Eau de Givenchy

Reviewing an old bottle with the blue plastic cap, estimate early 80s, but unable to verify. EdG opens quite medicinally. For the first few minutes it's difficult to tell that this is perfume, as it smells more like rubbing alcohol with a touch of mint. Then the heart opens, and a fresh, realistic LoV note takes center stage, supported by lemon, cyclamen, and just a touch of nicely oily narcissus. White musk is also present at this point, although it remains in the background. During the dry down jasmine appears. I pretty much get jasmine, jasmine, and more jasmine for about 20 minutes. This scent isn't strong so much as it is pervasive. Eventually the jasmine lets up a little, and the rose, very faintly, makes an appearance, and there is just the slightest touch of sweetness, which swells into a true honeysuckle scent. Lemon remains a strong under note throughout. Distinctly fresh, not too strong, *quite* clean. If your surgeon walked in wearing this, you would feel comfortable. I had been searching for a clean fresh floral for work wear, but this crystal clarity is almost too much for me. I say "almost" because I have hope that I can grow into this scent. I admire EdG greatly. I enjoy smelling it. I am not certain that it's a good fit for me. Something about the sparkling transparency of this scent makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it is a little too astringent, or if ultimately EdG just feels harsh to me. On my skin, this scent presents in such a way that I think it would be better on a man. I'm not getting any oak moss, or orris, both of which would provide some helpful muddying of the water. The ylang ylang is also not making an appearance, and I would appreciate the sweet spice as a reprieve from the glare of this scent. When the honeysuckle moves to the front I quite enjoy it but that note proves elusive. I remain undecided. Test before buying. EDIT: Several months later, EdG is one of the most beautiful scents I own. Possibly *the* most beautiful. I wish that it were more readily available, as I would make this a signature if I weren't so afraid of running out. Give yourself some time with this scent. It'll grow on you. I still find EdG crustal clear, but now I find it warm and colorful, relaxing, like watching sunshine sparkling through cut glass, refracting rainbows around a room.

The first Fate spoke. "She shall live on sunlight and she shall dazzle with it and with beauty. She shall laugh and birds shall be singing. Her clear blue eyes shall never know of tears." The second Fate spoke. "She shall drown young in a thunderous river..." The third Fate left for its bank... She was laughing and running barefoot that autumn evening, holding her cedar sandals in her hand. Night came and she did not return home to water her honeysuckles and jasmines. At the crack of dawn everyone went looking for her. To no avail... Later, some of them said they had seen an unknown strange woman standing on the river bank. As if she was waiting for something... The rivers are water. And all those tears that she never tasted, but were shed galore from the eyes of everyone who had loved her, are water too. Like the soul of the wild flowers that he throws in the river every sundown when he remembers of her the most, for her body was never found. And after dragging his weary feet back home every time he smells the perfume she has left behind and a wistful smile appears on his lips. For he craves to believe that she went into the river for just a heartbeat so as to wash the dirt of her feet. And the water nymphs, bewitched by her beauty, dragged her forever in their world. And now, every evening, they array her with silken garments and sit her down on a sapphire throne, where they comb her hair whilst lulling her with their canorous aquatic song. Watery...Ethereal...Velvety... Like her laughter. Like her short years. Like her coming, her journey and her end...

I've had a sample of this little beauty tucked away unsniffed for way too long and just started a commitment to review all my unsniffed vials before purchasing any more samples, and I've come across some long lost surprises. This is one of them. Occasionally, white florals can remind me very much of cheap bathroom spray with their metallic screechiness. Usually I am wary when I see a lily of the valley note. But Eau de Givenchy is executed quite finely. The narcissus and LOTV notes are most apparent to my nose and are joined by delicately sweet, fresh honeysuckle and gauzy tuberose. No powerhouse of white florals as they remain well mannered and modest in the background allowing LOTV and narcissus to take the spotlight. Jasmine is just an accent in its floral presence, but its indole is vegetal and gives the perfume some soft organic body. Ylang ylang is gently understated in its fullness, soft and yellow, almost with a tropical melon nuance also a little vegetal -- you know that green dandelion smell. Oakmoss, orris and delicate musk in combination create a dry, earthy and slightly powdery base for the freshness. A little woody, yet bright and cheerfully elegant. A fantastic fragrance for spring and summer. In fact, an elegantly joyful floral year round. Similar to Chanel Cristalle EDP in structure, however I think I would choose Eau de Givenchy with more beauty and charisma.

This has a special place in my heart! Oh This was my go to! My “Joie de Vivre’ way back in the eighties! This was a time in my life of many new beginnings! Like bright nodding heads of narcissuses on a crisp spring morning! It’s about fresh, new beggings and life. I was at Uni, in a new town, many new friends and experiences! I was also studying, partying, working, dating! Life was so full, fun, exciting and always a tad scary! This perfume was my favourite summer fragrance back then! I remember periodically spraying my homemade satin cushion with this! It had an antique tea stained lace covering that layered out all around in a kind of frill, that was always placed on my pillow on my freshly made bed. So it doubled up as a very special linen freshener! I refreshed It again when the scent weakened. My room always smelled divine! ! I still remember the scent clearly in my mind! It was very refreshing and energising to me and very beautiful,chic, and clean, reminded me of summer and water! This pepped my step and was the early zest for those busy days! I miss this! It was a mixture of floral, fresh, and also marine! The colours of white, blue and green! So unique so lovely, I would love to get my hands of a bottle of the eighties version! A classic in my opinion, love this!~<3

Honeysuckle, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, a dash of oakmoss, a hint of woods ~ most noticeably sandalwood and cedar. Super-clean soapy powdery heaven. The most ethereal composition of delicate flowers I have ever experienced. This does not refer to the modern Les Mythiques version (which I have not tried) nor the original perfume (in the vintage blue box, which I liked well enough but did not love). The one I am referring to is the middle version in the standard Givenchy spray bottle, presented in a white box with dark blue borders. It was a blind purchase for me; I was anticipating a similar scent to the one I remembered from the 80s. However the formula must have been significantly altered, and very much for the better ~ little did I expect the gorgeousness which followed! It reminds me very much of Annick Goutal Le Chèvrefeuille and Eau de Camille, to some extent also Chant d'Arômes de Guerlain ~ all three having in common a distinct, very beautiful honeysuckle leitmotif. Still, this one is different from any of the above and stands in a class all its own. I would describe it as light, airy, refreshing, not a winter scent but certainly an ideal choice for summer. A BEAUTY.

I'm shocked that this doesn't get more attention, especially with spring oncoming - it is THE perfect number for a classy spring number! Eau de Givenchy is a masterpiece. A triumph of honeysuckle married to the loveliest lily of the valley! The narcissus and citrus notes are here a gentle backing act, the green notes wrapping all with the balance only masters can achieve. This will never bore you - it's a very classy pick me up, round and soft, with great sillage and longevity. In hotter days it is just a dream! I am so glad to have found a bottle of this very original, unmistakable, unsurpassed green concoction. I treasure it, relishing every drop. A must for white floral and green lovers!!! I feel very sassy when I wear this. Try to believe, nothing outdated here, nor acrid, or in your face, or too woody.

Eau de Givenchy is not an apt name for this perfume. I believe it's too simple. Such understatement and poise which doesn't smell overbearing like the proper and harsh green fragrances which preceded it. The narcissi is impeccably blended with nondescript fruits which is why maybe it's classed as a fruity floral. Or to how the lemons and mandarins dominate it that's why the named it aptly "eau". Or perhaps the prominent oakmoss that's why some call it a green chypre. To me, it can't be categorized as any of the three but this is a floral fragrance with the lightness of a cologne and the backbone of a green perfume. It's now replaced by an impostor, sadly. Get the Les Mythiques Eau as long as they still sell it or the vintage one with the azure cap. You won't regret it.

Eau de Givenchy should be the official fragrance of spring. That's what I get from this lovely scent: narcissus and other white spring flowers. So beautiful, a bit sharp, so fresh and green! Just like the spring flowers I grow in a vain attempt to capture their scent. I bought this iconic fragrance many years ago when it was on close out. The blue marbled stripe and cap never fail to delight me. Eau de spring, I hope you haven't been reformulated, surely nothing could improve on your perfection. Sigh ... Eau has been reformulated. This review is from July 2018, and in Sept. of the same year I found out about the new version. According to the reviewers the new Eau isn't anything special, certainly not like the original. I'm very sad now.

If you can obtain a bottle, or find it in moms collection, check this gem out. Its got a little bit of everything while staying clean, fresh with richness. The grapefruit, ylang, honeysuckle notes are fresh and beautiful. Its a crisp white shirt and diamond studs in your ear. Casual elegance. I reach for it knowing its always appropriate. It has a subtle beauty much like its oriental counterpart from the same creator in Balahe. This is a great spring vintage scent.I just love it and the Jasmine is one for the ages. I dont know if there is anything out there like it...Id make it my signature if it was available, but alas it is tough to come by....and thats coming from a hard core oriental girl... Its that good. Perfection really.

Wearing my original EdT (splash) today, because life is too short not to enjoy the beauties I have and love. Oh what a glorious fragrance Eau de Givenchy is! It has lost none of its powers - it is today as chic as it ever was, remains both delicate and strong, full of strict and abundant flowers and oakmoss. The honeysuckle is outstanding, but every single note shimmers and sings alongside. Although youthful, it is by its character grown up, capable and true, a real joy and happy acquaintance. So happy to still have this. Highly recommended if you manage to find a vintage bottle. (It would be good if the introductory text could be changed to indicate that this is a chypre, not a 'fruity floral'. Thank you.)

Is it bitter? Is it sweet? Is it dirty? Is it neat? Eau de Givenchy is unique for its kind as it can at once remind me of mowed grass and muguet scented gin with a squeeze of grapefruit and then intermittently whisper dirty jasmine nothings from a mint-garnished décolletage. An eau, a "water," should be fresh, but this at once seems fresh in the literal sense and then again in the figurative sense, but mind you, discreetly so. This is all good and proper, but what puts it right in the socket is a musky sandalwood dry down with suggestions of muted green echoes and white musk nuzzles, which sure enough butters my toast. I like it!

It opens with sparkling notes of grapefruit, sweet, fresh notes of mandarin orange and bergamot, mint and red fruit. The middle notes are ylang-ylang, honeysuckle, pure jasmine, narcissus, tuberose, lily-of-the-valley, rose, cyclamen and orris root. Base notes are warm sandalwood, musk, cedar and oakmoss. I remember wearing this one in high school, along with Ralph Lauren Lauren. RLL when you were feeling bold, and EdG when you were feeling more subtle. It was always recommended for nurses, teachers, anyone who has to limit fragrance due to others/their own allergies. Fresh and appealing.

This is a more floral cousin to Givenchy III, which I adore and is my preferred green chypre alternative to Chanel No 19. The unsprayed 50ml from 1990 I found of EdG is glorious. I've come to learn that white florals (especially jasmine), yellow/orange citrus (especially mandarin) and oakmoss are a common theme in my all-time favourites. Throw in some honeysuckle and sandalwood and the show is over without a song being sung. I particularly like the way the basenotes anchor and balance the florals here; without them it would become all melody and no counterpoint.

I bought it a few years ago in Sephora in Paris, where some forgotten fragrances still can be found (Passage du Havre). This fragrance reminds me of the days when I was first becoming aware of perfumes and their impact on personal style. This one to me is good style. Well blended, rich in naturals, yet with personality. I can smell it on myself for the whole day and on the clothes afterwards. I do not wear it very often, but somehow it is irreplacable. It reminds me of good cosmetics, lipsticks, cleanliness, abundance. Happy discreet fragrance.

Oh how I love this scent! I had a holiday in Australia when I was young woman and bought this at the duty free. It brings back such good memories. I have kept a bottle on the go now for 30 years as I stocked up many years ago because I loved it so much. Bright, clean and not a scent I will ever tire of. I have tried to find something like it but nothing seems to come close. The mint, floral, chypre and orris root predominate for me and the dry down is bliss. I have had so many compliments over the years.

I love this perfume. It is the only one I have ever worn, sonce the day I was given the first sample about its start ca 1980 to now, that makes it about 30 years... My mother is on a mission to get every bottle she finds in old shops, becaute is has shamefully been discontinued. Why??? I love its fresh notes and even more the warmer tones that lingers on the skin. I do not know anymore after so many years which smell is mine and which is the perfume's.

(vintage) a lovely tangy green chypre, perhaps it’s the combination of narcissus/lily of the valley and oak moss, but the vintage certainly has a unique fresh tang and I love it. I only wear the vintage. It’s perfect for Spring, when everything is bursting into green! It evolves beautifully, you think it’s going to be floral but the green and woods come in with that fresh twist, and there’s no aldehyde headache - this is a favourite. 10/10 :)

This is another of the smells that ignited my interest in perfumes! It's bitter but nonetheless fresh, ideal for summer and autumn, extremely long lasting, very different from other eaus (check the "reminds me of.." list), especially because of the combination of oakmoss with honeysuckle and lily of the valley + grapefruit. There's also something that reminds me of the open sea... Unquestionably unisex, i think, and very underrated...

I'm in heaven today! After trying so many perfumes to try and replace Eau de Givenchy as my signature sent, I decided to buy a new "les parfums mythiques eau de givenchy" online and it arrived last night. I'm wearing it today and it smells so good. It smells fresh and feminine and it makes me feel special! I should have ordered several bottles because I do not want to run out again and it's so hard to find...

It is easier to describe this perfume by what it is not: is such a clean scent...but does NOT bring to mind laundry, grass, aqua, or chemicals. The citrus sparkles for a brief minute, then blends beautifully down into clear, rosey, slightly-bitter, slightly-old-fashioned floral threads and then fades to a wonderful, soft, burring musky-amber haze...not cloying, not smothering, interesting-yet-genteel.