Review - Ysatis (Givenchy)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on March 04, 2010.

Ysatis is a floral chypre with top notes of mandarin, galbanum, rosewood and coconut; middle notes of tuberose, jasmine, narcissus and carnation; and base notes of patchouli, sandalwood, castoreum and civet.

This is a weird one for me as I wore Ysatis in the early 90s for a couple of years. I know that really you should never go back to an old love, but sometime curiosity gets the better of you.


First off WHOOMPH! Oh lord, yes this was formulated in the 80s and feels a bit like being hit by a perfumed piece of 2 by 4, but those top notes fade pretty damn quick and you get this lovely gentle blend of tuberose and jasmine. This is much softer than I remember it, and indeed it has been reformulated. It now sits incredibly close to my skin, but what is VERY weird is that it smells different on my fingers to my wrist. WUT? How's a girl to review this?

On my fingers lots of bright floral narcissus and carnation, slightly bitter too (the castoreum?). On my wrist it's a very soft patchouli and sandalwood. Still waiting for that dirty civet to kick in. From *somewhere* I'm still getting lovely hits of tuberose, and it's so strong and so NOT what I remember from this last time that I'm wondering if my Beyond Love By Kilian from yesterday is still loitering.

(A brief note about that one, I was wrong to dismiss it as not for me, it's *wonderful* and you should all take out remortgages to buy it).

While to me this smells of my lost youth (ha!) It is sweetly pretty with nice woody undertones. Once you get past that mahoosive HELLO it is a joy to wear. I remember it lasting longer, but the reformulation and change in skin chemistry may explain that. Not a "young" scent, but enduringly classy and yay! affordable.