L'Instant Magic

so glad I have found and got this version of Instant Magic (yesterday). what a seemless blend. gorgeous!!! I am wearing it now on a very hot summer day and it seems it is magnificient. But cannot wait wearing in winter too. but I think it is all seasons good. 80 ml will be cherished all seasons and all occasions I guess :)) edit: also now instant magic very much reminds me of arlesienne from l'occitane. maybe because of rose but they are really so close to each other in terms of their scent profile: here mimosa is dominant with rose whereas in arlesienne hawthorn and saffron are more noticeable. edit: very comforting and blissful scent<3 and also really long-lasting. going stronger after 10 hours already!!!

I have the vintage version that looks like the pic. Just so exceedingly smooth and seamlessly blended, mastery of subtle powder and bright citrus. Super sophisticated, but not close enough to the original Instant for me, as I was expecting :/ Will probably be selling mine on Mercari sometime soon. Keep a look out if you are interested, I offer reasonable prices.

I brought this one put again after many years in storage. Bought my bottle in January of 2011, I believe, and it was one of my first serious perfumes. It is a strong powder with some beautiful florals that come out as the skin warms up - absolutely addictive florals! Unfortunately, even though I store my perfumes in a cool and dark place, this is the first one that has ever gone bad :/ Now, most of the flowery top notea habe disappeared completely, and only a kind of slightly flowery powder smell remains. The bergamot has stayed though, and is much more prominent than before. The strength of this is about 20% of what it was too. Before, 3 sprays of this was too much, but now, I can basically bathe in it and I'm not sure anyone would notice :( So, if you want to buy or have bought a bottle of this and don't get any gorgeous florals, the perfume has unfortunately gone off. I can see it by the color too though: it was once light pink, like in the main picture, and is now the kind of brownish-yellow that you see in some bottles on Ebay. Notes didn't start disappearing right after the color change though - last year, this was still good, and 2 years ago, I know this still smelt as it was supposed to.

Imagine baby powder but made with excellence art!!! Not a childish scent of course. Grown up and feminine. Delicate,smooth, fluffy. When I wear it I imagine pink and white clouds surrounding me.

As the AI says above 'straight up baby powder scent'. At first I found it really off putting but somehow the last few years I've really come around to powdery/baby powder scents. That said it's not too nuanced.

I can totally get the Iris in this right away. One of my all-time favorite perfumes. I felt that instant magic in the first sniff. smells out of this world to me. Beautifully harmonized Violet, Almond and iris. So happy to find an Iris perfume that smells divine and suitable for winter nights. My going out feminine, soft and hotgirl perfume. Definitely not as innocent as Valentino Donna or Diptyque’s Fleur de Peau. Very much signature worthy scent. Truly Magical as the name says.

This is one of my all-time favorite perfumes. It’s soft, powdery, and elegant — a true signature for me. I’ll never be without it. It really is magic in a bottle, just like the name. It has almond, which makes it feel so cozy, and baby-soft. Probably my favorite powdery scent ever.

A Masterpiece by Randa Hammami from Guerlain , glorious scent one of those history makers in perfumery. mimosa, Iris and vanilla are doing the magic here. one and only for my love forever.

This is a very feminine, soft and powdery scent. Definitely a weekly grab for work because it is very office friendly. Yes, it could give baby magic with a tinge of almond scent. I wish it projected more and although I don’t like spraying my clothes it is definitely worth it to get whiffs of this amazingly beautiful fragrance.

This bottle is no longer on the market, and it was far more beautiful than the newer version. Soft, powdery, almost fairy-tale like... so comforting it became my signature scent for years. The reformulated one never gave me the same joy. Its anisic nuance, the fluffy comfort of every element (mimosa included), always soothed me and lifted my spirits. I went through bottle after bottle. Balanced in every way, it was truly a masterpiece now lost to time. Tag(s): Baby powder, whimsical, comforting, discontinued

Up close I get more powder, but the sillage carries the almond note a bit more. For a second it reminded me of Hypnotic Poison in the air, but the scent right on the skin it isn't very similar.

clean, feminine, pure, airy and powdery innocent beauty. the balance between sweet violet and iris is so classy and luminous.

At first it smells like a lemon dessert, then the powdery notes get more and more to say. It's somewhere between the citrusy and floral. The fragrance is delicate, girly and the Magic is certainly there. It's Easter this upcoming weekend and I'm going to celebrate it with a mist of this dreamy perfume - as it's ideal for the Spring:)

If Diptyque’s Fleur de Peau came in extrait form, this would be it. Delightful!

This has been my signature scent for years. I love Iris, vanilla, almond and white musk which blended in a very good and pretty way. This is a perfume that makes me feel comforting and happy! 😍

This is a fluffy and comforting powder scent that's a very safe choice for work or everyday use. First spray is lemon but this goes away quickly and the drydown becomes warm, cosy, creamy with a discrete iris and almond sweetness. Very nice and I'm not a vanilla/musk/sweetness fan.

First impression: Disappointment! First let me say I adore Guerlain and I also really love powdery fragrances. Cosmetic powdery, confectionary powdery, heliotrope, Iris, carnation, I’m there I love it! The issue I’m having with this is it barely smells of anything at all- just powder, I’m hoping my bottle just needs some air (it’s a vintage 2008 bottle and it looks to have 3 Ml used from its 50ml volume) I just expected a bit more- sweetness from the freesia or almond. Some spicy powderiness from the carnation. I can’t smell any of the notes above and the entire composition just smells of laundry detergent musk? I’m really hoping with time and allowing it to settle after shipping this blooms for me. Edit: after allowing my bottle to settle a few days, I came back and gave myself a generous misting: yay!! It’s beautiful! I smell the beautiful florals that are also on the original L’instant but they’re no longer honeyed and on a bed of warm amber. Now they’re on a bed of musk, fluffy, creamy and tinted with almond and bergamot. I can see why some don’t like this but it’s very relaxing and ethereal. Never make a decision based on the initial wear! Always wait and go back. It’s getting better and better with each wear!

Reminds me a lot Naughty Alice in the way I perceive zestyness/Citrus oil on a base of soft comforting powder and musk. I personally like this more because this is more innocently soft and fluffy smelling while Naughty Alice has a heat to it that makes it less suitable for realy hot weather, and consequently smell more abrasive. Saying this smells like lemon pledge is like saying that adding citrus oils to something soft like like Lotita Lempicka or Joop le Bain would make it smell like lemon Pinesol. I like that it smells fresh and refreshing while mainting a cozy softness. My husband is in his 30's, doesn't know anything about perfume or notes, nor does he have very aquired tastes and I asked him, out of a tester, if this was off putting in any way, and he said no. He always tells me when he doesn't like something, and has told me many times he thinks things smelled like hairspray or lysol. This perfectly pleasant and even elegant.

Notes of posh floral lemon pledge with sparkling aldeydes

L'Instant magic is worthy of its name. There is instant magic and something you cant forget. The strong powdery note makes it for a very good long lasting perfume and its worth every penny.

I guess this is the old bottle and the new L'Instant Magic is really fainting after an hour or so, any recommendations that give similar scent/feeling to this bottle version of th L'Instant Magic of Guerlain, from any brand?

This has been my signature winter scent for years now and I have gone through multiple bottles at this point. This is a perfume that makes me feel like I am sitting under a freshly washed duvet and eating an almond croissant while watching the snow fall. If you are not a fan of almond or powdery scents this won't be for you, but I absolutely love it and it tends to be a compliment getter when I wear it (particularly from other women). More importantly, I feel fresh, clean, comfortable and uplifted when I wear this. Perhaps it is the lemon and bergamot that give this scent a cheery sort of vibe? Overall, I would say this is a scent for a grown woman, but it also isn't old fashioned or overly mature in my opinion. It's appropriate for almost any situation in the fall/winter, though it is much too much for spring or summer, in my opinion. Still, L'Instant Magic is one of my all-time favorite powdered almond scents and I am always excited when the weather starts getting colder and I know I can wear this again. ETA: I see this has been reformulated and that's an absolute shame because the new version is not really the same as the bottle I have/reviewed above.

My heart pounding when I smell the spray part of the bottle. Its Definitely better than L’instant de guerlain. When I spray it to my skin, its fresh and slightly citrus in the beginning. And then all those flowers comes very tender at middle. Its not baby powder scent, it is lady powder scent. Im not gonna be obsessed with this but im gonna patronize it for girls night out!

Wow! This is a lovely gentle soothing scent. I definitely get the bergamot and lemon which is so fresh. I also get the J&J baby powder vibe. I really like this scent.

beautiful combination of my favorite notes: powdery violet and mimosa with a bit rose. starts of powdery, just applying-make-up-fresh and then develops to that comforting iris-almond-vanilla base. powdery fresh yet elegant cheerful yet calm and comforting

As a guy I think this "genre" of violet-musk powdery perfumes is just the classiest. L'Instant Magic is no exception. Since the release of Armani Lei in 1998 I became addicted to these powdery formulas, and thousands of perfumes later my opinions are the same. The reviewer below is spot on, that this is just a success-proven formula, be it Armani Lei for more fresh touches, Massimo Dutti's Souffle Marais (though short-lived and almost impossible to find nowadays), Lancome's discontinued Iris Dragees, Victoria Secret - Heavenly/Dream Angels Heavenly and less but still in the genre Prada Infusion d'Iris and Prada Candy...the list can go on as there are some celebrity fragrances that smells like that too, it takes me back to 90s and giving me all the classy/down to earth vibes when I smell it on a woman. These are mentioned as "iris" scents but truly they are just violets fantasy creations and most times not iris. Even though both notes in the perfume marketing became almost interchangeable, in reality true-to-iris use is what you smell in Prada Iris. There's much more powder/violet ingredients (ionones) and musks than iris here, and touch of vanilla/coumarin (tonka) and sometimes combined with benzoin (as in Prada Candy). Often you start from the mid-base notes skipping all the top ones as they rarely come topped with citruses/fruits. And often it feels like they remain close to skin but in reality the diffusion of these scents are so good, it's a pleasure for people around. Comforting, clean, sexy, mild but recognizable, classy.

this starts off with baby powder and white musk. very fresh and clean. a few minutes later i get mostly iris with some almond, followed by mimosa. this is so pretty and comforting. i totally see the connections to l'instant, but this is like the quieter version that would be perfect to wear to bed. it's mostly mimosa/almond/iris on me. i'm quite surprised mimosa is voted lower down because that is one of the main notes for me. (this is from a sample but i think it's the older version.)

@Swedishmilk15 - I've never tried the bee bottle version of this, but I have several bee bottle abominations of classic Guerlains that I only use as room freshener or linen spray. I believe it's incredibly disrespectful of Guerlain's parent company to throw once glorious perfumes into cheap glass bottles with stick on labels and fill them with watered down approximations of what they once were. I'm not saying you will definitely prefer this in it's original formulation, but I am saying that in my experience I've yet to find a single instance where any of these bee bottle versions come close to what they used to be. When I think of using Nahema or Apres l'Ondee as linen spray I don't know if I should laugh or cry!!

Ok, finally managed to get a decant of this. I accidentally blind bought L’instant by Guerlain and it was a good price, and considered keeping it but I really wanted L’instant Magic so I sent it back and didn’t open it. This is soooo nice and just what I was expecting from the notes and reviews. I just want a big bottle right now. It’s just so sweet, pretty but powdery, but doesn’t smell ‘old’ (even though I dontt mind ‘old lady’ scents and actually hate that expression) . But it doesn’t smell too juvenile and sweet either. It’s probably because it’s Guerlain and they just really are the masters at blending.. I would say if I had to choose, Guerlain would be my favourite house because everything just smells so refined, classy, good quality, not generic. Never too overpowering but just nice quality . I have a few Guerlain fragrances and have smelled more. As soon as I can, I’m getting this. It reminds me of sweets and fairies and something emphemeral but it’s not basic or sickly. Could be the freesia because I’ve realised I’m a sucker for freesia ever since my first foray into M & S (St Michael) freesia body spray in the 80s/90s!

This definitely has a powdery vibe...in fact, it brings to mind some of the same feelings I get when wearing Burberry Brit for Men! I find L'Instant Magic actually LESS powdery than Brit, however. The notes feel more distinct and less obscured with sweet powder. The defined almond-anise-vanilla-coumarin chord is beautifully harmonized, and I find this a perfectly pleasant universal sweet gourmand floral.