Summer calls for warmer weather, late nights out with friends and family, BBQs and most of all, freedom. But for some of us, it also means moving some fragrances around to slide the warmer weather fragrances to the front of the collection. That's right folks, it's fresh fragrance season and I'm primed, ready and all for it! So why not check out a new fragrance this summer and see if it can stack up against the crowd favorite it replaced. Let's check out the newly released Terre d'Hermes Eau Givree EDP and see if it's a suitable replacement for the now-discontinued Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche EDT that was released back in 2014.
Let me preface this by saying that I'm a lover of the entire Terre d'Hermes line but for some reason, the Eau Tres Fraiche was the only one in the line I never could quite wrap my nose around. I felt that this was a good time to revisit this fragrance and see if I could change my mind by testing it against the newly released Eau Givree. For both of these fragrances, I sprayed one on each arm and tested the opening, the mid and the dry down. I also tested the projection as well as it's longevity. My findings were very interesting, and yet, after I initially smelled Eau Givree, I wasn't at all surprised.
Let's start with the now discontinued Eau Tres Fraiche - Eau De Toilette
Initial spray on my skin this fragrance was VERY floral heavy with barely an orange in sight. As many know, that burnt-orange, earthy DNA from the Terre d'Hermes line is very distinct. I was surprised to find no trace of it at all in the opening. For my nose, it smelled almost as if it was intended to be more of a feminine fragrance and not a "fresh version" of its citrus-heavy siblings. If I were to grade this fragrance on the opening alone, I would have moved on and gave it a 2 out of 10. However, the mid is where things started to take a turn. It went from a floral-heavy opening to a lighter citrus experience, while still maintaining a hint of the floral notes to give it the freshness that was intended. Finally, the dry down let the citrus come out to play and that Terre D'Hermes DNA was front and center. I have to say, my mind was definitely changed about Eau Tres Fraiche. Sometimes things just need a second chance, I guess.
Eau Tres Fraiche Projection and Longevity
It performed much like any EDT would. With 3 sprays on my forearm I maybe got about 4 to 6 hours, at best. As far as projection I would say it was moderate. Based on the mid and dry down I would give it a final score of 7 out of 10. There are a lot of people that are rushing to buy replacement bottles of this to make sure they have some before it's completely gone and now, I know why. But there's a new frag in town, and its name is Eau Givree!
I had picked up a sample from Decant House as soon as it was available. I knew in the back of my mind that ETF was being discontinued and that this was its replacement. I also knew that a lot of houses are reformulating classics and releasing with a new label (Acqua di Gio EDP for example) so I wasn't feeling overly optimistic about this one since I already wasn't "feeling" the Eau Tres Fraiche version. I sort of thought that this was just going to be more or less the same with a different name. Boy oh boy was I wrong.
Now, on to the new Eau Givree - Eau De Parfum
The opening of this fragrance is SUPER fresh. If you've ever smelled the new Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue Forever, think that level of citrus, but a bit more muted. If you're not sure what that smells like, I urge you to go to your local market, grab a grapefruit, cut it open and just breathe deeply. It smells just like that. You'd think something that smells like a grapefruit/orange salad wouldn't work as a fragrance on your skin, but Light Blue Forever blew me away and I don't even like grapefruit! So, when I sprayed Eau Givree I was met with that same child-like adoration and wonderment that Light Blue Forever gave me. How on earth can they make something like that, smell SO much like the real thing...and make it smell good!?
The mid and dry down were both more or less the same as the opening, just more of that Terre d'Hermes DNA bursting through and making me fall in love with this line all over again. Projection was heavy and I could smell it off and on all day. Longevity on Eau Givree was pushing over 10 hours before I could faintly smell it on my skin. Overall this is a solid 9 out of 10 for me. Full-sized presentation is in the mail and this already has a spot waiting in my summertime collection!
Final thoughts
Writing this review has given me a new-found level of respect for Eau Tres Fraiche and what it meant to so many people. I now understand why people are upset that this is being discontinued, but in today’s age of fragrances, it seems like our thoughts don't really matter (I'm still baffled over the YSL Bleu Electrique debacle). But sometimes, new fragrances or re-formulations that replace older fragrances tend to grow on people and with time the fragrances they replaced become a faint, distant memory. I think Eau Givree is a great summertime fresh take on the Terre d'Hermes DNA and will do Eau Tres Fraiche proud with many years to come. If you haven't smelled Eau Givree I recommend you grab a sample here! Don't let summer pass you by without giving it a try! Decant House also still has Eau Tres Fraiche in stock at the time of writing this. Grab a 1ml, 3ml or even a 10ml before they're gone forever!
