Extravagance d'Amarige
Givenchy (1998)

Extravagance d'Amarige smells to me like a cross between True Love by Elizabeth Arden and Eau Parfumee The Bleu by Bvlgari. A nice soft fragrance that is good to spray on your pillow before sleep conducive to quality rest. I liked it so much that I purchased four bottles. It's unfortunate that they stopped manufacturing it in the original bottle (which was cute), and is now mass produced in a nondescript plain bottle. What these fragrance companies do sometimes baffles me. I'm sure the difference in cost of packaging is mere pennies. Cheapskates!

A great green/floral accord with an initial smoky/bitter faint undertone (pink pepper and bitter herbs), a tad of green muskiness and a vaguely hesperidic/baroque appeal. The floral bouquet is rich (violet, iris, orange blossoms and jasmine), almost aristocratic (a la Floris, in a sort of "British" royal way). Dry down is woody and musky with a tad of soapiness. Such a type of fragrances are simply a solid choice in any occasions. Extravagance d'Amarige (on my skin) is bright classic elegance and dynamic charme.

I hadn't really realized it until I started to write this review, but most of my favorite perfumes are by Givenchy. Not necessarily recent concoctions (many of which, admittedly, I've never tried), but, rather, its vintages. Each of them seem custom made for my aesthetic, and even the most stately among them (Givenchy III, for instance) seems intended first and foremost to be a hell of a lot of fun to wear. They can be complex and compelling, but they are never difficult.

Extravagance d'Amarige is no exception. The name is a puzzle, because it has almost nothing in common with its namesake (other than quality construction). I'm not sure why it wasn't just named Extravagance, period–or something else entirely, since even “Extravagance” would have been misleading.

Whereas Amarige is thick and heady, a floriental drama of operatic proportions, EdA opens with symphony of juicy citrus (lemon/orange/grapefruit) so sparkling it would be easy to initially mistake it for an eau de cologne. Eventually the perfume does expand, becoming more intricate and demonstrating that distinctive Givenchy tenacity and enveloping sillage.

The bottle that I own is an EDT from the early 2000s, whose text on the back describes it as a sparkling woody floral composed of marigold, pink pepper, and wisteria. Sparking is right, but to my nose this presents as more green than woody. The marigold, wisteria, and violet remain front and center throughout, giving EdA a sheer, tart quality that never becomes insipid. If there are fruits, they are just slightly overripe–EdA is decidedly feminine but it's not girly in that way so many fruity florals are today. And if there are any woods in the dry down they are so well blended that my nose at least cannot make them out. To me, its woodiness is more a feeling, rather than an accord.

EdA is by far the most uplifting, sunny, and wearable perfume in my collection, a no-brainer in that it always seems right for just about any occasion, while still maintaining a distinctive character.

Extravagance has really surprised me....in a good way.
On first applying I was almost overpowered by the pepper, I waited, and I was rewarded with a fabulous scent. Fresh but strong florals, particularly the marigolds, and who would have thought that nettles would be so appealing in a perfume??
I'm not sure if Extravagant is the correct description...I'd go for elegant, beautiful, luxurious and classy.

Not very much like the original Amarige. I think it qualifies as a floral / green, and it has a bit of spice in the form of pink pepper and nettle, which give it a rather unique sparkly ambiance. The top and the middle are nicely balanced and well made. I like its base with its wood – sandalwood and cedar – and its iris... and it adds an rather unique touch of sweetness with the strawberry. For the most part it is a very good scent and charmingly feminine. But it has a soapiness that seems out of place. The soapiness is the spoiler for me, and reduces the quality of the experience. Extravagance d'Amarige has good sillage and very good longevity.

This smells like Vanderbilt, but its much better. Too bad they discontinued it. Booh!