Givenchy L’Interdit Eau de Toilette

Givenchy L’Interdit is officially part of my everyday fragrance collection. I don’t add new perfumes without a lot of consideration. After all, a scent is a commitment. But this one was easy for me to say yes to.

It might surprise you to know, but when I got my first grown up job as a fragrance girl at The Bay, it wasn’t the CHANEL perfumes that I covetted. At eighteen, all I wanted to wear was Givenchy. The brand launched a new scent called Very Irresistible the year I started selling perfume. It was youthful, Parisian, glamourous – and I was obsessed. The campaign, featuring Liv Tyler in a sleek LBD, looked like I wished my life did. Add to that the fact that Hubert de Givenchy designed so many costumes for my beloved Audrey Hepburn… it was all I could do not to buy every Givenchy perfume I could get my hands on. Hot Couture was a particular favourite, a sweet but spicy scent I wore for years.

Fast forward to 2019. Givenchy just launched a new scent, Givenchy L’Interdit. And I am, once again, completely obsessed.

What it is: A tribute to the classic 1957 scent launched by Maison Givenchy, Givenchy L’Interdit is a fragrance that combines feminine white florals with a deep and traditionally masculine woody accord. An updated version of the 1957 original, discontinued in the 1990s, Givenchy L’Interdit is a modern classic that is both elegant and wearable. The eau de parfum relaunched in 2002. The eau de toilette is new this year.

What to do with it: Spritz as desired. I find that a single spray of the scent in the morning lasts all day.

What it costs: $73 for 35 ml. $99 for 50 ml. $118 for 100 ml. All prices are from Sephora Canada, but the fragrance is also available at The Bay and Holt Renfrew.

Why it’s fabulous: To me, Givenchy L’Interdit is the perfect combination of masculine and feminine fragrances. I tend to gravitate towards perfumes in the oriental family, because I prefer scents that are less traditionally feminine (read: less floral.) That doesn’t mean I dislike floral scents, just that I find ones that tick all of my boxes hard to come by. I want my scent to last all day, which I find a lot of floral-based perfumes don’t do. Givenchy L’Interdit is another story entirely. If I spray it twice in my bedroom, the smell lasts until I come home in the evening! And it lasts just as well on my skin. If you want a perfume with staying power, this is definitely one to try.