Les Parfums Mythiques - Givenchy III

I find this similar to the original except I think it's a little more sparkling and a little greener. The galbanum is beautiful in the perfume, which is saying a lot because I'm not really a big fan of that note. Sometimes it can be so heavy in a scent it's gagworthy, but just as there are different varieties of roses, so too with galbanum, and whatever the variety they are using here is absolutely wonderful. If this perfume only smelled like that from beginning to end, I would be a happy camper. Still, even after it subsides, this is still a lovely Chypre and one worth buying if you can't get your hands on a vintage. It has enough of the original qualities where you shouldn't be disappointed, though silage and longevity not as good as the original. Also, unlike the original, it can't stand up to the heat. No problem as I use it with a few dabs of Givenchy III parfum (vintage minis are still inexpensive on Ebay) and it then lasts most of the day, even during hot days. I really couldn't be happier with this lovely scent.

Mythiques Givenchy III is a very well performed reformulation of the original. It's clearer, a bit more citrusy and perhaps a little more feminine than the original. The original is a bit darker and more bitter in the basenotes and I find the initial blast more powerful. Still Mythiques is a very beautiful fragrance. After the initial crisp galbanium/hyacint zing you can almost see the soft petals from the jasmine and rose surround you. It perfectly follow the three stages from top to base. The drydown is very elegant from oakmoss and patchouli. I'm amazed! They don't do perfumes like this anymore and still they've succeded again. Update: After some time I started to like the reformulation more than the original. Especially for warm spring and summer days I found it cooling and relaxing. It's quite close to Fidji, not as flowery but they have similarites.

I have Givenchy III in various vintage formulations and they're all wonderful, but my favourite is a 2010 Les Parfums Mythiques version. It opens with a sublime galbanum star-burst, a heady hyacinth lighting up it's sparkling heart. It mellows with time - Galbanum can't throw molecular sparks forever, unfortunately - but the oakmoss adds bitterness and Givenchy III becomes an ambling walk through a forest full of mystery, redolent of leafy life. This perfume gives me a similar sensation to the feeling I get when walking under dappled light in a bright day. Fine olfactory art. Distillation: galbanum star-burst throwing molecular sparks into the forest

Dans une brocante dans le sud de la France, j'ai réussi à mettre la main (le nez) sur un flacon de Givenchy III des années 70 et ... Oh mon Dieu !! Quel massacre ! Le parfum des années 70 est un sublime ambré, vert, poudreux etc.... Une ode aux parfums français.... Un chef d'oeuvre ! Celui des années 2007.... une pâle copie !! Doit on refaire la Joconde pour apprécier la peinture ??? NON !! Alors arrêtez, sous prétexte d'allergènes, de massacrer les parfums mythiques de la parfumerie française....

I have only just realised that this perfume is different from the original which I have used and loved for years. I agree with the others that the original was punchier than this one. I don't know why they changed it - possibly for marketing reasons, I always thought the original bottle was ugly. But why they changed the original formula goodness knows! I don't know if it is my favourite anymore. I have started wearing Balmain de Balmain....