L’Ange Noir

Dark Iris with Almond & Oily Sesame Tahini... My first impression was that this wasn't sweet enough - almost unsweetened, but as the vanilla has aged I feel the sweetness is just right to be able to appreciate the sesame. This only gets better with time, both in the bottle and on the skin. Opens with a burst of almond supported by multi-faceted bergamot & accented by pink-pepper, that deepens into the white-iris & sesame heart with powdery, sweet, nutty, aromatic & soft-violet tones. You do get a vintage lipstick-y vibe here amongst the rich & nutty sesame-almond. The sesame here leans to an oily tahini. This all rests on a base of tonka, ambrette & amber. Tonka here is of the of the soft vanilla & tobacco-blossom variety, helping to continue the powdery, vanillic facets, and ambrette helping to continue the seed-like nuttiness and soft florals. Amber here is in the background tying all the other notes together. Alongside all of this I also get a faintly smoky, near-ashy vibe coming perhaps from the spiciness of pink-pepper combining with the ambreete, near tobacco-blossom of tonka and other powdery facets. Overall I get an iris-almond-sesame scent, and while there is some sweetness this isn't overly sweet, with excellent performance. It's a love for me, but needs to sweeten more: Enjoy! Contrast to Lipstick On Maison Martin Margiela: These are different, but there are striking similarities with the vintage lipstick vibe. Lipstick On is sweeter and much more vanilla forward. L'Ange Noir outperforms. Update 01/29/25: Sprayed this on this morning, and was pleased to notice the almond coming more forward now in the opening. That transitions rather quickly into the vintage lipstick vibe of the heart with iris-sesame. In the air there's a nice blooming effect coming from the iris. The ambrette is a little more toned down now with that charred/charcoal vibe in the background. It's a little sweeter now too, but not a lot sweeter. Still a very dark vibe of a scent overall, and still a love.

I’ve owned this one for a couple years now and used up a couple of bottles. It’s not at all the type of scent I “think” I like but it’s a scent I love. It’s way too soft for my taste, but the nutty iris is so addictive. I owned a few iris scents over the years. This is my favorite one of them all. So much so, I decluttered most of the others. It’s mostly an airy iris with a really interesting nutty thing that took me awhile to recognize, but once I did, I realized it’s what makes this so special. Usually I dislike strong almond notes as they turn to play doh on me. No play doh here, not once. I get more toasted sesame. A subtle sweetness like the toasting of bread. Pure clean flowery iris without any soapy notes, without coming off too makeupy. That’s about it, but that’s enough. You will crave this the way you crave carbs. I find this scent pairs really well with leather. Going for a drive in a fancy car, wearing a pair of black leather pants with a silk blouse. It’s chic, dark, only slightly sweet, and cooler than everyone else in the room. If perfumes were Spice Girls, this would be Posh. Never smiling. Always looking flawless. Grown ass woman. It works well in all weather except scorching heat and sun, which burns it off. But it works on summer nights very well. It has a light floweriness that makes it feel pretty in the spring. Perfect in fall. Fancy in winter. It lasts on clothing for a few days. I can still slightly smell myself the next day. But sometimes this one hangs out really close to the skin and can be a bit fleeting. I still love it though. I wish there were more iris scents like this. I don’t know what I’m going to do once i can’t buy it anymore. This is so much better (and nothing like) the other angel/demon flankers in this line. Definitely shouldn’t have been discontinued.

Almond is one of my most favorite perfume notes,I love it in all it's variations,when I saw it's paired with iris and tonka in givenchy l'ange noir I immediately ordered it which was a great decision L'ange noir worthes every penny I paid for it.I agree that it has a niche-like quality,also I agree that it can be unisex.I usually don't like feminine perfumes with a masculine/unisex vibe but this is among exceptions.I love it! Almond is very prominent but this isn't a sweet almondy gourmand.on the contrary I find it somehow bitter.yes,there's tonka and amber giving it this balmy sweetness but all in all it's not a sweet perfume.I adore whatever note which makes a perfume delicious and at the same time bitter-ish or dark,such as licorice,myrrh,hazelnut,cocoa,cinnamon &...I believe sesame acts the same here.it gives this a pastry-like but not sweet deliciousness.the overall scent feels very dry and somehow cold when first sprayed but it becomes warmer and buttery as time passes.iris is easily detectable making it look like a far relative of Dior homme intense but I wished there was more iris here.vintage lipstick,face powder goes very well with this almondy bread thing but I feel sometimes the latter one overpowers iris and covers it L'ange noir is kind of dark without being pretentious.I find it comforting and a confidence booster and sometimes crave it but I don't wear it regularly.I need more sweetness,more florals for my regular perfumes so I often layer in with Armani code cashmere.the result is Devine.I also love it's layer with Dior homme intense and valentino uomo on my husband Longevity is very good.sillage is medium.it's bottle looks great Highly recommended

Blind bought L' Ange Noir based on the reviews here, since I love Dior Homme on my husband, hoping I would find its feminine equivalent. My expectations were met, even though I think I would prefer it to be just a tad sweeter - and that's a first for me, since I generally do not appreciate sweet fragrances. It does lean on the masculine side, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, what's not to love? Almond, sesame, iris, tonka... It's heavenly. At the beginning, I get a generous dose of pink pepper and an acidic quality, which apparently comes from bergamot. A few minutes later, the almond comes forward, providing a subtle sweetness. Sesame follows shortly after, creating a creamy combination which is to die for. However, it doesn't feel gourmand to my nose, as the iris, lingering in the background up till now, claims the spotlight along with ambrette, transforming the scent to a leathery, smoky aura. A soft, velvety cloud of tonka serves as a luxurious pillow for all these opulent notes to settle in. What I enjoy most is that leathery sense it evokes, even though it does not contain this particular note. At some point it smells like a leather vanity case, the only downside to me, and that is why I can't wait to layer it with vanilla perfumes. L' Ange Noir is mysterious, seductive and I daresay unique, in terms of female perfumes. Arrogant as it may sound, this is not a perfume for the faint of heart, nor for a damsel in distress. I doubt that it would satisfy people who crave Black Opium, La Vie e Belle, or Good Girl scents (pun intended). Definitely signature material for assertive, enigmatic women. PS. Try layering it with L' Interdit Intense. Divine.

This fragrance has A LOT of dislikes. I don't really understand why... it's actually pretty great as long as it's properly applied with a very light hand because it's STRONG. People adore MM "Lipstick On" which I also own and it is quite similar, yet they hate this. Perhaps it's the sesame note most people struggle with? Anyway, it's very lovely. Powdery, sweet, warm, and indeed Noir. I don't find the sesame off putting or overly intense. If anything it lends a slightly waxy, nutty, texture that's necessary to the overall effect. I love it! It's unpopular but I would definitely repurchase. It's much cheaper than Lipstick On so I recommend it to those who want that cosmetics note at a bit lower price. Let me be crystal clear: They are NOT identical Twins, but more like half sisters. I don't want anyone blind buying because someone on fragrantica said it was a dupe. It's not. But it does share some serious similarities in the dry down. L'ange Noir, like most Givenchy fragrances, lasts forever on me! I mean it goes the distance! My skin typically eats perfume quickly but most from this house stick around 8-12 hours and L'ange Noir proudly joins the ranks of its predecessors. Others have mentioned it is masculine... it is NOIR. Very dark. And some truly dark fragrances seem to come off that way to some people. I don't really think of gender in relation to fragrance though. So it would have to be pretty darn "classically masculine marketed cologne smelling" for me to agree on that point and this definitely doesn't smell like a cologne marketed towards men. Straight up manly? No. Unisex? Sure! But consider the source...I think everything is unisex! lol

COZY! The name is appropriate -- this isn't a sexy fragrance, nor is it one that is bright or uplifting. This is an equally smoky and powdery hot-skin scent. Actually, I was underwhelmed by it initially. Almost makes you wonder if they finished the base note construction and decided "hey, this is some real good stuff on it's own, let's throw in some pink pepper and bergamot just for kicks". What it lacks in brightness and identifiable fragrance notes it makes up for with a well blended mix of unique "ingredients" which all in their own way lend a quality of creaminess and depth to the juice. Iris, almond, sesame, ambrette, and tonka are the main players here, in probably that order. It is only vaguely sweet, and it's predominantly powdery. Smells like blankets, cat fur, warm skin, and absolutely like a makeup bag or like lipstick in a very literal way. Something about the scent gives me nostalgia, maybe triggering memories long forgotten of some of the cosmetic products my mom or grandma used when I was a child. As it dries down, it bears a strong resemblance to Valentina Poudre. It has the same vibe as Bvlgari Notte (women's version) that I can only think to describe as "deep", and there is something in the composition which reminds me of Dream Angels Heavenly by Victoria's Secret before the recent reformulation. I'm really happy I blind bought this, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing so unless you're a tad adventurous and don't mind a perfume which likely will not stand out in either a positive or negative manner. It's one you will wear for yourself.

And just like that, my exploration of lipstick/cosmetic powder/sweet/iris fragrances is officially over. I've found my QWEEEEEEN, lol! Yeah, basically all my old favs can suck it. 1889 Moulin Rouge (I mean, I'll love her forever but she's been knocked off the pedestal for good), Lipstick On, Iris Rebelle, Iris des Champs Houbigant, etc., etc. I also feel like this is pretty versatile, you could wear this out at night - bit of a "noir" aspect there. But you could also pull this off for daytime; it works for a retro, sexy secretary type of vibe too. It's not too heavy for a cool summer night and not too light for a cold winter day. Yeah, it's a really great scent. It does both versions of iris I love - a bit of the really rubbery/waxy thing in the opening and then dries a bit more dusty. There is a healthy dose of sweet vanilla-ish tonka and that along with the almond/sesame notes make for a sweet but not too sweet vintage powder puff scent. I don't personally get much savory or culinary vibes - I was a little worried about that with it including sesame/almond/pepper but at least on my skin it's sweet/floral/powdery but never gets to gourmand (Iris Rebelle has a much stronger savory/herbal aspect than this one to my nose). This perfume makes me want to explore this house a bit more - I have never given Givenchy the time of day. Ps., Teo Cabanel Oh La La smells quite similar imho (if you're looking for something similar that is still in production) though I'd say it's woodier and a bit more unisex.

What a beauty this one. It’s a 50’s vixen in a silk slip and black silk robe with curlers in her hair, sitting at a vanity applying a deep red lipstick. I blind bought this bottle years ago, took a quick sniff and it was promptly spirited away to some deep dark corner of my bedroom. To a place where my perfumes generally go to die. I didn’t care for it then, and I can’t figure out why on earth not. Because now I can’t stop sniffing my wrist. I didn’t care for iris before I guess, but my nose must have evolved, as now it is a delight! It’s a woody iris and vanilla scented lipstick with an ever so slight hint of rubber. The later I believe is coming from the sesame seed note. It’s nothing serious like the rubber smell in Bvlgari Black for instance. This is very subdue. Just a whisper and it gives the fragrance some smokiness and depth along with some ambrette. I also get a little unsweetened nuttiness from almond It’s cold and gothic, while also being sensual. Not beast mode, but it does leave a rather large scent bubble of gorgeousness around you for the first hour or so and then it settles down closer to the skin. While I would say this fragrance is best suited for the fall and winter months, it could certainly be worn all year round. Day or night. This one has really charmed me. I’m so happy to have rediscovered it amongst its many fallen companions. It has now earned its own spot among the chosen ones.

Love at first scent? Definitely! It has some of the same qualities as some of my favorite fragrances. I can smell the iris for sure. It has a bit of the dry (cat fur) iris quality that is in Vera Wang Embrace Periwinkle and Iris, some of the same dry iris/violet quality that is in Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black (similar to the former), and definitely some MMM Lipstick on. In the beginning, I got a heavy cherry-almond type impression that reminds me of the defensive odor of Eurycotis floridana (an insect). This can come off sort of like amaretto to me and I actually like the smell of that if it is not up close and irritating. ;-) I can smell a savoriness (maybe the sesame) that makes this something different and I enjoy that as well. So far I really dig this perfume! I decided to buy it because I like MMM lipstick on but did not like the price for the performance. I found this and the sesame note and descriptions/reviews intrigued me enough for a blind purchase. I am so happy I did! I feel like this is a better perfume with deeper and darker notes and am pleased that it has the quality that I love from 2 of my very favorites. <3 I have a feeling that I should have got the large bottle. I probably will because I think this will go pretty fast.

I love iris perfumes , what can I say? I especially like warm powdery sweet iris perfumes. I realize most people do not love the iris note in perfumes as much as i do. It seems most iris dominant perfumes get bad reviews. This particular one reminds me of silver iris by atelier , it's dense , buttery , powdery and sweet. I love the sesame , it gives it a bready smell , which I bet is something lots of people don't like.,, Like "love in black " , one of my favourites ,has a bread note also. The almond and tonka is nice and give it a dense sweet gourmandish edge. But this perfume is not a gourmand. It reminds me of a few iris heavy perfumes in the niche category but it still has its own smell. The amberette is great too , with its musky vegetal note ,slightly metallic and well suited for an iris heavy perfume. Also the amber makes this perfume a little elegant and gives it a great base. I could see how some may find it masculine in a way as it also reminds me of DH , which by the way is not your typical masculine perfume. It's worn by many women. This is a keeper , at least for me. It's different in a way. It enters niche / different category ,it's not your regular department store perfume, that's for sure.

I love it from first sniff. It is not a common thing to find a bitter perfume nowadays and I just wonder how on earth wasn't Ange Noir discontinued yet. A miracle! Long lasting but stays close to skin. Survived washing with soap and water. And later it survived several wipings with wet wipes. Smells powdery, buttery, lipsticky. Old lipstick type. That's a plus. It is noir. It is odd. Could work on a man too. As for the notes: bitter almond dominates the fragrance. There is the powdery iris and personally I smell the sesame too, I think it's even more prevalent than iris at times. The role of sesame here is to intensify the almond; make it more bitter. Because sesame is truly bitter if you have ever tasted just sesame. Initially is very musky and strong but it softens within minutes and settles like that. The overall blend misses some florals, but that's okay! It is also balmy, which I love in a perfume. I'm happy to have found a scent with bitter almond that works for me. Yes there is hypnotic poison, but it's packed with vanilla and it's not my poison really. But Ange Noir is a fit. A yes from me.

Blindbuy at the annual Smith and Caugheys sale. This is a surprisingly good buy. Holds up to more luxury fragrances I was trying an hour earlier at Mecca. Lipsticky, pink-peppery, fresh green iris but also mellow almond blossom goodness. Never really thought much of other Givenchy fragrances bar Amarige (which is too nuclear for me to wear). But this is a very pleasant surprise indeed and honestly a bit out of the common compared to most of the sweetie generic crap on the market. I'm not usually a fan of pink pepper but in this it works really well. I'm happy with this purchase. Note: the more I wear this the more pleased I am! It's such a good balance of light and dark. There is a warmth to it, like it's sexy, but it also keeps a nice powdery feel with a hint of greenness. Projection isn't too strong, it's just good enough that I feel most would be happy, i.e. nothing that sensitive people would think too strong, and not what people who like strong scents would be disappointed with. This is the first designer frag that I've been pleased with in such a long time, and so unexpected too :)

I don't know where people are getting a food smell or their stomachs turning from sesame seed. I Blind bought this perfume and it is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! If you love lipstick smells most likely you'll love this. It smells very similar to lipstick on except this has somewhat of a candle vanilla candle scent to it in the opening as it dries down the candle smell dissipates and it becomes more like a dry waxy lipstick. I smell Amberette and a nice sweet spice. Like the way homes smell around the holidays when they're baking sugar cookies and burning candles. I do find this to be darker and mysterious. It's very beautiful very sexy. Longevity is great on me I sprayed it on at 8 a.m. and it's after 1 p.m. now and I can still get wafts of it. I did spray some in my hair and on my clothing. It's very beautiful on clothes as well as on skin. It is by far one of my favorite lipstick scents. I have lipstick on and lipstick rose and I had no idea what to expect from this perfume and I'm in love with this sweet , spicy, sexy , waxy , creamy lipstick perfume!

Completely unisex, L'Ange Noir is a dry iris mixture that's , less sweet than Dior Homme. The mix of bitter almond and sesame gives it a unique herbal tone. This is not at all a typical sweet powdery lipstick feminine scent. It's dry, not sweet powder, dark, herbal, masculine, warm, inviting, and sensual. Almond and sesame project intensely and consistently. All alone, L'Ange Noir is too masculine for me. As a female, in order for me to enjoy wearing it, I add a spray on top of L'Erbolario Iris, which is a very sweet powdery smooth iris perfume. With this combination, I finally get the powdery sweet feminine lipstick scent, plus all of the edgy, noir, femme fatal vibes of L'Ange Noir, without any masculine aspects. If you prefer feminine perfumes, don't be afraid to mix L'Ange Noir with very sweet fragrances. It will balance, tone, and add depth to scents that are otherwise far too sweet and cloying. L'Ange Noir is extremely long lasting with strong to moderate projection. It's great used as a base to mix and blend with many other perfumes.

This fragrance is in the same family as Lolita Lempicka, LPRN like fragrances back in the day. The same airiness with cherry, violets & iris..It's also a bit powdery. You do get a bread like scent from the sesame seeds which actually makes it very unique and enhances the powdery interpretation. It is a darker more interesting fragrance almost leaning more in the Lolita Lempicka's Minuit Noir range with it's dark licorice and spiciness. A very nice iris scent. It does have this lipstick powder make-up vibe, but not as much as Anatole Lebraton's Incarnata which is a full fledge red raspberry lipstick and powder puff make-up mixed with some spice in the base which I love a whole lot more. I do rather enjoy this fragrance allot though and it's always a joy when I use it. I was looking to get a dupe for Lipstick On which this is compared to. But since I have so much of this scent I don't need to get Lipstick On anymore. I am always interested in trying other iris based fragrances.

A blind buy splurge for me, I love the EDP of AouD and this sounded amazing. I like it. It's like Shalimar Initial EDP mixed with Prada Candy. The benzoin in L'Ange Noir is exactly like PC in my opinion. And the powdery sweet vintage lipstick vibe is like SPI. (The sweet powder also reminded me of Insolence a bit) This isn't too groundbreaking for me, it's not a huge love, but I like it. Soft, dry, yet great longevity, and above average sillage. In fact, the musky benzoin drydown lasted forever, but was kinda boring by that time. I don't see benzoin in the notes.... but something is very similar to the musky sweet of PC. I do remember something smoky/spicy.... but not that much. Wearing again on a sloppy winter day.... this is sweet, but reminds me of Private Room by Jeanne Arthes, and that rather disappoints me. I love Private Room, but this Givenchy shouldn't smell like a $10 drugstore perfume. :( Granted, L'Ange Noir is unique for that dusty lipstick smell.

Such a beauty. To me, this is a gorgeous, lipsticky cosmetic scent. The opening is kind of bitter with a slight coffee-like hint to it, but it quickly disolves and transforms itself into this beautiful waxy/powdery iris makeup scent...waxy lipstick is what I see when I smell it, the perfume feels so unique. :) It definitely has something dark and elegant to it. The bottle is interesting, too. :) The scent lasted for decent amount of hours on my wrists, with my nose getting whiffs of it here and there. In comparison to Moulin Rouge by HdP or Lipstick Fever by JhaG, this has no fruity raspberry sweetness to it. I would say it's more similar to Valentina Poudre, yet Valentina is more about compact powder, iris and woodsy notes, while L’Ange Noir is more about dry lipstick with a sweet almondy hint to it. I can smell the sesame note, too, I think it's the slight bitterness in the opening that makes the scent dry in overall.

Another homerun from the house of Givenchy one of my top three fav's !! The almond is delicious, almost edible, with the Pink Pepper adding also a touch of a delectable fruit, oh my goodness what a opening scent!! I would expect nothing less from them. I sprayed it in the room before I showered and came out and my living room smelled gorgeous which this scent smells on me and makes me feel. It has a very good non obtrusive projection, that is very long lasting over 8 hours in fact it was there in the morning, like a faithful man. The Iris and Sesame is blended nicely into a lovely floral scent that is intoxicating to me making me what to order a backup bottle. It has a lightly sweet amber dry down. All the notes work so good together making this a beautiful perfume that I absolutely love. The dry down kinda reminds me of Givenchy Irresistible...

Another perfume i can call "love at first sniff" :) Also now my first Givenchy. I had high hopes for the juice judging by the notes and the premise of a film noir scent. Well:) It opens with a blast of cool lipstick iris, warm sesame that gives a powdery bready note, a tiny hue of red fruit (maybe the ambrette with the pink pepper) and almost candied almond. The sesame accord is divine and adds an unexpected twist to the scent. This alone puts it in "danger" of entering my favorite scents top 10! The fragrance remains sweet, powdery, with a veil of almond dough and sesame nuttiness, with a cool restrained iris. Very androgynous, L'ange noir stands between gourmand territory and powdery darkness, almost like 2 separate parts that mix beautifully together. The bottle is a beauty too. scent: 8+/10 longevity: 6/10 sillage: 6/10

I purchased this blindly based on a friend's recommendation (she owns a few backups of this one). I figured that a powdery lipstick scent couldn't go that back- and it didn't! Upon first spray, I do get the peppercorn and a violet (although not listed as a note). Then, after 10 minutes, the sesame and tonka begin to peek out. The iris remains in the backdrop, like a veil of feminine powder. It is powdery, but not overwhelming - just enough to remind one of an old cosmetic bag that draws up memories. I would wear this to bed and on a rainy day out. It's comforting but not tame. It has sex appeal but you're significant other will have to draw close to enjoy your scent. For the lovers of powdery scents without the mature vibe, this is worth getting your hands on, especially since it is now said to be discontinued.