A year on, Givenchy Dahlia Noir still not so noir

The advert for Givenchy's Dahlia Noir is intoxicating.  Did you watch it?  If not, take a second and enjoy...

Scents n Scentsibility looked at this fragrance last year at its launch; a year on I thought it would be good to revisit it.  Instead of merely testing the fragrance in store, I was able to snag myself a sample so I could properly evaluate this scent at home.  With the ability to analyze over time and re-test, do I still find the fragrance a 'Flower Soixante Plus' - a fragrance for the over 60s?

Hmmm.  I believe it could best be described as "a delicate powdery note as subtle and sensual as the velvety texture of a newly opened flower blossom."  Which, unfortunately for Dahlia Noir, is the product description for Glade's (yes, Glade the air freshener) Soft Petals variant (available in the UK).  It is a heavy powdery-floral-vanilla-musk scent that immediately triggered scent memory cues of grandmothers and old skool aerosol air fresheners à la Soft Petals.  So, to answer the earlier question, yes, I still find the fragrance one for the older generations.

But, that's not to say that you will!  I decided to research Dahlia Noir reviews to see if others had the same opinion.  Some did, but there were many positive comments as well.  For example at Fragrantica, reviewers found the fragrance sophisticated, soft and feminine, and also romantic.

After reading these reviews I decided to give the juice another chance.  I sprayed it afresh and while evaluating the fragrance I watched the advert to get the full impact of the scent.

Doing this definitely altered my experience; it allowed me to ignore my memory cues and appreciate the depth of the fragrance.  The powder, the tiny hints of citrus in the top notes, the soft floral notes in the heart of the fragrance, the warmth of the dry down.

For forty-five seconds I was able to understand how it could be defined as sophisticated, feminine, romantic.  And then the advert ended and it was all grandmothers and air fresheners.  Completely unappealing and absolutely disappointing!

Oh well, at least I tried!

Have you tried this scent?  Do you love it, do you hate it?  Make sure to leave a comment below.