This is a reworking of a vintage Givenchy perfume and the 2007 has been quite a success. Some would be so bold as to suggest that the new version is better than the old. It is a feminine and sunny perfume that has some floral overtones to bring out the essence of a modern woman. The Givenchy elegance is there to see but somehow this perfumes manages to add an extra dimension of humanity which I find touching to say the least.

The Brand

Givenchy has been with us like forever and they keep churning out these gorgeous perfumes that would put anyone else to shame. The beauty of the brand is that they have found a winning formula and stuck to it. I am normally anti revivals but this particular revival has shown off Givenchy at its best. In this project the fashion houses has been helped by the famous duo of  Jean Guichard and Olivier Gillotin . They got the old formula and added a strawberry note. The result has been spectacular and has probably exceeded all expectations.

The Fragrance

The fragrance is simple when compared to the magnificence of the final product. It starts off with galbanum, pepper and clove. We then move to the principle flavor strawberry that gives way to aldehydes, rose, jasmine and jonquil.  The floral theme continues with violet but then we take a more masculine turn with sandalwood, amber and musk, The perfume is developed by benzoin, iris, patchouli and vetiver. The closing notes are frankincense and tonka bean. On a normal scale this might appear to be a complicated list but bearing in mind the quality of the outcome, I am not complaining.

The Packaging

A really interesting bottle and the perfume itself is made up of a peachy lemony hue which I find absolutely appealing. The bottle has a snowy exterior but clear enough so that you can see what is inside. The silver top is neither here nor there but the purple label is somehow out of place. However I think this is perfectly acceptable packaging for the perfume of its caliber.

General Customer Feedback

The customers loved the perfume to the extent that may of them were saying that it was better than the old version. There was one small complaint that the label tends to appear as if it is going to fall off but no one worried about the value of the fragrance.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Lyric woman is based on a soprano voices that has lightness but also darker colors. This is apparently supposed to reflect the difference between the top notes and the bottom notes of this perfume. I like the concept of mixing two different notes to form a balanced perfume but I think that the operatic theme is a touch pretentious. This is merely a matter of taste and I am sure that there are many who love the comparison.

 The Brand

Daniel Maurel is the perfume genious behind Lyric Woman but he is ultimately representing Amouage.  Amouage is a luxury perfume house. It was established  around 1983 by the Sultan of Oman. The theme for the fashion was the revival of the ancient Omani art of perfumery. This means that the perfume is delivered with a rich oriental twist arises out of its Persian origins.

The Fragrance

The perfume has always marketed itself as a mish mash of different textures and scents. Therefore you will have sharp notes that are then complemented by more dulcet ones. It all kicks of with bergamot, spicy cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. This provides the oriental base for the whole perfume. We then move on to heart of rose, angelica, jasmine and ylang ylang. The spicy flowers continue with geranium, and orris. The base is quite substantial with hints of oakmoss, musk, wood, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, and frankincense. The ingredients are many and interesting but the final perfume is much greater than its ingredients.

The Packaging

I absolutely love this packaging because it has detail. Many packages are far too simplistic but this is red with a silver logo at the front and a fruit shaped cone at the top. The top has a little button structure that adds texture to the packaging. It all speaks of elegance and sophistication.

General Customer Feedback

The customers loved the complexity of the perfume and were seduced by the oriental flavors that occasionally interrupted their feast with new knowledge of what was to come. The packaging was very popular but was not seen to be a crucial factor in whether they bought the perfume or not. The operative theme was lost on most people.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Jasmin is the latest creation from the little known perfume oil maker Bruno Acampora. The perfume is based on a concept of evening tide and childhood memories. Apparently it is supposed to remind one of honey or a first meeting . These are lofty sentiments indeed but I am not entirely sure that the perfume is able to live with them. I personally believe that this is a very decent perfume that would not go amiss in a gift cabinet but it is not one that I would break the house down for.

The Brand

The Bruno Acampora house specializes in perfume oils so it might not be very famous with the perfume connoisseurs who tend to go for the water based colognes. However it has been going for a good forty years so they must be doing something right. Their modus operandi is to titillate the senses of those who buy their product.

The Fragrance

The fragrance is fairly simple in as much as it is dominated by jasmine. You really cannot go wrong with jasmine because it instantly creates a perfume from nothing. However I tend to prefer a bit more imagination from my perfumes. On the other hand some people cannot abide complicated perfumes because  they do not give them a direct message. The message from jasmine is as direct as can be. There other fairly unique notes of cyclamen, cloves and ylang ylang. This gives the perfume a spicy oriental feel which is part of the exotic mix that works so well for so many fragrances.

The Packaging

The perfume comes in a silver box and rests on a motif of pink. The bottle is relatively small but has a floral print of pink highlights. I think this is an excellent idea and that pink is almost orange in the hue such that you have obvious femininity but with a twist. I am afraid that the packaging of the perfume outranks its smell. Whether this is a good or bad thing is another matter.

General Customer Feedback

I hate to say this but many of the customers were distinctly underwhelmed by the perfume. They could not find anything inherently wrong but they did not feel that the perfume had the wow factor. I personally take a slightly different view. It is neither possible nor desirable to have a full on high end perfume every time you review something. Some perfumes simple and we ought to appreciate them in their simplicity.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Created by Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion, Miss Boucheron is the latest perfume from the jewelry house. I suppose that their experience in the jewelry business has been transferred back to their work on the perfume. They intend to go for the younger woman so it is not expected that the perfume will have many of the classical overtones of a Versace or Chanel. What they do have is a sense of modern chic.

The Brand

Boucheron is a jewelry house which has specialized in the hip market with tentacles across various spectrums of the business. They occasionally channel their creativity into side products such as the perfume business but their most durable work has always been about jewels. Their perfumes are meant to appeal to niche markets and to concentrate on developing those markets.

The Fragrance

The fragrance is simple to the point of simplistic. It starts off with the fairly mundane notes of  bergamot and pomegranate. We then move to pink pepper and the more unusual cyclamen, violet, and rose. The fragrance mix is completed by white suede, cedar and musk. Despite these ingredient scents, the perfume is rather disappointing and dull. All you get is the standard floral signs with no great effort at making something unforgettable. If this is how they think they are going to capture the younger market then they can think again. It is highly unlikely that a stylish woman will want something bland and floral for high end fashion. Perhaps it was intended as a perfume for ordinary use or use in conjunction with another fragrance.

The Packaging

If the perfume itself is bland then the packaging is the exact opposite. It has a pink to red motif with gold tops and floral labels. There is also a gold chain attached which makes it look very stylish and feminine. However I cannot help but feel that they should have spent all this time in improving the fragrance so that it had a better impact with the public. It is all a bit bubble and no squeak. I admire the packaging but wish I could admire the fragrance to the same level.

General Customer Feedback

Customers were very impressed by the packaging and felt that the chain was beautiful although it was not practical to wear. However they also commented that the fragrance itself was a bit of a letdown after the drama of the packaging.  Perhaps this is something that the perfume makers can think about for the future.

Popularity: 11% [?]