Skip to main content

Insense by Givenchy

Image
By
A masculine floral from 1993? In hindsight, that's a fairly daring undertaking. Enter Insense being released as the male companion to Amarige. As far as I know, it didn't go over like expected and as unfortunate as that may be, it does nothing to diminish this fragrance. It's one helluva masculine floral.

I assume the male buying public 18 years ago wasn't exactly ready to accept a fragrance such as this. My opinion is that it would fare much better today since buyers have been indoctrinated with enough niche releases to ease the shock value of a scent like Insense. This smells niche, but since it's not, I shall call it a "nichigner".

A friend and terrific reviewer by the name of foetidus would use the word "distaff" to describe Insense. I love that word, but won't use it since I would be stealing it from him. I usually go with "leans feminine", but in either case, it is a true assessment. Insense does lean feminine, but still retains masculinity. Is that even possible? I believe somehow it is when referring to this Givenchy.

Do you like aldehydes? Well now.....this opening is borderline WOW factor. It's perfume-like blast of aldehyde and citrus may startle someone not expecting topnotes like this in a masculine release. It lasts only a few minutes before settling down to a transparency of citric green . The floral array is ambiguous to me and blended in such a way as no one note takes over the composition. I believe I smell Lily of the Valley and violet merged with some grittiness. Black currant is also listed, but it doesn't smell like other implementations of the note that I'm familiar with. No matter, the heart accord, while simple, is elegant and noticeable.

The base and drydown of Insense is uneventful, but in a good way. On me, all it seems to add is a subtle woodiness to a still beating floral heart. The green aura persists into the base as well so the wearer ends up with one of the better masculine floral releases I have stumbled across. It's noticeable, substantial yet sheer and extremely wearable. I really like vintage Caron 3rd Man, but it may have to move down one notch for this one. Big thumbs up from Aromi.
Labels:

Comments

  1. SugandarajaJuly 5, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    Excellent review! Insense is a fragrance I've been curious about for some time; now that I'm in a green phase I think it's time to seek it out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 19, 2013 at 1:30 AM

    I did fall in love with this fragrance years ago. And it is still my favourite among all the others I have used. Such a pity Givenchy stopped its production.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newport by Caswell Massey

By
Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...
3 comments
Read more

Black Suede by Avon

By
Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...
1 comment
Read more

Lanvin L'Homme

By shamu1
Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances.  It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best.  That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent. I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve.  Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry.  What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours.  This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning ...
Post a Comment
Read more