Rive Gauche pour Homme Yves Saint Laurent for men

A very masculine scent, modern but not modish.it has something of an old barbershop but it's not simple fragrance.it is rich and bold but also soft at the same time.very good silage and great longevity up to 6 hours.for me one of the best male fragrances in market.

Got my first compliment on this today, from a woman I work with.

She was standing about a good 15 feet away from me. She began sniffing the air, "What IS that?" she said. I braced myself, expecting the worst (the "Sex Panther" scene from Anchorman came to mind). She sniffed around the air a bit, came closer to me and exclaimed: "It's you! You smell wonderful!"

This is a projection and silage monster on me. It doesn't do much at first but after about an hour it really started to get going. Though while this can project across the room, it doesn't seem to overpower or offend. The scent is a bit thick, but never cloying or menacing. It just sort of fills the air with... pleasantness. I'm on about 12 hours since putting it on, it's not projecting much but I can smell it if I lift up my shirt. It's very impressive considering the price.

It's a bit much in the beginning, but it smooths out quite nicely after a short while. A bit earthy. A bit woody, a hint of spice. Creamy, as in, shaving-cream-y. "Barbasol" was the first thing that came to mind, which I don't think is a bad thing. People will smell you and think you've just had a shave. It's very clean and fresh feeling, yet warm and a little sweet. I suppose 'gentle' would be a good description.

This is a very masculine scent, classic and modern at the same time. Good contender for Signature Scent status.

The same woman from work seemed to pass by me a number of times throughout the day, more often than usual.

Rive Gauche for Men is a timeless masterpiece that deserves widespread availability. I'd love some of the younger men in my life to have the opportunity to experience something so extravagant and earthy as this.

Rich and herbaceous, Rive Gauche for Men is understandably an acquired taste. However that's not to say that this fragrance is in any way offensive or loud. I would actually say this fragrance is quite clean and refreshing despite its earthiness.

The scent leaves me slightly perplexed at times with its clean, shaving cream accord counteracting with a somewhat dirty/earthy patchouli, clove and vetiver blend. Essentially, Rive Gauche for Men jumps to and fro between gentleman cleanliness and raw, masculine filthiness. This is what makes this fragrance so intriguing.

As a woman, I wouldn't dare wear Rive Gauche for Men, that is unless I chose to get in touch with the barbarian behind the reserved exterior. On a man's skin, this fragrance exudes elegance and old-fashioned charm, like a slick man in a tuxedo puffing ever so gently on a cigar.

Rive Gauche for Men perfectly compliments the feminine version of this fragrance, which bears the same name. They both share a classic powderiness that when worn on the skin can create a dense and rich feeling.

In my opinion, Rive Gauche has not reached its use by date, even though I will admit that it has the tendency to appeal to much older men. The sillage is moderate but thankfully not too strong and I'm happy to say that the scent lasts and lasts.

A simple, yet incredibly well-done aromatic fougère that, despite being made in 2003, harkens back to the days when men actually had testicles, and nobody left the house without first applying no less than 20 sprays of perfume.

The premise is simple: take a classic aromatic fougère like Azzaro Pour Homme. Big lavender note? Yep. Turn up the anise a bit. The ambery, coumarinic sweetness? Turn that up a bit. Lower the herbs. Add a BIG patchouli note. Viola. A calming fragrance that says, "I'm a guy you can count on." It's not "old", it just smells reliable. It is quite strong and it lasts a while, but who cares? Wear it with dignity and let the people around you know that they can trust you. I find it more interesting and satisfying than Azzaro Pour Homme (although Azzaro Pour Homme is still a wonderful fragrance; no doubt). Rive Gauche says to the world, "I am not a moody little bitch that starts drama over Facebook. I'm a meat-and-potatoes guy, and I still eat proper home-cooked meals like pot roast."

After the commercial failure of M7, came Rive Gauche PH. It was lauched with the reformulation of the original ladies. It is a very traditional fougere that could not catch on in todays sugary market.

It last on me for 24 hours or longer if I dont shower. I rarely use it today, but went through a full can in 2007-08! The can remind me of shaving cream-yes the marketing worked brilliantly here-everyone thinks of Barbasol. Its inspriation was Pinauds talc that was used in barber chairs since 1800. Its very clean and maintains that fresh showered feel all day or more.

It has the oakmoss turned down to a whisper, and had it been introduced in 1975, would have roared throughout the composition. It is very urban chic manhood in a can. Yes the YSL revolution continued, but for how much longer could this charade last?

Perfect masculin scent with impressive staying power.
No flowers, only 100% of men.
Must have for guys, don't shave their chests...

An intense, brooding and powerful herbal concoction of a scent. Everything from the stylised, saber-like flacon with its uber sophisticated curves and lines says quiet sophistication and unique appeal to me. This is very unlikely to be a crowd pleaser, in a world full of 'Bleu de Chanels' and such like, this offering from YSL stands out as audacious, herbal and has a light air of antiquity about it, without being plain old-fashioned. I would feel very comfortable wearing this fragrance as an accompaniment to a smart suit, evening at the theatre etc. It has a rich, evocative characteristics which say 'grown-up' without being stuffy. This is the antithesis of bland and boring or sweet and sickly. Do YSL ever do poor fragrances?? A winner.

This is great scent. This is one of my favorites. This has such nice notes that you feel clean fresh all day along. The longevity on my skin is 10+ hours. The base notes of this scent are really amazing the woods, patchouly and vetiver.

This is really a masculine scent. There is little bit of resemblance to Barbershop smell but I don’t think you can call it as barbershop smell. This is one of the best green aromatic scents and is a must try.

My Ratings out of 10

Scent - 10
Sliage -9.25
Longevity – 9.5

Overall 9.5

I don't understand the "barbershop" claim with this one, but perhaps I went to a different barbershop when I was younger (I no longer do). Instead, I think of the openings of fragrances like the original Lomani as "barbershop." Anyway, I found the opening to be very nice. It's highly blended, a bit creamy, quite soft, and a little anisic. Over time, it dissipates to reveal the base, which is as stated: dry woody with vetiver and patchouli. There may be too much patchouli for me, even though I like the dry, dusty quality of this base. I just did a dab sampling on the wrist, so I'll have to give it a normal wearing and update this review.

Initial impression: only very slight rosemary immediately after spray, along w/ nice, clean lavender; maybe a little anise, reminiscent of Azzaro pH;

@ 10" maybe geranium, no clove;

@ 20" still no clove, but something a little sweet;

@ 30" faded, close to skin, not much projection. I don't get the vetiver, gaiac wood, perhaps a note of patchouli.

@ 50" no change. Does not seem to project much on me. Very nice, classic, smooth dry-down, pleasant to wear

Hyper-masculine.
Ideal for all men who see shaving as a cult.
I love it.
Timeless.

I like very much but do not love this frag. I tried it several years ago at Colonial Drug in Cambridge, MA and was um, unimpressed. Perhaps it was the mood of the day; the previous scents I had tried or maybe...whio knows? I recently tried this again in the summer. At first the anise/clove smell turned me off. I took the advice of the sales person and waited it out. I am so very glad I did. In it's bottom notes the patchouli and wood note is intoxicating on my skin. I love to wear this with patchouli strategically placed on varius pulse points. I wear Rive Gauche smack dab in the middle of my chest. The person to person reactions are very positive. They never ask what I am wearing. They will simply say you smell good. I could grow to love this scent if I could tone down the anise in the begining. I am trying to locate the Intense version of RG with very little success. If anyone can assist I'd be very appreciative. RG is unusual, deep, intoxicationg and a perfect match for my ever present patch fetish.

Rive Gauche pour Homme is a thick, heavy aromatic fougère. Its aromatic notes are balanced, but aren’t key players. They are the Greek chorus to the lavender and coumarin that define RGpH. Clove focuses our attention on the coumarin, and rosemary and geranium steer us to the lavender.

RGpH reminds me of what I love about the fougère. Because the interaction of lavender and coumarin plays out mostly as contrast rather than agreement, the greater the counterpoint, the better the fougère. The aromatics keep our attention on the lavender and coumarin and their combined raspiness.

If the accord is stark, the transitions are not. It moves easily from an enveloping church organ blast of a perfume to a brisk barbershop slap to a husky whisper. There is nothing superfluous. The fragrance emerges from the fundamental duality.

RGpH is not pretty, it’s handsome. By historic fragrance norms, it is so classically masculine that I can’t help but feel like I’m in man-drag when I wear it. By the same reasoning, it’d be loads of fun on a femme woman.

Rive Gauche pour Homme, unfortunately, does not hold up against its big name heritage.
It is an unusual, dark, round smell that creats a cloud of a silent elegance around the person who wears it. If you are a very communicative individual with a solar outgoing personality this one is NOT for you.
It does last long even when applied in small doses, but it doesn't do much, "Givenchy Gentleman" doesn't do better.

the proyection in this one it's GOD LEVEL!!!!
it's truly asome that rive gauche pour femme, was realese in the 70's, and YSL can create the pour version like 30 years later and make the scent feel like 70's <3 that's magic, and the bottle it's just a piece of haute couture <3 love it, a shame that my father spend it all xd jajajaa he used mine rive gauche pour homme and finished in just 2 months :| :(

I´m truly enchanted with this outstanding fragrance. It´ll never be worshipped by the masses, which in itself is a clear sign of its originality and exceptionality.

I'm quite with the comments below, it's very unusual and you have to get used to it. The thing is, it smells more like shaving foam than after shave. But then, it's the finest shaving foam you could imagine. Put differently, it gives you a feel of being freshly shaven for the whole day, not least since the lasting power is an outstanding one.

A nice one for four seasons!

A great modern take on the old aromatic barbershop vibe of days gone by. And yes it really does smell like shaving cream but in a good way. Thumbs up.

Well, I bought this blindly since everyone on the Interwebs seems to drink this like cool aid at a cult meeting.

Regrettably I was somewhat disappointed at first that it didn't really smell like anything I expected it to. Perhaps I haven't been to enough barbershops to know what they should smell like. I was somewhat taken aback by the unfamiliar smell of Rive Gauche when I first tried it since it was unlike anything I've every smelled before which made it feel kind of synthetic for me since I couldn't draw any parallels to natural scents. A bit sharp in the beginning too even if it gets a lot better over time. Definitely a very male scent even though it lacks prominent wood and leather notes. I wouldn't want any girl to smell like this. Even if it is sharp and overpowering at first I can still smell an amazing dry down the next day on my wrists.

so, a bit of pro and con:

cons:
- feels unfamiliar and hard to pin down
- a bit too sharp initially

pros:
+ gets a lot better over time with a very smooth and comforting dry down
+ doesn't smell like "old man cologne" at all and still manages to be very masculine (hence the barbershop references I suppose, I still think my shaving foam smells better though, too bad I can't get that in a bottle).

In terms of age this would work fine for all men who are old enough to need a shave in the morning.

Personally I would rate this as "ok but not really for me" yet I can see why some people love this. I've had my bottle for a year or so but I seldom use it.

Definitely not something you should buy blindly but definitely something you should try if you're a man and the reviews intrigue you. Don't just try it on a strip, try it on your skin and evaluate how the scent evolves during the day since this is the only way to reveal its true strengths.

I really like this one, especially the drydown. It is not for young men and it is not an old man's scent. It's right in between. If I had to describe this scent in one word, I would choose "clean." If I were given the choice of another word, I would choose "mature."

9/10

original scent.

reminds me of barbershop shaving cream, clean, fresh, really manly frag.

definitely must have for someone who have beard and mustache.

longevity is good too, about 8-10 hours on my skin, another perfect office scent. but sometimes, i do wear it for special occasion, such as wedding ceremony, and formal meeting.

very versatile, i used it in the morning, or in the evening. and it can be used for suit and tie, or just tees and jeans.

i will repurchase this frag if i'm run out.

longevity : 9/10
projection : 8/10
overall smell : 10/10
recommended age : someone who have beard and mustache. (25 and up)

if azzaro pour homme is to old for you, this is the perfect substitute for you.

A timeless classic that i had to own, especially since i like fresh smelling scents. I have to say that i only like it, but not love it. I pick up a strange warm smell from it, and it's awfully synthetic at times. Not really what i am looking for in a fresh scent, but i see why people really love this one.

One of a kind perfume....there is nothing in the market to smell like this. Barbershop, the old barbershop that has been renovated but still retains the classic appeal. Definetely for mature well dressed men. In my opinion, this together with M7 and Kouros, are the best from YSL. True classic and unique!

Tried this in the YSL shop on Luxury row, Hawaii, in case you're looking for it.

It starts as something I relate to a very women's fragrance, to say the least.

The drydown is so much nicer.
Right in there with Body Kouros with the green, spicy formula. Masculine and only slightly modern. Today's youth might benefit from its sporty, yet classic, quality.

I've tried Rive Gauche Homme as it seems to be a crowdpleaser and I totally got disappointed. The opening is nice with a pleasant liquorice/anice effect and bergamot, but as it starts to dry it immediately bring me back in the 80's. The ugly ones. The ones where girls used to wear fluorescent yellow polyamide t-shirts, backcombed hairs, fishnet tights and plastic earings and guys used to wear tennis-player-like hairband and horrible shoulder padded jackets. The ones Perfumes Houses used to mix weird loud accord to a cheap barbershop like base to create a male fragrance. Sorry guys but I've to pass on this one.

When It comes to bold aromatic fougeres there's nothing like Or Black.

The atomizer is absolutely marvellous, but it's not enough.

Rating: 8/10 (for the opening)
5/10 (for the drydown)
6.5/10 (overall)

The most dominant treat of YSL perfumes is that they stubbornly insist to be earthy and lustful!
I’m crazy about them! Rive Gauche is not exceptional. All of them also push you to in the center of attention. I wear perfume to overemphasize my moods! You can compare Rive Gauche to Jazz and Live Jazz. The scent that you smell is an highly intensified mixture of herbs. It seems that there is no other element in this but herbs. No flowers, no spices, no wood. From application it smells chemically and herbal. It’s well placed as Aromatic Green. It’s like something that is stored in a dark warehouse. Opens chemically and boozy and after a while it will be bearable!
Commonly it's a harsh and maybe aggressive green stuff but still on style and flawless. Extracts out from deeply masculine sexuality and attractiveness. Highly charming but not in a fancy way, just intensively seductive, causes aura!
Although this stuff is not on my taste yet, but it's something perfectly adorable. You can't get rid of its extremely herbal smell. Maybe you should wash it off but I don't guarantee!

longevity 10/10
sillage 9/10
scent 6/10

This is the very essence of masculinity. I chose it for my husband in the beginning of our relationship and he fell in love with it instantly and it has been his signature scent ever since. It is indeed a scent of an old-fashioned gentleman.
To help you visualize the greatness of this masterpiece; I once read that Elvis Presley used Old Spice and Brut. However, when I try to imagine the scent of this great man - this is the only thing that comes to mind. To me it is the fluid version of the soft, velvety lyrics of Are you Lonesome tonight?.

This has a definite classic feel to it, like a 50s barbershop. Reminds me of Old Spice a little bit. The rosemary, clove and lavender are by far the most dominant scents in this fragrance, it's a shame I think that the vetiver and patchouli aren't more dominant, but this might contribute to how clean this smells. I tend to prefer unisex perfumes and even steal my boyfriends cologne sometimes, but there is no way this could be worn by a woman, it's very masculine indeed.

I love this stuff ( yes maybe it is similar to Brut ) but this one is great.
Very long lasting power, clean, and very MASCULINE.
No way this can be worn by women

old man scent that is out dated for someone under 30 years old. Is still relevant and a classic scent

I'm very jealous of my frangrances. This year my friend bought Rive Gauche after he heard many compliments i recieved for this frangrance. At the beginig i changed i took gucci , i don't like to wear the same frangrance as my friends do , but after one month i told myself :Damn i startet to wear it for first it's my sign not his. So i bought it again. I love it. So classy retro' and modern.

As many have said before me, Rive Gauche Pour Homme has a strong 'barbershop’ characteristic that gives this fragrance a unique combination of an old world kind of charm mixed with a modern fresh quality.

Whenever I smell it, it immediately takes me back to when I was very young. I’d be watching my father getting a shave and haircut at the local barber shop, in the middle of the Australian Summer, with only one small ceiling fan to ward of the heat. It has a certain strong manly quality that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s not sweat or body odour, but more like the smell of my father’s clean shaven skin after these encounters.

Somehow this classic combination of spices and herbs provokes this strong feeling of nostalgia, yet still manages to offer (in my humble opinion) a very versatile and modern choice for anyone looking to feel clean and refreshed, while still noticeably perfumed.

I absolutely love how this makes me feel; classy, distinguished, sophisticated and a bit daring. I can imagine that this is what a secret agent would reach for when he’s tasked with seducing a deadly female spy (sorry I got a bit carried away there for a moment)!

Sillage and longevity are pretty outstanding. My verdict is a great big two thumbs up.

P.S. The ‘intense’ version of RGPH is actually quite a bit different to this, so check out the reviews on that one and try before you buy.

There is no way this great fragrance to be unisex...unless if women are going also to the barber shops for shaving. This is a real masculine manly fragrance, it reminds the past to conqeur the present in the world of perfumery. Together with Kouros, m7, l,instand de guerlain are the top male perfumes for guys above 35! No other fragrances are so manly smelling.

Update: the normal version and the intense are quite a bit different, I love them both. While the normal is a real barbershop, the intense is more clean and very concentrated green.

What I will say "Rive Gauche pour Homme YOU WELL COME IN THE KINGDOM OF MASCULINITY"

Plush, smoky, spicy, dark, dry, intriguing, and long-lasting. What else is there to say about this near perfection in a bottle? Resides permanently in my top ten.

all in all, it's a good fragrance, except for the cloves note which stands out a bit too much. toning it down a bit would've been much better. enjoying the fresh soapy smell and trying to ignore the cloves note, as much as i can :)

What can I say, this is truly amazing.
I also have the Intense version, a bit stronger and longer lasting. I love them both.
Edit: After some longer evaluation I find the Intense quite a bit better in all.

I bought that one for 20$ at Wal-Mart! haha!!! What a BARGAIN!

I like it with its lavender and soft patchoully. Barbershop style and classic one. Not my prefered one but I think it deserve a good try by all men.

7,5 / 10

This fragrance reminds me shampoo...

After 30 min you gonna love it. Very french very chic

Barbershops and shave cream smell, checked. Look the bottle itself, does it mean something to you? Strongly familiar from the first spray ... What are you going to do with a retrofit of something that looks to be an old, cheap smell because you were used to find a long time ago? A "Brut" cousin if you prefer, as I read around there? I don't know. BUT, as for me, I'm still smiling. Feels nostalgic. Doesn't look romantic, but has something classy, an "old spicy" classy. Fresh and very strong, I can understand the "Yeah!" reaction from some, including me.

I love this stuff. Yeah, it's got a "barbershop" type of note to it - probably do to that rosemary and bergamot - but on the way way extreme end of the drydown, there's a nice incense smell, barely there, but kind of as if they out it in there as a nice surprise. I am buying some forthwith.

This one is a very clean spicy non-offensive mix. After 6 hours it reminds me a lot of, dare I say, "Old Spice" - which is not necessarily a bad thing (in fact Old Spice is my wife's favourite fragrance for men). This one is neither here nor there as far as I am concerned, though I think I might try to find some Old Spice.

YSL Rive Gauche is outstanding. At first, it smells like a typical barbershop-type aromatic fougere (kind of like Pinaud's Clubman talc). Very old-school at first. Then about an hour later, after the sharp top notes fade, it mellows out and becomes slightly sweet, musky and just beautiful. Don't let my words "sweet" and "beautiful" make you think this is a cologne for wimps - it's a very manly fragrance, it's just multi-faceted. This milder accords lasts around five hours on my skin and is just great. The remaining drydown is excellent too, because it seems to revert subtly back to the initial barbershop feel. The fragrance evolves beautifully and is a pleasure to wear. I'd put YSL Rive Gauche on my top ten list of favorite fragrances.

Rive Gauche pour Homme is not as instantly likable as most other Jacques Cavallier creations are, but, after a short blast of dissonance in the beginning, it quickly comes in tune to my nose. And, with each wearing I like it more.

In the top, before it even starts to calm down, there is a disarray of intense notes including Star Anise, Rosemary, and Cloves, all bathed in notes of rich Bergamot and Green Leaves, and all vying for center stage. It takes 10 to 15 minutes for all the intense notes to calm down, but it soon starts to reveal it's inner beauty. As the Spices and Anise subside slightly, a beautiful and manly floral accord of Lavender, Jasmine, and Rose come to the surface and dominate the scent. The flowers are strong and make a single Floral Accord together, but Lavender/Rose/Jasmine... they are all there... if I look for them. It's a good floral blend. The spicy flowers hold on right into the emerging base notes of Vetiver, Patchouli, and Wood. It is bold, but still classy.

The sillage is huge for the first 2 to 3 hours, then it gets average for another 3 hours. After 6 hours it's still there, but has calmed to just a soft skin-scent, very close and nothing like the monster sillage it used to have.

It is beautiful, original, and classy. It can even come across as being somewhat elegant... with all those flowers crammed into a such a masculine scent. It's about as far away from subtle, without being a "powerhouse" scent, as any scent could be. It tries hard to get it's message out, and it does a very good job of it.

Rive Gauche pour Homme is Excellent.

It reminds me of smell of babershops. Classic, clean, fresh, gentle. And also modern, and incredible sexy. I love it!

A very popular scent with the ladies. I have had some very nice compliments from women over this fragrance.

This fragrance has great staying power. Nice and spicy.

this fragrance reminds me of stepping in a barber shop. It is long wearing with a woodsy undertone.