L'Interdit (2002 version)
Givenchy (2002)

The opening was full on artificial (candy) plum, then it softens with just a little bit of sugar, some bitterness and a pinch of powdery floral (the tuberose is gorgeous and not overpowering). I loved it at first sniff for being very different and can't wait to smell the vintage version.

L'Interdit new, a "new age" loyal revisitation of a left back glorious Givenchy's classic (variously "re-introduced by Givenchy), is a radiant soapy-chic accord of white flowers, fruits (peach, orange blossom), musk and balmy/eliotropic notes, something like a classic Ysatis (a more opulent giant) combined with a whichever "easier" contemporary Elie Saab Le Parfum and Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere (and on a lesser extent Lancome Poeme) which come vaguely on mind for their sensual/chic floral radiancy. The new version reduces aldehydes and spicy/earthy complexity while enhancing synth muskiness, balmy sweetness and light florals. I detect indeed peaches combined with rose, ambery tonka, musk and yes, kind of "aqueous" flowers as peony or osmanthus providing a veritable chic musky twist. The drydown effectively adds musky undertones with an ambery resinous kind of "shampooing" soapy aura. I get moderate sillage and good projection for the carefree kind of bright contemporary woman wearing this classic remake. I even detect that typical kind of "radiant" cool/anisic synth musky undertone of modern chic perfumes. The base is not that kind of disappointment, It is just more musky, rosey, "white" and clean, less articulated, mossy, earthy, green and spicy than the vintage version. Dry down is kind of linear, finally darker (plums, patchouli, tuberose??), yumier, in line with a part of the modern more "massive" musky-floral perfumery and a vague reminiscence of golden left over floral/tonkinian/resinous/vanillic/musky dry downs a la Cacharel LouLou. A good bright (more "classic in style") alternative to the various "new style" Eliee Saab Le Parfum, Narciso Rodriguez for her or the Alien's variations.

The osmanthus, peach, and rose - a fairly average rose - blend with white florals - mainly peony with whiffs and muguet - to constitute the opening mix, which is a heady, smooth and sweet affair.

The drydown adds the aroma of overripe plums and a surprisingly powerful tuberose; a fruity, peachy tone with hints of iris and sone some green touches added into the mix.

The base adds white musky undertones with an ambery sideline, and is the least sweet phase of the development of this product.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and a decent seven hours of longevity on my skin.

The main strength of this evening spring creation, which is less convincing that the original, is the smooth and richly sweet opening phase, that is will blended and vivid in expression. The base is the disappointment; it is dull and uninspiring to say the least. The heart notes are somewhere in the middle, with only the tuberose being typical enough to entice - the term "average" springs to mind. Overall this might please the lover of densely sweet scents, but the total score does not go above the upper ranges of neutral - veering towards the positive though. 2.75/5.

Very, very light fragrance to my nose. Got this one as a tester bottle at a Fragrance outlet so maybe it has turned? But within minutes of spraying it on, can not smell it at all unless i bury my nose in my arm where i sprayed it. Its ok.

edit: I will reclaim what i said above. It is very light, I believe, because my nose gets 'accustomed' to it to quickly. My bottle, as I said above, was a tester and is only half full, therefore might have lost some top notes. But I believe that i can detect just the faintest wihiff of a spice used in Indian or Middle Eastern cooking that is similar to celery seed! I think they might call the seed or spice Ajmal....I will re edit this review when i figure out what that note is. This may be what other people consider to be the "Bug Spray" note they smell at first. Or, i could actually be smelling a middle note there because my bottle may have lost the top notes already being half full. Anyway, I rather enjoy it, as the note blends almost immediately with the rest of the composition. My nose is not very good at picking out or distinguishing between different flowery notes as of yet, guess its a rose note? Anyway, i love the celery seed or ajmal seed note and keep sprayinng and spraying the frag to be able to smell that one note in there! LOL

Genre: Floral

I've had a hard time figuring this one out. Set beside the re-released Insensé, Vetyver, Le De, and Givenchy III, L'Interdit seems shy, tame, and conventional. The top notes are extremely soft, sweet, “perfumey” aldehydic florals that make L'Interdit smell more like a period piece than any of the other Givenchy Les Parfums Mythiques reissues I've tried.

The powdery aldehydes, the prim white flowers, and a musky, mossy foundation make for a frankly dowdy heart accord. A previous review describes the scent as “dusty,” and I concur. There's something flat and stale at the core of L'Interdit that my nose just can't get past. Mind you, it's possible that I'm anosmic to a large portion of this composition: it becomes extremely hard for me to detect L'Interdit after only ten or fifteen minutes' wear.

L'Interdit – at least what I can smell of it – becomes more palatable to me with age, as the aldehydes and powder retreat and some woods, spices and vanilla emerge from underneath them. After an hour or two with L'Interdit what I experience is a very pale floral-oriental with an old-fashioned face powder accord of talcum and moss. In short, nothing special. I have not had the opportunity to try either the original 1957 scent or the 2002 reformulation, so I have no idea how the current version stands up to its predecessors. Perhaps they were more impressive.

I fear for the mental integrity of anyone who wears this thing regularly. It's so very dull that even as the adjectives crop up in my mind with each sniff, the part of my brain that commands and sends the synapses related to speech ceases to function. Even Prada is out-performing this.