Givenchy
Givenchy
115 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Watermelon and blackcurrant hit immediately with an almost cloying sweetness, immediately tempered by bergamot's citric sharpness and galbanum's green, almost metallic vegetal bite. The first minutes feel aggressively aquatic—like you've spilled concentrated fruit cordial into a glass of mineral water.
Within twenty minutes, the florals assume control as the fruit softens considerably. Lily of the valley's indolic creaminess mingles with carnation's peppery spice, whilst a distinct minty coolness weaves through the composition. The iris adds a subtle iris-root dryness that feels deliberately austere, fighting against the fragrance's fruity DNA.
Tobacco and sage emerge from beneath the floral-aquatic scaffolding, introducing a genuinely smoky, almost culinary warmth. Cardamom's subtle spice lingers, and the entire composition settles into something considerably drier and more earthy than the opening promised—but by this point, you're struggling to smell it on your skin at all.
Insensé Ultramarine occupies a peculiar space in Givenchy's catalogue: a fragrance caught between aquatic freshness and unexpected warmth, never quite committing to either. Christian Mathieu has crafted something that reads as deliberately contradictory—opening with the bright, almost juice-like sweetness of watermelon and blackcurrant, then pivoting toward a distinctly botanical middle where galbanum's green bite cuts against creamy lily of the valley and minty brightness.
The fragrance's central tension lies in how the heart notes behave. Carnation brings a peppery, slightly powdery density that feels at odds with the aquatic-fresh opening, whilst magnolia and iris suggest something more delicate than the fruit would lead you to expect. It's this clash between the fruity-aquatic accord and the florals' restraint that makes Insensé Ultramarine genuinely interesting rather than merely pleasant.
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3.9/5 (180)