Diva

"DIVA is a sophisticated and feminine perfume. An unforgettable fragrance with a distinctively sensual powdery note. A feminine, sensual and sophisticated Ungaro signature Diva is a semi-oriental floral-chypre perfume." That's what Ungaro's site says. Correct. When perfumery nose Polge decides to deliver HE DOES. With Diva everything is on the place. If you ever wondered what a good, brutally feminine fragrance is, smell Diva. If you dare, test it. When I did that for the first time I was so impressed... I had to have it. Fast. A lot. Constantly. I violated people with this scent. And they loved it. Yes. People love to be violated by beauty and might. Diva is might. That's why this is diva. One that inspires others and reveals herself only inside intimate moments. Between the two of you. Don't expect more. This is a famous perfume. The epitome of strong femininity. Femme fatale could easily wear it. While simple girls can't. It will give no chance to weaknesses. This fragrance doesn't pity anyone and doesn't give a chances. Just one. Every perfume has a colour. This one is black. It's a witch perfume. It's a feather perfume. It smells like fine feathers full of vintage powder. While gently biting your skin. Like it loves the body's intense scent. Like it teases it. When it settles it's feaders powdery magic. This is a mastery fragrance. Popular perfume by Emanuel Ungaro for women, released in 1983 still going strong. Very very strong... Top notes: Cardamom, Coriander, Tuberose, Aldehydes, Bergamot, Mandarin orange, Rosewood, Hyacinthe... The opening is citrussy fresh with 'fatty' sparkling aldehydes. Vintage slap. Right there. That toxic aldehydes (all vintage, class woman right there). Hairspray, synthetic stockings, powder, fine-smelling soap, bee wax lipstick, cigarette! Vivid, remaining even when the scent settles. Ohh yes! Heavenly. Then spices join in. So let's describe them. They don't jump in. They penetrate in. Very sexually. Cardamom. Ultimately, cardamom is an essential element in the perfume industry, bringing a touch of exoticism and originality to modern olfactory creations. Cardamom's aromatic profile is complex and rich, offering a variety of warm, sweet and spicy notes. Perfumers often use cardamom as a top note to add a zesty, spicy touch to their fragrances. Cardamom is often combined with notes such as ginger, black pepper and cinnamon to create warm, intoxicating fragrances. In perfumery, cardamom blends well with other spicy notes such as black pepper, clove and cinnamon. It can also be combined with floral notes such as rose and jasmine to create a more sensual, feminine fragrance. Cardamom also combines well with woody notes such as cedar and sandalwood to create a warmer, deeper fragrance. All that we have in this fragrance. But not without Coriander. Which I adore. Coriander has a characteristic, complex perfume, combining spicy, herbaceous, fresh and slightly lemony notes. Its fresh leaves have a green, slightly pungent perfume reminiscent of parsley. The main constituent of coriander seed is linalool. The seeds offer a warmer, spicier aroma with woody nuances. BUT... That's not over. We have the first flower in. Top Notes remember? Tuberose. Which I adore. See? Diva enters big. Sucks in all attention. Intoxicating everything around. Tuberose voluptuous as it is doesn't give any mercy to anyone. In Victorian times, tuberose symbolised ‘dangerous pleasure’ and voluptuousness – and that’s pretty much what perfumers are aiming for when they use it. In India, meanwhile, it’s known for its aphrodisiac powers (young women are advised not to breathe its scent, after dark.) YES, the mysterious Tuberose. Coated with Bergamot. Complex and deep at the same time; similar to lime, but with floral, herbal, and resinous undertones. That bitterness that I love. The envy bitterness. Right there at the beginning... Absolutely amazing! With Orange blossoms, deep mysterious rosewood and a scream of fresh hyacinth. A complex scent which can be interpreted within a large palette of notes. Sometimes, it builds on its heady, floral-animalistic note. That's the case here. Diva tells you right at the beginning "I will eat you alive." Imagine that! That's the opening. It has also that leathery slightly dirty violent push. I dream of the soap smelling like this... Not over at all... Diva is just getting ready. Because that opening is long. Strong. It chases away all weak characters and consumes only admirers. If you don't like the opening, leave. The rest of mastery will give you lifetime complexes of less worth. Diva is transcendent' for it to be placed in any era. It's a timeless class! It is only vintage in the way it outperformed the linear, boring scents of today. It eats them. Before middle notes swim into top notes. Yes, here that is the case. While you are enjoying a melange of the top notes suddenly... Heart Notes: Carnation is not to smell first, there is Jasmine first but let's keep the written order I can write the smelling developing notes. "The earliest references to the carnation date back to Greek and Roman times. The Greeks called it "Dianthos", meaning "divine flower" or "flower of the gods". The Romans commonly used carnations for various ceremonies and festivities. In the Middle Ages, the carnation gained popularity in Europe and was cultivated in royal gardens and monasteries. The flower was highly prized for its pleasant fragrance and delicate petals. Over time, numerous varieties of carnations were developed by horticulturists, giving rise to a great diversity of colours and shapes. The carnation has become a much-loved flower in bouquets, floral arrangements and perfumes, thanks to its heady fragrance and timeless beauty. " (bonparfumeur) Carnation contains that green smoke-like note. Rarely captured. Here in this scent, you can smell it. That's the most beautiful part of different notes captured inside beautiful flowers. Jasmine. Clean, strong and masculine. It's like a flower with a penis. Jasmine gives richness and intensity to fragrances: a sweet floral note, but with a dead-sexy muskiness to it. If you smell different concentrated 'absolutes' (the oily liquids created through macerating the jasmine flowers), they have their own characteristics: some smell medicinal, some sweet, some musky, some green. I have a collection of oil-based scents from Muslim countries. Jasmin and oil as carrier. All smell different. One from Palestine. Very old. Smells green. A blast of green notes dancing around the sharp jasmine smell. Same I smell with Diva. Not over yet! Narcissus. Very hard not to bring on your side. Polge succeed. It didn't overtake the whole soul of the perfume. See what is going on here? Diva doesn't stop. Gets stronger every moment. Floral, green, fruity, animal, honeyed, fierce, bewitching, narcotics of Narcisse. Fiercely bewitching and ever-narcotic, the scent of narcissus is renowned for a reason. Its heady, honeyed facets are both animalic and sweet. They are! Joined by Orris root mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery. Telling you "I am here to stay. You must leave." The dried roots of the plant are ground up, distilled and extracted into either a resin, an absolute or a butter. They have a buttery-soft, smooth and skin-like scent. Its powdery aroma is undeniable and can also be reminiscent of suede or even freshly baked bread. And still, it's not over. Tired already? 2 powerful Roses (Moroccan and Türkis) will shake you into cosy powdery heaven. Both smell different, both working on the mission to refresh your tired nose with subtle, erotic and dark Ylang-ylang. It's over for you. The spell is thrown. Parfumery in reality is witchcraft. Now look at this. Diva the black dressed witch is telling you that you have a prison now. It's called Diva Base Notes. The Contra spell doesn't exist. Oakmoss, Honey, Musk, Patchouli, Amber, Iris, Vetiver, Civet, Sandalwood, Vanilla This is beyond beauty. Beyond playing coincidence. Beyond the majority of Polge parfumés that he invented or provoked with greatness with them. Yes, he invented also a lot of cheap linear shames! Yes, for big names. Corporations. He failed. With Diva he wrote himself into history. I won't go into describing every note from The Top Notes. I leave it to you to try it. That, with all from up of course more gentle, will be your long-lasting dry down. It will seduce you forever. Bottle is in my eyes absolute beauty. Some people say whiskey bottle? No. It's like early vintage Art Deco bottles. Also, ALL other vintage versions of the original bottle are Divine. Search. Buy. Another femme fatale fragrance.

I first fell in love with the work of designer Emanuel Ungaro at the age of 9 years. It was during an Ebony Fashion Fair presentation to which my mother had taken me in the late 1980s. Short history lesson: Ebony Fashion Fair was a popular traveling fashion runway show within the African American community that featured the haute couture and Ready To Wear of elite fashion designers from around the world. It was the brainchild of the late Eunice Johnson who was married to the late John Johnson. Together the Johnsons established the iconic African American news and society magazine, Ebony. The Ebony Fashion Fair runway show began during the late 1950s initially as a means of showcasing both black models who were often barred from participating in the mainstream fashion world as well as to present the fashion collections of black designers. This was back in the day when the world of high fashion was very insulated in terms of class and race. The money raised from such presentations was to be used for community charities. Eventually the shows became so successful that Ms. Johnson began to seek participation from mainstream design houses as well. This proved to be quite difficult due to the stereotypes that surrounded African Americans at that time. Many of the mainstream designers did not believe that there was an audience to be had among blacks, especially black women. Often, black clients could not even book buying appointments with the mainstream design ateliers. The design houses did not believe that there were black people who could afford the clothing nor did they want to risk losing their majority audience by having blacks wearing the same clothing. There were certain designers who were always supportive and inclusive, such as Pucci, Valentino, Mackie. The House of Ungaro was one of the favored houses of the Ebony Fashion Fair and partly because Emanuel Ungaro was also one of the initial designers who readily participated. Okay...so enough history. Now...picture it...Sicily... (kidding but points if you got the reference) It's the late 80s, I'm nine years old in a central Valley California auditorium waiting to see a couture spectacle. I'm wearing my finest sitting next to my mother who is dressed up as well. The entire audience is decked out to the nines. The people are looking almost as good as the models! Where the fashion world got the idea that black people don't like to dress, I don't know. They need only attend a black church service to have that stereotype laid to rest. The hall lights dim and out walk...no STRUT...the first models. I have been in love with high fashion ever since. Out of all of the garments that I saw that evening, the clothing that most caught my eye, were those by Ungaro. They were opulent and sophisticated. They were baroque with beading, heavy embroidery, and vibrant colors. They were exactly what would be worn by...a diva. Years later, I unwrap the cellophane from the white box. Open it's cardboard inner layer, and remove the heavy glass bottle reminiscent of fine baccarat crystal. Even the stopper/cap has heft to it as it's also made of glass-- how rare these days. The juice is a deep amber color, my bottle is from the early 2000s. I spritz a small bit on my arm and I am pleasantly overwhelmed by a beautiful bouquet of crimson red bulgarian roses in all of their sumptuous amber chocolate animalic glory. The roses sit in a fine crystal vase with touches of gold filigree around the base. The vase sits on a dark mahogany table in a room drenched in sunlight with heavy tapestry curtains and brilliant gold antique rococo influences. This fragrance belongs to the type of woman whom you will never see partially clad or wearing the latest trendy ill fitting thing. You will never catch this woman without her lipstick which is always the most well applied deep dark red. You will never catch her without her high heels. You will never catch her in any way that does not bespeak elegance, sophistication, and quiet confidence. She's not dry or staid however...but the very essence of womanly sensuality The little girl inside of me is swooning---this is what grown ladies smell like. The dry down is soft and spicy fading from an opulent oil painting to a impressionist water color. Longevity is good and sillage is appropriate to the name of the fragrance. In other words, spray lightly. I am in love with diva...but of course!

I blind bought Diva back in April but didn't wear it up until now because from the bottle it smelled so strongly of patchouli that it overwhelmed everything else, and the paper test was no better. Everything pointed towards the bitter end for me and Diva. I still kept it just to have it as a part of my collection and it likely would've stayed untouched if I hadn't purchased Obsession, another huge hit from the 80s. Since I liked it quite a lot, I thought I'd give Diva one more chance as well. Either I've changed or the scent has in the span of six months - or perhaps a bit of both - but the stars aligned and I don't pick up the killer patchouli anymore. Better yet, I do love it and most certainly want to wear it. Furthermore, I'm confident this is the best female chypre ever. Yep, we've come a long way. Seeing the reviews across multiple platforms that call it dated, "old lady" and such, I'll just say this: do not approach vintage perfume expecting a modern scent, you'd just be setting yourself up for disappointment. And if your dislike for Diva or vintage chypres in general stems from aversion towards old-fashioned scents, it is, for the lack of more respectable terms, perfectly valid but still a question of personal preference rather than critique of the perfume itself. In modern conditions it is hard enough to keep legendary perfumes authentic-smelling so they can preserve their legacy (we've all seen world-famous brands destroying their heritage out of pure greed), and luckily, Diva wasn't turned into an oversimplified, watered down, synthetic mess. It smells very authentic to the year 1985, the way it was meant to. Wearing it makes me feel like a time traveler, not like a modern person chasing after the long gone grandeur of vintage perfumery. A little bit about me: I dislike oakmoss, I dislike spices and can't stand animalic scents. Patchouli is my sworn enemy. Diva still rocks. Yes, against all odds, rendering my general preferences irrelevant because somehow it all still works out and my usual complaints regarding those notes do no apply. Oakmoss isn't prickly and medicinal and spices aren't revoltingly bitter or flat and civet doesn't smell like unwashed privates and patchouli made itself scarce. That's just my POV, though, and I can't guarantee the same for you but this I can say for sure: when approaching it, do expect a blast of aldehydes, vintage powder, old-fashioned mossy smell, heavily dated florals, smokey honeyed civet. Expect a totally vintage perfume, which is what it is. Somewhat skanky but strangely, in a sexy way. Bitter, truly - not even bittersweet - to me as a lover of everything saccharine, but somehow very nuanced still. Provocatively loud, completely justifying its name. So well-composed and well-blended you could even begin to feel as if it was made specifically for you like L'Interdit of 1957 was made for Audrey Hepburn's personal use. Undeniably a touch of old-fashioned class and elegance despite the overall loudness, a testament to Jacques Polge's skill. You don't have to like it and don't even have to appreciate it for any of these reasons; it will remain the perfect example of a masterfully crafted 80s female chypre regardless. Not a "timeless" scent: it doesn't comply, doesn't adhere to the turn of time. Just like a true diva. There is nothing modern about this perfume. Diva is pure retro chic and I'm here for it.

1983 Jacques Polge Chypre Gem of HONEY-ROSE-OAKMOSS with Civet, Coriander & Sandalwood. Language evolves, and the term 'Diva' didn't mean exactly the same thing in 1983 as it does today. There was more of an aspirational tone to the word that's illustrated by the '80s film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). Bored & desperate housewife, Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), 'desperately' wants to be like what she imagines Bohemian drifter, Susan (Madonna), to be. Just how Roberta dons Susan's jacket with its gold-thread pyramid on the back, one could spray on Diva, and gain a little of that sparkling, Bohemian star quality. In the first couple of minutes before the spray dries, I can feel the coriander and oakmoss. Once the spray dries, and the sillage starts to open up, I get tuberose & aldehydes, with carnation & honey swelling through. As it transitions to the floral heart there's rose & ylang added to the mix. This has a traditional chypre base with oakmoss that's sweetened by honey & soft woody tones from sandalwood. Civet is there in the base, but it's well blended. There's a lot going on here, but overall I get a coriander forward vintage chypre-floral that has some sweetness from honey & creaminess from tuberose & sandalwood. Performance is excellent, and what you would expect for a vintage chypre. It's a love for me. 10/10 for a vintage chypre. Enjoy! Contrast to Paloma Picasso Paloma Picasso: These are different, although Paloma Picasso was released the year after Diva and there are similarities with rose, coriander, ylang, oakmoss & civet. However Diva is sweeter & creamier with forward honey & tuberose, while Paloma Picasso has much more forward animalics. Both have excellent performance. Contrast to Coco Chanel EDP: These are different, but these are both composed by Jacques Polge and there are similarities with rose, coriander, yellow-floral, civet & sandalwood. Coco has a more forward amber accord, while Diva is a chypre. Both have excellent performance. Update 02/13/25: Sprayed this on this morning as it's very cold. I love these bold vintage chypres, but mainly dare to wear them in the heart of winter. Diva is one of my favourites, especially for the rose here. The animalics are there, but have a more natural feel when compared to Paloma Picasso. Love it.

This is luxurious, sensual, and oozes golden, oily persona out of the receiver pinholes of an old telephone, trickling warm down your arm as a throaty voice on the other end groans something lecherous in a foreign language. It has all the Cronenberg DNA of the ideal 1980s female chypre, doffing it's cap to Shalimar while the hot air of a passing subway train full of mugwumps and Canadian-accented gene editors blows up its skirt from underneath. It smells like Nicki Brand, from Videodrome, but it also smells like, Bill Lee from Naked Lunch. Like the best feminine chypres of the era, it could easily work on a man with the will to wield it. You guys need to start trying this. LISTEN TO ME! YOU PRICK. LISTEN! *holding your face tightly in my hands, while gritting my teeth a half centimeter from your eyelashes* All the serious femininity is burned in the first hour of wear. Have you even left home by then? There are masculine ouds that stay delicate for longer. The aldehydes are toyed with by the amberous, spicy, patchoulescent animalia until they are exhausted, like Christian Bale's Batman interrogating Heath Ledger's Joker. "There's nothing you can do with all your strength" *licks lips* What you are left with is a unisex sensuality that is owned by whichever gender wears it. And it lasts! And it projects! And it's sweet, but green. And it's dark, but honey-gold. It is erotic but not necessarily come hither. It is a sort of fleshy, sexual dialectic. Allow yourself to inhabit it, men. Women, get over your chocolate cake tiramisu cappuccino sandalwood vanillism and allow yourself to live a few days with something that smells old fashioned at first. If you keep smelling soap, it's because you don't know how to smell anymore after steeping in cacao and praline or trend-chasing scents too manically to spend time with any particular fragrance. Let yourself get used to something. And, at such an intensely modest price point, choose to get used to Diva. More approachable than Paloma Picasso. More affordable than Montana Parfum de Peau. And a 50 ml EDP will last you for a long time, considering how few sprays you'll need. Sexy and perfect. I will be wearing this regularly. Warmer than Paloma. Spicier than Montana. Incredible.