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.

Philtre d’Amour by Guerlain : Perfume Review

Back in October I visited one of the many perfume fairs that take place here in the Netherlands. Even if you don’t end up buying something, these events are well worth visiting, just to be able to look at all the vintage bottles and forgotten or even unknown treasures of the perfume world. The perfume auctions that often take place during the day are also fun to follow and even take part in, since amazing bargains on pure perfume can often be had. I went looking for a couple of things I was eventually unable to find, but still had a lot of fun reconnecting with my favorite vintage perfume dealers, meeting new ones, talking with collectors, looking at fabulous crystal bottles including Guerlain’s limited edition Baccarat turtles and a complete collection of old Nina Ricci Lalique flacons, still sealed and filled with their wonderful juice (The vintage Lalique Coeur Joie still makes me feel like I’m about to faint from its beauty every time I see it). Slightly broke by the end of October during which the fair took place, I didn’t feel the urge to take out my wallet and actually buy something, even as all the little perfume gems felt like they were calling my name. However at my favorite vintage dealer’s table I found a bargain I absolutely couldn’t resist. A full bottle of Guerlain’s Philtre d’Amour with a pre-LVMH acquisition code, which the dear lady I always end up buying from was offering me for just 25euro.

The name is amazingly evocative and beautiful, but as Marina of Perfume Smellin’ Things notes, it is not quite fitting to the juice. Philtre d’Amour is not passionate, but indeed restrained. A light, summery Chypre, it spells sophistication, elegance and grace rather than temptation and ardor. Having said that, it is also warm, rather than chilly. It opens with a blast of spicy freshness allowing one to sniff briefly hints of patchouli before turning up the citrus volume so loud, one would be justified to think this is a perfume that’s all about the lemon. Candied, Guerlinade-infused lemon envelopes the skin in sweet freshness. Soon the scent of freshly-cut greens cuts down the sweetness and allows for a very sophisticated, slightly bitter vein to show through. Buttery iris is the first floral note that I identify and it is a note used with amazing thoughtfulness; just the right amount to add softness and the merest hint of powder to the scent, but not enough to overwhelm, as iris so easily can. Indolic, dirty jasmine has once again been used with the same amount of thoughtfulness and restrain and together with fabulous, soft and slightly bitter neroli these two florals manage to finally make the fragrance exude a wonderful heart of warmth through the elegant citrus freshness that defines this scent throughout. The base notes feature a wonderful, spicy oakmoss-patchouli combination, that together with the florals and bergamot really make Philtre d’Amour smell like a Chypre of a bygone era. Old-fashioned then, yet oh-so contemporary due to its timeless, classic character, this is a fabulous, scent. Its freshness and elegant lightness mean that it is a perfect choice for warm weather and I have the feeling that this will be exceptional in especially warm, humid climes where the slightly dirty heart notes and spicy base notes will be allowed to bloom to perfection. It will also be an excellent replacement for the summer wardrobe of Aromatics Elixir users. Philtre d’Amour is sold at Guerlain Boutiques as part of the Les Parisiennes collection, but Victoria from Bois de Jasmine notes that it has possibly been changed since its re-release in 2000. As I have only tested the original version, I cannot report on how the new formula compares.

If you wish to receive a sample of this original version, please say so in the comment area and I will enter your name in a drawing. Winner to be announced in a week’s time.

Images: www.fragrantica.com and Flickr, originally uploaded by Osbock

Smelly Facts: Perfumed Lovin’

A couple of weeks ago, in a different Smelly Facts post, we saw how bees gather and use perfume in order to communicate with each other. Today we turn our attention to a very different animal and they way it uses fragrant chemicals. Alloanointing is the transfer of chemicals among members of the same species – an activity that has long been documented in mammals. According to Hector Douglas, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Alaska, his research is the first to document this behavior in birds. According to Douglas “The crested auklet (Aethia cristatella), a colonial seabird of Alaskan and Siberian waters, alloanoints during courtship with fragrant aldehydes that are released from specialized wick-like feathers located in the interscapular region. Crested auklets solicit anointment at the colony, and prospective mates rub bill, breast, head, and neck over wick feathers of their partners. This distributes aldehydes over the head, neck, and face where the birds cannot self-preen.” You are probably curious what the aldehydic perfume of choice for this magnificently billed bird smells like. As it turns out, it smells intensely of citrus, and more specifically, of orange! Apparently, unlike us humans, crested auklets do not shy away from strong sillage either; according to Douglas, “a stronger chemical signal (is) more attractive”. But this perfumed courting behavior is not just good for flirting, apparently. It also serves a practical purpose: the aldehydic scent is a great insect repellent, which protects these birds against tick infestations!

Reference: “Prenuptial perfume: Alloanointing in the social rituals of the crested auklet (Aethia cristatella) and the transfer of arthropod deterrents”, Die Naturwissenschaften [0028-1042] Douglas yr:2008 vol:95 iss:1 pg:45 -53

Image: commons.wikimedia.org

Trouble by Boucheron : Perfume Review

Boucheron released Trouble in 2004 and it has been marketed as a sensual, provocative floral-oriental. Trouble is indeed an oriental scent, but unfortunately it does not have the come-hither potential most of its oriental siblings possess. It starts out with a strong burst of citrus that quickly takes on a sugared quality that brings to mind strong, rich lemon hard-candy. The citrus continues to develop undeterred, like scratched lemon rind and combines with the herbaceous smell of digitalis, the poisonous foxglove also known as witch’s bells. There is a certain essential oil quality in this stage, with traces of crushed citrus leaves. The flowery middle note of jasmine is only a hint, overshadowed by the addition of rosewater and vanilla. The woody base notes are also discernible quite early on, and along with the blue cedar, I can definitely smell sweet palisander wood, which is possibly the sexiest note in the mixture. It is a very strong perfume and a little goes a long way. I get a lot of sillage out of it and its staying power is excellent. I see this as a fragrance with no age restrictions. Truth be told, this is how I feel about most perfumes, with very few exceptions. But I felt I should note this especially for Trouble, as the term “oriental” often serves as a deterrent for younger girls. I feel this is a good initiation perfume in the genre, which can be worn equally comfortably (and with as much success) by both very young and older women.

All in all, Trouble starts out very gourmand, not fully living up to its marketing claims. The dry-down is certainly sexy, but not overtly so. I would not label it as nondescript; it is certainly an interesting perfume, albeit not overly idiosyncratic. To me, this is the perfect perfume to reach for when one needs an oriental in warm weather, as it is both fresh due to its intense citrus character, but also spicy and warm. Having said that, it would still be too rich for daywear. I recommend it as a summer nighttime fragrance.


Image Sources: Lemon Tree, my own. Picture of Trouble factice bottle courtesy of www.auntjudysattic.com.