Givenchy
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Mandarin's bright citric top note arrives with disarming cheerfulness, immediately undercut by saffron's dusty, almost medicinal spice and white thyme's herbal snap. For a fleeting moment, you might expect something fresh and summery—then the fragrance reveals its more complex hand.
The floral heart unfolds gradually, with ylang ylang's indolic sweetness clashing beautifully against lily's clean, aldehydic tone whilst orchid hovers somewhere between them, lending powdery softness. The saffron retreats but doesn't disappear entirely, maintaining that slightly dry, spiced undertone that prevents the florals from becoming saccharine or perfume-counter obvious.
Tonka and vanilla move centre stage, warmed by woody rosewood and the creeping oakmoss that creates an almost vintage quality—slightly earthy, slightly bitter. The base is where Ange ou Démon shows its true character: neither entirely sweet nor stern, it settles into a faintly amber-tinged, powdery dryness that whispers rather than projects.
Ange ou Démon is a fragrance caught in theological limbo—and that's precisely its appeal. Olivier Cresp has crafted something that refuses easy categorisation: a scent that teeters between angelic restraint and demonic indulgence, never quite committing to either extreme.
The opening salvo is deceptively bright. Mandarin orange and white thyme suggest something fresh and herbaceous, a whisper of Mediterranean gardens. But saffron immediately complicates matters, introducing an earthy spiciness that prevents this from becoming merely cheerful. There's a metallic quality to saffron that feels almost austere—angelic, one might say.
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3.5/5 (79)