L'Instant de Guerlain

I loved this at the time of release. I luckily got a little fabric sample of it in an issue of Italian Vogue and was instantly wowed and wooed by this rich and lasting floral vanilla. However, after requesting it for Christmas that year the person I requested it from instead presented me with my usual signature scent and claimed this had been out of stock, though it definitely wasn't. Cheeky, huh? So I never bothered to buy this. The situation left a bad taste in my mouth and I ended up giving this scent a miss. A move I grew to regret. Still coveting it, years later when they changed the formula and repackaged it in the beehive design bottle, I decided it was about time to put bygones to rest (ha... erm...), bit the bullet and bought a dreamy looking dark liquid ye olden bottle from the internets. It was far too strong, certainly stronger than my memory served. It had not kept well. The hefty vanilla had become muddied, muggy. The stuff becomes too potent with age. This has its benefits, sure, and it's probably a contributing factor to this having become a cult fave, but it being so strong takes the scent outside of my comfort zone. The scent was no longer what I bargained or yearned for. Too much sweet and powdery iris with that overwhelmingly thick and syrupy vanilla. It no longer had the same effect and I found that even applied with an extremely cautious and light hand it would quickly overwhelm me. Most of all, it kept putting me in mind of Shalimar. All I could think about was that it was a modernised version of Shalimar, an attempt to bring a Shalimar-alike to a younger generation. But, you see, I've never been too keen on Shalimar myself. I can appreciate it for all that it is, but I personally find it too rich, thick, syrupy and woody for me personally. It isn't MY scent. I have been unable to shake this link. Their bases are too alike and this similarity is heightened when this perfume is left to fester for a few years, it becomes more and more like Shalimar. The only benefit of the older bottles is that the fresh apple notes in the opening burn off some - I never really dug that L'Instant opening, right from the off. I don't dig apples. Long story short - I turned against this scent. I tried multiple bottles. Old and new. It never worked for me again like it had all those years ago when I discovered that little fabric sample in an issue of Vogue Italy. Then, I tried Dolce&Gabbana's The One for the first time. We didn't hit it off, though something of it remained in my psyche. A whisper of it kept beckoning to me, tempting me. But I knew it wasn't THE ONE for me. So I looked into flankers and decided that either the Essence or the EDT sounded better suited to my tastes. Unable to find Essence to test anywhere I took the plunge and requested Essence for my Birthday. Lemme tell ya, Essence (THE ONE) by D&G is closer to my memory's rendition of L'Instant Guerlain than any recent formula, or any old and oxidised bottle of the original L'Instant. It elicits the same response. The Essence (thankfully for me) lacks the apple (peach taking its place) that I wasn't overly keen on in L'instant. It doesn't have any of that powdery iris (bergamot taking its place) like the L'Instant did/does. Most of all, it doesn't have that distinctly Shalimar esque base that finally burnt my L'Instant bridges. Well, not quite. There is a makeshift rickety bridge teetering between the two, some similarity in the spiced vanilla/amber, but it leans closer to the vanilla of the original L'Instant when it was fresh and new, rather than the deepened scent it becomes when left to sit for years on end. The Dolce Essence fills the gap that was left by L'Instant all those years ago. Sure, this should probably be a review for Essence, but I thought my message here might resonate with others who have grown apart from L'Instant over the years, for whatever reason. Maybe you're looking for something similar to L'Instant? If L'Instant is/was your jam, maybe Essence would float your boat too? Give it a try. Blind buy approved. Essence is a rich, honeyed yellow floral vanilla. In the end, L'Instant proved too much for me (being way out of my depth with Shalimar) and I recreated my initial reaction of love for L'Instant when I discovered Essence (THE ONE) by Dolce&Gabbana. ✨🫶✨

I have an interesting story to share. It takes me back to the years 2013 and 2014 when I was a student, around 22 or 23 years old. During this time, I stumbled upon Fragrantica, a website that delved into the intricate world of perfumes, exploring their notes, and featuring various reviews. Intrigued by this newfound fascination, I embarked on a journey to compile my list of the top 10 men's fragrances. Little did I know that there is no one-size-fits-all "best" perfume; it truly depends on personal preferences and tastes. Equipped with a pen and paper, I dove into countless articles and reviews on Fragrantica.com, meticulously crafting my list. The first two fragrances I decided to acquire were 'L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Eau Extreme' and 'Legend' by Montblanc. Without hesitation, I visited the perfume store and confidently requested these two scents by name. I didn't bother with testing or asking for a tester; I simply wanted the sealed boxes of the fragrances and swiftly left once I confirmed the names matched those on my list. Upon reaching home and eagerly opening the box, I was met with disappointment. The bottle was different from what I had seen on the website; it was transparent with a hint of purple on the bottle instead of the transparent bottle with a black rim and cap that I had anticipated. My heart sank as I realized I had mistakenly purchased the women's version of the perfume. You can imagine my disappointment, especially considering how excited I was to experience the men's version after reading all those glowing reviews. In a bid to salvage the situation, I decided to turn this mistake into a thoughtful gesture. I presented the fragrance to my mother and explained that I wanted to give her something valuable with my first salary. Her gratitude and the joy it brought her genuinely made me feel good about myself. The following month, I saved up my money once more and returned to the perfume shop, this time ensuring that I received the correct men's version of the perfume. When I got home and finally opened it, I sprayed it into the air and on myself, only to be met with my second disappointment. The perfume was incredibly heavy and not at all to my liking. However, due to the significant amount I had spent on it, I felt compelled to use it until it was finally depleted, which took five long years. What's worth noting is that later, whenever my mom would walk by, and I caught a whiff of her fragrance, I would ask her what perfume she was wearing. Her response? 'The one you bought.' It was only then that it dawned on me that this perfume was, in fact, quite magical. Each time I smelled it, it unlocked my imagination to a world filled with extraordinary scents like vanilla, apple, and amber. It was truly astonishing, and this little mistake introduced me to my all-time favorite women's fragrance.

Well, this was an interesting purchase for me because it was a mistake. I actually ordered the parfum vs the usual toilette & although similar, the parfum intensity changes the game. I now have bottles of both and love them for different reasons. I like the term some other people have used; "Guerlainaide" because I get it. There is absolutely a DNA or basic composition to many of their scents I have had the privilege of wearing. My skin "eats scents". I have tried to do so many things in vain to make my scents last longer. This is, without exception the longest lasting scent I have ever worn. Not the strongest. The LONGEST. I find it to be very potent and pungent smelling for about an hour. So much so, I may have a few out of body style sneezing fits. My husband commented on the strong yet pretty muskiness, and I smell musk mixed with Maldon finishing sea salt, which in essence smells (to my nose) like oddly appealing body sweat. I decided to play around with that and, (I apologize if this is off putting), spray it only under my arms. Well, BAM-SHAZAM! That somehow made the magnolia behave, the musky saltiness actually blend up, and the honey & vanilla chill out, yet still show up to the pit party the entire day~not just at the end of the night. I didn't apply it anywhere else, and I have received so many compliments on this it is actually a strange curiosity for me since I don't receive too many as of late. It is such a comforting scent to me and I have enjoyed waking up to smelling it under my arms, in my hair, on my pillow and night gown. I finally smell like the entire point of my intended repeat purchase: Honey'd musky, "Guerlainaide" with an added magnolia scented stir stick. I would never be able to stick to one perfume, so of course I tried a few mixers with it. My favorites to use in tandem were Jean Paul Gaultiers Scandal Night, Hypnotic Poison, and Juicy Couture Couture. They all seemed to blend very well and it was like going from a delicious cup of coffee that is awesome on it's own but then taking that delicious cup of coffee, adding 1/2 & 1/2, a shot of butterscotch flavoring & heavy whip that just makes the whole cup superfluously worth it. If you like Avon's Rare Pearls, Dior's Pure Poison, or the a'fore mentioned JPG Scandal Nights, you may enjoy this (I think it's the magnolia or honeyed notes). Cheers!

I'm not sure what I expected from this fragrance. I really wanted a great honey fragrance, and based on a Fragrantica article on favorite honey fragrances, I decided to try this one. The first nose to skin scent I got was... orange blossom. Which is not even in this fragrance! There is something about the orange, magnolia, and iris that smells simular to orange blossom. I was disappointed. Not because I don't like that scent, but because I didn't want another boring orange blossom fragrance. However, this is not another boring orange blossom fragrance. As we have already established, this is not even an orange blossom fragrance. In the opening there is a wonderful citrus orange, and a hint of bergamot. Then the florals comes through, and it has this weird scent. At first it reminded me a little of Jo Malone Orange Blossoms, (which smells like tree anus to me), but upon closer inspection, it is not that. It is an authentic magnolia smell. Like when you stick your nose in a magnolia flower, and it has that unusual tree smell, mixed with the magnolia floral fragrance. Once this settles, it smells like orange, authentic magnolia, and a powdery iris. Dissappointed, I started making dinner, and with only one spray, on one arm, this beautiful honey scent was floating around me. Nose to skin, it was still orange, magnolia, iris... but my scent aura was incredible. I could not WAIT to finish dinner, so I could full on spray this all over me. During dinner, I kept trying nose to skin, and eventually the florals did start to smell sweet, and eventually it stopped smelling weird, and I became obsessed. When I finally sprayed this all over me, that authentic magnolia scent no longer smelled weird. In fact, it has become addictive. I cannot stop smelling myself. I love that the scent aura smells so different, than nose to skin, but they are both equally amazing. The dry down is the best part. One reviewer wrote that it was not worth the opening, but I disagree. Even if you did not quickly grow to love the opening, as I did, that drydown is everything. Honey, vanilla, amber, benzoin, musk... delicious. And it lasts, with good projection. I love this fragrance. It is special. Unique. I find it hilarious that my first reaction was another boring fragrance, because this is anything but.

I L'instant-ly fell in love with this! (see what I did there? hehehehe...ok I'll stop) L'Instant has been a safe love for 3 years, I always sprayed it when I passed testers and I always promised myself that one day I'd get myself a bottle, finally I fulfilled that promise I made to myself. It makes me feel like I'm wrapped up in a cashmere sweater or recieving a warm comforting hug, L'Instant feels warm and safe but at the same time it feels effortlessly alluring and sexy. The opening is waxy and powdery but it does have a fair heft of freshness provided by mandarin and bergamot with a smidgeon of sweetness from the red apple. Some floral notes emerge and sit sweetly amongst the citruses and apple for a while which is pleasant enough and nice, but it all changes by the one hour mark; the most gloriously silky, warm and powdery honeyed magnolia pops out. The magnolia is the star here in L'Instant, some jasmine and iris give some added depth but its magnolia that really steals the show, after about 7 hours, I get some vanilla and amber which temper the florals and smooths them out. In my review for Chanel Allure EdP, I said how its like wearing 3 different perfumes throughout the course of the day and L'Instant de Guerlain is exactly the same; for the first hour its like wearing a light, easy breezy fruity floral, by the next 3+ hours its the most sumptuous, classy honeyed magnolia and by the 7th hour it becomes a gorgeous comforting magnolia skin musk. The longevity is superb on me, it lasts for over 10 hours on me and survives through the shower, sometimes I can still smell it on myself the next day even if I spray on something else. Silage is also perfect, its noticable but not hideously strong and cloying, but I could see it being like that if you were to spray with a very heavy hand. I could see this working easily as a work scent because it feels professional but "human" and approachable, but personally this is reserved as my winter casual/going out scent because it just feels too good to wear to the office IMO! I would repurchase, its one of my top magnolia-centric scents along with Acqua Di Parma Magnolia Nobile. Gorgoeus!