When it comes to fragrance, I’m unapologetically unfaithful. My daytime tastes veer towards the soft, powdery and milky, but come the weekend, I’m drawn to something more verdant and invigorating. After dark, however? Well, that’s an entirely different story. For evening, I require a real showstopper. As a beauty journalist I know all too well it’s cliché to talk of a scent that ‘leaves an impression long after you’ve left the room.’ But what else to write when that is exactly what I'm after? I want something with no fewer than a 400 rose petals pressed into a glinting glass bottle - I’m looking at you, Portrait of a Lady- or a dark, oudy dream that leaves a seductive trail in its wake. I want compliments. And I want lots of them.
My latest olfactory obsession comes courtesy of YSL's newest Libre Santal Couture, £123 (but currently on sale for £98). I’m already well acquainted with the house’s fragrant offerings - YSL's Babycat has become something of a modern day cult classic thanks to TikTok - and I once interviewed Claudia Winkleman, who described her signature scent as ‘utterly filthy and sexy’. As it happens, it was YSL Opium. Naturally, my expectations are high.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Libre Santal Couture filthy (it lingers on the skin much too elegantly) sexy is certainly the word. In fact, I’ve never smelt anything quite like it. From the initial spritz, it had me at hello. Think mandarin oil, lemon, lavandin and cardamom. Initially, it's fresh and bright. Then comes the hit of lavender and orange flower which adds a sense of cosseting calmness. But the real star of the show? Rich sandalwood, enhanced by a bespoke extraction ‘designed to capture its most exquisite olfactive facets’. Boozy vanilla bourbon, cedarwood and musk round out the juice creating the real 'oomph' - that signature warmth and depth. It’s sensual, sophisticated, and oozing with unabashed sexiness. And it lingers long into the small hours.
When I spray this one I’m someone else entirely. Trust me when I say this perfume won't work when paired with your messy bun, trusty Levi’s and lambswool Uniqlo knit. Oh no. It needs to be worn entirely intentionally. It's pairs well with a smudge of charcoal-black liner, applied to lids with a haughty fingertip. With a brash red lipstick, slightly smudged at the corners. When slipping into a silk camisole dress in the richest shade of chocolate brown. It's to be teamed with a bombshell blow-out. This is surely what a '90s supermodel must smell like?
Libre Santal Coture smells expensive. Not in any ostentatious way, but in the way of a dimly lit Parisian cocktail bar. It’s all vanilla, wood and mandarin. It is sensual without being sweet, polished without feeling prim, and just louche enough to feel impossibly sexy.
Consider this my autumn evening uniform, bottled. And if you happen to catch its trail as I leave the room, then please do let me know. I like to be assured I’m doing it right.
Shop: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Santal Couture Eau De Parfum
Rachael Martin is Grazia’s Beauty director. Originally from Northern Ireland, she studied English Literature at Queen’s University Belfast, before moving to London to pursue a career in magazine journalism.