Pink bubbles, a mysteriously large flat screen and an oversized decal of Mariacarla Boscono (provocatively dressed in leather and lace) greeted myself and a roomful of fellow beauty editors when we were whisked into an elegantly decorated room at Casa Labia a couple of weeks ago. Timeless, elegant and mysteriously fatale, the new face of
Givenchy, Boscono is the perfect embodiment of the new Dahlia Noir line.
Directly translated, dahlia noir means black dahlia, which we all know doesn’t exist. But that hasn't stopped the house of Givenchy from naming their latest fragrance and bath line after an imaginary flower.
To match the imaginary flower's perfect lines and intense, black colour, Givenchy created a chypre floral eau de parfum and a floral, fresh, woody eau de toilette fragrance for the scentless flower. It's not every day that a brand creates two
scents for their EDP and EDT, but this surprising treat only makes the fragrances more enigmatic.
Mandarin and mimosa
top notes open the EDP, which then blooms into the heart notes of rose, iris and patchouli, while sandalwood and tonka bean round out the base notes. Simply put by Givenchy, 'classic notes that are modernized by combining mysterious and bewitching ingredients'.
The EDT, in contrast, is an 'explosion of citrus softened by the lightness of peach'. The top notes include cedrat and mimosa, heart notes of rose and peach, and the base notes of sandalwood and amber. So if you're looking for a summer and winter or day and night time fragrance, ladies, look no further.
The bottle is just as mysterious as the fragrance. Pure lines and silver contours, 'Givenchy Paris' is the only inscription on the glass bottle. But once you remove the top, the name of the fragrance is unveiled underneath the cap.
We were all surprised to learn that the fragrance's TV ad was banned in France for being too risqué. Of course us liberal South Africans scoffed at the French, but take a look and judge for yourself…
What we say:
I've been searching for a warm,
winter fragrance for some time now. My go-to had always been Gucci's Rush, but there comes a time when a woman must move on. And I'm moving right along on to Givenchy's Dahlia Noir EDP. At first, the fragrance is strong and reminded me of the freshly powder bottom of designer baby, but there's something mysterious and dangerously sexy about the fragrance that gradually wraps itself around your senses.
Dahlia Noir will be available from 20 August at all Givenchy counters at selected retailers nationwide. The EDP retails from R660 for 30ml and R945 for 50ml, while the EDT retails from R575 for 30ml and R805 for 50ml. Included in the Dahlia Noir line is a perfuming bath gel, skin dew and body lotion.