L'Instant de Guerlain Guerlain for women

Opens with a slightly plasticy gala apple and magnolia, dries down to a sweet and rich vanila and gardenia. Cozy and comforting, excellent sillage and longevity. A long-term love.

If comfort and serenity would have a smell it would be l'instant de Guerlain, for me. The red apple, the magnolia, that usually I am not crazy about, here become like a magic potion. A wonderful fragrance a little underrated

One of my favorite perfumes!

What I smell first is orange blossom (according to the ingredients it would be mandarin and bergamot!), then the powdery side, vanilla, honey and finally a little note of amber . It's flowery, that's for sure, but without the olfactory pyramid I would be incapable of giving the name of the flowers.

A very beautiful oriental, floral certainly, but still oriental and that's what pleases me above all. Very well balanced, very chic, nice staying power, nice sillage.

It's a shame to standardize all the bottles like that, the worst being that I didn't keep the original :(

P.S: a perfume that was very similar to it, Cinéma d'YSL

I had 2 old bottles and now I'm using the 3° , this is a good exemple where less is more.
I would like that the bottle stay as was, so beautiful.
The last time I were to work I was using one little room at work, the one that usually people use to get concentrate, all the time I get out to go somewhere else, when I come back the room it was SO GORGEOUS SMELLED, omg, Guerlain is the house of fragrance😍😍😍

This is the EDP of L'Instant. Very different from the EDT. It's all about the magnolia, this is creamy, silky, very elegant and warm. The most feminime perfume I every felt so I bought it. Sweet but not too much and in a nature way. Very versatile and not disturbing for others in your evironment.

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.

This used to be one of my great fragrance loves when I was very young - it really smelled like poetry and memories. Wonderful powdery, honey and magnolia cloud that lingered for hours. Sadly I tried to buy another bottle from the new line a couple of years ago, and it felt like a completely different perfume. It also completely disagreed with my skin. This really is one of the perfumes that have changed rather drastically over the years. I'm sure my own nose and maybe even skin have changed, but the biggest difference must be in the perfume itself, as some other older scents feel very similar as before.

I have a 1oz.original style bottle of this for several years that I don't wear often. Wearing it today, I am seriously questioning why as it is such a beautiful, cozy scent with a gorgeous magnolia note. It is really the best magnolia I've ever smelled in a fragrance, and so beautifully blended with the other florals, the honey and fruit notes and of course, Guerlain's delicious vanilla. As it wears on it just keeps getting better and better, becoming lightly powdery when the iris and musk kick in. The overall profile is so soft, and feminine, and warm - almost like being wrapped in a fluffy blanket on a cold day.
I am seriously considering a backup bottle even though I've sworn off backups. But as so little is needed to smell good I really have to mull that over before pulling the trigger as I still have more than half a bottle left. I did at one time consider purchasing the Légendaires version, more out of curiosity than any other reason, but that's missing the apple, iris, and benzoin. I can't imagine this scent without those notes and think it might be less fresh, powdery, and fluffy as a result. I'll have to get a sample and see but I suspect it is no longer the same - like everything else these days. If I do, I'll have to think of it as a whole new creation and not the Maurice Roucel masterpiece, otherwise I might be heartbroken over the change. Sadly, that's been happening too often with some of my beloved scents. As I seem to already know that it will be very different just by that striped down note profile, if I do buy a backup, it will be the original eau de parfum or nothing at all.

My winter signature fragrance. Very feminine and delicately warm. Not too vanilla or honey in an unsophisticated way.

L'instant de Guerlain is a dense apple, magnolia, honey, vanilla fragrance. If you don't enjoy the top notes or when you spray it, give it some time, because the dry down is absolutely glorious velvet coziness. It smells floral gourmand-ish, with a touch of amber that doesn't necessarily make the perfume smell vintage. Well blended and balanced (like all the Guerlain fragrances). Nice for colder weather. Not to be blind bought. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but would make a good signature scent in my opinion. I see that this is compared to Cartier Baiser Vole a lot, but I would say that L'instant has a better structure and uncovers itself layer by layer beautifully. Perhaps it's because of the denser base, whereas Cartier Baiser Vole is fresher.

Oh my gosh this is so strong. I wore it for a few years in the early 2000 and don't remember it being so suffocating. Maybe I had the edt. Everytime I put it on I feel like scrubbing it off. It's not that the scent it bad per se and I like it still when I take off the cap and smell the nozzle but it's just overwhelming.

This is such a beauty. It is never talked about but the soft vanilla is gorgeous and blend so perfectly. It is probably one of the smoothest fragrances I've smelt and has the perfect amount of sweetness from the honey mixed with the vanilla and florals. It is very soft and intimate but gives lovely wafts throughout the day 💖 To me, the soft powdery, airyness of it reminds me of cabbage patch dolls. It is a bit too soft for me

L'Instant is beautiful. I have the bee bottle. It's not overtly floral. Not overtly sweet. The best I can describe is warm and inviting. I think it's the honey and amber that give it a glow. It's all so well blended that it doesn't really fit into one category. It's a feel-good fragrance. I really like it.

What a fabulous harmonious magnolia bouquet. My nose transports me to a fantastic world when I wear this perfume. I have the original EDP with the rectangular lid, when I tried the other versions (bee bottle briefly, then the one shaped like a house) they all did smell similar, but I think maybe the top notes of my vintage have gone off since the juice is considerably darker. This perfume makes me feel elated, happy, and wonderful. The image reminds me somewhat of Ostara by Penhaligon's, the same kind of "your nose up close against the flower" experience that I truly enjoy. If you are considering a blind buy, know that this perfume is the type that smells very realistic, multi-facetted and it will waft in canonical ways throughout the wear. I can only try with my awkward hyperboles what the good writers of fragrantica are conveying about this perfume. If you see a vintage bottle, don't walk, run to buy it.

L'instant is aptly named as the first time I smelled this, it felt as though time stopped for a fleeting moment as my mind strived to process this new experience. I had never before smelled anything like this and it was so beautiful and unique to me, and I couldn't place any of the notes contained as they were blended so harmoniously. After wearing it a couple times I've realized it's not a perfume for me, but I still think it's a beautiful perfume for the right person.

This perfume is so very special to me. I was 15 and flipping through one of the fancy fashion magazines (ok, it was vogue) I came across a page with a little sticker thing , kind which once you peel it there’s a bit of fragrance. That fragrance was l’instant. I fell in love. I keep the flap of the sticker in my school bag, even through college and my bag and wallet smelled so amazing that my friends would be enchanted by it too. I couldn’t afford it for many years. It was the first “grown up” fragrance that I bought and always gifted to my mom. I love this masterpiece so much. Since it was discontinued and became so difficult to source, I use it only once in a while and always get compliments from people, mostly men but they seem to really enjoy it. It so feminine and soft and sexy and comforting. Absolutely amazing. I always reach for it when I want to feel special, only one other fragrance makes me feel like that but it became mainstream and Guerlain claimed the title of my favorite. I don’t know if the version they sell now on guerlain website is the same or it has been reformulated but the original one is perfection

I’m a magnolia lover, and managed to get a half used 100 ml vintage bottle of this from Vinted. Yes, with the bright scarlet fluid! After using up my vial of Harmonist Moon Glory I needed to find another honey accord floral scent to replace it.

Something about this is so mouth watering, finger licking good and addictive. I do not like gourmand fragrances because most of the time the gourmand notes do not smell that delicious to my nose. This is the most delicious scent I have ever smelled. I absolutely would call it inviting. For reference I do not like Mon Guerlain but I love this.

The pure parfum is very beautiful ❤️ it reminded me of trouble by boucheron with a hint of Nivea cream.

I was using this perfume from 2003. This is (was) my signature perfume for 20 years. The old versions, and I had over 15 bottles of this perfume (edt and edp, even testers), old version lasted for 2 days on me, on clothes even after washing it..Sillage was enormus, I enjoyed every second with it. It was winter perfum or cold weather perfum.. It was amazing...BUUUUUT...New verision of L'Instant is not even close in projection or lasting time as "old" version. Even if you compare new version edp with old edt..not even close. This is more summer, spring perfume now..so like an old fan, I'm dissapointed and pretty sad because of this. As for bottle, noup..this looks pretty cheap compared to first bottle desgin which looked luxorious, was very heavy and elegant. Liked "bee bottle" more than actual "inverted heart" one.

L' instant in the original bottle -not the bee bottle is a creamy Nivea kind of a fragrance. If I had to choose between this one and narciso Rodriguez for her edt or edp, I would definitely choose the narciso Rodriguez for her edt in the black bottle but the vintage formula when first released

This is very classic floral without being dated, I really smell the jasmine and magnolia with just a pop of bergamont at the start. I really enjoy it and feel like it's lady's fragrance not a girl's, late twenties and older. I wouldn't wear it in a very hot summer, it can be suffocating in heat.
It seems to last all day and have gotten compliments, mostly from men.

I also have the older bottle with a pink red fluid.

My bottle of L'Instant is the older, original version, and the perfume color is, and has always been, dark red.

This is one of the most perfect light spring florals I've ever worn. L'Instant is possible the best Magnolia scent I can think of. The lightness of the apple/bergamot over a sweet and rich Magnolia with flints of earthy iris to ground it down, drizzled with honey, a hint of powdery amber and vanilla -- but not too much. This is a firmly floral perfume, not an amber scent.

This wears on my skin forever but has intimate sillage.

Thank you Guerlain and Mr. Roucel for this classic beauty!

The moment you discover the dry-down of this will be the instant you fall in love with this fragrance. Opens with an aldehydic 80’s hairspray accord, then divides into 2 separate layers and colors, morphing into a round vanilla-amber outer layer and a Lily-tulip inner layer. The best way to experience this is by returning to the scent on your cotton pillowcase on a spring day. You will see a pastel painting of purple and peach. Glory Hallelujah to the Queen of perfumes.

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 stumbled into it by chance and it was love at first sniff. I don't feel anything but straight, strong, authentic vanilla and powdery amber. It is alot like Baiser Vole Extract.

I absolutely love this, it is delicious and cozy! To me it smells like a subtly sweet lemon cake with a background of creamy floral.

Opens quite sour to my nose. Apple flesh with bergamot.

There's a prominent dry iris in the background, along with some white florals (magnolia?)

I don't get a ton of sweetness from the vanilla or benzoin until a bit later in the drydown. Overall this is just a fresh citrusy floral with a little amber and a suggestion of honey that dries down slightly sweeter than it starts.

I certainly don't dislike it but it's not my cup of tea.

This is a beautiful fragrance. Not at all "basic" or your stereotypical girly "fruity-floral". Yes, it is sweet however, it's got that guerlain vanilla! And the touch of Maurice Roucel no less!

Simple, elegant, spring/fall type fragrance! Do try this! It's not for me - at least not right now. But, maybe in future.

I still have access to the vintage bottle but, I am not gonna run out to buy it only coz, well... I have a cap on the number of bottles I allow myself to have and I have exceeded that limit. So, I want to not buy anymore. But, if I wasnt over that limit, I would have bought it for sure.

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!

This is a very well blended perfume but far too sweet for me. I’m selling a 80ml tester bottle so please contact me if interested.

So I’ve sat on this bottle for a long time and have tested and retested to try and figure this one out. After trying so many times I’ve come to the conclusion that this is so well blended that all I get is a kind of non-gourmand fruity vanilla-y honey that I do not love but do not hate. Powder comes out slightly in the dry down to me. I imagine wearing this is warm weather one would need a gas mask for the incessant projection. So be warned this is a cool weather only

This fragrance is astonishing. It is literally like a two-in-one fragrance. It ends as a fluffy vanilla gourmand but begins with warm climate flowers. I’m usually not a fan of magnolia because it goes soapy to my nose quickly, but the version is this bottle is fleeting enough, I’m not bothered. The honey in this is delicious- sweet but does not head toward molasses in anyway. Modern vintage feels in this fragrance. Sillage sits close to skin but this is my first wear and a tiny spritz. This could be day/night. Office appropriate. Does dry down is typical guerlain vanilla- so not juvenile

To me this is very loud magnolia and iris bouquet on your dining room table. There is powder and vanilla but very subtle. Something disrupts harmony and even though I adore Guerlain, this one needs more time with me

Update: i absolutely love it. This is a scent of raw flowers without any chemical chaos. Incredible how its sweet but without drama of the sugary sweetness or without that old flowery lady vibe.
To me its amazing, yellow and loud. Like a soft aria.. Perhaps Mozart Sull'aria
....

One of my most favorite! I layer it with edt version, and essentric molecule 02. Molecule 01 makes it too woody. The scent is loosing that pretty charm. I would probably not wear it without molecule 02. It has nothing in common with the one by D&G. Two different scents. Btw I like the one as well. It’s not coming even close to Linstat in many ways. Luckily I bought 6 bottles for a great price! While everyone were complaining how old and grandma-ish it smells lol

This smells exactly like D&G's The One for women to me, although that's only because I have the same problem as Pashmina95 below where I can't quite sense the majority of the notes - other than a sweet powderiness in The One. With this one I smell slightly more florals and vanilla but not really. Similar to what others have said, it's likeable and wearable for all occasions but nothing exciting.

This, like many of my other Guerlain perfumes, defies description. I read the notes listed here, but the fragrance is so well balanced and blended that not just one note stands out. The notes play well with each other, like a synchronized swim team. You know they're all there, but they move in harmony to create a wonderful scent.

The dry down is soft and powdery, but still a beast. By that, I mean that I know the perfume projects. I can smell it when I come back into my office, but the scent and sillage aren't overpowering or "in your face". It just lets itself be known.

I have to laugh with Kimberly917’s review. So spot on. I just sold my 30 ml EDP cute bee bottle, never wore it because I’m not really a fan of strong orange honey fragrances. But then you think maybe you should give it more wears. I know it’s a pretty perfume but not for me. I like L’instant Magic so much more.

L’instant de Guerlain is a big mystery for me :
I CAN’T smell anything except a very very soft and subtle honeyed vanilla… is anyone having the same experience with this perfume or even another one? it’s really surprising because i love all the notes of its pyramid, this scent should mathematically please me! I don’t understand, that’s probably the only scent who does it to me. 🤷♀️

I can forgive the fact that L'Instant never seems to fully open up and that there is a powdery mustiness to it. Overall, it is a beautiful orange honeyed floral that I can’t quit. Yes, it is heavy and sweet but in no way cloying. It is brightened by the orange and citrus. I love cuddling up with L'Instant on an early spring evening. L'Instant EDP is a floral impressionist and it is difficult for me to pick out any individual floral notes. It is floral. It is powdery. It is feminine. Is it the best? No it is not. Is it pretty? It is pretty enough. Most of my bottles of Guerlain perfume are blind purchases because the department stores close to me carry only Shalimar, Mon Guerlain and the Aqua Allegoria line. I will enjoy wearing L'Instant. It will probably not be a repurchase for me because there are too many Guerlains I like better. Then again, I've been known to change my mind. 3.5/5

First impression is that it smells like a typical Guerlain scent. It smells like flowers and fruit, but not in a juicy way. The dry down is powdery, but instead of a vanilla base I get benzoin, iris and ylang-ylang.

L'Instant is a fairly straightforward floral-fruity, pretty typical of the perfume that was in fashion at the time of its creation. However, as this offering was a mainstream Guerlain release, composed by a perfumer of Maurice Roucel's calibre, it is no surprise that it is a cut above the myriad floral-fruities that clogged up department stores during the noughties. Softly sweet, yet with good longevity, L'Instant is a nicely balanced, versatile feminine scent. I have a miniature of the original EDP from the early noughties.

L'Instant opens with a sweet mandarin orange note that is joined by soft white florals pretty quickly. Lush, creamy magnolia features quite prominently, bolstered by sweet ylang ylang and a hint of clean jasmine. The floral accord gives just the right amount of sweetness, and becomes softly powdery, lasting for a little while. Just at the point where things are in danger of going sour, vanilla perks it up, adding the perfect hint of sweetness to the base. I love a honey note in general, as it adds a rich, heady sweetness without smelling synthetic. Here, it tempers and complements the vanilla, maintaining a lovely pleasant sweetness before it fades to an sweet ambery skin scent, utter Guerlinade perfection.

Sillage is moderate, and longevity is surprisingly good for a reasonably subtle scent. A very nice example of an amber-floral scent. Feminine and easy to wear, L'Instant has mass appeal in the best way. 4/5.

The most delicate perfume ever but a beast at the same time. Great projection,duration and sillage.
It really gives you the feeling of a moment suspended in time.
Maybe reformulated,the bee bottles are a lot weaker at first but they gain character with time.
The EDT is equally good but a little different. Having both at the same time is totally justifiable.

Do you have a fragrance or two in your collection that you keep not bc you love to wear them but bc you are sure you're just not scent-intelligent enough to appreciate them yet, so you wear them on occasion to boost your fragrance IQ? L'Instant is like that for me. I blind bought a 1oz bottle of the eau de parfum in the original design (not the bee bottle) and have so far spent a year wearing it on occasion to try to appreciate it's composition. L'Instant not only comes from a distinguished perfume house, but has been labeled as a stand-out in the magnolia, vanilla, and honey note categories in several articles on Fragrantica. My impression is that it's got BIG POWDER, and that's not a note I prefer so I don't love it. But I understand this characteristic is a perfumers's approximation of magnolia (a flower I'm not familiar with), so I keep it as an example of that. Once you get past the powder, there is also soft vanilla and gooey honey (notes I AM well-versed in) and I can detect and appreciate these, but I don't get much else...no citrus and none of the other florals. So I keep it around bc I respect the house of Guerlain immensely and feel like I should hang onto it just on principle, but it is way down on the personal preference totem pole for me. To it's credit, it LASTS and remains pretty linear throughout, so if you love powdery magnolia laced with soft vanilla and gooey honey, I think it'll be a love for you. For me, it's purely an educational experience.

Be careful with the versions of the classic fragrances from around 2019 in a cheap version of the bee bottle. The perfumes inside are as cheap as the bottle. There are new versions from 2021. They are better.

Guerlain L’ Instant (2003) - magnolia vanilla - Master perfumer #mauriceroucel starts the accord with Bergamot and Red apple where it is as if you just bit into a crunchy Gala. Then it transitions to the star - Magnolia. These huge flowers smell exotic and intoxicating, with a tea-like facet, ethereal and lemony. Complimented with dry and powdery Iris and creamy Ylang-ylang. It’s a predominant floral and settles down into a signature Guerlinade base of Vanilla, Ambers, Benzoin and Musk.

Weird, unharmonious scent on my skin

This review is for the original EDP but mine is from an online company through Prime. The bottle is kind of a flat "bee bottle" not the original bottle with the flat surface, rounded bottom, and rectangular acetate cap. Honestly, I would not have bought this but the picture showed the old bottle. I am not sure this is a reformulation or the original (I'm not saying this is a fake). So, it's just nearly 100% powder on me with no fruits or anything. Eventually I get some honey and maybe some iris later. Amber usually screeches on me and this has not happened with L'Instant--I think the Amber notes just morph into the powder. I am curious why powder is not listed as a note or if it's assumed?

The opener lasts and lasts and lasts. Eventually after about 4 hours, this morphs slightly into a gorgeous note of maybe waxy flowers or fruit, nothing juicy, but it definitely opens up. So I'm slightly sad that this bottle is not more floral and fruit but my body chemicals may have eaten them and just bounce off that powder smell. So it's definitely a winter scent for me, reminiscent of cozy nesting by the fire drinking cocoa in jammies. Day or night, I wore this in a small classroom and didn't feel overdressed or overpowering, felt confident and grounded. Once at home, I went to bed early and kept my shirt on and it just smelled cozy and nice.

I love everything about this perfume- the warm ambery color of the liquid, the bottle, and of course, the scent. It is one of those fragrances that the juice actually looks like how it smells- sweet, cozy, rich, and delicious! Yes, it looks like it has honey, amber, flowers, and orange; and it does. All the notes seem to complement each other like instruments in an orchestra. Not one stands out yet each one has a part to play. The magnolia, for example, contributes the subtle fullness and roundness of its aroma, making the fragrance just so. What I'm trying to say is, you may not be able to pick out separate ingredients but their essence is definitely there. Even the bottle complements to the experience. It definitely feels like that "l'instant' when everything is just right :-)

I think this fragrance is very sensitive to heat. I received it a few months ago (during a sweltering southern heatwave) and couldn't believe how horrible it smelled. Almost like wet paint. A week later I revisited it and it mellowed out to an unpleasant rotting Magnolia scent. It's only now, after sitting in a dark, cool corner of my room, that I'm actually smelling the florals and the sweetness. This isn't specific to this fragrance though. I always have to slowly cool down my fragrances when I get them delivered in the summer. It's just that this one is particularly volatile. After it calmed the fuck down, I can gladly say it's a 7/10.

Edit: changed rating to 6-6.5/10

I was so sad that this fragrance smells so bad on me. I have worn in four times in different seasons because I couldn't understand why it was so unpleasant on my skin. The notes are so promising for me, except apple, it can go very wrong sometimes.
The initial burst smells wonderful. There is brightness from the fruity top notes and richness from the base notes around beautiful florals. As soon as it starts to dry on my skin it starts to smell nauseating. It is that sour, sickly sweet odor I associate with vomit. On my skin it smells like someone vomited in a garden. The sillage smells much better than how the fragrance smells close to my skin. That unpleasantness doesn't seem to radiate very far. I start to notice it once my nose is a couple inches from my skin. If that sillage is how it wears on the people, who give this quite positive reviews, I can see why they love it.

The performance is pretty good the couple times I tried wearing it, it lasted for the morning and aftenoon, but some evening, I could no longer smell it on my skin.
I have the older packaging (the one pictured above), I don't know if there was a reformulation when they switched to the bee bottle. I am not brave enough to spritz it on my skin in public to find out. I find the bottle I have unremarkable, nice heavy glass, but a cheap plastic lid. The bee bottle was an upgrade to packaging for this fragrance.
This is a riskly blind buy for sure, the reviews seem pretty divided and I have seen a number that have had a similar experience to mine while it is a love for others.

I love this perfume! Every time I wear it I feel super cozy. I think this is because in my mind the notes combine perfectly to make the same scent as the Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos tea from Celestial Seasonings, so my mind automatically associates it with the lazy autumn days spent indoors lounging on the couch with a cozy blanket, a good book, and a cup of hot tea by my side. I would recommend this perfume to people who like slightly gourmand smells because to me it smells primarily of honey, vanilla, and rooibos tea. As for when to wear it, I would recommend using it anytime you need to feel comforted because it's the scent equivalent of a warm hug from your favorite aunt wearing her most fluffy cashmere sweater.

This perfume was one I have been most excited to try as I love the notes. It was screechy, sour, and sharp. Now as I re-read all the reviews, I wonder if I had a fake. There was no warmth or powder to my bottle...maybe a little honey, but an off-honey. Not what I would expect from Guerlain. I think I'll see if anyone would be willing to decant a few ounces so I can compare it. I'll update when I can.

This fragrance frustrates me. It has fantastic longevity and develops in stages throughout out it's wearing. All of the notes listed are present and pleasantly detectable. It's sillage is gorgeous, and it's soft femininity is invitingly cozy, and warm. This is one of those hugs wrapped in cashmere when the weather is cold.

Why does this frustrate me? Due to some random alchemical curse, my skin rejects it. On me, the magnolia becomes dominant, turning into a potpourri of stale wine, marshy aquatic notes, and faint urinous touches that last too long. It's a shame because this is so lovely. I adore white florals, and live for sticky vanillic bases. This one just doesn't like me. I have a 30ml bottle that I spray from time to time, always hopful that it might change it's mind. But alas, I may have to agree to disagree. 😔💔

Well- balanced magnolia and sambac jasmine, soaked by sumptuous honey. The ultimate pleasure.

Note for myself: interesting, fresh creamy ilang ilang. But not my cup of tea.

One of my favorite fall/winter perfumes. Very comforting, feminine, warm and delicious.
I can smell bitterness of bergamot, orange, something floral - magnolia probably, honey&vanilla and musk. I suspect a bitter opening might give a "chlorine" vibe. So test it before purchasing.
It is long lasting good quality perfume for colder weather.

This is a honey bomb, mixed with something else that keeps it from being as sweet as honey typically is. Unfortunately that *whatever* is not very pleasant to me, and causing me to sneeze.

I also faintly smell something like the blossoms on this bush outside my community pool. White, star shaped honeysuckle-esque blossoms, VERY potent, green, leafy bush with a thick, hard trunk at its base.

And Play-Doh. Weird. I dont like smelling like play doh, so this is off-putting.

I will come back and update if something changes as it reaches drydown.

**Edited**: I returned it. It was just too weird, smelly in the wrong ways and Id rather spend my money on stuff I absolutely love.

Maybe I have beer tastes on a beer budget. Maybe this stuff just reeks and doesnt live up to the hype.

I have tried a few house of Guerlain fragrances and havent liked any👎, so maybe its that.

I really like this one. Right out the gate, the magnolia is by far the most prominent note and there's a little bit of powderiness from the iris and a bit of vanilla and amber. The rest of the notes don't stand out to my nose. It's a very pretty and comforting scent. BUT there's something about it that I wouldn't want other people smelling on me. It's like a faint chlorine/pool smell that I don't mind and I kinda like, but I wouldn't want other people to think I smell like a pool.

This will be a lazy spring day at home scent for me. Which also works for this one since the longevity is pretty poor. 2, maybe 3 hours at most. Lasts another hour or so on fabric, but then it becomes very faint almost nothing. During that 2-3 hours however, it's very strong and I catch wafts of it as I go about the day. I typically only do 4-6 sprays, so maybe if you really overspray your clothes you'd get more wear out of it. But I think this one could be pretty headache inducing if you overdo it, so be careful.

So…. Here’s a modern classic which I don’t think I’ve gotten around to reviewing yet? I just want to say that complexity wise and my appreciation for perfumery wise, this is a a triumphant piece of work. Simultaneously lots of conflicting things at once, incredible, fruity, floral top notes and heart which give a kind of pinky/purple impression, of something like Iris, but not. I find it highly resinous but in a translucent, lump of jellied confection, type of a way. I get this from Reve D’Osian but that’s an incense perfume so COMPLETELY different but texturally, same ballpark. This is the problem I have with it, it’s kinda weird.
How can it then be powdery too? Gelatinous and powdery? There’s a creaminess to the musks in this as well and I see Roucel is at the Helm….makes perfect sense.

This is one of those perfumes I accept as brilliant, I would say is ‘Too femme’ yet some might argue I’d wear far more feminine stuff and not bat a massively extended, false, mascara caked, lash at!!! This perfume is just not for me. I just have no personal interest or connection to it, and that’s fine.

I really wanted to love these (this plus the EDT) everything about the notes and description was so nice,
but for me I get a strong fecal note that didn’t go away for a good 30 minutes. It's a shame because I really like the rest of it, but I'd never reach for these because it would make me so insecure to wear until that funk goes away

I’ve never seen any reviews that mention anything like that, and I know my bottles were authentic, one was new and sealed. But another user suggested that’s just how my brain interpreted those notes

It’s sad, but I had to swap these (I still have the 100 mL edt available)

I’ll stick with L’instant magic for now, but I’ll probably sample more Guerlain scents instead of blind buying like I often do

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.

This was a blind buy ,and the scent itself ,although pretty,to me it's just a "meh" kind of fragrance.....it's a powdery floral,nothing special.Recently I started layering it with D&G Light Blue EDT,it becomes a summer scent with a juicy, fresh apple.

I am struggling with wrapping my head around L'Instant de Guerlain. My first impression is that it smells like a classic, powdery vanilla Guerlain but with a "how do you do, fellow kids?" vibe, reworked with fresh fizzy citrus and cool, misty iris notes, for a contemporary crowd. I just noticed that these are bees on this bottle, so maybe that's the powdery, bright, golden halo I get from the initial spritz. It's a very pretty scent, very spring picnic with frothy petticoats and bonnets, which I guess isn't very contemporary, but young people get up to all sorts of weirdness, don't they?

I’ve never been a fan of floral perfumes, and when my father bought this EDP for my sister and I on one of his flights through Europe in 2003 I may have worn it once or twice before boxing it back up and putting it away. Having recently gotten into perfumes again, I pulled it out the other day and now in my 40’s I have a new appreciation for this scent that surprised me. I’m still not a fan of most florals, but to me I can only really detect them strongly in the first 15 minutes or so. I absolutely love the dry down on this...a soft, honeyed, powdery, lightly sweet, warm scent with a hint of flowers, amber and musk in the background. I do not detect apple or any kind of fruit at all. It brings to mind a vision of a late spring afternoon, drowsy and dreamy, falling asleep under a flowered tree buzzing with the sound of bees and songbirds. It’s a surprising love for me.

I've had my tiny 30ml bottle for quite a while now, but I never reach for it. Had to give it a go today as we all know our tastes may change a lot in time, but no... I still get this very perfumy, synthetic opening that I just can not get along with. Instead of the scent becoming me it's just a perfume, nothing human about it. Drydown is lovely, but I won't suffer through the early stages to get there. (I have the old bottle)

Smells like bug spray or wall paint. Not the one for me!

Honeyed magnolia with resins, benzoin, vanilla. It is a very tender scent that reminds me of childhood dolls hair!
Something about the vanilla and benzoin reminds me a tiny bit of other more high end Guerlain scents. Something a bit similar to Cuir Beluga but not exactly the same. This is sooo smooth and creamy, dreamy...but in a mature way. Motherly sweet. Not sexy, not too retro but not modern. It embraces you in a cloud of comfort that comes with the drydown, when all the beautiful benzoin and vanilla pod are more evident. Blind buy worth if you are familiar with Guerlain classics. This is not cute pie gourmand vanilla, this is a golden cloud of resins that are so soft and well behaved you just feel pampered and cuddled.

EDP. For me, L'Instant is all about the dry down. The opening with the apple and iris reminds me of paint drying, which is unpleasant but not bad enough for me to write off. It slowly transitions into more realistic notes. The iris in this just radiates on my skin, which I love. Magnolia is hardly there and if they wanted to make it more realistic, combining it with lemon instead of orange would have been a better choice. Either way, L'Instant's stages are very interesting, with alternating whiffs of iris-vanilla, apple-honey, iris-apple, orange-apple, ylang-iris. It's really lovely and I'm pleased with my purchase!

I have probably purchased six bottles of this perfume in the bottle in the photo indicated here
( not the bee bottle ). It is a magnolia musk to my nose and I never tire of it . I find L’Instant to be very versatile , well made and a bargain for the quality . However, I am not sure of the quality in the bee bottle. This one is a love for me !

This beautiful perfume smells like a gorgeous powdery makeup compact and it reminds me of LOLITA LEMPICKA - L'EAU EN BLANC.
To my nose, L'INSTANT is just a bit sweeter and has an added hint of honey or vanilla - whereas L'EAU EN BLANC is a bit drier and chalkier than L'INSTANT.

Cloying sickly floral. The florals and fruits lack freshness and there is no open feeling. Suffocating closed in a box sensation with a bit of greasy orris and honey. The fruits are like a presweetened supermarket fruit compote. The white florals and ylang are non-indolic, but also flattened with no headiness whatsoever. Vanilla is present and not foody. Benzoin is present in tiny amounts to give a bit of sweet complexity, but without any real resinous strength. Musk is banal. Nothing sings on my skin to my nose here. It reminds me a bit of a funeral bouquet, the flowers are wilting. There is no vintage Guerlain hallmark here. This is a thoroughly modernized and insipid blend. Very disappointing.

Soft, round, warm, deep scent of red apples, nectar, white and yellow florals. Very feminine, classic, sophisticated, grown-up - without being dated. It smells like a good Sauternes tastes.

It's a cool weather scent - but I can also imagine it being spectacular on a summer evening. Because that's what it smells like to me - a gently warm, early summer evening with golden light from the sunset in a garden full of nectar dripping flowers.

This is gorgeous...
Not what I was expecting with YouTube reviews describing this as dated. I could see where classic might apply, in company with Chanel allure or mademoiselle. This is a stunning heady floral, magnolia and ylang ylang leading the pack. I don’t smell honey per say, but a general high pitched sweetness. It does open with a brief acidity or even brightness from the fruit. This takes a quick bow and steps back.
Most of its life is spent as a super sweet feminine floral nectar resting on your skin.
The deep dry down does remind me of ysl cinema, but this is bolder and a better journey.
To me this is a spring time perfume. It truly blossoms on your skin like new growth. But Guerlain is one of the few houses that can put floral in a street fight with the winter, and the flowers will win...

Dearest Fragrantica, please create one more page for L'Instant de Guerlain 2017 (incredible beautiful bee bottle). It seems they are kind of a bit different, not just bottles, but fragrances as well)

Surprised how much I like this because I'd read the mixed reviews that tend to accompany modern Guerlains. Honey apple deliciousness with some very Guerlain classy execution. Might need a full bottle.

Blind buy. I found a 30ml size at a good price and thought why not since Guerlain is usually worth a sniff. L'Instant is beautiful and full-bodied. I consider it to be powerfully feminine with the depth and presence of an 80s/90s perfume. It's a very robust floral with honey undertones and a bit of citrus to cut the sweet. It didn't feel right on me - I felt like L'Instant was wearing me instead of me wearing it. I ended up giving it to my sister and it's gorgeous on her.

Blind buy - pretty, light, powdery, suited for a younger crowed yet with a sophisticated twist. Was surprised to see that it was voted highly on the sweet notes as too my nose luckily it's not sweet.

Have to mention: mine is a newly bought bee bottle, so the scent might be diluted/changed from the original.

Mmmm this starts off smelling very nice, just as i thought another delig...gusting fragrance! what the heck? what is that twang in this perfume? Some note/s or scent mixture is making me cringe like it is old perfume in civet territory - definitely a vintage note. The truth is to most this probably smells pleasurable but to my nose there is a medieval smell that comes out soon after initial spray. It was like seeing my friend's newborn baby for the first time- I reach out to hold the baby and as I pull her closer and take a strong sniff to embrace the newborn scent, i get a whiff of a strong pungent diaper on a civet mixed with powder baby scent. This does not smell like dirty diaper, nor does it have civet in it but it does have a sharp historic unappealing scent to it.

Tested this again. Have a four year old bottle of it in my collection. My taste in perfumes has changed so much this last year, and I am head over heals into gourmand perfumes now, so L'Instant De Guerlain EDP with its somewhat heavy flowers lingered close to the edge of being decluttered. It is a WONDERFUL perfume, don't get me wrong, and the quality is out of this world, I think, my taste has just changed. Overly flowery perfumes are just not really my thing anymore, even though I still do have a soft spot for jasmine ;)
But right now - out of curiosity - I tried layering L'Instant with Ariana Grande Cloud, and something wonderful (in my opinion) happened: the creaminess of Cloud dampers the flowers in L'Instant, but mixes beautifully in with it as well. The result is a creamier, slightly sweeter, and slightly woody version of L'Instant. I believe I just found a great reason for not decluttering L'Instant as planned.

Guys.

I wrote a blurb a long time ago, but I have to add:

I still love this perfume, but my husband hates it. He says it smells ‘too floral.’ Whatever.

Anyways, we’re in lockdown here in Ottawa, Canada and so I’m pulling all the fragrance stops and tried mixing tonight. This frag, mixed with Tihota by Indult....guys. Shit.

I strolled into the kitchen and he immediately said I smelled amazing. Then my 3 year old little girl waltzed in and said ‘mummy you smell like vanilla.’ Great.

If you have these two frags, or the opportunity to try both at once, you absolutely must. So delish.

Happy New Year, ya filthy animals!

Happy and sunny fragrance to me! Fizzy sparkly fruits in the beginning before it delves deeper into white flowers territory, namely Ylang Ylang and Magnolia blended with deep amber honey. It smells delicious on the skin even though it's not a strict gourmand fragrance. It's strong upon the first spray and remains as such for about 5-6 hours. Somewhat related to Lancôme's 'Hypnôse' although less sharp and sweet. Reviewed from 'old' EDP bottle which can be obtained at a reasonable price.

Very pretty! Easy wear, crowd pleaser but not really, a bit more interesting than the typical gourmand or fruit, rose patchouli’s out there. I’m surprised this has no Lily in it, this smells like fragrant stargazer lilies to me. First spray smells like paint, must be the magnolia and bergamot together. but don’t let that turn you off, it’s a very soft and pretty scent

This is a mature mix of notes, a little bit powdery. Feels like a classic perfume.
The longevity is awesome i can smell it on the clothes days after spraying, it's still there!
Not a safe blind buy prefer to smell it first. Despite all the floral notes here I can't get any vibe of florals.
I like the perfume overall but will not repurchase another bottle after finishing mine.

A very pleasant scent. I smell honey most of all and lots of powder. It has a sweet gentleness about it, but lasts surprisingly long, longer than other, stronger scents. I got a small bottle, and may get a larger one later. I am not exactly sure if it is my cup of tea.

2/18/21 It appears that it is my cup of tea. I bought a 1.7 oz bottle in fall, and it is getting less and less. I love the scent, and it stays on a long time. The honey vibe is very strong, and I have to be in the mood for it. But I will purchase a big bottle next time. I have the small cut glass bottle now, not the bee bottle, and hope to find a large cut class one. I don't know if I like that Guerlain is putting all their scents into bee bottles sooner or later. I shudder at the idea to have to buy my Shalimar in a bee bottle.

Like a golden vanillic floral cloud.
Softly sweet, powdery, warm, inviting.
Ill admit the opening is a bit rough for me- sooo much ylang ylang (not my favorite, its always too dirty-sour-sweet on me), but holy moley the rest of the wear is divine. Fluffy and soft and feminine. The honey is more similar to a honeycombs wax- not the syrupy sweet of true honey... something here reminds me of vanilla candles. I dont get any of the bright citrus or other fruity notes, just gently sweet florals kissed with vanilla and amber/benzoin.

I have found that rubbing my wrists after applying (as opposed to the proper "no rub" application) helps dissipate the ylang note faster, and the wear is much more pleasant for me. If youre having a problem with the opening note, give that a try maybe?

I've had this perfume for several years now. I initially bought a decant of it and took it on a Christmas trip to Paris, so it always reminds me of the city. This is a workhorse as far a winter perfumes go - you can wear it with anything at any time of day or night and it's not going to offend most noses. The scents here are warm and comforting, like a lovely cashmere scarf - honey and vanilla are the standouts. While there's nothing particularly unique about the composition of notes, it's blended in such a way that it feels exceptionally rich without being overpowering. It's gourmand but not overly sweet. It smells like that familiar scent you remember from years ago and just can't put your finger on. I have a lot of perfumes, and some of them are scents I have to be in the mood for (Alien, Mitsouko, L'Heure Blue, Shalimar, Jimmy Choo), but L'Instant is one that I'm always happy to spray on my sweater and smell all day long. I suspect this will always be part of my winter fragrance wardrobe.

I tested this (bee bottle version) in a department store the other day and fell in love with the sophisticated honeyed sweet floral scent it developed into after one hour. My 100ml bottle arrived today and I must say I am disappointed. Again, it is from a bee bottle but the fragrance does not smell the same or last as long as the version I tested in store. It smells just ok, not lovely, and only lasts for a couple of hours (after an hour of development) with hardly any sillage. I will use up my bottle but not repurchase.

I got the older version of this, not the one in the bee bottle. I don't mind other balsamic, powdery scents, I actually love some of the more subdued, feminine, inoffensive ones. I did not like this one. It was a blind buy and I don't think L'instant is a safe one, even if you happen to like other scents from this category or other (more recent) Guerlains.

This is a heavier, perfumey fragrance that is also sweet. Probably from the honey and vanilla, but at least I don't get a true honey note. Flowers might be there but it's not a floral scent by any means either.

When I sprayed just a bit on my wrist in the car I had to instantly open the windows. Not because it projects a lot, because it doesn't. It actually doesn't last very long either. It's just because of the type of scent this is. Granted, it's also still hot outside where I live and that didn't work in its favor. In cold weather it might be a different story. But for me, after I gave it a couple of shots I decided I don't have the patience to wait for winter and it had to go.

I wear L'Instant pour Homme but I actually love L'Instant for women. It's sweet and innocent,it reminds me of Springtime, white flowers and honey, bees buzzing, sunshine and a slight musk that's so inhale-able. I love the older version more but I love this as well. Its gorgeous. Maurice Roucel is the genius behind so many gorgeous fragrances that you could safely blind buy any of them if you like his palette of gourmand compositions.

This perfume is nice, and something different from all others in my collection. It's sweet, woody/smokey and powdery. It kind of reminds me of a fire place or a bon fire (in the best way possible) - maybe because it has a nice, sweet, cozy and warm burning wood smell . Although it has notes of honey and vanilla, it certainly is not a gourmand. I personally don't get any vanilla. Also, the honey notes in this are different to other honey-scented perfumes, such as JPG scandal, but it's still nice. At first, you'll smell a strong note of soft powder, then it settles down to become sweeter - kind of like almond bon bons.

Another plus is that it's quite a noticeable-smelling perfume, which is great, considering that I really dislike soft skin scents.

Nice, elegant and sophisticated perfume. Definitely test before you buy (I just didn't mind taking the risk lol - considering it was a blind buy for me - but I got lucky ;) ).

Smells a lot like a milder version of Shalimar.
A 1980 throw back. Wouldn't wear it in summer; might choke someone; gonna try it once it gets below 60°

When I was on the Fragrantica page of one of my favourite fragrances, Cinéma by Yves Saint Laurent, I got the suggestion that I might also like L'instant de Guerlain. As I happened to have a mini bottle of L'instant EDP, I tried it on. I understand why this fragrance was suggested, but I must say I was a little dissapointed. The first whiff of this was a bit harsh and cologne like to me. But it quickly dried down into a softer, more powdery smell. And unfortunately, that's where I lost interest. It seems a flimsy, kind of thin fragrance to me, I would have liked it to have been a bit heavier, like Cinéma. I keep trying to smell different layers of ingredients, but there are none. All I smell is honey. I do not dislike L'Instant, I can see why so many women love it, but it doesn't make me want to go and buy it I'm afraid.

A classic feminine fragrance for a sensual feminine woman who is confident enough being just that. I love it but it took me too long to see the beauty of this perfume. More of a winter frag IMO...Test before you buy..

Lovely perfume! Very pretty. It might have been created almost 20 years ago, but today for the perfume market filled with sickly sweet gourmand ones, sandalwood ones and rose oud ones, this one surprisingly smells incredibly unique!

Biiiiiiig white flowers, here. On my skin this is a very bright and fresh magnolia- a luxurious, clean, expensive smell. Like a shampoo that you can’t afford to take home from the salon, lol

If Snow White had a signature fragrance it would be this one hands down! 🍎 👑

Before reading the notes I was able to pick up the apple in the most obvious way. It's a pretty powdery and heavy scent which can be more appreciated in winter or airy months vs the summer's scorching heat where it becomes too cloying. This also reminds me of the smell of a lipstick bullet. It has that consistency to it.

I rather much prefer the EDT version which smells similar but very different the same time. It's more of a fairy creature scent than Snow White and I absolutely adore it.

I don't hate the fragrance, I think it's beautifully done, but I will not be purchasing it as there are other frags more keen to my taste.

One of my top 3 perfumes of all time! In one word its exquisite!
This smells like the organic centre and stem of the magnolia flower with hints of cream, honey and drops of orange blossom. This is smell of heaven. Elegant regal understated. I have 2 back up bottles

Superb, creamy bliss. The olfactory pyramid in this badboy is powerful and complex beyond imagination! Instead of three teirs of elemental scents, L'Instant is a maze of fragrance compositions entwined like a serpant about an apple. Truly beautiful, truly unique, completely gorgeous.

Wow. Just wow. This fluffy cloud of a perfume is one of the comfiest, loveliest fragrances I've had the pleasure of wearing. It's so well-blended that it seeps into you like a second skin. It's sweet, but not too sweet. It's floral, but in a smooth, honeyed way. Like a magnolia kissed by the sun and flowing with sticky sap.
A butterfly's dream.
I'm obsessed!

Very balmy, powdery, flowery and yellow. Lasts app. 5hours on my skin. Sillage is medium. There is certain ressemblance to Angelique Noir by the same house. I got my first bottle in 2006-it had glass cap. My current version dates to 2017 and the cap was replaced by the same shaped plastic one. It cheapens a lot the former luxurious feel from the bottle. Overall, it s a nice quiet and calming perfume, very understated and different to current trends.

Amazing smooth warm floral perfume from Guerlain. Favourite for several years already.

the honey in this one is realy nice and soft, its a bit like a 80 S 90 s perfume .the dry down is also comfortable.feminine for sure. quality once again.
update:vanilla is to strong in this one

This beauty takes what the world seems to lack...patience. It starts out a bit screechy but after a few minutes it develops into a beautiful sweet and almost calming fragrance. The dry down is this wonderful honey vanilla concoction that is very satisfying.

L’instant is a warm cozy and very well blended fragrance as a Guerlain. I felt in love with this combination of honey, iris, and amber scent and especially that scent of parchemin, old books, in the most beautiful way they could scent. It’s perfectly balanced, not too sweet, it’s one of my favorite comforting scent, not too loud, classy, ambery, perfect ...
I have got the edt limited edition, you will recognize the L’instant family but the edp is more balsamic and ambery, the edt is fresher with the not so different amber honeyed base.
Works for every seasons days or night. I love to wear it on fresh evenings with cashmere sweater and a tea, it’s the perfect honey, amber, old book hug :)

Just bought this fragrance three days ago and immediately disliked it, placed it back in the box and just left it there. Today something told me just try it out again and this time let it sit on your skin for at least a few minutes. Have patience, I must say I actually like it and I'm going to keep it. What was bothering me about the scent initially was the magnolia and the honey I couldn't get over it, once this fragrance settled down on my skin it blended well together .
Sillage 7/10
Longevity 8/10
Fragrance over all rating 7/10

Despite its name, it took more than a moment for me to fall in love with L'Instant de Guerlain EDP. I delighted in a lovely aroma when I first sniffed the sprayer, but it wasn't quite what I expected, and I wasn't quite sure how I really felt about it. But once I actually started using it, I found myself loving it more and more. Whenever I wear it, I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists.

L'Instant de Guerlain isn't the typical honey and vanilla one finds in a lot of gourmand perfumes today, though they are big players in this fragrance. It isn't a smell you would like to eat, but it is so very inviting. Sweet magnolia, rich ylang-ylang, and powdery iris, with a warm and resinous touch from benzoin and amber, all on a decidedly Guerlinade base. This absolutely sealed the deal for me. A fragrance that really makes me swoon! It is elegant and classy, very womanly, and it makes me feel like a proper grown-up when I wear it. It has also come to be such a comforting scent for me.

I ended up getting the EDT later on, though I hadn't really planned on doing so. Based on the notes, I thought the EDT might not be my cup of tea, as I am generally not a fan of white florals. It turned out to be another great love, and I mention it here to to give a little comparison between the two. The EDP and EDT actually have a lot in common, definitely from the same family. I find the EDP richer, warmer and more balsamic, while the EDT is brighter and more floral. While I might reserve the EDP for cooler or at least less humid conditions, I think the EDP would really bloom in warmer weather.

I honestly do not know why I didn't purchase it sooner since I have a soft spot for powder-heliotrope. I agree with the reviewers so much, it's one of the most elegant perfumes I have ever smelled. This lady is super classy. I get spa luxury as well, sweet and creamy like a hug. Like a honey hug from a woman with a beautiful bodycon dress and heels, classy earrings and a black purse with her favorite lipstick inside ;) Love!

I bought an older style bottle from fragrancex. The bee I heard is weaker. That being said I kept reading reviews about it being nuclear and to go light on the sprays. I disagree I think this is a great everyday fragrance. She's powdery honey and vanilla on top of magnolia. There's a fresh not in the beginning but overall I'd say this is pretty much a classy mom scent. Which is what I am. A mom. Its inviting and warm I'd say this is perfect for rainy spring. Today is Sunny and 65 and I wore it and it was great. When they said it'd be nuclear sillage I was expecting more than what it actually has. What it has is a sweet but not too sweet floral cloud. The guerlainade base is perfection as always. I feel like this would work great for a bride too. Actually many guerlains are perfect bridal scents.

One of the most sophisticated, classy and powdery fragrances I've ever tried. Extremely elegant, and so easy to wear. a soft floral, powdery bouquet with a tad bit of an incensy feel in the drydown.

I have this in the bottle pictured above. Reading reviews mentioning a strong apple note confused me, as I get no apple whatsoever. I get lots of honey and delicious Guerlain vanilla, along with lemony magnolia and amber for depth.This is one of the sweetest scents I own, and it can easily become cloying if over sprayed, but if done right, it is a beautiful, soft fragrance that works well both day and night. Decent sillage and longevity. A strong like, bordering on love!

The initial blast of apple note is quite off putting to me (and as I can see here in the reviews, I'm not the only one), but once it dries down a little bit, L'Instant EdP settles into beautiful, soft and creamy scent. To me it smells like a very luxurious hand cream and gives off an elegant image.

The sillage is quite soft, but in spite of that I found the longevity of this fragrance to be above average. I can imagine this being someone's signature scent as it is very suitable for daily wear. Currently thinking about buying a small bottle, because I would love to have more classics like this one in my collection.

I just purchased older version bottle and I have to say its NOT the same as New bee bottle, New bee bottle has that apple note in the begging I dont like while older version doesnt have it so strong, I keep smelling back and forth, theyre a little different. Initial dry down is pretty much the same, It different in the process to drydown, My favorite part is the dry down of this fragrance so you wont go wrong with either. The biggest difference i smell is that apple note is more noticeable in new bee bottle. I think performance is the same. Im happy with Older version tho.

like in this song "<... so freshh and so clean clean...>" :D its not magic, not extraodinary, but its very comfortable, like others said, casual, but its something special. and YES, it can be your signature scent.

I got a decant from new bee bottle. Finally tried this classic, and I have to say that apple is very strong at first to my nose and I do not like apple note in frag. It does mellows down to pretty feminine scent but I think it does smell a little old school, and vintagy now. Also little goes a long way. I catch a swift from moving my arms and it does smell very like hand cream or just this pretty feminine powdery cloud. This fragrance is not something you want to smell directly. It needs time to settle down and sillage is the best part of it. Of course in my opinion. I’d love a hand cream in this sent or body lotion.
Not sure if I want a bottle of it, I’ll use up my decant and see I guess if I will gravitate for more. I like it but not love it.

I got this in the bee bottle. When I first smelled it, it didn’t really speak to me. I was looking for a quiet vanilla, and the SA insisted this was it. I was hesitant because all I could smell was honey and magnolia. I wasn’t wowed. I was about to take Shalimar Souffle de Lumiere, but the SA mentioned that L’instant keeps selling out and is hard to get in our country. That made me impulse buy it. Since it was inoffensive, I was thinking of wearing it as an office scent. I’ve been using this for a while now, and I have to say, it’s now one of my favorites. It is stunning. This is a quiet vanilla with honey. I get a strong honey and magnolia scent at the opening, and the vanilla sneaks in as it dries down. The end is a beautiful honey and vanilla. I can only describe this as a truly beautiful scent.

L'Instant de Guerlain I initially disliked, having tried it side by side with First by Van Cleef & Arpels', which I also disliked. Now, as time has passed, I have discovered a fondness for it which also pushed me into purchasing it. This CAN be a bit much, it can be indolic and it can be musty. When not worn too heavily (or too lightly, for that matter) it smells amazingly beautiful. Elegant and full of character. Sweet, incredibly floral and just a bit powdery with a whack of sandalwood. Too good for just any day. Just too beautiful

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!

This is a warm, inviting and resinous citrus fragrance to me. Slightly floral, but I find it difficult to pick out notes. It's very uncomplicated smelling, a grown up vanilla-citrus scent. Very difficult to dislike, I see why this receive so much love!

I used to have a natural oils dupe of Boucheron Trouble that smells nearly identical to this. I repurchased a bottle of I'instants twin from Nantucket natural perfume oils, that's how much I loved it. So of course I love this too! I would have been extatic if this was new to me, but this familiar and a well known scent to me. But, very happy to have this in my collection since my last bottle of oil was emptied a whole ago.

L'instant is a lovely fragrance that I highly recommend! Should be a pretty safe blind buy for the majority too

Sweet hesperidic orange and red apple peels arching down over a dusty amber with a very prominent almondy-heliotropric-vanilla guerlinade chromosome and a fresh, lemony magnolia plumped by honey instead of dew.

Rings similar to that other pollen blossom preserved in autumnal honey from around the same era, Cinema by YSL, only this one has a particular light iris makeup powder meets apple chausson note that totters my knees. A well-to-do parisian patissiere going to the Opera Garnier after closing up shop, a spring curtain raising on the harvest season.

Smells heavenly divine! A honey, citrus, magnolia cocktail with hints of apple, bergamot and ylang-ylang. This fragrance is ultra-feminine and complex. It is sweet with just a hint of spice. I have wanted a honey fragrance for a long time and now I've found it. I will be wearing L'Instant for many years to come. The honey, floral, and vanilla elements work with your body chemistry to create the ultimate symphony of fragrance. One minute you smell the Mandarin orange, the next you smell the honey, jasmine, iris, apple and bergamot. Each layer works in concert to make it a perfect symphony. ***** 5 stars out of 5.

Sweet, powdery and rich. This is one of very few perfumes whose strong sweetness I actually enjoy, rather than feeling it detracts from the fragrance! I think this is due to the honey, which for me creates a natural effect.

Works beautifully in cool or warm weather; a hint of sharp citrus is noticeable in the former, more powdered honey in the latter. Reminds me a bit of Lamcome Hypnose, but while L’Instant makes me think of a soft purple hue, Hypnose is icy blue!

I bought L’Instant after reading reviews on Fragrantica! I am a big fan of Samsara which I wear because I loved it on my Mom! I have had it for about a year now. I initially thought it was too heavy but I have figured out that I need to hold the bottle about a foot away from wherever I am spraying!! I also like to wear it in the fall or mild temperature to really enjoy the creamy oriental honey scent on my skin. Sillage is around 6 to 8 hours on me. I really use a light spray on chest and arms and it is nirvana all day ❤️

What a fragrance!
I shouldn’t like it, because I don’t like honey. But this is more a smooth sappy tree, with a warm bark, whose heavy flowers are melliferous, powdery, opulent and lazy. I even thought it was an almond tree?
Do I have enough character to wear this work of art? I would be proud to say yes, because my skin shivers with pleasure under the caress of this summer smell.
Unforgettable.

This literally makes me feel warm. It is standard Guerlain, with the benzoin mixed in, but wow, the honey/magnolia/vanilla is to die for. Powdery and smooth, the flowers surround me during the dry down and I really smell goooooood. My skin loves this! As I do live in the South, this reminds me so much of lazy days, driving by magnolias, sleeping in the sun. I can't say enough great things about this fragrance. I love it! It is indeed sensual, but not sexy. Intimate, but not in your face. Worth the high cost to me.

I love this honeyed powdery magnolia so much but every man I come across DETEST IT, any age range tell me it smells extremely old fashioned and unappealing

Love at first sniff! So lovely! This is one of the best fruity florals I've ever smelled. I usually do not like fruity floral gourmands but this is the exception because it's so well balanced. It's beautiful and has a gourmand feel to me due to the apple and honey. Yummy!

When I wear this I think of Ostara...idk why. They're such different fragrances but I feel a spring bouquet, when I wear L'Instant. It's instant love! 🤗

The notes I smell the most are: honey, vanilla, iris and magnolia. -

L'Instant was almost impossible to find in my local stores. So I ordered it blindly based on reviews, the only thing available to me.
I had been looking for a honey-like fragrance for a long time, but not too sweet as a whole.
To be honest, the tribute for this beauty now mine (besides who has created it) must also be given to the stories that perfectly described in detail this scent I've never felt worn by any person before. Just by scrolling I could fully perceive the whole aroma and development on the skin, effortlessly.
L'Instant is a very honeyed scent, is a caress to which we tend, a gratifying reward. A heavenly state of well-being that lifts us, isolates and relieves our troubles or problems, protects us at least for a while.
My chemistry, unlike my husband's, emphasizes a kind of 'woody' creamy side, or rather, the feeling of crystallized and less liquid part of the honey, that suits me best because I sense it less sweet, while holding a little apple in my hands. On him is pure honey, sweet realistic wildflower honey.
Fabulous whatever shade it takes.

I am so in love with this one! it’s somewhat like a version of Shalimar, less oriental, more floral. I honestly haven’t smelled a ton of magnolia in perfume but I think I like it, very heady and sweet it somewhat reminds me of honeysuckle, there is a bit of a green tinge to the florals and then you get the honeyed sweetness. The drydown is powdery and that signature Guerlain vanilla/benzoin is where I feel the Shalimar vibe most. Nothing else smells like Guerlain vanilla. L’Instant really reminds me of spring: fresh honey, spring flowers and marshmallow peeps. My only regret is waiting so long to try this.

I have probably purchased about twelve bottles of perfume in the past year . This one is my favorite and it is rather addictive . I bought the tall rectangular bottle, EDP , and it a great value .

Personally I like L’Instant for layering . My fav combo is L’ Instant and Junoon , by Al Haramain . They both last all day for me and are reasonably priced - great perfume finds .

light, creamy almost like old-fashioned cold cream, fresh but at the same time a tiny a bit musty. not great longevity.

winter update: opening has an unpleasant paper-white note. The name is appropriate, since it just lasts for an instant, sadly! :(

I’m thinking that sometimes we might be getting jipped by companies on EBay. Read reviews before you buy! I didn’t do this with another purchase and now I’m 50 bucks out. This fume thankfully though is legit. It blooms and radiates like no other perfume I own. Gorgeous is all I can say. Beautiful, feminine, lady like but not a has been. This house really knows what it’s doing. Beautiful creature is this one. Getting lots of creamy buttery magnolia and a tiny drop of citrus and honey and it sticks around for hours. Geesh! Just beautiful, if this was a man I’d bring him home to meets the folks. Signature worthy, precious juice, I hope I can always get my little hands on this

Guerlain women fragrances are not for me, that's what I have noticed so far. I have a bottle of L'instant, but I only wore it a couple of times. It's aggressive, very loud, heavy. I don't like it on me. On the other hand, to my surprise, some Guerlain perfumes for men are wonderful and I like them on myself! Such is Guerlain L'eau boisee and L'homme ideal.

Not fan of this, very similar to guerlain samsara, very strong, creamy smell of ylang ylang, which always resembles an old cream that has been in the sun for too long. In the end it's better, smells very vanilla ish with a hint of benzoin, has this walnut shell like smell which I like. Get no honey in this.

For me this is honey woody scent. Although ylang-ylang is a bit sickly, sticky and strong, but once it passes through, it stays forever on my skin very rich and warm. Next best thing near fresh and more citrusy EDT. I would recommend trying both before judging dis/like.

Finally got to test. Sooooo glad I didn't blind buy. It's almond milk and tea. Completely without emotion. A no for me.

Soft and powdery, lower sillage but pretty long lasting. Very ladylike. I actually think it's similar to Ga Da Pearl and i swear I get rose rather than magnolia. Easy to wear, anytime.

L'Instant triggered a scent memory. It took me a few minutes to place where I was familiar with it. L'Instant smells similar to Lancome Hypnose!

It opens with dewy jasmine and magnolia, in their most gentle and natural forms. Dainty and feminine. They are backed with a creamy "milk and honey" accord, where the vanilla is almost the polar opposite of my beloved and well-known Shalimar vanilla. Where Shalimar's vanilla has an opulent velveteen texture, L'Instant's vanilla is more like a warm cashmere sweater. Cozy and familiar. The honey adds a tinge of warmth and sweetness and melds seamlessly with the vanilla. I never get much powder, dust, or citrus, so if those bothered you in Shalimar you need not worry with L'Instant. It is not as dramatic as Shalimar, and makes a great casually elegant perfume.

The drydown reveals an incredibly smooth, creamy, and lightly sweet vanilla-floral that mirrors Hypnose. They differ slightly- Hypnose is somewhat sweeter and richer, while L'Instant is cleaner and mellower. I think you could own just one and be content, but as fragrance collectors, I know many of us will want both. So if you like one, you will like the other.


As for the bottle- it is not as purple as it is in the picture. I wish it was, the soft gold and purple are so pretty together and perfectly describe the tones of this scent.

Something smells like burnt rubber in this. I don't get any softness, just sharp something, not a nice smelling sharp, tho.

I wore Guerlain L'Instant EDP for the first time today. What a pleasure! I applied 4 sprays and this fragrance gave me beautiful powdery, musky floral for the entire day. Some reviews have mentioned that it does not project but this was not the case for me. I got 2 compliments today and someone asked me if I was wearing Narciso Rodriguez. I must admit, this does smell very similar to my Narciso Rodriguez L'absolu. It is 75 degrees today so maybe the temperature affected the fragrance? I don't know but it has been an absolute pleasure to wear.

I recently purchased this and my initial impression was that it was nice , but not distinctive. However, I am growing very fond of it and LOVE the notes and the mellow execution of the combination . My only complaint is that I personally find it has very little projection or sillage.

I wish it was slightly more intense with a little more sillage, but even in its current state it is lovely . I find it very feminine and smooth, somewhat like Chanel Allure . I like it enough to buy four bottles !
I can smell it throughout the day , for about nine hours . It does not project a lot though . I find it super feminine, cozy, and also sophisticated. This is a fabulous perfume that feels like a soft cashmere veil . One of a kind for sure!

I'm a sucker for honey fragrances and this is no exception. I absolutely love it! It has a citrusy opening with a touch of red apple. The heart is fresh, lemony magnolia with a bit of powdery iris peeking through. The dry down is exceptional. It's warm, golden, and sweet with honey, vanilla, amber. This is so beautiful. I really can't get enough of it. LOVE!

L'Instant EDP is my SOTE. My husband always comments very positively when I wear this with "what are you WEARING?!?"

I received this in a swap and I am very happy with how it performs with my body chemistry. It is a lovely, soft honeyed floral, long-lasting and surprisingly not too sweet. I am lucky that scents with a dominant honey note smell really good on me (like vintage Red Door, Quelques Fleurs Royale, vintage Ysatis).

I would have never bought this for myself, let alone sample it, because looking at the list of notes, it was not something in my wheel house (White Diamonds parfum is my signature!) But I am so glad I received a FB in a swap.

I can really pick out the musk, vanilla, a wee bit of iris and a touch of apple (a sweet, red, and fragrant apple, not a tart green one), and of course, honey. It's like an orange blossom honey (maybe that is how the mandarin orange and honey are playing together).

If you get a chance to sample it, give it a whirl and see how you like it. I know I am glad that I did.

There's honey in this for sure, but I don't get the magnolia note. Which is a shame, because I happen to like that scent very much.
The vanilla in L. is a bit sharp and rather artificial rather than sweet and soft like Sensuous by Estee Lauder.

Sillage and lasting power are average, if that. Out of all the Guerlain's I've smelled, L. is the least remarkable, which doesn't mean the fragrance is bad.
A Guerlain perfume should be special, and this is just average.

I can't believe I never tried this until today! It's really nice! I can't really say much about it apart from that... it smells like perfume, but a nice perfume. It's powdery, has a bit of honey and lots of sandalwood and vanilla. I feel like this is the Allure of Guerlain. That scent that smells of elegance and sophistication, for any age, without much effort. I prefer this to Allure, though. I can dig it.

It's warm, loving... but it's also that relative who won't let you hug them because you might get chocolate sauce on their not super expensive, but still designer dress. Kind, but no nonsense.

Finally a honey fragrance that works on my skin! For example Elie Saab le parfum and Estee Lauder Sensuous nude both smell just off and sharp on my skin.

IMO L'instant is just a perfectly balanced masterpiece and it stays on my skin 8+ hours.

I'll tell you exactly what this smells like. Nair hair removal cream. Not a fan at all. Yuck.

I used to love this fragrance but I don’t know why now it makes me feel suffocated & nauseous. Maybe my scent palette has changed or is it because of the weather. I have almost full 100ml bottle..if anyone interested to swap or buy please message me.

This perfume smells like a southern lady emerging from her townhouse in Savannah to a magnolia-lined avenue. It's so beautiful and ladylike. Not youthful, not old. Somewhere in-between. At thirty I feel just mature enough for it. Sadly on me it lasts maybe six hours at most, and then it's just gone. This doesn't seem to be the norm at all, but my skin won't hold onto it. I had to check several times to make sure my bottle was the EDP and not the EDT. It's the EDP. Lasts forever on fabric though. Amazing sprayed on a scarf or a sweater.

The Vanilla and honey balances each other so well and the flowery notes does not let it become too food-like. I don't like food-like but love both vanilla and honey notes, so this should be a love for me but it just nice, a bit too nice for me though quite long-lasting. When I need depth and mystery, I layer it with L'heur Bleu , it may be blasphemous but the result is out of this world. I appreciate L'heur Bleu on it's own but it's a bit too much for me (I feel like a museum piece when I wear LHB)

A lush garden at dusk, in late summer. Golden, fresh, syrupy, unmistakably Guerlain. So beautiful. Reminds me a little of Shalimar EDT. For me, it opens with bright, soft, stylised citrus. There's a point in the middle where it's the most gorgeous honey soap. Then the creamy dreamy dry down, with just a hint of the citrus lingering.

It makes me think of fireflies, the feel of cool green lawn beneath my feet at the end of a long hot day. There's a party happening up at the house, but you've slipped away down into the dewy garden to bask in the last of the honeyed sunlight, a glass of dessert wine in your hand, glossy green leaves of the orange trees brushing against your hair. A day well lived, and more to come.

I've been circling around L'Instant for a few months now. It's a warm, cozy fragrance, the kind that I really like these days. Although the drydown has more vanilla than Kenzo Flower, they are similar at first sniff. L'Instant is a touch more gourmand. As such I think it would be the perfect fragrance for a luxury body cream, a souffle in which you could enrobe yourself after a warm bath or something like that. It's the scent equivalent of a mug of warm milk at the end of the night, partly because it seems like it won't interfere with your fragrance in the morning. And there's the rub: L'Instant doesn't feel like a fully realized scent of its own. It lacks personality and identity, even though it's pleasant. I think it would be a "safe" buy if one had to give a gift to an unfamiliar female over the age of 35.

I have an older version of this in the EDP formula.
I love it; I can wear it during the daytime and for casual evenings out in the fall and winter. It is citrusy-fresh and sweet and powdery without ever being a powder bomb. It has elicited compliments and extra hugs.

If this scent was a person, it would be the kind-hearted, yet feminine girl-next-door who loves animals and small children and always shares her fresh-baked soft lemon cookies. I layered this with Fresh Sugar body oil, which is also a sweet lemon scent.

It's mostly powdery on me, the iris is most dominant and then the honey. I don't really think vanilla is too obvious, because the honey sweetness kind of neglects it. Powdery-honey, that's what i'll call it. It's definitely for adults, for its mature smell, but it's not even close to granny's type of smell. I recommend it to be worn in the evening, because it's a little bit stronger :)

I like the honey vanilla sweetness of L’Instant but it misses the depth and gets boring after awhile. I can wear it alone but prefer mixing it with Celine Pour Femme as it adds cranberry tartness. The result is very nice!

To me, L’Instant is a cold weather perfume.

How very pretty! I get magnolia very prominently, supported by vanilla. This has the same tone as Cartier Baiser Volé (lily and vanilla). This will be lovely in warm weather- another blind buy win!

This perfume is one of my all time best. Genuine and perfect composition. Comforting vanilla-lemon cake, gently sweet, powdery (on a modern way, NOT mumsy-powdery!) The other notes making it deeper, richer, giving a flowery angle and delicately supporting it, not standing out harshly. Overall it gives you a warm, sunny feeling.
Long lasting on my skin, super long lasting on fabric.

I’m leading a complex project with lot of stress and this wonder helped me cooling down my nerves during tough times. One spritz to the mouse pad lasted over a week, scenting my wrist continually and giving me comfort ☺️

My signature scent together with the EdT version. Has been for 15 years, from the date I discovered this.

Leaves me pretty speechless, since I don't have words for anything this pretty and magical.

To me it's like someone or something out of this world created this scent and there are no words for this in our "basic everyday world".

But I'll try: this scent is cool, it's windy and icy, it's honey and cashmere, silk and vanilla with beautiful flowers, which grow in the gardens of heaven (and I'm not religious by any means!).

I think I own around fifteen bottles of this, yet I'm still saving all of them and using other scents which I don't like as much, scents which are replacable, since this is not. And where I live this is not very easily available, since it's not sold in stores. You have to acquire this second hand or new at ebay or other web stores (and then there is always the risk of receiving fakes instead of genuine ones).

Anybody else get juniper from this? On a scent card, it's fantastic, but there's something happening on my skin that reminds me of good gin (not exactly a bad thing, I just don't want to smell like it). Gin + powder is a weird combination.

L'instant is a STRONG like. Another blind buy that worked out perfectly. It's such as bright, light, clean, powdery scent. Very easy to like. I'm so happy I have this in my perfume collection. However, if I had to choose between this and L'instant Magic, I would get Magic hands down.

Pure sexy in a bottle. Not a heady, woodsy-patchouli type of sexy, more like a goddess drenched in musky flower nectar and fresh honey! I seriously thought it would be too sweet on me, not gonna lie. But it’s just perfect. The honey notes are very prominent on initial spray, but are soon followed by the magnolia, iris and ylang. Oddly I don’t get any jasmine, but I’m no expert! The mandarin pops out beautifully in the drydown and the smell turns into vanilla cake topped with citrus and drizzled in honey. This is almost gourmand to my nose. Could be the benzoin doing this. Every note is superbly blended, and honestly I don’t find it to be a powdery smell at all. It’s light and yummy. I purchased this to wear more in the fall, expecting it to be a bit heavier than it was, but after wearing it for a few days I can safely say that this is just as suited to springtime as it is fall. I’d hoped for better longevity based on the meters, but it’s possible I’ve got a newer reformulated bottle. It’s still a great buy for me!

Scent 8/10
Sillage 5/10
Longevity 6/10

I've become quite the Guerlain fan girl: I bought this because others have compared it to one of my all time favorite perfumes, Angelique Noire. And to my nose they are very different, there's an absence of Angelica and that's the star power note in AN, and one of the reasons I love it so.

But... I'm also loving this beauty. If it shares anything with AN, it's the creamy Guerlain vanilla note. With the addition of honey I initially feared L'Instant would be too sweet. Instead it feels just right. The florals are beautifully mixed and never over power the composition. I pick up a little powder but it's light. It's really gorgeous.

Combined with stellar performance, this is a new love.

the sexiest perfume for women i have ever smelled
when my GF wearing this I want to eat her

I purchased this as a blind buy based on the reviews and the description. It's Guerlain so I knew I would be safe as I have yet to meet one I didn't at least like. My package came, I sprayed it on, and nothing. Sprayed more, still nothing. It was a legit bottle, so I assumed I was anosmic. I must have had a problem with my sinuses or the weather really effected it, because I tried again today, a rainy summer day, and not only do I smell it and the magical Guerlinade, but I am in Love! Works better on my clothes than skin, but that's fine. I am in honey vanilla paradise right now. Looking forward to the dry down. So glad I didn't quit!

This is probably my most favorite perfume/fragrance ever. I typically only purchase and use Guerlain fragrances. This is a very warm and powdery scent that stays on the skin very well.

This has some of my favorite notes like jasmine and amber. It is a beautiful but light floral that warms up to a powdery vanilla and amber scent. I love that I can spray this lightly in the morning and wears well all day without being overwhelming at all.

This is a first impression.. Soft, powdery, hint of vanilla and honey. Not a gourmand / overly sweet but comforting plus I found it for a very good deal. Lasts about 6+ hours on my skin. I like it!

I received this in a swap a while ago. I had tried it when I got it and put it back on my shelf, somewhat unimpressed.

A couple months later, I decided to test it again, and OMG, I'm in love with this!! It has the warmest, yet fresh, sweet honey vanilla scent. It is a hint powdery but just the right amount to make it soft.

I also have Guerlain Terracotta, which I absolutely love. And call me crazy, but I feel like L'Instant has some of the same undertones but on steroid. Sweeter, stronger, smoother, and longer lasting, with of course the added honey.

For me, this is a wonderful bedtime comforting scent. I usually hate powdery scents... but this one is "fresh", flowery and femininely powdery with a touch of vanilla.

Lasts like 12 hours. The heavy powder goes away after 10 minutes and leaves behind a gentle musky citrus vanilla sprinkled with powdery magnolia/iris. Addicting- especially in colder weather sprayed on linen. My skin hates this, but the smell on linen is more than worth it!

A surprising love! Can't get enough.

Sometimes it's confusing to read people's reviews on this site, because it can seem polar opposite from what I am getting. It always makes me wonder if there could be such a difference in batches or truly a weather change. I just got a sample in the mail from a swap, and I live in humid, hot South Carolina, and this is divine. I always thought I hated powdery scents, but this has made me change my mind. This feels like I have a perfectly powdered sugar vanilla cake with a side of honeycomb, and I'm sitting with it outside so it's all warm. Mmm, it makes me feel tasty. In saying that, I get absolutely no metallics or weird citrusy notes. I get sweet powder vanilla honey, and Lord it's good.


Edit: When I smell just the vial, I do smell huge floral fragrance, however, the above is this on my skin.

Tested on paper and skin. It hardly reacts with my skin at all, meaning that it smells pretty much exactly like the paper strip, which might be a good thing.

First spritz and I get a BLAST of Prada's Infusion d'Iris. Honestly, almost exactly the same, just slightly less sharp.

This effect disappears quickly though and it dries down to a soft vanilla iris. The vanilla is definitely the strongest note here, rounded and sweetened by the honey. The same goes for the powdery, sharp-ish iris which is tempered by the soft, creamy magnolia. The more it dries down, the more I can detect the musk in this. The fruits are hardly detectable at all.

I do keep smelling a faint resemblance to Prada; there's something vaguely incense-like in there. It's like this is a very distant cousin.

Sillage is moderate, longevity good.

All in all, it's a good perfume, clean, somewhat soapy, sweet but not overdoing it, friendly and uplifting and non offensive. Not extremely special though, but definitely more unique than a lot of the big sellers.

It's a no from me however, as this is definitely a 'Perfume' and I'm more into natural scents.

But it is quite lovely.

UPDATE: tested two more times. The base really is very lovely. Very very creamy, soft with all the aspects of the heart still there and the citrus comes in very very gently. It smells a bit like a very luxurious face cream, but it's much more than that. I keep smelling my wrist in this last phase, it has a very tender, enchanting quality to it. Very comforting and warm. Feels like a soft cashmere jumper translated into scent.

Organza's little sister.

Half the tenacity, though. Less power and longevity. I can smell and honey and some blanc fleurs that turns close to skin, almost like wearing a honey body oil. Not sensual at all, the juice screaming innocence.
Kinda regret this blind purchase because a friend recommended this and she said this is the most amazing fragrance to her. To me it's just so-so, but nothing i dislike either.

I really want to thank @Gabler for her review. The vivid images she made of the scent of the apiary really changed my mind about giving this fragrance a chance and I actually went out specifically to go and smell it and ended up bying a 100ml bottle!

I always wanted a "honey" perfume, and unfortunately, Marc Jacobs' Honey and Kim Kardashian's Pure Honey both destroyed my dreams of what a honey perfume should be and I'd given up on finding a nice, not-too-literal vanilla-honey fragrance. I thought a honey note couldn't be done without feeling synthetic or cloying. How wrong I was!

Now this isn't a literal photorealistic honey scent but a nice, sunny, daytime vanilla-honey-floral blend that is so different that it's hard for me to put into words. I DO find it similar to L'Instant Magic though. It's like they share a vanilla-iris-sweet powdery DNA, even though the almond note makes Magic different, more early evening-y.

Even though the red apple note is listed as the second-to-least prominent note, to me it comes right after honey, vanilla, iris, musk and magnolia, and the warming glow of amber comes right after that.

This perfume gives me the imagery of walking next to a lake in the early morning with the sun rising, flowers in bloom and birds chirping, such a beautiful scent.

All thanks to @Gabler's review!

I have the urge to try this perfume one more time, I remember all I got was apple cider vinegar and nothing more, maybe the bottle I used to have has something odd!!
Reviews here are so positive toward this perfume, so I guess I will give a second chance!

When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time in our apiary. I loved this place & L´Instant reminds me of its scent a lot. On my skin, L´Instant reminds meadow honey, beeswax, sugar water /sugar water is one way of feeding bees in spring/, spicy propolis /it smells like a mixture of resins, amber & spices/, old & dry wood, honeycombs, flower pollen & white flowers in our garden. This fragrance is sensual & sophisticated. It´s like the sweetest dream you´ve ever had.

A classy, honeyed floral, delicate and a bit temperamental, this fragrance should be tested in various types of weather before buying. The apple note is strong in the beginning, but gives way to a light powdery vanilla laced with flowers, amber and a bit of musk. It's too restrained for me, doesn't have quite enough body, but on the right person, it could be lovely.

Honey and magnolia with a side story of fresh citrus and headier florals. Long wearing, confident, traditionally feminine. I'm wearing it boldly on the first warm day of Spring. I'd advise against blind buying as I can see that is is not for everyone. It is a good scent that is worthy of consideration but the kind that you would come to dread in the office if it became someone's signature fragrance....do people still do that??? I have a small bottle and glad that I am able to experience it but I probably won't replace it. There are many interesting flankers to L'Instant which are also worthy of a test.

So, I fully expected to love this as I do near all other Guerlain's, but it has a weird metallic note under the powder that I keep getting. It's odd and discomfiting. I don't know if it's weather, hormones, or something else, but it does not smell the way the notes suggest it ought. I'm a little disappointed. I'll update in a few weeks when the weather is diff and I'm on a different hormonal plane.

BTW:
Savageinstrangeland--I had the exact same thing happen to me. See above review. Did you have better luck trying it later?

— this has been repackaged the same as Jardin bagatelle by the same brand.
As has Idylle, and insolence I think. Don’t know why.

Ok, this seems very calm and subtle when I tried it on a tester card, I don’t know if bottles in that squarish rectangle shape are ‘bigger’.
There is a note that Dior addict has but this isn’t the same scent, d&g the one has it also.
I had a crazy thought and wonder is this the fragrance Dior addict edt should have been!

I will have to try this on skin as the tester card was too muted to give proper evaluation

I want to echo a point savageinstrange made - this perfume seems to be very weather-sensitive. I first sampled this at the Frankfurt airport on route to Lebanon - where the weather was not hot (it was January) but compared to the frigid north where I normally live almost balmy, around 60 degrees F. L'instant was wonderful on me then, a honeyed floral that is powdery and very elegant. I finally bought a bottle the following year and wore in 30 degrees F. It just wasn't the same. It smelled like a different perfume altogether. I can't wait to try it again when (if) the weather ever warms up here.

Update: I just tried this again today in 70 degree weather - it was BEAUTIFUL! And exactly how I remembered it! I can't believe what a big difference body/ambient temperature makes to this perfume. If you had a bad experience in cool weather try it again this summer!

This opens with a burst of citrus and honey, then, it gets a bit weird and acrid (on my skin) as the magnolia surfaces--but thankfully it all melts together by the time the heavenly soft vanilla and musk arrive.

This smells sweet and crisply floral, all held in place by a sunshiny vanilla-honey-musk chord that I love.

I can't wait to wear this in the spring, it seems made for blossoms and sunshine.

ETA: The past few times I've worn this, I did not detect the acrid tinge in the beginning that existed the first few wears. I'm chalking that change down the the fact that my bottle required some maceration; or that the air exchanged into the bottle during spritzes helped neutralize that note; or that I'm simply anosmic to that nuance right now. Whatever the reason, I enjoy this perfume entirely now.. Really, this a lovely all-occasion sweet floral fragrance with persistence.

So I reviewed this before and mentioned that I got some very light green notes and I was fine with that. In fact, this quickly became a favorite. Anyway, the last two times I've worn this, literally ALL I get is super bitter greens, a slight metallic tinge over magnolia. WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY L'INSTANT???

This is wild you guys, green notes aren't even listed, I thought I was a little nuts just smelling a HINT of green before... Now I straight up smell like I'm sitting in a shrub or freshly cut grass nest and welding metal. Such a bummer. Maybe something hormonal happened to adversely affect how this works with my chemistry? Who knows... it's a real whodunit. I'm going to keep trying it because like I said, this is a FAVORITE! But I wanted to come back and recant my original statement that this is blind buy safe. Apparently it's actually not. lol

EDIT: Okay, so Corkscrewcurly saw my review and was kind enough to PM and suggest it might be a "Weather thing." I went back and looked through my perfume timeline and I think she's right! Last time it performed normally on my skin it was considerably warmer. Very early Fall.

Buying this perfume, bad mistake from me. I don't like lily kinds of features in perfumes. Don't know if it's magnolia or iris or both.

The perfume is 2 different in one. An aqua part, and the other, finer, more feminine, classical high note with "lily-kind". (Or the lily-kind of a flower-blend belongs into the aqua part, and the other half is the fine classical high note.)
Light and airy.

Outlook of the bottle repeats the dividing in 2: orange liquid in a violet bottle.

Not heavy, generally soft and weak (and light & airy), but sharp point of the flowers mentioned doesn't fade easily.

I can imagine a woman in a light-blue-gray blazer spraying L'Instant de Guerlain quickly before leaving - Feeling whipped cream softness in the perfume, with flower breathe of refinement. Ladies' room shine in white and platina. -->

An unreal scent from Matrix. I have to sell it. :|

It feels like a cool breeze on a green spring morning, like gentle sunlight. It's nostalgic and pure, like memories of beauty experienced as a child, innocent but utterly sophisticated, a subtle veil of loveliness. The scent looks white with butter yellow cabana stripes, dabs of leafy green and hints of other bright colors viewed just out of the corner of one's eye.

The main theme is sambac jasmine (sambaguita), but only the lightest part of it, no heavy undertone. Beautifully balanced against that are lemon, candy and softly minty scents that float in and out, offering new perspectives on the sambaguita.

It is fresh without trying to be fresh; there's nothing bracing or sharp about it. Imagine a glass of ice water on a hot summer day. L'Instant is not the coldness of the water. It's the grateful feeling as one drinks it.

That's an inadequate description of L'Instant. I'd call it a masterpiece--and it is one--but the word is too heavy-feeling and L'Instant doesn't have the feeling of something that came into existence through the efforts of humans. Words fail me...

a true powder beauty !!! i just love this scent......if u love powder perfumes u have to try this - u will fall in love - well i at least think so lol :) its one of those underrated perfume gems however it is on the strong side so maybe test before buying but if powder like scents is ur thing then i feel u will be safe in just buying :)

Do not blind buy this one, try a sample first! Last time i tried it (last winter) I had literally headaches from honey & magnolia heavy smell even in very small dosses aka 1 spray. Today i used it again cause ya know i felt sorry for the money i spent on it without knowing how was smelling haha. Anyways on 0 degrees seems to smell quite bearable so i'm gonna keep using it this winter. What i still don't like about it is this heavy metallic smell like, probably coming from the honey-iris-magonolia combo.

Sillage-heavy
Longevity-very long lasting 12h+

Hmmm. Vanilla magnolia.
After the spray I get a loads of vanilla and with the projection it reminds me a bit of Burberry Brit. But that changes quickly. The drydown is lovely, magnolia notes become quite prominent and combined with honey notes and already mentioned vanilla it makes it warm, cozy scent, with noticeable musk. Very feminime. I don't get much of fruit notes, but that I don't mind.
Wouldn't suggest to wear it in summer as it could be a little too much for people around, but definitely good for the rest of a year.

To me 7/10.

Bought this one in Spring and loved it, until I tried it in Winter, is absolutely amazing in Winter. Silage is very good and is long lasting especially on clothing. It is a perfume that gets compliments. I love this one because I always feel it opening on my skin, I do not forget I am wearing it, and makes me feel really good.

Agree with kastehelmi, melbritt24 and mschnabel666.

This reminds me of Hanae Mori for sure. I have the EDP and Pure Parfum of HM. I'm wearing L'Instant EDP on my left and Hanae Mori PP on my right.

L'Instant initially smells like straight up syrup, then it mellows out into a soft sugary floral.

L'Instant and HM are similar, but definitely not the same. However, after this side by side, I prefer HM.

Honey and vanilla but with something irritating.
This could be a nice scent but on my skin its like too much.
I can not stand it. I prefer edt version of it much more.
Bottle thou is nice.

I really love this perfume. It is a delicate mixture of soft, honeyed florals and warm, luxurious vanillas. This is a day time fragrance for a sophisticated woman who carries herself, and her intellect, confidently. A fragrance that will be a part of my permanent collect, any woman who loves honeyed white florals (that are NOT cloying) should absolutely give this a whirl - you will not be disappointed.

Don't expect a heavy scent like Petite Robe Noir. This one is feminine, innocent and young but still classic. It's quite powdery in the opening but soft and honey-like after twenty minutes. It does have a subtile, luxurious edge. This would be a nice daytime scent.

Based on the notes and reviews, and the fact that my recent Guerlain purchases have been magical, I blind bought this.

I had such high hopes - sweet fruity oriental floral that dries down with a powdery puff. Just what I love. I had to have it. So I blind bought it.

Sadly, it's not all that it promises to be, there's something just wrong about it. Firstly, it's far too delicate, it's gone in a puff, and it's poorly balanced. The fruit is only just barely there, the vanilla is hiding in there somewhere, the honey is sickly, and yes, it's got a powdery finish, but it's a light talcum powder finish with barely anything else left.

It's pretty and safe to wear just about everywhere. I was simply expecting something more. I want to be dazzled - this simply didn't do it for me.

O que dizer de um Guerlain? Esse Guerlain para mim é o melhor de todos. Doce, cítrico, frutal, não é gourmand ele é um digno perfume doce adulto e elegante, com certeza é uma must have, adoro usá-lo em noites de frio, para um teatro, ou festa, para causar a melhor impressão, de todas.

What about a Guerlain? This Guerlain for me is the best of them all. Sweet, citrus, fruity, is not gourmand it is a decent sweet and elegant adult perfume, sure is a must have, I love to wear it on cold nights, to a theater, or party, to make the best impression, of all .

Beautiful. Not powdery at all, but very sweet. I feel like instead of floral it should say SWEET first!!! I only have a mini and must now savor it!

This is a interesting fragrance from Guerlain. It's quite different from their classic offerings. I certainly don't say that with the word "different" intended to imply "bad" though. I simply mean, L'instant is very modern and light compared to their typical tendency towards a heavy, classic, vintage style.

On me it opens very "green" which I have yet to see other reviewers mention. Again, it isn't bad, just unexpected. From there it quickly becomes a creamy, pillowy-soft, honeyed floral. I don't get any apple or fruit, but actually that's good for me. I don't do fruity. If you're specifically intrigued by the Apple note this isn't going to be what you're looking for. Very feminine and nice for daytime wear. This could fly anywhere for any occasion. Overall I am glad to have it and find myself reaching for it surprisingly frequently since it's so versatile. I'd go so far as to say it's blind buy safe and should be in every wardrobe.

I do admittedly prefer L'instant Magic slightly, but I am fully aware I am the minority in that opinion. Almost everyone I know prefers this one by miles! I find the powder and lipstick vibe just lovely in Magic and this one is just super easy to wear and so versatile that I highly recommend at least testing both of these Guerlain fragrances.

EDP -

Very closely related to Estee Lauder Intuition and YSL Cinema.

They all feature that same opulent, heady and languorous combo of vanilla, amber, benzoin, and honey (or some honey-adjacent) sweetness. It is this thick and expensive smelling cream of a vanilla featured here that people find so irresistible. And from the opening to the drydown, that fortified creamy vanilla will never let you out of its velvet claw.

While I very much love sleeping in this, her male counterpart is definitely the superior creation among the two. People-in-the-know will surely attest to that. L'instant de Guerlain pour Homme is a giant of a masterpiece among all modern colognes. And weirdly enough, he absolutely has no connection to his feminine counterpart beyond the stylish name.

The magnolia here does not really smell like true magnolias that I grew up smelling. The very pretty and agreeable floral whateverness in here lacks the carnal and ripe quality of true magnolias which happen to be the most glorious of all flowers in existence. However, the gleaming amber here is simple feminine perfection.

All that said, what bothers me about this beauty is her lack of longevity and the very timid sillage. She performs pretty lackluster on both grounds. Will stay on me for about 3 hours. And after the first hour, the luminous concoction will become a strict skin scent heavy on the powder. Where is the amber, or the once-inviting honey?

This is unacceptable.

Cinema and Intuition will un-apologetically embed themselves on your skin from the get-go, and will remain vibrant and animated for a good 6-8 hours... with much arrogance and righteous pride I might add.

As lovely as L'instant is, she's also becoming harder to find and the fact that she performs so poorly on me for a Guerlain EDP makes me less willing to fully appreciate it. Lucky are the people who claim this will stay on them for a respectably long time, because she is truly a stunning creation from Guerlain.

almonds, vanilla, iris, musk, violets, mimosa, bergamot, rose, Sandalwood, Carnation, Freesia, Lemon, Cedar and Anise.
Nice, but for the first half an hour it is the scent of powder and essential oil like babies wet tissues.
And that's how the oil smells. It apparently reacts with my ph skin.
There are no almonds or vanilla, maybe magnolia, amber and citrus is a composition of edp. The composition I described is for a different version of Magic.
It is definitely powdery.

My first Guerlain perfume, which does not disappoint. It is breathtakingly beautiful! I can smell the honey and magnolia warmed up with the benzoin. It is divine. I love it!!!!!

Finally decided to try this lovely scent. Guerlain makes some of the best perfumes, lipsticks, face products, etc. that I love the most. This fragrance opens with a sharp citrus to me but it soon fades to something more refined and wonderful. Upon first spraying myself this perfume carries quite a long ways. I spray it on in the front room and my son and husband smell it clear into our kitchen. :-) Got to love that! It does not stay loud for too long though. On myself this scent last a good 4 to 6 hours depending on what I am doing. I sprayed it on before bed last night and I can still smell the lovely dry down at 9:30 A.M. The way this perfume dries down to the very end is amazing. It calms itself into a warm vanilla and all of a sudden the floral rises back up into a delicate flower. I am so glad I added this beauty to my fragrance wardrobe. I will be using it often.

I don't like the scent, but dry down is amazing, very similar to givenchy organza.