L'Interdit (2018) Eau De Parfum

I immediately loved the new ‘l’Interdit’. I still come from the time of these older perfumes which I also love (born 1957). as a homosexual man always wearing womens perfumes from off 1974 I had my fair share of aldehydes, and deftly so. Chanel no.5, Joy, Fidji, Chanel no.19, Miss Dior (original), then (80s) Givenchy’s Ysatis and Amarige (from the 70s I remember Givenchy’s with numbers), being, Amarige and Ysatis, also both formulated by Dominique Ropion. I am his no. 1 fan. he makes strong, lasting perfumes (al Waad, Promise, for Frederic Malle, which I absolutely venerate). compared with Ysatis and Amarige the new Interdit is relatively mild with very pleasant sillage. I feel it is also a ‘beautiful perfume’. yes it may be iconoclastic to Audrey Hepburns perfume. but what if it were a pastiche? the tuberose is circumsurrounded by her softer sisters orangeblossom and jasmine. I think is is an utter feminine perfume. tastes differ, as does skinreception and ‘environmental’, social and personal affinities. vanilla, pear and ambroxan make this perfume round and kind of mellow. with the sophisticated gents’ scents ‘vétiver’ and ‘monsieur’ Givenchy was foremost defined. I loved his couture in the 80s with Karl for Chanel, YSL, Scherrer, Peter Mortensen for Pierre Balmain and the Americans Geoffrey Beene and Bill Blass. but these times are over. this new perfume is smashing !

I was wandering around a department store in Sydney, during June in 2024, a sales lady from Givenchy handed me a sample of this as I walked by, and I'm so grateful I took it that day. Even after I finished the sample, I couldn't stop thinking about this. This has to be one of the most beautiful perfumes I have ever smelt in my life. Citrusy, creamy, heady and heavy jasmine, with a base of vetiver. The first I have smelt like it, and I really think it could be a staple in my collection. Smells to me like a woman who has her life together. Very grown up in a way, I imagine a woman who has impeccable taste in professional clothes, lives in a colder place, and has a moody countenance. Someone who wears darker colours; black, maroon, and deep brown, with gold statement jewellery. Heady, intense and prominent. Definitely more of an alluring perfume, not something I'd imagine a teenager or a "clean girl" to wear. In my opinion this is the ultimate "I want to feel put together and mysterious" perfume, my signature this winter hopefully! Very heady, and lasts for agesss. I once put on a spray on my skin, and even after a shower I could still pick it up clearly. I wasn't able to get the smell out of my clothes until a few washes had been done. Three sprays is definitely enough to be able to last all day. Definitely a winter scent, as it has made me feel like I'll pass out in the summer.

L'Interdit embodies the most captivating tuberose with every wear. A beautiful, sensual composition with a strong sillage in the opening and a sweet, enveloping base.