Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Eau Divine by Divine : Perfume Review & Sample Draw

There are only a handful of perfume lines that manage to inspire not only admiration but also deep love and devotion resulting in a fan base that is left longingly waiting for their next offering. Divine certainly is the personification of such a niche line, inspiring well-deserved adoration and dithyrambic tributes to their perfumes by perfume writers and critics. I have begun slowly acquiring everything that the brand has ever produced, having fallen deeply in love with each and every one of the perfumes upon first sniff. Even the homonymous Divine by Divine, which I originally shied away from (its strong nature left me with an inexplicable feeling of disquiet and sadness) eventually won me over and is by now one of my favorite evening perfumes. When I was offered the chance to sample their newest fragrance well ahead of its release for a possible review, I jumped at the chance.

Eau Divine is the line’s 9th offering, is name inspired by the fact that it marries freshness with sensuality. Being Divine’s first unisex scent, the contradicting elements do not stop there. This is a perfume that is envisioned to resemble both man and woman, their unique facets brought together in perfect harmony: “…luminous and intriguing, tender and sharp, delicate and provocative, a play of opposites to enhance the union of man with woman.”

This new unisex scent timely plays on the summery cologne theme, but elaborates, venturing further than then norm by adding spicy, sensual, almost oriental aspects, resulting in a beautiful spicy-hesperidic cocktail. Applied on pulse points, Eau Divine quickly fills my imagination with the sun-drenched vistas of the Mediterranean I so long for: Orange groves in the blinding noon light, soft aromatic breezes and a coast like lacework. Aah…! Sweet, juicy citrus with bracing, fresh accents and the citrus-tinged floral character of rosehip are buoyed by the frothiness of aldehydes. Perfectly complimentary, a ginger note - partly citrusy, partly spicy and earthy - helps marry the freshness of the opening with the sensual spicy notes of nutmeg and green cardamom that follow. These spicy notes quietly change the sensory perception of the opening which smoothly transitions from sharp and bracing to a rounder, more sensual heart. The freshness is still there, lively lending cheeriness and joyfulness to the scent, but the undercurrent is beautifully round, bearing the erotic signature of all Divine perfumes. My favorite flower for the warmest season of the year is orange blossom and this perfect summer scent incorporates neroli note in its heart. To help you get a feel for the scent, I’ll say that the neroli here is far more neutral than the effeminate orange blossom note in Fleur du Male as well as being magnificently light and airy, rendering it absolutely perfect for hot weather. The characteristic scent of violet subtly wafts in and out, never taking center stage or ever turning powdery but functioning as a mellower counterpoint to the dry character of the composition. The perfect dryness relents in the drydown, allowing gently sweet, absolutely gorgeous balsamic accents to show through. At this point it feels as though the wearer is no longer wearing any perfume, but as though the skin itself is magically lightly perfumed and exuding the most fabulously erotic musky, ambery scent.

The perfumes of the Divine line have captured my heart with their old-world glamour, with their elegance, their uncompromising femininity but most of all, with their incredibly erotic nature which is present in each and every one. This new unisex entry diverges from the house’s set norm, by presenting a perfume devoid of gender specifications and subsequently missing a great deal of the incredible, red-hot sex-appeal I’ve come to expect from the brand. This is completely understandable, considering Eau Divine is in the classic cologne style. However, those of you that like me love Divine’s perfumes for their animalic, musky bases can rest assured that despite being quieter and far more well behaved, Eau Divine has been infused with a beautiful musk that although perfectly suited to hot summer weather, nevertheless bears Divine’s signature without the shadow of a doubt. This is a true Divine: respectful and true to the classic style of French perfumery, elegant and yes, very much erotic in its own way. With the addition of a summer cologne, the house’s lineup comes ever closer to becoming a complete, high quality perfume wardrobe. Wonderful!

I am giving away three samples of this beautiful, perfect for summer scent that will not be available until the end of July. Simply commenting will automatically enter you in the draw. Due to vacation, I will only be able to post your samples after I return from Greece, however winners will be announced in the coming weekend.


The bottle is offered in both feminine (50 ml, 100 ml & 200 ml) and masculine (50 ml, 100 ml & 150ml) bottles, both styles pictured in this article.


35 comments:

PinstripedZebra said...

This scent looks very interesting indeed, fresh and musky, this has the making of a summer hit!

Another wonderful review, great imagery (I think i see Greece in the second picture, can't wait to be there again) and perfectly worded, as we are used from you.

//Z

Anonymous said...

Divina: I use a damp cloth saturated with cologne every summer to refresh myself when the weather gets too hot. It is one of the things that make me feel human and elegant still when the weather becomes unbearable. Please enter me in the draw, I'm really interested in this one!

xo,
Christine

Anonymous said...

Divina: Eau Divine sounds lovely for summer. Looking for something with a good mix of fresh with a spicy base. Count me in for the draw, please! Thank you!
KL

kip said...

Lovely review and image. Please enter me for the draw.

krnszn said...

Thanks for the offer, Divina! Haven't tried any of the Divine fragrances, so this would be a first. I have to say, though, that I'm really into Eaus right now. I've been trying to get my hands on Eau de Rochas with no luck. Doesn't seem to be available anywhere! I haven't even sniffed it, but from all the reviews I've read, it sounds wonderful! With your love for patchouli, is this a scent you've tried? Do you like it?

DWR said...

I'd love to try it! Enter me in the drawing. :)

Judy said...

Thanks for the review. I'd love to sample this.

Unknown said...

Gorgeousness, I can't wait to try it out. thank you for your lovely review. :D

Bettina said...

How could I miss this fragrance line? I dunno know. Would for sure love to try it and appreciate it if you would enter me into the draw Divina. Thanks. Have a nice time in Greece
Hugs
Bettina

london said...

This sounds lovely. I have just discovered L'Etre Aime Femme which is wonderful. Thank you for reviewing.

Gator Grad said...

I love colognes (Eau du Lude by PdN being one of my all time fav frags) but I can't think of any that I own that have an animalic base... this sounds interesting! Please enter me in the draw!

ScentScelf said...

You are so good to share! I have no experience with any Divine fragrance--wait a minute, that's kind of funny ;) --and would love a chance to try this one.

Have delightful travels!

Mark Evans said...

I have tried other Divine fragrances before and have loved them all. I especially like L’homme Sage.
I would love to be included in the draw as well!

Mark

Divina said...

Z, yep, Greece from a few years ago - specifically, Zante!

Divina said...

Christine, I've never tried anything like that! An interesting way to use perfume, how lovely.

Divina said...

KL, then this should be perfect for you - sounds like what you're looking for :)

Divina said...

Kip thank you, the image is from Greece (an island called Zakynthos, or alternatively 'Zante').

Divina said...

Oh Karin, you really should try this line! It is heartbreakingly beautiful and ultrafeminine (well, at least the women's perfumes). The masculines are equally stellar, in fact many people prefer them! (I prefer the feminine ones...) No, I have not tried Eau de Rochas but now that you have brought it to my attentiont that I should, I will seek it out. It is not available here in NL, but I've seen several Rochas fumes in Greece so I will seek it out during the vacay. One of the most magnificent patch scents by the way is from Divine: L'Inspiratrice.

Thanks so much for your suggestion!

Divina said...

Hey Doublebound! You're in :)

Divina said...

Judy, my pleasure. You're in the draw

Divina said...

Sebusiaczek it is indeed lovely! It is now a day later and the very faint whisper it's left on my skin is still magic! :)

Divina said...

Hi Bettina dearest! Please do sample the line, it is really special. Thank you for the wishes, I simply can't wait! Hugs right back! :)

Divina said...

London, so good to hear from more fans of Divine perfumes :) You're in.

Divina said...

Gator Grad, it is musky but not dirty. However, the musk is really sexy, not at all a clean musk!

Divina said...

Hihihi ScentScelf :)) Indeed funny. Thank you for the wishes, I am already there in my mind :) (except from the part of my mind that is dreading the packing of the suitcase..)

Divina said...

Mark42, I never could decide between Homme Sage and Homme de Coer - both are stunning!

krnszn said...

Oooh! Hope you find the Eau de Rochas, Divina! Would love to hear your impression of it. And now I'm chasing after samples of those Divines. :-) Thanks for the push!

Divina said...

Karin, do check out their website and send them a mail with your contact details. They used to send sample packs of all their scents for free to new customers, so they might still have that service. Eau Divine is not on their website yet so I doubt they will be including this one, but the older ones should be no problem!

EileenS said...

Eau Divine sounds like an interesting twist in their line; thanks for letting me know about the upcoming release, Divina!

I've sampled a selection of Divine's line and found I do better with the masculines, so I'm very curious to see where a more unisex scent falls in the line-up. So many perfumes, so little time! :)

Hope you enjoy your holiday!

Elizabeth said...

I have loved the Divine fragrances that I've tried, and would love to enter this drawing. Thanks for the great review and the chance to try this!

Ines said...

Dear Divina, I hope I'm not late for the sample drawing. You said the magic word(s) orange blossom and added erotic, and now I'm dying to know what it smells like. :)

krnszn said...

Ooooh! Thanks! I'll send them an email. :-)

Prettywitty504 said...

I'm going to have to look for Eau de Rochas. I'm still having a great time experimenting with new patchouli fragrances, some of which I haven't seen you mention. Right now the Etro is my favorite. The Eau Divine sounds, well, divine! Please enter me if it's not too late, and have a wonderful vacation. I'm so envious!

Prettywitty

Martin said...

This is a dream come true. I've had as a future plan to write Divine and beg them for an Eau. They seem like the kind of fragrance house who could do something truely interesting on the subject. And now they go ahead and release one. I just can't grasp this at all. Hopefully I'll be one of the lucky three, but to be honest, I've already decided to spend the money needed for the fabolous feminine bottle.

streetsmart said...

been reading your blog for some time now, and i must say your reviews are really well-written and quite informative. i especially love your catchy description for Divine's new unisex perfume - "it marries freshness with sensuality."