Buy a World Class Givenchy Perfume

Hubert de Givenchy (born 1927 in France) is the founder of one of the most legendary fashion houses of Paris. Since 1952, women all over the world have delighted to wear his couturier styles. Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy Onassis were two of his most famous clients who helped him earn the nickname “couturier to the stars.”

If Givenchy clothing creations established his brand as one of the most influential, refined, and sophisticated in the world, his later fragrance creations did no less. Givenchy perfumes are frequently classy, well-composed and unique fragrances.

When you wear a Givenchy fragrance, you can be sure that you exude quality. Givenchy does not put their name on trendy, cheap, mass-market perfumes, but on the other hand, their house is not so snobby and exclusive that they try to maximize their profits and run up the price on each perfume released.

If the Givenchy fragrance marketers in Paris could be known by a slogan, it would have to be Stephen Covey’s “Begin With the End in Mind.” This could well apply to their fragrance creations. While they haven’t excelled at every attempt, their house has created some memorable and unique perfumes.

The best Givenchy company perfume noses give a lot of attention to the end result – that is, the bottom notes of a fragrance. Regrettably, many perfume creators are like modern novelists: they know how to start something, but not how to end it. The basenotes of a fragrance are the lingering essence, the one you will smell for hours after application. It’s fine to start with impressive top notes. The middle notes will get you a few admirers. But those basenotes are the source of your loyal patrons.

I must confess to a certain prejudice in my admiration for Givenchy fragrances. The debonair and elegant Monsieur de Givenchy’s favorite flower is the peony. The peony is my favorite flower too (I insisted on having peonies in my wedding bouquet). Hubert de Givenchy has something here, and you can find peony notes in at least three of his fragrances. But there are plenty of other flower notes that won’t disappoint you as you sample the finest of Givenchy.

So here are a few fine perfumes from the House of Givenchy. Some are very current and easy to locate in department stores. Others are older offerings, and are much easier to locate online. Fortunately, Amazon has great prices on those hard-to-find Givenchy perfumes.

You really should watch the commercial video, linked here to the right, to get the concept of this perfume group.  The one for Le Secret, featuring the elegant and lovely Uma Thurman, is one of the best commercial ads for a perfume that I’ve viewed.  The French just seem to be able to create spots like this as if it were their second nature.

Ange ou Demon Le Secret comes in a crystal- like faceted flagon. The bottle design has contrasts between pink, steel, and black, thereby graphically showing the contradictory nature of this fragrance group. Le Secret opens with a feminine, fruity accord, and the top notes are green tea, lemon and cranberry. The middle notes are jasmine, peony, and water lily (I have water lilies in my pond, and I’ve already established that I like peonies… so is it any wonder that I enjoy this fragrance?). The lingering bottom notes are patchouli and blond woods.

Le Secret is a good choice for summer. It is not particularly strong and it has no annoying bottom notes. It’s perfect to feel refreshed. You are expected to feel the angel coming out in you when you wear it, because it’s the other side of Ange ou Demon. The one that’s light and airy.

Perhaps Uma Thurman is a good choice to portray the duality of the Ange ou Demon line.  Remember her from Kill Bill ?

On the other hand, here’s the original of this group. A spicy Oriental with lily notes, it was introduced in 2006. I sampled it, and it is definitely a heavier perfume with a vanilla/woodsy base. But it’s become the signature scent of many women since its introduction. With its darker, more complex quality, it brings out the “devil” instead of the angel. The bottle has crystal drops on a prism flagon, which fade gradually into the darker, black top.  Also, I like the way the crystal drops are designed, because it makes accidentally dropping the bottle unlikely.  The loud quality of this fragrance makes me think it would be a great evening perfume. Wear it when you feel “El Diablo” surfacing in your psyche.

There’s nothing, and I mean nothing, like this fragrance. It’s my favorite Givenchy perfume and one of the oldest originated by that house. Launched in 1985, it was created in the spirit of the powerhouse perfumes of that era, but without the overpowering, suffocating scent trail. I believe what makes this perfume so outstanding is the lack of a singular bottom note. I cannot detect a piercing, sharp element that overpowers all of the other elements in Ysatis. The patchouli, oakmoss, and sandalwood combine beautifully to make a fragrance both sensuous and sophisticated. Ysatis is eminently wearable, from the office to that special night out, and certainly has staying power.

Ysatis (pronounced Ee-Sah-Tees’) is a complex blend of jasmine, mandarin, narcissus, tuberose, ylang ylang, tangerine, patchouli, oakmoss, and sandalwood. It is classified as a chypre perfume; that is, one that has dry, woodsy notes, but it can also be classified as a floral Oriental.

I think the best moments of owning and wearing Ysatis may come about 24 hours after I’ve hung up my sweater or robe, and put them away. When I open the closet door the next day, the fragrance, still in the garment, makes its presence known in the form of a subtle floral that is impossible for me to detect while I’m actually wearing the perfume. It’s so enchanting, yet so elusive. I recommend Ysatis for the mature female who has gained confidence and a sure, womanly aura.

One word – though the skyscraper bottle design is sometimes depicted on Amazon, that is not the bottle you’ll get. The skyscraper bottle is the original, and might be found on Ebay. The currently retailed Ysatis is in a glass bottle with a hexagonal cap.

Givenchy's currently best-selling fragrance.

You will enjoy watching the superb commercial shot in black and white in Paris, featuring the beautiful Liv Tyler, who is the new face of Parfums Givenchy.

According to the perfumer, Very Irresistible has peony and musk, as well as strong elements of roses and anise. There’s that peony again. No wonder people are buying like crazy.

Very romantic, and created with the younger woman in mind. Liv Tyler says she likes Very Irresistible because it “kind of disappears.” She needs subtlety and intimacy in a fragrance, and there are plenty of women who agree.

Hot Couture -- a woodsy, dry, spicy fragrance.

Has raspberry notes that are very prominent when first sprayed.  Bottom notes are spicy and dry, with a hint of pepper.  Exotic, lovely, and unique.  Use it and surround yourself with a sensual aura.

A delight from Givenchy, and the darling of many women since its release in 2000.

Described as floral woody (with jasmine) by the house

Red berries, amber, orange blossom, cedar, patchouli, mandarin orange, jasmine

Fairly Heavy -- has enough strength to last all day

For the mature – for evening wear.  You cannot go wrong with any Givenchy perfume, but some of them are a little heavier.  But they are classic French creations, and not only absolutely irresistible, but absolutely perfect just about any time!

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