Dear Gentle Reader (SORRY! I’ve been rewatching Bridgerton) Hey there ULGers! If you never heard of Givenchy Ysatis then you’re either very young or you’ve been living under a rock. It is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. Yep! Outrageous. Recently I was reminded of it because one of the regular Trivia night patrons wears it so beautifully. More than once I’ve asker her what magical elixir she is wafting to have a very happy reply of Ysatis. She’s so happy that even though I’m a perfume blogger and snob that her not very expensive or posh perfume gets noticed so often. Really, it smells extraordinary on her, so full and sensual and more-ish, I try to sit with her when she’s wearing it and just swim in the gorgeous gouts of fragrance.
Ysatis by Givenchy 1984
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, Orange blossom, Brazilian rosewood, Galbanum Neroli, Bergamot, Citrus notes, Mandarin orange, Coconut
Heart: Jasmine, Narcissus, Tuberose, Ylang-ylang, Egyptian rose, Florentine iris, Honey
Base: Civet, Amber, Castoreum, Clove, Musk, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Precious woods, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Bay rum, Vetiver
Above you will see the new, modern bottle and the Givenchy site tells us they have reinvented their iconic fragrances and repackaged them as the Heritage Collection. I’ve not had a sniff of the new one so cannot comment on the carnage, if there has been some.
In my life though, on a friend’s recent FaceBook Sale post I saw (and bought for a song) a half full vint-ish tester. Just so I can waft around the house smelling like a ripe old diva (yes, this is how it smells on me, and I’m LOVING it).
This was Dominique Ropion’s first commercial fine fragrance! What a start. Fragrantica has his current release count at 357.
So let’s parse this unbelievably kitchen sink style perfume. Ysatis opens with an aldehydic citrus burst already full to overflowing with a tropical white floral extravaganza. It’s also quite animalic, even this early. Honeyed and boozy. It’s so full on, everything seems to be happening at once but it’s never cacophonous. It feels large, a bit overwhelming but structured and focused.
The heart is animalic floral with shy undertones of suntan lotion and cocktails. No one flower sits atop the bouquet, it’s a big. fat, sexy melange. Here is where my heart swoons and the heart has a most impressive lifespan. After about 40 minutes the whole fragrance softens considerably but still pumps out the gorgeous fragrantly. Base is a very lightly spiced amber/sandalwood and I think this bottle is old enough that there is still some oakmoss swirling around adding its fuzzy lustre. Until writing this post I’d always put Ysatis into the BWF category but it’s categorized as a Floral Chypre.
This is a no holds barred explosion of gratuitous fabulousness that would take a very secure man to pull it off, or a Drag Queen obvs. It’s built for an era of high octane perfume that walked into the room well ahead of the woman wearing it. Probably not office safe anymore and it would definitely clash with your ability to taste food. Projection, sillage and longevity are all off the charts. You are making a real time investment to smelling of Ysatis.
Did you? Would You Ysatis?
Portia xx
Undina's Looking Glass 
Oh boy did I. It was in my roster during the mid to late 80’s. I once had & emptied one of the bottles that came with a 4ml pure parfum that was on the outside of the packaging.
It has probably fared better than my other Givenchy love, Givenchy III.
Now I need to go write lines
I must not go hunting for Ysatis
I must not go hunting for Ysatis………..
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Hey Alityke,
I have a pristine 15ml of the parfum, it came wrapped in its cellophane and has kept beautifully. Thanks for the reminder, I need to search it out and wear it with my new vent-ish bottle.
HA! The eternal perfumistas refrain, often repeated, rarely heeded.
Portia xx
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I wore this when it was first released and loved it. Got lots of compliments too. It’s not my style any more but I have fond memories.
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Have you retried it lately TaraC? It’s monumental, and gorgeous, VERY OTT.
I bet you did get compliments.
Portia xx
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One of my favorites! I have a big ole bottle that looks like the Chrysler Building.
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Beautiful Farouche. Glad to read someone else is still spritzing Ysatis.
Portia xx
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Ysatis may have been the first real perfume I bought, back in 1984. I think it was 60 euro’s, quite an amount at that time. I remember the bottle with its gold cap and the black box with the Givenchy label. It was Love at first sniff. I haven’t smelled it since I finished my bottle, many many years ago. I am sure I would love it still.
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WOW! Thanks for sharing Hamamelis.
Yeah, I bet you’d love it still too.
Portia xx
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Ysatis was the first real perfume I bought, in 1984, I think for 60 euro’s. I loved everything about it, the bottle, the box and ofcourse the scent. I haven’t smelled it since I emptied the bottle. I am sure I would love it still.
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If you ever do get your sniff back on Ysatis I’d love to know how it went hsmvanveen.
Portia xx
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I tried the version from around 2000: it was a part of the duty-free set of minis. I remember not liking it, but a co-worker who was also into perfumes loved it, so I rehomed the bottle and haven’t tried it since. I bet these days my impressions would have been more favorable (though, I don’t think it would be “me” still).
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Yeah, coming to the 1980s from a 2000s perfume point of view would have been quite confronting Undina. Everything had moved on so far.
I’d love to see if you were still not into it
Portia xx
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I owned a bottle of this, unusually for me! In the mid-80s at a guess. I was copying my lodger, whom I thought impossibly chic. I have a vintage mini or two tucked away somewhere for old times’ sake, but am never feeling quite brave enough to wear it again.
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It’s so funny to me Vanessa that you would think anyone more chic than you.
Fair play, Ysatis can very easily feel like it’s wearing you. It needs rock solid self confidence, maybe it could work for you as armor?
Portia xx
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