Velours Yves Saint Laurent

Unisex
Eau de Parfum
Year: 2016
Moderate
Sillage
Very Good
Longevity
Fall
Best Season
Evening
Best For

Fragrance Story

Velours by Yves Saint Laurent is a Oriental fragrance for women and men. Velours was launched in 2016. The nose behind this fragrance is Carlos Benaïm. Top notes are Black Tea, Pink Pepper and Black Pepper; middle notes are Orris Root, Olibanum and Jasmine; base notes are Vanilla, Amberwood and Musk.

Composition Profile

amber 100%
powdery 85%
iris 70%
vanilla 60%
woody 50%
fresh spicy 40%
warm spicy 35%
musky 30%
earthy 25%
soft spicy 20%

About the Perfumer

Carlos Benaïm

Carlos Benaïm

Carlos Benaïm is a perfumer with a diverse portfolio spanning A Lab on Fire, Alfred Dunhill, and Aramis. He created Liquidnight for A Lab on Fire and Century for Alfred Dunhill. His work also includes Quorum for Antonio Puig and Havana Pour Elle for Aramis.

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes

First impression · 15-30 min

Black Tea Black Tea
Pink Pepper Pink Pepper
Black Pepper Black Pepper

Heart Notes

Core character · 2-4 hours

Orris Root Orris Root
Olibanum Olibanum
Jasmine Jasmine

Base Notes

Lasting impression · 4+ hours

Vanilla Vanilla
Amberwood Amberwood
Musk Musk
Unique Character

Velours Yves Saint Laurent by Yves Saint Laurent offers a distinctive olfactory experience that stands out from other fragrances in its category.

Artisanal Creation

Crafted with the finest ingredients and a blend of traditional and modern perfumery techniques, this fragrance represents the pinnacle of the perfumer's art.

Signature Style

Velours Yves Saint Laurent embodies the distinctive style of Yves Saint Laurent while adding a unique chapter to their fragrance portfolio.

Character Profile

The Lover Archetype: Portrait of Velours Yves Saint Laurent

Essence

To wear Velours by Yves Saint Laurent is to embrace a paradox-a fragrance that is both soft and commanding, delicate yet profound. It is a scent of contrasts: powdery iris, velvety violet, and a whisper of leather, evoking a person who thrives in the interplay between vulnerability and strength. This individual is, at their core, the Lover Archetype, one who seeks beauty, intimacy, and deep emotional resonance in all things.

Their life is an ongoing pursuit of aesthetic and sensual fulfillment, a devotion to the pleasures of touch, scent, and emotion. They are drawn to textures-cashmere, silk, aged paper-and to spaces that feel curated yet lived-in: a dimly lit library, a candlelit dinner, a garden at dusk. Their philosophy is one of carpe diem, but not in the reckless sense; rather, they believe in savoring each moment as if it were a rare vintage, to be tasted slowly and remembered fondly.

Style & Aesthetic

Their wardrobe is a study in understated elegance-tailored blazers with a slight drape, silk blouses that catch the light just so, jewelry that hints at history rather than flaunting wealth. They favor deep jewel tones and muted neutrals, colors that suggest depth rather than demand attention.

In art, they are drawn to the Pre-Raphaelites for their romanticism, to Klimt for his decadence, to Wong Kar-wai films for their aching beauty. Music is an intimate affair-Nina Simone’s smoky voice, Debussy’s impressionist waves, Leonard Cohen’s poetic melancholy. They do not consume culture passively; they absorb it, letting it shape their inner world.

Their home is a sanctuary, filled with objects that carry meaning-a vintage perfume bottle, a well-worn book of poetry, a collection of dried flowers pressed between pages. Mornings begin with slow rituals: black coffee in a porcelain cup, the deliberate selection of a scent to match the day’s mood. Evenings might involve a bath scented with bergamot, or a glass of wine savored in silence.

They are not a recluse, but they guard their solitude fiercely. They understand that to be truly present with others, one must first be at peace alone.

Philosophy & Values

For them, life is not about accumulation but about experience. They value connection above all else-not superficial chatter, but the kind of conversation that lingers into the early hours, where confessions are exchanged like sacred offerings. They believe in love as a transformative force, though they are not naive; they know its dangers, its capacity for both ecstasy and ruin.

Their moral compass is guided by empathy, but they are not a martyr. They understand that to love deeply is to risk pain, and they accept this with a quiet stoicism. They despise cruelty, indifference, and the cheapening of emotion-cynicism is, to them, the greatest sin.

Relationships

In love, they are both generous and demanding. They give freely-affection, attention, devotion-but they expect the same in return. Half-heartedness wounds them more than betrayal, for betrayal at least carries the weight of passion. They are drawn to partners who possess a certain mystery, who reveal themselves slowly, like a story unfolding.

Friendships, too, are carefully chosen. They have little patience for the trivial, preferring a small circle of confidants who understand their need for depth. They are the friend who remembers birthdays with handwritten letters, who listens without judgment, who offers not solutions but presence.

Shadow

Yet, like all archetypes, the Lover has its darker manifestations. Their intensity, when unchecked, can tip into obsession. They may cling too tightly to fading relationships, mistaking longing for love. Their disdain for superficiality can curdle into elitism, a quiet contempt for those who do not share their refined tastes.

At their worst, they may indulge in melancholy, romanticizing their own sorrow until it becomes a prison. They must learn that beauty is not only found in the bittersweet-that joy, too, has its depths.

Conclusion

When in harmony, they are a rare force-a person who reminds others of the richness of feeling, the importance of touch, the sacredness of a moment held gently in memory. They do not merely exist; they live, with a quiet fervor that lingers in the air long after they have left the room.

To know them is to understand that love, in all its forms, is not a distraction from life but its very essence. And in this understanding, they find their greatest strength.