Givenchy Amarige Eau de Toilette 100ml

Givenchy Amarige was launched in 1991 and created by Dominique Ropion — one of the most celebrated and technically accomplished perfumers working today, also responsible for Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower, Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady, and Givenchy Ysatis. Ropion is known for building compositions of extraordinary density and richness, and Amarige is among the most uncompromising expressions of that approach: a boldly projecting floral oriental with a sillage — the trail a fragrance leaves in the air — that is among the most assertive in the collection, second only to Clinique Aromatics Elixir in its presence and projection. The name is a deliberate play on ‘mariage’ — the French word for marriage — and the fragrance was conceived as an ode to love: radiant, celebratory and entirely without restraint. Like Aromatics Elixir, Amarige is a fragrance people feel strongly about. It is among the best-loved and most widely worn French feminine fragrances of the 1990s for those who respond to its warmth and floral richness; for those who do not, it is simply too much. It is emphatically not a fragrance for those who prefer the skin-close quietness of Donna Karan Cashmere Mist or the easy lightness of Coach EDP.

The opening of Tangerine, Violet and Rosewood is warm and unusual — Violet adding a soft, slightly powdery, gently sweet quality quite different from any citrus or green opening in the session, with a faint floral-candy character that softens immediately into the floral heart; Rosewood a warm, slightly spicy woody note that bridges the opening into the white floral core; Tangerine providing the citrus brightness that anchors the top. The heart is the defining statement of the composition: Gardenia, Mimosa, Red Fruits and Ylang-Ylang. Gardenia — making its first appearance in the collection — is one of the most intensely rich and creamy white florals in perfumery, with a dense, slightly rubbery, almost narcotic fullness that is quite unlike Rose or Jasmine; it is the note that gives Amarige its characteristic velvety warmth and the quality that most sharply distinguishes it from the lighter florals of 5th Avenue or Jessica McClintock. Mimosa’s soft, powdery, almond-like quality — which it brought to the heart of Coach EDP — here amplified and warmed by the Gardenia. Ylang-Ylang returns from Aromatics Elixir and Estée Lauder Beautiful, its tropical sweetness here in its fullest and most generous context. Red Fruits add a soft, warm fruitiness that lifts the heart without sweetening it. The base of Ambergris, Precious Woods, Musk and Vanilla introduces the most distinctive base material in the session: Ambergris — historically derived from sperm whales, now synthesised — is one of the most prized and complex base materials in perfumery, with a warm, slightly salty, oceanic, faintly animalic depth that is unlike any other base note and which gives Amarige its characteristic warmth, smoothness and exceptional longevity on skin.

How to Apply

Apply sparingly to pulse points — one to two sprays on the wrist or neck is sufficient. Amarige has exceptional sillage and projects considerably further than its EDT concentration might suggest — new wearers should start with a single spray and allow the full composition to develop over thirty minutes before judging the intensity. The gardenia and ylang-ylang heart lasts six to eight hours on skin; the ambergris base lingers considerably longer on clothing.

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