Divine

For those of you who are wondering how to get your hands on this fragrance, google Divine Fragrances France (I can’t add a hyperlink to this comment). This was such a blast from the past for me, I immediately felt comfortable wearing it, as though it were made for my skin. If you’ve experienced and loved those big chypre florals from the ‘80’s, you’ll feel right at home with this one. I can see the connection to Ysatis and Jil No. 4, but throw in a splash of Annick Goutal Passion, and that is Divine. I wore this two days in a row, something I rarely do - in fact I found it intensely addictive. Longevity isn’t bad, but it’s not a beast. It also has presence and projects well, strong and elegant. This company really delivers on great customer service. Firstly, it’s a real pain to get some sites to ship to Australia, so I was really impressed that they could accommodate that request and offer free shipping if you spend €160 or more. They also allow you to select two free samples. The box was nicely packaged and included a handwritten note thanking me for my patronage. I bought three from the range, this is the first one I have tried and if I manage to extract myself from its clutches, I will comment on the other two. I chose the 50 ml travel sprays because to be honest I couldn’t be fussed with decanting from a splash, nor using those strange bulb sprayers which I have found to be ineffective (especially on some of the Guerlain bottles). Having said that, they threw in three little gold funnels, presumably in case I want to buy a splash in the future to decant into the travel case. I totally recommend this as a great choice for those of us who love this big style of fragrance, not a safe blind buy for the faint hearted nor sweet fragrance lovers.

I was recommended this perfume when I asked for tuberose chypre suggestions in a forum recently. I had never heard of this house before then, but Divine is a small niche French brand that has been in operation since the 1980s - long before niche perfume became mainstream. I bought their discovery set that includes this, their namesake perfume, and it has proven itself to be a beautiful recommendation. Divine is from the 1980s, and is of its era but timeless, reminiscent in parts of contemporaries like Ysatis and 24 Faubourg. Divine opens with a beautiful, lush tuberose note that is smooth, sweet and creamy. Juicy peach adds sweetness up top. It becomes a little bubblegum-like as it develops, with smooth gardenia rounding it out. A nice spicy undertone emerges, completely it beautifully. Powdery rose follows, adding to the bouquet, and powdery, slightly indolic jasmine adds a hint of dirt and body to the white florals. The mossy chypre base slowly develops in the background, grounding the bold white florals to perfection. The oakmoss here is delicious. The orange blossom is surprisingly muted, adding some fruity sweetness that follows the peach. Patchouli adds to the chypre accord, and sandalwood is detectable in the later stages, smooth and dry, a perfect addition. It becomes musky as it fades, tying everything together beautifully. It is softly animalic here. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is a feminine, transeasonal scent that can be worn day or night. Divine is a beautiful, old-world scent that delivers vintage-style glamour in spades while remaining timeless enough for a modern audience. A high-quality tuberose chypre, this is exactly what I was looking for. It lives up to its name. 4.5/5.

C'est un des trois parfums Divine qui m'a été offert. Et c'est tout simplement magnifique !! Sur ma peau c'est presque un soliflore Gardénia mais quel gardénia !!! Whaou !!! La classe !!! La grande classe !!! Et même la très grande classe !!! Mais j'ai dit presque parce que la tubéreuse a son mot à dire ici qui donne un côté langoureux. Le gardénia a déjà un côté langoureux me direz vous et vous aurez raison mais là, les choses sont plus chaudes genre nuit d'été dans un jardin. Ainsi que les épices douces qui sont elles aussi superbes !!! Pour une fois un parfumeur n'a pas mélanger la tubéreuse avec l'ylang-ylang qui à mon avis n'apporte rien à la tubéreuse et peut même la desservir (je n'ai rien contre l'ylang-ylang ;o) Sans oublier la mousse de chêne qui se détache tout en jouant un rôle mineur mais bien présente. Divine est digne des plus grands parfums de niche. Vous ne le sentirez pas sur une autre peau même si à un moment on a l'impression de reconnaître Faubourg 24 d'Hermès ou encore le Gardénia d'Isabey mais ça n'engage que moi. Divine, divin parfum...

Divine is a beautiful, somewhat old-fashioned, abstract floral, in shades of shimmering silver-pink. I get a lot of summery orange blossom in particular, but mostly the effect is “perfume” — angelic, soaring, dressed-up radiance. The tuberose really takes its time coming out, and adds another dimension of harmonious softness, like pearly cumulus clouds. Divine is in the aldehydic-floral zone that often feels too formal for me to wear on anything but a special occasion — the same genre as Chanel #5, Van Cleef & Arpels First, Arpege, etc. It’s little more modern than those classics, though — more than anything else, it gives me the impression of shining rays of light. As traditional aldehydic florals go, Divine is on the cool, gauzy side, even a bit aloof. Nothing but pure flower petals and “airiness” all the way down. Ingrid Bergman meets Glinda the Good Witch.

I've only recently tried Divine, but I'm hooked. It's just the kind of fragrance I like -- a bold, bright floriental, which is not surprising, as it was released in the 80s. It reminds me quite a bit of my beloved Ysatis. It's almost as though someone took Ysatis and removed much of the chypre/oakmoss notes, and amped up the tuberose. Sillage and lasting power are excellent. This fragrance smells, to me, as though it is largely composed of natural floral extracts; it doesn't have that "synthetic" vibe that so many newer fragrances do. It's floral without being overpowering; sweet without being sickening. Overall, the effect is classic, ladylike and elegant, and I look forward to owning a bottle someday. I just wish it were easier to find in the U.S.