totally emotional. Every time I smell it my pulse quickens, my stomach knots, my eyes get misty, I breathe deeper and slower, and I’m transported somewhere. It is my honest opinion that this is the best perfume Grojsman has ever made, and that says a lot. I think it was quite personal for her as well, I don't know how it could not be.

I have a vintage mini of this beautiful perfume, you can see my photo of it on Fragram. For whatever stupid reason, I decided to open it a few minutes ago (this has not been opened for at least 20 years) and some of the perfume spilled on my hand. This mini is at least 28 years old, my sister and I got it as a free sample in the best perfume shop in the little town in Northern Italy where we grew up. At first, the perfume just smelt of alchol. I was not surprised, thinking it must be off. But after a couple of minutes, the alcohol went and I was left with this beautiful watery but also slightly green, slightly powdery and very rich rose. All of a sudden, it was 30 years ago, back then designers perfume was strong, interesting and truly innovative. And not everyone wanted to smell like a cupcake... Such an elegant perfume 🌹💖

"Paris" is roses with Poison

Mine is a vintage splash bottle. Reminds me of Nahema. Gorgeously fresh, bright & powdery neon rose. Easy to love. Update: I think it's my favorite rose perfume. Diamonds & Rubies is a close second. Thank you Sophia Grosjman, creator of so many beloved favorites 🩷

This perfume is just lovely. It's strong, but not nauseating, and it's 80s, but still suitable for now.

Soooo reminiscent of the 1980's! At the time I wanted a more sultry perfume (I wore Magie Noir by Lancome) and this was too brightly pink and feminine to my nose. It's like a huge fuschia-pink cut diamond - flashy and bright yet pure and crystaline. An 80's English rose - all angles, hair piled high and violet eyeshadow

I was unexpectedly gifted the 125ml bottle, surely the widely lamented newest reformulation. Not knowing what to expect, upon first sniff I was confused by the powdery medley of indiscernible flowers, performing poorly during a heat wave. Yet with cooler temperatures (or as a sleep scent) I find this the most charming violet-forward floral. It’s no Quelques Violettes (my true forever love), and I understand it’s only a shadow of its original self. But it’s less cutsie than Goutal’s Violette, less moody than Guerlain’s violet classics (I haven’t tried the Acqua Allegoria for fear of its brevity), and meets my needs better than any other violet in my collection, aside from my QV. Turns out, this is a love!! Projection and longevity leaves something to be desired; without the IFRA restrictions and so on, this surely had more sticking power. In sum: still a gem. So delighted to have been introduced!

A big bouquet of flowers. Quite strong. Classy.

Mine is batch code 62r10rw (made in Jan 2018). It's definitely not the same as the 80s version. Much more floral and less woody..... Oh well.

Paris was the harbinger of the famous Grojsman ‘Hug me’ accord. Only Paris does it justice. Many sense it in Vanderbilt; I don’t. I see it as a more typical 80’s high octane Alabama floral. One that’s rich, powdery, honeyed. Impeccably manicured, well dressed even at home and always with a fresh pitcher of peach iced tea and coffee cake ready to serve. Homemade. Paris takes rose and violet primordially, with accompanying green notes (mostly stems and leafs) and sweet intoxicating flowers like hawthorn, lily and orange blossom and infuses the base with clean, cottony musks. So it inevitably shows some synthetic aspects that feel unpolished but that’s the idea. It becomes sweeter as it wears and feels more like a hug. But not a tender hug or a motherly hug. I can sense a perfectly dressed someone, because I can’t see them, with good perfume and expensive jewelry. Powdery, floral, honeyed…a green undercurrent running through. A softly woody base with a noticeable sandalwood of good quality. Fresh in the way you feel after a morning shower when the day is ready to start. Not fresh as in soap. Fresh as in vitality. Tresor took the idea and instead of rose and violet, we got peach. It always smelt to me synthetic and cheap, which is why I never liked it and took me some time to embrace Paris. But once you see the differences and smell the different context, Paris is the clear winner. It blossoms whereas Tresor suffocates. It sweetens and embraces while feeling happy and radiant. Beautiful, huge, and ever expanding! Based on a vintage, early 1984/85 200ml edt.

Wow I just realised that two latest favourite of mine are both YSL. Babycat and Paris, they are so so far from each other, in time and style but still found their way to my heart. YSL Paris is so french, so oldschool - in the best way possible. Totally agree that it resembles one of those classic Fragonard perfumes. I would not say its particularly powdery, for me its more soapy and heavy floral. It is soapy but not clean girl type of soap, rather it is a fancy perfumed soap from your hip Parisian grandmas drawer. I have just bought a 15ml vintage version out of curiosity and I don't mind it, but pretty sure that I will rarely use it even if it is beautiful.

This was my first perfume, it was a Christmas gift given to me as a teen, probably because I was obsessed with the 80's (Still am). Back then, 20 years ago, it was too mature for me, so I only wore it occasionally, probably to get into character, wearing vintage business lady power suits and gaudy faux fur and whatnot lol There's a review by Tania Sanchez about Paris that goes like this, "The great Sophia Grojsman (Trésor, Eternity, etc.) put this one together, and it marks the absolute end of this particular road, the point beyond which it is not possible to make a louder, bigger, more complicated rose. From here on, it is only possible to innovate by taking away, not adding. A brilliant, beautiful monster." She also goes on to call it a Frankenstein rose the size of a cabbage... To me the rose isn't front and center, it's more like a rose dominant wallpaper for the rest of the scent. Although it's the first part you smell in the sillage. The powderiness is there but not baby powdery, powder that has a lively trill, it isn't inert and heavy as powder can sometimes be. That part is almost anise-like, just in the way that it has this quick-receding sweetness like anise. And then there are all these competing florals around the powder, you cant really pick them out individually. And over time you start getting the musk. To classify this as a powdery fragrance I would say is inaccurate, but if you're not used to vintage perfumes, you might become distracted/fixated on that element. Which is a shame, but we can't help what our nose does. Mine gets stuck on oud, I can't smell anything else if there's oud present. But Paris, old & stuffy? Never that. She'll ever be proud, outgoing, and en vogue. A perfect song for her would be Grace Jones' cover of 'La Vie En Rose' 💋

I have to say, I did not like this at first. I am not a fan of a powdery fragrance! However, as this settled, I thought “this is kind of nice”. Then as it dries down, I like even more. I find it well blended and classy. Although it will probably never become a favorite of mine, I do like it and find it very pretty. I don’t find it dated at all, it’s just not my personal taste. If you enjoy a powdery scent, this is rather pretty! I’m slowly starting to enjoy them a bit more and will keep this one around! Hours later- the best part! It gets better and better as the day goes on! Longevity is amazing!

Vintage, powdery and very feminine flower power. I love it :) Pure heaven for those who also enjoy such scent profile. Performance is great as well! On my skin, purple flowers are dominating the composition, but I can also smell soft rose and delicate musk. It’s a bit retro (for me it’s a plus), but really pretty :) I highly recommend Paris, it’s worth giving it at least a solid test :)

Have about half of a 50 ml bottle of Paris for good years just sitting in the back of my drawer. Sprayed it on my arm about an hour ago and I can smell it now in all its glory. Flamboyant, unapologetic, dense, intoxicating big bouquet of all sorts of flowers. Spring flowers, yellow flowers, white flowers, purple flowers, tropical flowers, soapy flowers, powdery flowers mixed with woods, some warmth from amber and freshness from the green notes. Gently powdery especially after it dries down, sophisticated and highly addictive somehow…It’s not an easy reach fragrance but I don’t think it’s too challenging either if you’re into complex florals normally. It’s a fragrance that was created decades ago and it has that vintage feel slightly. No, I am not call Paris an old fashioned perfume and I much prefer this classic Paris over Mon Paris launched in the mid 2010’s but it certainly doesn’t smell modern, simplistic and linear. It’s super complex, thick, dense, multi dimensional floral, a through and through beast of a perfume, that takes me back to my childhood. I remember smelling this on my school teachers throughout the years and on the streets, walking around during Sunday strolls. It’s not something that I wear often nowadays, but now experiencing it again, I understand how faint and subdued the current generation of fragrances are by comparison with something so daring, ostentatious and bold as Paris. I can only hope that my old bottle never goes bad so that I can enjoy occasionally the grandeur of such fine French perfumery!

This takes an hour to smell good on or to me, before which it smells strongly plasticy, for lack of a better word. My skin does funny things with rose, and I had a similar problem with Diva. But once Paris settles down, it’s divine. I had sampled it years ago and thought it would never work for me but recently decided to give it another try based on reviews. I’m so glad I gave it another chance thanks to the reviewers. The weird opening I experience might just be some quirk with my skin or nose. Paris in all her glory is definitely worth waiting for. I’ll update if anything changes, but right now, I’m delighted.

My favourite perfume, pure femininity in a bottle. It doesnt remind me of the city of Paris - which does not smell this nice. But it is still a beautiful uplifting fragrance. I love especially in summer. You could wear to work, just don't overdo it.

Paris smells like one of the most luxurious, fancy body creams that you've ever had the pleasure of wearing. It reminds me of a wealthy lady who is always impeccably dressed with flawless make-up, style and grace. A decadent floral that somehow manages to seem familiar and comfortable at the same time. Not stuffy or old-fashioned. Lovely! This is what "class" smells like!

Smells extremely similar to Knize Two, for anyone who misses YSL Paris but doesn't want to pay discontinued prices. Knize Two is both relatively cheap and still in production. Don't let the "for men" designation fool you - K2 is just as floral and "feminine" as Paris.

I rather like this, but it might be the first time I've smelt a women's perfume and worried it might be too feminine for me to pull of as a man. It smells exactly like a very nice rose scented face powder and gives major mother vibes. Maybe I need to suck it up and serve up mother.