Introduced in 2003 by Givenchy, this feminine fragrance is bursting with roses and spiced with star anise and verbena leaf, a fresh and sensual departure from the traditional floral fragrance. Notes include Centifolia Rose, Peony Rose, Fantasia Rose, Passion Rose, Emotion Rose, Verbena Leaf, Star Anise. Lives up to its name!

I read that this perfume, "is a homage to Givenchy’s early days when fashion and cinema were intertwined," and that it "unites the elegant tradition of French style with the energy and pop-culture pizzazz of American film." Interesting concept, and now that I think of it, the bottle is rather art deco in style (and the box, just as a side note, is extremely cool with raspberry-rose colored iridescent coloring, very pretty).

I originally tried it when I got it as a sample with another perfume order. I chose it because I just liked the name. When I tried it, it was a warm day, and it struck me differently than it does now that the weather is cooling down. For one thing, it seemed a lot stronger (that's normal in hot weather, of course). For another, it seemed a bit spicer.

Anyway, I liked it enough to buy myself a full-sized bottle (at overstock, wholesale price, thankyou), and I wore it today. I was dismayed to see it didn't seem to last that long on me. When we went out and I found the unscented lotion (yay!), and when we came home I had a shower and put lotion on my still-damp skin and the perfume on top of that, and it's lasted a very good long while, so the problem was more my dry skin than the fragrance, it seems. The trick of using lotion really, truly works, so if you feel that perfume doesn't last long enough on you, give it a shot and see if it helps (some fragrances don't last long on certain people, though, it's all about the chemistry).

This opens with roses. I mean, roses and roses and roses. Like a garden full of roses. This is good, because I love roses. It also is supposed to have star anise in th etop notes, but honestly, all I can smell are the roses. Slowly it works into spicier heart notes, and the star anise becomes apparent. It's a pleasant additon, particularly if, like me, you like licorice (star anise is the primary flavor in licorice, of course). It's a fairly subtle anise, I think, not like "Woah, you smell like licorice!" or anything like that. It's just a nice little spike of spice in the midst of what is essentially a multiple rose fragrance. Base notes are also rose (surprise!).

Now, I happen to adore roses, and I almost always love rose perfumes, so it's no surprise that I like this. If you hate rose perfumes, don't even bother to try this, because I can't imagine how anyone who doesn't like roses would like this. On the other hand, if you like a slightly spicy floral with an air of light, chic sophistication, by all means try it and see. I certainly intend to add this to my rotation of "regular" frangrances (i.e., the ones I wear regularly as opposed to only "when the mood strikes").