Givenchy bills Eaudemoiselle* as a youthful fragrance: an attempt to capture a young audience — and a presentation of a “rebellious rose.” (Roses are rebelling everywhere this year, most recently in Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin.)
Eaudemoiselle goes on with rose-tinged, opaque (sugar-glazed) citrus aromas — or is it citrus-tinged, opaque (sugar-dusted) rose aromas? Eaudemoiselle is sweet, but in a natural, old-fashioned way; it’s not a contemporary gourmand perfume (no neon-colored fruits or caramel or chocolate are involved). Eaudemoiselle’s vibe is floral-citrus, circa 1960s, but without the woody-mossy base you’d expect in that time period. There’s not a lot of change between Eaudemoiselle’s opening notes and its heart, but in mid-development the notes turn creamy, then change course and become a tad powdery. (Venerable Ÿsatis’ DNA is somewhere in Eaudemoiselle’s formula.) As Eaudemoiselle enters its final phase of development, it becomes even more rosy, though I can detect musky ambrette seed mixing with the flowers.
When I first discovered Eaudemoiselle in a scent strip in Neiman Marcus’s 2012 Christmas catalogue, I felt SURE I could wear it myself. I loved its retro character and it smelled unisex. But when I put the liquid perfume on my skin, I couldn’t imagine myself wearing it; it’s too feminine (and becomes more feminine the longer I wear it).
If Eaudemoiselle is Givenchy’s attempt at attracting a younger consumer, I’m dubious; I don’t see a retro-rose (without any modern embellishments) appealing to young women who love bright, almost metallic, floral perfumes, or fragrances drizzled with liquid sugar, cocoa, vanilla sauce and the like. (And there’s nothing “rebellious” about Eaudemoiselle’s rose note; it’s natural-smelling, mid-strength, and pleasant — a rose for a lady-who-lunches.) If you’re shopping for a pretty, summer-y rose perfume, give Eaudemoiselle a sniff.
Eaudemoiselle de Givenchy Eau de Toilette is available in 50/100 ml; $65/$87.
*Perfumer Francois Demachy; tangerine, Italian winter lemon, shiso, rose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, crystal musk, ambrette seeds, tonka bean, cedar.
Note: top image by the author.
20 Comments
Read more about commenting at Now Smell This.
Fun story: I was wearing this the day I got engaged. I tried it at travel retail at the airport (before it was in wide distribution in the US), and he popped the question not long after the flight landed! I haven’t tried it before or since but I liked the scent and I now want a bottle for nostalgia purposes.
Breathes: that is a good story…can’t believe you didn’t wear it on your wedding day!
yeah, maybe! I ended up wearing Tauer’s Carillon pour un Ange for the wedding day. I’ll nab the Eaudemoiselle for our first anniversary, maybe!
Eaudemoiselle has been out in Europe a lot longer already. and afaik it’s the first one which ANY participation by Givenchy’s current creative director, Riccardo Tisci, the second one being Dahlia Noir.
all the other Givenchy offerings are rather fruity floral…
Prism: Givenchy distribution is very limited in my city…the US is often second-fiddle…not as important as Europe.
But wait, didn’t the advertising feature some sad thin girl wandering around a lake wearing a black hooded cape? (I recall feeling a strong urge to push her in.) I couldn’t see how that gelled with the actual product, which I remember not liking but can’t remember why. I’ll give it another go. Thanks for the unexpected review!
Yes, this was er…two years ago maybe? It really seemed to have a “retro/fashiongoth” vibe going, not a “rebellious young rose” vibe.
I remember sniffing it (can’t recall where) and thinking it was a nice change from everything else aimed at (apparently) perpetual 20 year olds, but nothing more specific than that.
Something like two years ago, yes. I remember thinking it sounded interesting (retro? gothic? retro gothic?), and hoping it might turn around Givenchy’s rather diminished reputation for fragrance, but when I smelled it I found it rather ordinary. But never say never! I’ll give it another sniff.
Annemarie: I think you are right about the very first ad…I believe the latest ad featured a summer garden.
The box design was created using cameos of the employees who worked in the offices. I suppose the premise of the Ricardo Tisci black cape was to stir up controversy as to what was under it and how inappropriate it was for the scent which was definitely not young. Perhaps the popularity of “Twilight” at the time accounts for the goth look. The bottle echoed the water in the pool beside the model but the cap was so cheap and seemed an after-thought. The name of the fragrance was written all in lower case: eaudemoiselle. The scent was similar to Balenciaga Paris which debuted at about the same time.
Interesting – thanks, Celestia!
Yeah, what’s it with the great rose rebellion anyway? I mean, I hate to pull rank, or anything, but isn’t ‘rebelling’ a little beneath the average rose?
Exactly!
Merlin, I think the most we can expect from roses is some rambling….
I’d love someone to do a throny, sappy, green, sunny, dirty rambling rose scent!
Thanks for the nice review, Kevin! I tried this a while ago on a whim at Neiman’s, thinking it was odd that I couldn’t remember hearing of this one at all. It struck me as rating quite a few notches above the average new mainstream release, and a “youth-oriented” one at that!
Maybe I liked it because it does have a “retro” feeling, being very feminine yet not reminiscent of a sweet shop. To my nose, the ylang was right up there with the rose, and this touch appealed to me as different from most of the rose frags I own – and there are lots! I may have to add some of this to my collection.
Wow – Givenchy slipped up and made something that would smell good to perfumistas! Who let that through?!
The moment you stated “Ÿsatis’ DNA’, you had my full attention. I loved Ysatis! You have convinced me to go to the mall now, Kevin! (Like I needed an excuse)! Ha! Thanks for the great and surprising review.
Fuddy spray lavishly and let me know what you think
Well mission was not accomplished. I should have done my homework ahead of time but this is a hard to find scent. Apparently in my area, it is exclusive to Needless Markup.
So, I will let you know next week.