Description
The collection of L`Atelier de Givenchy received a new edition announced as ‘mutual game of transparent and intransparent materials, smoky colors in half dark, inflammatory and neo-gothic elements’. Olfactive experience that fragrance Gaiac Mystique provides intertwines with mystery and woody shades, surrounding us with powdery-oriental cloud of flavors that soften the composition and make it comfortable.
Top notes of Gaiac Mystique composition place powdery iris in the first plan, by accentuating it with guaiac wood in the heart of the fragrance. Smoky-mysterious veil arises from incense in the base, blended with warm, cuddly and balmy tonka.
GIVENCHY L’ATELIER DE GIVENCHY GAIAC MYSTIQUE arrives in a flacon as 100ml Eau de Parfum.
Gaiac Mystique was launched in 2015.
=shaman= – :
Classy, powdery, soft and sweet and discreet. A whispering swish of some luxury fabric in a classy warm neutral colour – mushroom velvet? beige silk? cream cashmere? – and a whiff of true luxury. Not sugary or gourmand, but yes, fairly strongly feminine-leaning, and very very gentle. The gaiac is initially gorgeous but is the first to die away, and yes, perhaps, underneath all that it’s pretty conventional iris-tonka coddling, though with a beautifully feathery, powdery kind of texture. Feels like flopping into a giant fluffy cotton-wool cloud. The incense, too, is light and elusive, with no startlingly shrieky or acrid edges.
Sillage is very limited even at first (radiates no more than a foot or two for an hour or so, then shrinks to skin only) and longevity isn’t spectacular, though it hangs on 5-6h on skin.
So far, so … not my thing. My taste is for big, dark, excessive, weird, unisex-to masculine niche scents that last and last. And yet I really really like this. Gaiac is always my dream wood, of course, so that helps, yet overall it’s the balance and control in this one that are really doing the seductive work.
Horribly overpriced at full retail, but if you love gaiac and find a good discount, this might well put you very seriously at your ease. One to relax with and to trust.
LIERRELTY – :
Drunk tonka in a guaic wooden cream. All wrapped in a clean and steaming iris. It has a clear and elegant character. Suitable for creating sweet-based cocktails. Versatile!
rija – :
Way sweeter than I was expecting. The name and listed notes mislead me as this is really a nice woody vanilla/tonka plushy-sweet sort of fragrance that follows a trend of late toward sweet baby-skin, cashmeran-fantasy-wood scents. Sorry for all of the hyphenated adjectives but perfume is sometimes difficult to describe with proper grammar. Nice but not for me or anyone with an aversion to sweet, powdery little things. And not unisex but feminine by traditional standards.
SquireeSpinna – :
Like all the other maisons who realized they were losing sales to the niche sector, Givenchy launched in 2014 its collection of more exclusive, sophisticated and, of course, more expensive perfumes. The focus relies on the portrait of the preciousness of materials, a haute couture approach brought to the world of perfumery in this type of collection.
Basically, the brand is following the market both in concept and in olfactory tendencies and Gaiac Mystique reflects this well. Its theme is more romantic than dark and its aroma is a kind of semi gourmand and incense iris that came into fashion after the success that Dior Homme made throughout its life. The brand does not disclose which perfumer has created Gaiac Mystique , but the signature itself seems typical of Daniela Andrier, especially the work that Andrier did for the exclusive collection of another label also managed by LVMH – Bvlgari.
Although the focus is on Gaiac’s wood, Gaiac Mystique is more of an iris scent than Gaiac itself. Here we have the construction of a slightly powdery and creamy iris, complemented by touches of vanilla and tonka bean. The Gaiac confers its sweetish woody creaminess, but as everything is done to appear linear and homogeneous its ends up not standing out so much. What is most noticeable here is a smoky, slightly fresh incense nuance, something that seems to pass between the elemi and the frankincense and which seems to be present just to give the mystical touch promised by the name.
Overall, Gaiac Mystique fulfills what is expected of an exclusive collection, but Givenchy arrived late in this field; thus it does not have much margin to stand out from what has already been done and this is reflected in the perfume itself. It is a chic and pleasant olfactory aura, but a “haute chic” with no remarkable personality.
Mejvc684Diobtetty – :
Wonderful! Full of mystique. Lovely smoky wood, incense, and a lovely sweet and creamy tonka. Very feminine and elegant. Demure. I love it. It’s very unique.
Natalia102 – :
Love it !!!!fantastic a litel bit smoky.great
learnwrin – :
Truly mystique. Deep smoky, mysterious, ladylike, warm, comforting, exotic woody scent. It’s like a journey to far away, orient, sunny lands where waters are turquoise blue and people’s energy is buzzing in the air. If you love oriental scents, this one is a must have.
s_p_a_r_t_a_k – :
I just tried it tonight at the home of one of its creators! (Why aren’t they named?) So wonderful! On me, the warm woody scent with a touch of incense has continued for several hours, keeping its personality unchanged. It’s lovely and I want it! But, I will try Valentino Uomo first, if it really is half the price!
Entainyseanny – :
From the whole collection I loved this and the immortelle tribal. I was seriously thinking on buying this until I realized that it is very similar to Valentino uomo which is half the price. It is a lot more similar even to Valentino uomo noire version. On skin the dry for the base notes has very subtle diferences. I think of this Gaiam mystique a little bit more outstanding at first but more discrete at the end
booblikk – :
At first I thought this was lovely and interesting, warm light and fem all at the same time. But then it dried down and smelled like everyone else: cue the Flowerbombs, Miss Dior Cherie, Coco Madomoiselle, Le Vie Est Belle. That sweet, powdery, floral Clone-perfume dry down. Deal breaker for me, as I’m always looking for something that stands out!
fbt278speagoessenda – :
I sampled a few from the Atelier line while in NYC earlier this month and I was very pleased, despite it being a major departure from Givenchy’s more mainstream fragrances. There were several I liked, but Gaiac Mystique is probably the one I would have chosen if I could have had my pick. It was one of the more memorable scents while I was on a mission to try out as many niche perfumes as I could before returning to Brazil.
On me sillage was very discreet, but it was a very intriguing scent. The woody and smoky notes give an effect of dustiness, in a good way – as in a darker take on a powdery perfume, but with too much constraint to read as gothic. Perhaps it could evoke the feel of old books in a library, but made to smell a bit more upscale and skin friendly. I could also tell there was a hint of something warmer and a bit creamy in the background, which I’m guessing was the tonka.
hrul – :
Oo La La!! This sounds so intriguing!! You can find it now at Barneys New York. Hefty price, however. Would love to hear if anyone on Fragrantica has actually gotten a whiff of this!!