L'inspiratrice

Another wonderful creation from this marvellous house. I'm impressed with the quality, really. So it's possible making an excellent production in times of IFRA restrictions, of poor originality, without costing the earth. It is. L'Inspiratrice opens with a velvety rose mixed with a few other flowers which I am not able to detect, I suppose peony is one (but I am not good at guessing notes). Soon after the sweetness leaves (not a candy sweetness), the softness remains and a marvellous forest opens in front of you. You are not left alone: the rose accompanies you, taking you by the hand on a path which is not rough because of the rose by your side. I would not say this is a strong rose scent: rose is present throughout but her presence becomes more and more subdued. You are the star, not her. You are the star when wearing this scent: elegant, opulent but not overwhelming, opulent because rich in its material, very beautiful, chic and perfect for every occasion. I'm impressed. Truly.

L'Inspiratrice is a glorious classical floral, rather golden-amber in tonality, not especially rosy. The florals have a subtle, delicately shimmering mille-fleurs effect like the first breath of spring. This is one of Divine’s grand, traditional feminines, and it’s fantastic. More than anything else, L'Inspiratrice reminds me of Chanel No. 5, in its dense, seamless golden elegance; but it’s less aldehydic, less hissy, softer, with a bit of a boozy note in the amber. Over time, I feel something of a deeper, browner base, but it’s still very subtle and airy, and definitely not like realistic patchouli. It’s also smoothed with a lotion-y, tonka-vanilla grace. L'Inspiratrice is every bit as good as Divine Pour Femme, but in a warmer, softer key, golden-pink rather than silvery-pink.

This is my second perfume by Divine - Spirituelle is my signature scent. But while these are both roses, the similarity ends there. While Spirituelle is a warm, almost fruity rose, it is definitely a "day" perfume, inviting and approachable but not assertive. L'inspiratrice is the more worldly, earthy and sensual sister. To me the top note is almost like the whiff of tobacco - like the afterthought of a fine cigarette. What opens afterward is a dark oriental rose with definite, but not overwhelming undertones of patchouli, musk and tonka. The sillage is incredible. I have gotten into the bath at night to have the perfume bloom again in the steam of the bath and I remember that incredible smell is me. Next to Spirituelle, this is my favorite of the Divine parfum line.

Opulent. A deep, powdery oriental floral with freesia, which is not listed in the notes above, but prominent in the sample card I was sent from Divine. I get an abstract impression rather than distinct notes, but the olfactory journey moves from a bergamot infused swirl of florals in a musky cloud, which is gradually deepened by patchouli, tonka bean and vanilla. This is a luxurious experience and, like the best of all things, moreish. Bottled decadence. Distillation: opulent floral a moreish experience for decadent days

To me this is like a forerunner (and better version) of La Petite Robe Noir by Guerlain. The biggest difference I think is the heavy use of tonka bean in this fragrance and the abscence of almond. It is not listed as a note but there is definitely something juicy in here reminding me of cherry liqueur. And instead of it being sweet like LPRN, it is powdery. It is beautiful and would please lovers of vintage fragrances.

L'Inspiratrice is, in a nutshell, a sweet vanilla-rose scent. This is an accord that seems to be difficult to get right, and while I'm not fully convinced by this scent, it is a valiant attempt. L'Inspiratrice opens with a bold floral accord, led by a jammy, sweet rose note. Tropical, creamy ylang ylang adds sweetness, but together, they make for a discordant duo. I get a prominent hit of bergamot up top, briefly adding freshness, but the florals are king. Vanilla follows closely, adding sweetness to the base. It melds nicely with the ylang ylang, but it feels as if the rose is competing for attention. As it develops, coumarin adds balsamic, spicy smoothness to the base, characteristically Play Doh-like, an attempt at convincing the rose to get along with the other notes. It somewhat succeeds - L'Inspiratrice is smooth here, the bold, sweet florals somewhat tempered. A cloud of patchouli follows, adding a much-needed earthy counterpoint to the vanilla-sweetened florals, while acting as an ally of sorts to the rose. Vetiver adds dry grassiness here, which, along with the patchouli, adds a nice chypre base to this scent, tying it together nicely. It becomes sweetly musky as it dries down, with the powdery vanilla evident until final fade. The earthiness of the chypre base lingers, tempering the sweet florals nicely. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is a transeasonal, feminine-leaning scent. L'Inspiratrice is an unusual scent, a bold sweet floral that is initially unconvincing, but is ultimately quite compelling, saved by the inspired addition of a chypre base. I wouldn't choose this scent personally, but kudos for creativity. 3.5/5.

Oooh to the powerful patchouli that drives this unique scent. Oh I like the opening very much! It’s actually quite unisex as patchouli is very versatile. Unfortunately the vanilla in the base and other elements later come through to mix this up and I’m left missing that intoxicating patchouli opening. Yum though, I’d recommend this as it’s so opulent. This is my favourite of Divine’s entire range as it’s by far the most titillating. But guess what, it doesn’t last long enough to get my credit card out.

When I first put a drop on my wrist, I was terrified - I got an incredible whiff of green apples!! Not what I was expecting, nor what I wanted. Thankfully, that lasted about 3 seconds, then morphed into a spiced rose. It was indeed a nice fragrance, but not full bottle worthy for me.

hmmm. liked it at first but after a few wears the patch is getting to be too much for me. sweet vanilla rose with a vintage sense and a strong sharpness from the patch, especially when overapplied. not my dream rose (divine spirituelle is closer)

Rose and patchouli with a warm base. Dark and bold, unisex, maybe more feminine but... Excellent sillage and longevity. Vintage for me. More for fall and winter. 7/10

(English below) Je l'ai eu en échantillon. Je l'ai laissé sur ma peau toute la journée, mais je n'ai pas du tout accroché. L'odeur des agrumes ressortait beaucoup trop fortement pour moi, à un tel point que j'avais l'impression d'avoir frotté mes poignets à un arbuste. Quand à la qualité du parfum en lui même, je n'ai rien à redire. --- I had this one as a sample, and I didn't like it. The citrus smell is way too strong for me, almost stinking. Regarding the fragrance quality itself, it is fine and I have nothing else to say.

What? Am I smelling the same perfume as everyone’s else? My treasured sample—long gone, I’m afraid—was so heartbreakingly beautiful that I would crawl over hot coals for just a little more. I’m afraid to even think about the pure parfum; it must be mind blowing. I just looked at Divine’s website, though, and it is not really working. Also, sadly, the prices have gone up. Sad face. Anyroad— This is a delicate, rather old-fashioned but still fresh and beautifully balanced perfume that is ladylike and presentable, but with a seriously spicy patchouli to offset the high quality florals. There is a delicacy to the overall feel of the composition that reminds me of some of Patricia de Nicolaï’s work (I guess it’s something to do with French finesse) albeit with less aggressive citrus in the opening than Nicolaï typically uses, and a more emphatic use of more opulent florals. The florals floral and swirl almost weightlessly over the almost scratchy patchouli in a way that makes this almost a cousin of Diorella, if Diorella had a tonka ballast, if its patchouli sparkled with aldehydes, and if Diorella’s fruit were more like a tropical banana in the heart with scented buttery ylang ylang, rather than the salted plum and elegant perfumed melon that opens Diorella. The contrasts between the top and bottom notes are less dramatic than Diorella, mostly because the top is not as fizzy and 7Up like as Diorella, but the structure and calibrated elegance is still there. Divine is another underrated but worthy house that, like Nicolaï, deserves more kudos and attention. This would be my sig in warmer months if I could ever get my mitts on some. I should have bought back when it was less than 100 Euro. Not anymore! *sob*. There are few perfumes so compelling that I can’t move on from them, but L’Inspiratrice touched my soul as few perfumes ever have. I’m just sad that other people don’t see what I see. I hope that changes. And I implore you to explore this brilliant, lovely house and its many beautiful offerings for both men and women—including one of the finest masculine irises I have ever encountered. No, I am seriously not affiliated with Divine in any way. I just love their perfumes. And I never ever ever use these spaces to ask for anything, especially samples, so please forgive me—but I am willing to do almost anything for some more of this, until the day hopefully comes when I can buy my own FB. Please PM me if you have some samples you don’t want, because I desperately do.

Got a few 1.7ml sample vials of this on a whim. I wanted to try something with a heavy tonka note. It reminds me of my fathers favorite cologne, Pierre Cardin Cardin, for that exact reason. After a few minutes it femmes up from that initial first impression, but I find the middle to be so overwhelmingly powdery, I'm feeling like a freshly changed baby bottom. Fortunately (in this case) my skin eats perfume and takes me immediately to the bottom, and there is only a touch of that powder note in the dry down. I get mostly a creamy vanilla with an earthy, herbal, slant. It's very pretty. I can see myself wearing out my samples on days when I feel snuggly, but not romantic. Edited: When it's all said and done, this scent reminded me of the hair lotion we all used when I was small. Pink lotion, by Luster's. But, I don't think that's what I'm smelling, because as I think about it, what it really reminds me of is the way the top of my father's head smelled when he'd come in from work. I guess I just can't separate the tonka bean from my Dad.

Divine L'INSPIRATRICE is a rich, smooth, and viscous oriental perfume whose primary appeal to me lies in the drydown, at the culmination of a journey through a couple of oriental twists and turns, beginning with a rather boozy opening stage. There are a lot of rose-patchouli perfumes to choose from these days, and those notes number among the components of L'INSPIRATRICE, but to my nose, this is much more of an amber-esque oriental than either a rose or a sweet patchouli composition. After a rather boozy opening, this perfume eventually arrives at a gorgeously golden, slightly sweet amberish drydown with a touch of patchouli. As is generally the case with hefty orientals, this one has both fairly big sillage and excellent longevity. I find the opening of L'INSPIRATRICE slightly less inspiring, though it's certainly not bad, but the drydown if not quite divine, is certainly very nice.

I picked this up on sale, unsure about if it was a good fragrance for me. I like wood. I like the other notes listed and it seems safe enough. I had tried this once from a sample and it left me feeling as if I as anosmic. Were there things going on I wasn't catching? It still feels that way to me in the opening, as if I'm not smelling everything. As the other reviewers noted it opens strong. For me it smells non-specific, as if one might say, "Oh, some kind of wood, is it?" I did not find it unpleasant. I just felt as if something were missing that tied the scent together and made it smell cohesive. Good news. As you wear it it warms and sweetens and comes together. It has beautiful longevity. The end result is a pretty woody musk. Not an HG but a nice addition to a fragrance wardrobe.

A nice concoction of acidic rose and patchouli that opens with a classic perfumery vibe to turn, in the drydown, into a very comfortable vanilla/ambery base that's extremely powdery but incredibly refined and balanced. Surely not a groundbreaking release and, probably, not among the most distinctive compositions in this genre but still pretty nice and well crafted. Rating: 7/10

This seems a little strong and even slightly unpleasant to me when I first apply it (possible the patchouli), but after half an hour or so it settles down to a really beautiful, elegant vanilla-musc base, which just gets better and better. Definitely worth the (for me) unappealing opening.

This is a lovely plushy passionate scent full of vanilla, with some mouthwatering berry nuances, sweet heady with a good dose of patchouli. It's a little overwhelming at first but then it smooths and blends perfectly. Better for special nights by the candlelight

I guess I never really knew what tonka bean smelled like before I tried this. So much tonka! This is masculine smelling to me. Lots of yang going on.

All I get is a super sweet floral. Pretty, with tart petal notes, but a lot like other things I've smelled. A Tea-party fragrance and just not me.