L'Instant Magic Guerlain for women

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!

If you want Johnson's baby powder... then buy yourself Guerlain Shalimar or Chanel No. 5. Those are exactly similar to J&J baby powder with nothing that interests me. Guerlain L'Instant Magic is not medicinal, nor is it bandaids, or baby wipes. That category belongs to Elizabeth Arden True Love (artificial) or Coco Chanel (meh). Now coming to Guerlain L'Instant Magic, it is truly a beautiful, magical, grown up woman's scent. It is powdery, cool and elegant. A refined scent, which CANNOT be associated with the chubby cuteness of babies. This is woman's peaceful, organised and clean essence in a bottle. I would like to live in that part of the universe where babies smell like this perfume, I love it to bits.

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.

Iris, vanilla, almond and white musk are a tried and true combination that rarely goes wrong. They usually create lovely soft, powdery fragrance clouds that make you feel clean and cozy. L'Instant Magic is no exception. These 4 notes are the essence of the scent, with almond being the standout note. The rest are small embellishments. A touch of violet and citrus, maybe a bit of rose, but nothing distracts from the general fluffiness. Texture wise, this is mostly powdery, but a little bit creamy, too. And yes, it definitely has a baby-like scent. To my nose, this has a lot in common with the Hipp baby lotion. I think it's because Hipp uses almond oil and L'Instant has a lot of almond, too, which makes them a bit different from other baby products and their perfume counterparts. So, if you ever wanted a more sophisticated, powdery perfume version of the Hipp lotion, here it is.

I'm not 100% sure from which bottle/version my decant came, I think the bee one is most likely, but I'm sure the differences won't change that much about my review. I actually tried this in store ages ago when it was relatively new and very hyped, and while I don't remember exactly what it smelled like, I know felt the same as now: It's a nice powdery scent, but not my favorite from Guerlain. I prefer the original L'Instant over this flanker, I guess I just don't want to smell that much like a baby.

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.

My colleague smells like baby powder, and she uses Guerlain Shalimar. No hate, but I like to keep two arms distance from her because I love the smell of johnsons baby powder strictly on babies. I prefer to smell like a beautiful woman. I loved and instantly bought L'Instant Magic. Just IMHO, L'Instant Magic may be what Shalimar unsuccessfully dreamt of being, and in the next life was reborn as LIM (if that concept exists). Spicy carnation, along with powdery cool Iris are few of my favorite floral notes, and to top it off, almond and vanilla which are not gourmand or candylike or childish. It smells like a heavenly dream in lilac mist . I love it.

What can I say other than love at first sniff!!! So very Guerlain, it's clear that it is rooted in that glorious creation from 100+ years ago, L'Heure Bleue. Magic isn't as solemn as LHB, which has an almost mystical aura in my opinion. It's definitely brighter, and more modern, though still very much a classic.
It's one of those instances where I prefer the flanker to the original, and I do also love that one. It's blistering hot outside today, but I am in an air conditioned environment at home and just indulging myself with it's metamorphosis and pure beauty. The only concern I have is that it is becoming very expensive on line, relatively speaking, and I would love to have a back-up bottle or two. I'll be on the lookout!!
PS - mine is in the bottle pictured here, not the bee bottle.

EDIT 10/9/22 - I downgraded this to a Like. This is hands down the most powdery fragrance I own, and I've noticed on a few occasions that it truly does smell like Johnson's Baby Powder, drowning out everything else. It's so random. I never know what to expect when I spray it on. That said, it's still lovely and I will wear it, as well as experiment with layering.

This is powder y'all BABY POWDER that's what's all about m not even joking and it makes me choke 😢

Almondy iris powder with bergamot top. Guerlain never fails. Its absolutely amazing. The only problem is that it vanishes like summer breeze..it has some similarities with Prada iris..
Prada is cold and sharp and guerlain is warm and soft.

EDIT: yes, two days wearing it day and night. couldn't tell it apart from Prada Iris

2nd Edit: i am always fascinated how experience with perfumes changes. 4 days wearing it.. Its unique heaven. Prada is onedimensional, guerlain is almost an entity that changes as my skin changes.
Its absoultely breathtaking

I've owned both L'Instant Magic and L'Instant EDP for a few years now, both are old versions. I didn't wear them much, but after trying Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum, I got hooked on powdery stuff big time. So for the past week, I have been wearing these two versions of L'Instant intermittently, and I can finally tell apart the two. I am not going to dissect the L'Instant EDP here, but Magic is definitely lighter, deeper, and more sophisticated, if that is even possible, since, at least for me, the entire Guerlain lineup is ultra-sophisticated as it is. Could be due to added Lemon note but I can't tell for sure.
I adore both, but Magic has my heart. It's definitely longer lasting out of the two. I have struggled with original L'Instant's staying power since the early beginnings, but I can rarely get more than 3-4 hours out of it.
As things are standing right now, I prefer the Magic. I just landed the ultra-rare Magic Elixir, but didn't receive it yet, however, I can't wait to test that one as well. I think I want every single version of this, it's that good. As a side note, do not pass Keiko's Loukhoum because you have this, they are in the same vein, but not the same. Loukhoum is ultra edible and sexy, whereas L'Instant is a bit more classy and maybe a tad more serious. Loukhoum is really, really super good, so don't pass on it!

Review is for frosted "bee bottle." The scent is good, not great, the performance is abysmal. Yes, it has a lovely development. But it starts out like bug spray and by the time you "get the good stuff," the scent has disappeared on skin. I literally have to mash my nose on my arm to get the tiniest whiff of 6 sprays I applied (to ONE arm!) 2 hours ago. Is this really an EDP? From Guerlain? My new litmus test is borrowed from fellow Fragrantican c1cko: "if it falls short of Windsong in any category, it's not worth what they're selling it for!" L'instant Magic falls short on more than one, at least for me.

Sadly I'll be returning this, which breaks my heart, and is actually a bit embarrassing. I've NEVER returned a perfume and certainly didn't think my first time would be from house of Guerlain, but I really can't justify the $50 I've spent if I'll have to use so much, and carry it around with me to reapply. Just not what I'm looking for.

Usually when people complain something smells like baby wipes/lotion, that's a sign I'm going to LOVE a scent.

Not this.

In the opening, there is undoubtedly something akin to Baby Magic lotion (not J&J, Baby Magic has a very particular smell.)

But overall I get more of a too starchy, too complex, too dense white musk. I think the original advertising of this fragrance mentioned that this was centered around an overdose of white musk- I should've listened. There are plenty of musks I like (Narciso Poudre, for example,) but the musk accord in here is very akin Infusion d'Amande and Infusion d'Iris. There's something in those as well that I find a bit irritating.

I finally got to try L'Instant Magic. And sadly I'm not as impressed as I expected to be. But I recognize that I'm being unfair. L'instant the original is probably my all time favorite scent. So it's possible that my expectations were a little too high.

I expected Magic to be a better version, though I'm not sure why, flankers rarely are. This is a drug store lotion, or baby wipe type of scent. It's pleasant. Great even, if you like that sort of thing.

The main reason I'm not impressed is that I already have something similar to this: Zara's A Mochi Atelier in Tokyo. I even have a back up bottle. In a side by side comparison they're not exact dupes. But they're really, really close.

I'll keep this. And I'll probably even finish this 30ml bee bottle. But the temptation to track down the original bottle is totally gone. There's a bright side.

L'Instant Magic is the most beautiful powdery soft lovely huggy scent. But if you want something even better...layer this over Pistaché Body Butter (pistachio scented). Swooning!

I am not one for much layering, but this works. Smells like pistachio ice cream powder.

First smell reminds me of Johnson baby’s shampoo! Though it builds into a warm, comforting woman essence. Relaxes your mind and gives confidence in your overall look.

My wildcard. A star in my book.
This one is a great standalone fragrance in every weather and situation and the best I've found for layering.
I mostly get natural mimosa and wispy violet leaf in the heat, very refreshing. In the colder months it becomes a cozy staple: much more almondy and sweet with a lovely iris.

When the heck did this become so expensive? The 100ml bee bottle was selling for $30 not too long ago. It really grinds my gears how often market prices are inflated when companies “discontinue” scents, only to rerelease them a few years later in a new, more expensive bottle. Guerlain in particular is a multiple offender in that regard. And us perfume lovers, their biggest supporters, are at their mercy because they know we’ll pay absurd amounts for their products. I guess the bright side is that if you’re hurting to find this, it’ll most likely reappear a few years from now. In the meantime, sell those $30 bottles for $200 while you can!

WOW, holy grail scent for me! Is this extremely reminiscent of baby wipes? YES. But if you give it a chance it is so much more than that. I cannot discern most individual notes in this but I can pick up the vanilla, violet and Iris. The carnation adds a tiny kick to it but it is mostly rounded. It sits close to the skin and longevity is moderate. It is just so comforting, uplifting, mild and warm. I do not wear this perfume when I want to feel sexy; I wear magic to console my mind, to uplift the soul, to embrace myself in a cocoon of luxurious clouds of powdered flowers which both protects me and gives me glamour. For me, this is an easy reach and I will never be without it!

First impression from a sample: smells like baby wipes for a few minutes, then turns into a soft powdery floral. Not offensive but feels like something a grandma would wear.

I have the original style bottle (shown in this page). From what I've read, the newest "candle" style bottle that is currently available is faithful to the original juice, though I have not tried it myself to compare.

Goodness - this is excellent! As a huge fan of Guerlain fragrances and powdery scents in general, I knew this would be a safe blind buy for me. In fact, it's quickly made itself comfortable in my list of all-time favorite fragrances!

L'Instant Magic (not to be confused with the singular "L'Instant") boasts a creamy rendition of powder, much like a high-end body cream. Those looking for a light, airy powder may be disappointed. This is smooth, sweet, and comforting with a well-blended floral bouquet, velvety vanilla, and dreamy musky background - but what really sets LM apart from my other powdery fragrances is the sense of depth I get from the rich cedar and almond. These denser woody notes merge beautifully with the lighter florals and powder, creating a feeling of hypnotic sensuality that borders on the soporific. The longevity and sillage are also excellent; I apply this before bed and am greeted in the morning by creamy vanilla powder and musk.

L'Instant Magic is beautiful, surprisingly rich, and very Guerlain. A new favorite!

I waited so long to get this perfume. I wasn't sure whether to buy it or not, with me collecting predominantly powdery perfumes, I wasn't sure if this would be powdery enough. But boy, it is! It's actually better than I expected it to be.
This is powdery goodness. I own the 3rd kind of packaging of L'Instant Magic from the "Collections Patrimoine de Guerlain" and as this is my very first purchase of this perfume, I can't really say whether this is how the perfume smelled before...but to my nose it's just like some of the reviews related to the older packaging described it - soft, powdery, baby powder-like (even though I would say it's more reminescent of baby lotion than powder, actually). It opens with some Guerlain-esque citrusy notes, then it goes slightly woodsy and aromatic, but soon enough this awaited pink/purple baby lotion scent comes. It feels like a fairy dust or something like that, very dreamy.
Last night before I actually got this perfume in the mail I had this dream that I got it and I really loved it, and that it had some almondy notes as well - and yes, those are really there, too. :) Maybe that's why it feels like a baby lotion. Anyway, I'm happy I have this!
By the way I also own Poudree by Jil Sander and that one is kind of close, although sweeter with a very prominent rice note. L'Instant Magic feels more intense and mature, while Poudree is more child-like. I love them both, though.

UPDATE: I wore it today the entire afternoon and I had to respray it just now after shower. I kept getting whiffs of this delicious scent from my shirt. Honestly, this progressed straight to my favorite scents. This really has the best sweetish, baby lotion vibes. Strongly recommended if you love innocent powdery perfumes. How did they manage to create something so similar? This may not really feel like powder in the Teint de Neige sense, but it does feels like a beautifully smelling lotion, indeed.

This is a better version of L'Instant than the original, which I did not care for. Gentler and powdery--more of a Love's BabySoft vibe, which is great. But it still has enough of the original L'Instant DNA in it to annoy me. I've always thought it was the apple note in the original that I hated, but that note isn't listed here so now I'm stumped. I cannot figure out which note it is that I find so cloying. I usually like these notes in perfumes and I love Guerlain. This is now going to drive me insane trying to figure it out.

For me this is a winter time in the bottle. Powdery, delicate, slightly purple and bluish sparkling snow, crisp air and grey sky. Innocent delight. Waiting for the Holy Night.

I've been looking forward to this for so long, and I finally got my hands on a bottle. This is beautiful -- the sparkly, bright opening, the powdery iris drydown... But it quickly reminded me of something I already have and love - Prada Infusion D'Iris.

I have both the EDP and EDT for Infusion D'Iris, and this one is so incredibly similar to that line. L'Instant Magic does have a sharper citrus note in the opening (lemon?), but it quickly fades into that lovely iris powder. The note pyramids are also very similar for all of them, except for the almond and anise notes in LM. However, for me, the almond and anise are very faint / not present, and they don't affect the overall scent.

I am honestly shocked that Infusion D'Iris isn't higher on the "reminds me of" list for this. To me, L'Instant Magic could an Infusion D'Iris flanker. L'Instant Magic is a lovely scent, but for me, I'm happy sticking to my Prada Infusion D'iris, which is still in circulation and the price isn't overly inflated.

I really liked the combination of bee bottle, black label, and pink juice that’s why I was really hoping to like the scent too, unfortunately, it’s not meant to be. The reviews that describe this as baby wipes is 100% spot on. It’s not an impression of baby wipes, this is photorealistic baby wipes. This is not a bad thing if you have good memories of baby wipes (to me it brought back memories of changing nappies for my little nieces and cousins). To my disappointment, it was a huge cloud of baby wipes for 3-4 hours until it calmed down to a vague baby powder skin scent. I was really hoping it would morph into something else like magic. Excellent projection and longevity. I’m surprised that this is so much more expensive than its previous price with the original bottle.

If you have Chloe by Chloe, you need to experience layering L’instant magic on top of it.
It is my own personal heaven. That sharp, firm rose parting the curtains of thick veils of sweet powder.
It nearly leaves me paralyzed with pleasure...
Why am I just discovering this now?
Why do my perfume descriptions resemble an erotic novel from your local five-and-dime?

Only one word to describe it. Powdery. Almost makes me choke. Not a fan...

This is a beautiful, powdery, purple flower fragrance. This reminds me quite a bit of Athalia by PdM, however this is not quite as deep. The performs quite well on me, lasting most of the day. If you are a fan of powdery fragrances, or purple flower fragrances, then give this one a try; it's lovely!

Powdery lover so I blind bought this because I love powder and I love guerlain. I like it but wish I would have gotten a smaller bottle (50 ml) because I don’t think I will wear this often. I’m super sensitive to mimosa and that’s unfortunately all I can smell. I am hyper focused on it. I will play around and layer it see if I can find a happy medium to drowned out the mimosa. All in all I love the bottle and am happy adding to me collection.

White musk, mimosa and carnation stand out here with the slightest hint of vanilla. L'Instant Magic is a very soft, slightly powdery scent that is simple but well blended. It is different to the usual Guerlain signature iris dominant scents, although this note lingers in the background. While it is a fine powdery scent (not so thick as Chanel no. 5) it is not strongly reminiscent of baby powder or lotion to me; it just has the sweet softness people associate with innocence & simplicity. It is unique and comforting, enough to wear before bed, while still being sophisticated. L'Instant Magic is delicate, not sugary or headache inducing, and would be impossible to overspray. It is extremely calming - a happy, contented, dreamy and subtle scent that I enjoy wearing and very unthreatening, without being bland, to those around you. To me, this is the parallel mood to Apres L'Ondee, which I also own, the latter reflecting more serious, mature, reflective moments. I enjoy having both in my collection but I will wear the uplifting l'Instant Magic more frequently. While the sillage is low, the longevity is intermittent but generally good - others, as well as me, could still smell this on my wrist the following day. A truly beautiful scent.

Let''s just say I'm glad I bought a small bottle. It was a blind buy for me based on many raving reviews. But unfortunately I'm not impressed; I find it rather boring. It's not awful, just nothing special.

I love smelling like powder and L'Instant Magic satisfies that. I would say that compared to other scents in this genre, it does not stand out terribly, however I do find it less feminine than average. After it has dried on my skin and gotten past the initial dose of Gold Bond-like powder, it settles down to what reminds me of shaving cream. It is much more reminiscent, to me anyway, of Dad getting ready than it is of Mom. I get quite a few hours of longevity without the scent morphing past this. Not my favorite but I will finish my sample.

This smells like the cleanest sweetest baby ever. I love it on me, but I love it on my toddler daughter more.

A gorgeous, slightly older feeling, fragrance. The longevity is insane. I sprayed this on the inside crease of my elbow and bicep. It radiated through my jumper with lovely delicate wafts as I moved. When I woke up the next day I still smelt of it and even after having a shower could still faintly smell it on my skin (and I use exfoliating gloves and unscented soap and go over my body twice if not thrice when I wash). Cannot recommend this enough, especially if you do not mind the smell of violet and iris. It is gorgeous, but can definitely split opinion.

Sweet powdery goodness. L’Instant Magic is instant magic for me - it brings forth child memories of savouring dragéed almonds. Very pretty. It’s also very linear, but that doesn’t matter to me since this is so comforting

Wow...
I do absolutely get a boutique old fashioned powder puff scent from this. It’s fresh out of a shower..soft floral powder on your skin. You can almost smell the white cast!
I find it so definitively tied to that after a shower/before bed time frame that I felt almost exposed and vulnerable running out for coffee one morning after having splashed some of this on. But the compliments I received in that 20 minute errand secured my decision that this is a beautifully soft, innocent, cozy frag.
Reminds me in the slightest capacity of insolence by guerlain (another one of my favs)...extract the violets, amp up the powder and iris.

Starts as a beautiful, powdery sweet blend of bitter almond and iris notes. Within two hours though, it fades into a pale sweet iris, which have to spray every two hours in order to get back that first fresh, powder initial scent.
It is a unique scent and truly feminine.
4 out of 5 for me on this one.

I thought I would like this more because I love the original L'Instant, but this is completely different to me. Straight up baby powder almost the whole ride with this one. Not terrible, just not quite my type of powdery floral. Great longevity though. I put a small dab on one wrist and can still smell it without having to press my nose to my skin after almost 8 hours! Dry down gets a little more interesting... a little more floral with some soft spice going one. But still mostly baby powder.

I get quite a bit of menthol in this straight off. It reminds me of a vapour rub. But powdery. So a mentholated powder? No. A powdered vapour rub. (Fendi Furiosa smells to me like an actual mentholated powder.)

I think that's obvious to others as well, as after a colleague advised me to use a rub on my sprained wrist, he got in the lift with me a bit later and commented that I seem to have taken his advice. I hadn't. I thought, 'Hell no. You didn't just compare my gorgeous perfume to Vicks!'

It smells better than Vicks! It smells expensive! I don't get a baby powder vibe because I get so much menthol throughout.

I love it. It radiates about arm's length and will easily fill a large lift. I can smell it for hours without trying even with my dodgy nose. One of my personal favourite powdery scents.

I have the old rectangular style bottle.

This reminds me of county fairs from when I was a kid, very youthful and innocent smelling. Smells like a baby. 6/10

This bears a great resemblance to baby lotions and that is good thing in my book! Sometimes we seek familiarity in fragrances.
The citruses in the initial blast prepare you for the upcoming powdery stages, it gradually becomes sweeter as it dries down to the point where it reminds me of Bvlgari’s Petit Et Mamans.
I’d recommend this for those who love white musk oils that are typically made by Arabian perfume houses.
This lasts for about 5 hours on my skin and 12+ hours on clothes. A beautiful and comforting offering from Guerlain.

This is interesting but I much prefer the original L'instant more. While this does have amazing lasting power, I just find myself reaching for the original more.

Yeah, I get why people associate this with baby powder, mineral oil, lotion, and laundry products. The violet, sweet almond, iris, and freesia notes occur in many other household items we want to associate with cleanliness, warmth, and comfort. To me, this is not a disqualifier. L'Instant magique is more complex than any of these products, and more nuanced.

At first, the powdery iris and violet dance with the bright citruses and anise, which provides an almost licorice-like harmony. Soon, that beautiful vanilla-almond accord starts to come through, along with a host of other florals, which are difficult to detect individually. The breezy, nectar-sweet freesia is definitely there, as is the soapy rose, and maybe a hint of mimosa in all its pollinated glory. The drydown leads to an almond-musk-violet haze with flashes of flowers and anise.

Taken together, this is supremely refreshing and sheer, but melds very well with skin and sweat. The performance is middling, but this is one of those fragrances that is difficult to over-apply. At worst, you're left smelling like you've just bathed in a tub full of luscious soaps and oils, followed by the application of a fine lotion or body oil.

I should also note that this review is for the bee bottle version; I've never smelled earlier formulations. Traditionally feminine, but I wish more guys smelled this good and clean, haha. All-season, but blooms better in warm weather. Merci, Guerlain!

Soft floral baby products. Darn!

My first encounters with this perfume was two-sided. I was walking on a winter day and the cold wind brought whiffs of a beautiful scent. A cosy scent still classy which blended so well with that cold wind. I didn’t know what perfume it was... and thought I would hear it again either in my favorite perfume stores or in my circle of perfume lovers friends. But that did not happen. Until one day ... I blind bought it without knowing THAT was this enchanting scent. I sprayed it and the first impression was bad : something like too aromatic with the softness disturbed my nose, and I was disappointed, I shouldn’t have blind bought unknown fragrances. Then... About 30 mn after, while the scent was blooming I recognize the fragrance that I loved that winter day and was so happy I finally found it ! The aromatic scent that was disturbing me was the same as in YSL Cinema and it was the almond blossom note but in the evolution of l’instant magic it finally blended so so well with the dry down. It is wonderful by cold weather and will leave a classy, cozy, soft but noticeable and very unique trail. A compliment getter and hard to be recognized. It doesn’t have anything in common with the l’instant. L’instant is warmer and gets that wonderful amber vibe, l’instant magic is more about almond and very soft powder in perfect balance and in no way sweet.

Was sent a free sample of this. As someone who currently has a baby in diapers, I can confirm that this smells almost identical to how baby diapers smell when you’ve just opened the package. I’m blaming the rose, freesia, and iris combo, I think. To each their own, I guess. It wouldn’t bother me to smell this on someone else, but it’s not for me.

My blind buy arrived today, and our first meet did not go as expected. I like powdery scents and my favorite body care is Nivea, love its scent, and it was referred as L’Instant Magic is very close to that.

Perhaps my skin chemistry does not agree well with this composition. Opening was interesting, nice smooth powdery scent with a bit herbal undertone. Then it quickly turned on a big blast of dry baby powder with sharp not particularly pleasant washing powder vibe, overwhelming violet notes but not on the good way. After 2-3 hours that faded away and on my wrist I got a nice, comforting clean powdery scent I was hoping for. Unfortunately that the middle part completely ruined it... It is a rare occasion when I have to downvote a Guerlain scent.
The Original L’Instant is a magical scent, this one is less so... I strongly recommend not to buy it blind, try it first.

Friend sent me a sample of this, and oh my! Bonne Bell Skin Musk, a touch of clean-hair freesia, with some gentle notes of PlayDoh are heavenly to my nose. I already love floral woody musks and would not have expected this from Guerlain. I have a sample of L'Instant on the way to compare.

At first I was dousing myself with this, thinking the longevity was dull, but I awoke in the middle of the night and could still smell it on my skin. Ah! Now I must have a full portion. I think it could work for a man too, due to the peppery ending.

I also love YSL Cinema, especially Festival, which is vanilla/woods/citrus/musk, so warm and a little more wintry than this. And if you like this type of scent with a hint of Play-Doh, get your nose on the lost Armani Sensi, with kaffir lime at the top, divine.

So the bee bottle is way weaker? That is the only one I can find.

L’instant Magic opens up with medicinal herbs and citrus that pay homage to the original Guerlain classics. It made me check twice on the year this perfume was created. Then as it warms up, I get some animalic wafts, although jasmine is not listed as a note. It’s animalic in a meat dish kind of way, not like body odor. There’s a little bit of almond. Then you get the typical baby butt scent that is so typical in the mid late 2000s. Then it evolves into musk. It’s a very artistic and well blended creation. Not for me though because of the powdery smell.

This one i didn't care for as it smells like a violet hand cream and baby toiletries. It's sharp clean.

L'Instant Magic is evocative of early childhood, so much so that it could have easily been introduced by Maison Margiela Replica's collection with a child's feet in the air, freshly bathed, on the front.

It's an innocent, fresh infant of a scent. L'Instant Magic isn't Johnson's baby powder specifically, but it is reminiscent of baby powder and lotion, even some of the (CLEAN) diapers that I used on my child.

Those who like fresh and clean baby scents would gravitate toward it, but not necessarily those who like makeup powder.

L'Instant Magic is a lovely odor, even if it's not for my body, but perhaps that's because I'm not that far off from the early stage of parenthood.

***Not in any way related in scent to the original L'Instant de Guerlain EDP or EDT, despite the name and bottle.

ETA: Tested from a bee bottle.

Call off the search, spread the good news, this is what I want to smell like for the rest of my life! Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

*Mic drop*

But on a real note, I blind bought this because I wanted a soft floral powdery scent that doesn't smell like febreze on me (air freshener) and the reviews were selling it HARD for me. I can't stand scents that are so sweet they are headache inducing and I can safely say that this is just the right amount of sweet (I think the lack of berries stop it from getting into that territory) The dry down reminds me of Nivea on steroids with a hint of marzipan. Definitely a very nice makeup scent. The powder can feel a little strong on initial application but just bear with it because it does mellow out (at least on me). It's so beautiful and delicate and it just smells like something a fairy princess would wear. After a while the dry down becomes a little sweeter with the vanilla and almond which reminds me of when your mixing butter and powdered sugar and it gets in the air and you can smell the sweetness of the powdered sugar (if that makes sense to anyone). The florals stay dancing in the background and I hope that they never discontinue this because my heart will legitimately break.

It's a bonus that I personally really like the bee bottle design. I have never smelled the one in the old bottle so I can't compare, but if that was stronger, it's likely it would have been too strong for me.

L'Instant Magic is instant love! A bottle of rosy sunshine. It's a lovely, beautiful scent that envelopes you in aromatic, almondy-rosy sweetness. Top notes of bergamot, lemon, and anise blend with a powdery blend of almond, iris, freesia, violet, rose, carnation, and mimosa over a musky bottom layer of white musk, sandalwood, and cedar. The sandalwood at the dry down is what characterizes this fragrance as pure Guerlain. It causes the scent to linger longer on the skin and in the mind. L'Instant Magic kisses you with Guerlain magic. Pure luxury!

This is just gorgeous! Guerlain is 99% of the time a safe blind buy for me, but even so this may actually be a new daily wear favorite! As others have noted, it does have a vintage baby oil/powder memory to it, but if you think about where those fragrances came from to begin with, you realize it’s just another link in that powdery Guerlain chain of perfume tradition. I am so in love with this sweet beauty. Perfect for any season day wear- I would call this sweet, clean and soft as a powder puff. This wouldn’t be a date night scent for me personally, but for pretty much anything else it will provide you with an aura of understated class. Highly recommend, and for iris/powder/almond lovers, it’s a super safe blind buy.

This is adorable.
Unfortunately, I discovered it after the change of bottles and logically it has been watered down as the rest of them. I also didn't bother looking since it was discontinued for few years.
So, people, L'Instant Magic is back and, hopefully, here to stay.
As much as I love it, I'm frustrated because it's shy and fleething. It smells like baby powder and high end cosmetic. The effect is simple, comfy and addictive because it's comforting. I may prefer the ethereal poetic beauty of Apres l'Ondee, but I perfectly understand people who rave about this, it's adorable and very well done.
I'm fighting hard not to buy a bottle since it came back.

Such a lovely, powdery, floral scent. Upon first spray, i get iris, almond, and citrus. Then it dries down to a soft-musky-vanilla floral scent. Someone said this smelled like Baby Magic lotion and it does, but so SO much better. It's inoffensive and suitable for any occasion, but i prefer it for a stay at home/bed time fragrance only because it last 3 hours on my skin. I purchased mine in the other bottle, which isn't on this database. This was another blind buy for me and I'm not disappointed.

Scent: 10/10
Packaging: 7/10
Performance: 6/10

Despite having notes in common with Le Petite Robe Noir or Lolita Lempicka such as almond, anise, vanilla, iris & violet, they smell nothing alike. The almond in this is not at all gourmand, sweet, cherry-like or amaretto- it’s very dry, like sliced or ground almonds. Iris is very powdery and not at all earthy or waxy (although it’s slightly buttery in the drydown), but is still prominent. The vanilla lends a touch of sweetness, but is not sticky whatsoever. I was surprised at how crisp and citrusy this fragrance is at first. Musk is also very detectable. I think this smells very much like Nivea cream with a touch of floral sweetness and powder turned up to 100.
My expectation of L’instant Magic was flipped on its head when I finally smelled it. Based on the notes, I anticipated something totally different but am pleasantly surprised. This is very easy to wear, for any age, and inoffensive, but you’ve got to be a powder lover to enjoy it :)
As an aside, the packaging and marketing for this is very fitting. Pale pink is a perfect color to match this scent (it’s a personal pet peeve when the name and marketing are nothing alike!)

Comforting and creamy almond-iris-anis-musk perfume. This feels glamorous and comforting at the same time. Really smooth well blended enjoyable composition. Guerlain makes good quality perfumes.

A story on masochism
I had my eye on this for quite some time now. So naturally seeing it on offer on ebay I just had to get it despite previously convincing myself that pursuing discontinued fragrances is pointless. But who am I to say no to a bit of masochism? Now, truth be told, I did expect to like this based on the note pyramid and reviews, similar fragrances I like, etc. Secretly however I was actually hoping to dislike it slightly because of the anise and pronounce with a superior tone of voice "what's the big deal about this?" and sentence it to mediocrity. I almost wanted to celebrate my self-control for not pursuing vintages and hard-to-get items. Yeah... that did not happen. Boy, was I stupid... I am now both in love and heart-broken. Take my advice, don't go running for discounted fragrances.
This is elegant and magic (I'm so creative and original, right? I know)! The iris and violet and heliotrope (?) are so so so dreamy, like a starry night. I am hooked!

Dessert Powder

The lovely and innocent L'Instant Magic, so simple, comforting, and soft.

I am really becoming aware that Guerlain has to put dessert/gourmand notes in almost everything they do, as a house, and L'IM is no exception.

The predominant note here, make no exception, is powder. POWDER! In fact when I put it on my husband immediately commented, not meanly, "Did you put a bunch of baby powder on?"

I'd rather think that this is some sort of fantastical kitchen powder though used for desserts. To me the powder smells like sugared vanilla almond powder, with the barest hints of citrus in the top notes, then a sweet underlying floral mimosa in the middle, and as the base emerges a hint of darkened sandalwood, musk, and cedar. (I for one can hardly smell any iris, except maybe at the beginning.)

There are just hints of other things though, like I said this is mostly a powder scent. It has a emotional feel of wearing a clean, soft blanket, being warm and safe, being loved and happy. L'IM is very linear but it immerses you in a good feeling and I like that a lot.

That, and practically speaking this is a "SFW" scent and nowadays that's not a bad thing, to have something to wear that won't challenge anyone, and if accused to being perfumed you can just say that you put on baby powder after your shower that morning.

I own a decanted large sample from a generous giveaway from olgaolga18.

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Tested on a pair of very hot summer days.

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While on me this starts confusing, like a mismatch of notes, after a little while it dries down and settles into a warm gourmand-ish sweet vanilla-almond-woods mix.

It's comfortingly sweet, not sickening or sticky. I don't think it is complex enough for me to want a full bottle, but I will enjoy this sample on some days :)

I always receive many compliments when I wear this beautiful fragrance. Well balanced, powdery and soft. It reminds me of another cypré, Carita EDP

This is a fluffy pink pillow or kitten...lol but seriously this is an angelic scent. Does anyone remember Baby Magic lotion? This smells exactly like it. It's lotion and powder mixed together. The color is perfect, pink soft and fluffy.

Yes, it does smell like baby powder but sometimes I want to smell like that without looking like I rolled around in chalk.

One of THE BEST poudre perfumes EVER
Smells like body cream or sun blocker
reminds me exactly when i put the sun blocker on beach in the summer
will always remain one of my favorite scents ever

Smells like overpriced baby powder. If you're willing to pay Guerlain prices for a soft powder scent, go for it, I guess.

I received this fragrance in a swap from a generous fragrantica member. This perfume is very sweet and powdery from the start and dries down to a lovely cold cream scent.

It goes in a totally different direction than L'Heure Bleue from the start despite having iris and violet as well as other notes in common. This is quite a lovely fragrance. The dry down is exquisite as it smells like a lightly sweet, citrusy, creamy almondy sandalwood musk. -

If you are into powdery floral musky smell, then I’ll suggest you go for this perfume... wore it to work today but got no compliment

L' Instant de Guerlain Magic feels like a more effervescent version of the original. It opens with some citrus but settles into a very pleasant signature scent. This could easily be worn all year round. I agree with the previous review that it can be quite similar to Insolence.

Soft, cloudy, warm, nostalgic, sweet and innocent.

Smells exactly like the small sugar covered anise sweets came with sugar covered almonds I used to get as a child. They were tiny, even smaller than small pearls, came in soft colours like pink, purple, white and maybe some cornflower blue. They were not sugary at all and smelled more than they tasted actually. The tiny sweets always brought a sweet breeze of anise and almonds. This is the feeling I get from L`instant Magic. Pastel purples, pinks and whites... Iris, violet, freesia and herbs and nuts.


While LM is not the most mysterious and seductive scent you would come across, it definitely has its charms. You simply cannot get tired of it and it comforts you like a clean and fluffy pillow. I have never experienced that before.

It is powdery for sure but baby powder is far from that in my opinion. First of all it does not suffocate you like a typical powder smell. It does get a tiny bit dusty at the dry down and to me this is the only negative thing about LM.

Bought a small bottle a few days ago and have been spraying endlessly. Weird that I never get sick of it. Think I started getting already a bit afraid that it might be discontinued. This is something I would always like to have in my collection.

This is pretty but I dont get all the hype about it. Its powdery iris on me. It actually smells almost exactly how Insolence EDP smelled on me. I dont think there is anything to dislike but its really a boring scent. Its got good sillage & longevity. Its a well made perfume, of course, I dont think Ive met a Guerlain that wasnt well made. Its just pretty & ok to me, nothing more.
Edit: So I just picked my son up from school & the first words out of his mouth were.."Gross! Why does it smell like baby powder in here!" So yeah, I think maybe I wont be wearing this again.

I just received a big sample of this from a very generous fragrantician. I kept putting it in my wish list and taking it down and didn't want to risk a blind buy because of the almond note.
All the reviews are right: baby products, warm and fuzzy, comforting scent that makes me think of late autumn or winter, cozy white blankets and fluffy turtlenecks, hugs and being happy with your loved ones. It has that magical feeling, butterflies in your stomach when you think of Christmas presents, it gives me a very tingly feel.
As she warned me, don't get fooled by the opening, it's not great, it's not remarkable, you need to wait for the dry down, even respray again and get the layered dry down. That's when the magic happens. Although it's magical in a way, it has to be loved for what it is, a simple scent, nothing complicated in this, and I tend to gravitate towards more intriguing scents. A must have in my book, but it will have to wait for cooler weather, not that it would be strong for spring summer, just the imagery it gives is wintery.

L Instant Magic has cast a spell over me. I am obsessed with this fragrance. Several years ago I set out on a journey to find a ' powdery perfume '. Many visits to Sephora and Saks, but no luck. Having read the reviews on this one, I decided to take the leap of faith and order it. What a happy surprise. This was the one I was looking for all these years. The perfect powder scent.

I am going to review the new bottle. This is heaven for people who love powdery and clean scents. It smells like baby Johnson shampoo. Do I recommend it for everyone? No, as some people might find the scent pleasing, but not worth the price. I must say that this perfume is a safe blind buy.

L Instant Magic (new bottle)
Beautifull scent, feminine and classy. Can be the scent of angels. For all occasions. The negative side is weak sillage.

This drydown is uncannily similar to habit rouge edp...very lemon-y

This is purple powder of the angels. I can imagine princess Diana wearing this. The smell strikes me as radiant empathy and love but high class at the same time. It winks at you like a diamond on an antique broach.

A really big fan of the scents from Guerlain.
This one is no exception
Powdery, almonds vanilla, violets and musk.
This is pure magic !
Feminine, sophisticated and classy.
Longevity and silage is perfect.
The drydown is way better than the opening on this one !

This review is about the old bottle.

When I first smelled this, I instantly thought: "This is the One.". I was on a quest to find a new signature scent, and refrained very hard to buy three bottles right away.

L'Instant Magic smells sweet from beginning to end - not in a warm or gourmand sense, despite the prominent almond, but in a calm, reassuring way. I find it quite linear, but in a good way. It smells intelligent, clean and demure, and lasts about 7 or 8 hours on my capricious skin. Projection is less than arm length, and it stays like a cocoon around your neck.

On the days I can't bear to leave my bed, it is the fragrance I always choose for its comforting, coldly sweet aura.

It's all about the drydown with this one. I don't enjoy the opening. Way too much sweet baby powder but if you can endure you'll be rewarded with a musky soft almond powdery delight. The powder never leaves but it does back off a couple of notches. It smells fresh and baby powder clean. Sits very close to the skin but longevity is of Olympic proportions.
One of my better blind buys. This didn't hit it out of the park, but I bet it'll get me to second base.
UPDATE: Its been almost a week now that I've had this and got to know the fragrance. I really do think it's one of the coziest scents. It's quality Guerlain juice. I don't find it linear but it also doesn't really morph, it just gets softer the more it dries down. And it's still a lovely soft almost soapy powder almond musk. I love it, especially at bedtime. I look forward to my slippers, bathrobe and this....perfection

The bee bottle is definitely lighter overall than the older one. It varies on me - sometimes musky baby powdery and sometimes musk and sandalwood.

I have to say on my skin this is an amped up version of parfum de coeur's skin musk oil.

Longevity is great, sillage is less than the older bottle but still quite good.

Breathing in this beautiful scent for the first time today, it struck me that Guerlain is THE master of powdery scents. Nobody does it better. Powdery evokes comfort and elegance for me. This is probably the ultimate comfort scent for me because it resembles Johnson’s Baby Oil to a T, with a dash of delicate almond. Precious, and gentle and almost heartbreakingly tender, Guerlain works it’s magic yet again.

I bought this perfume shortly after joining this site in 2011. I thought it was very pretty, used it up and really didn't think much more about it.

Fast forward to recent and I found myself thinking about this perfume again, after several years. I sought it out again and repurchased it. It's exactly how I remembered it; warm, cuddly vanilla with powdery iris and sweet almonds. One thing about Guerlain's perfumes is that they never really leave your mind...or your nose; they're just so classic.

I have the original L'Instant as well, which is also lovely. L'Instant Magic is dreamy and soft, like a warm blanket on a cold, dreary day. Do buy it if you love vanilla, almond and iris in your perfumes. It's powdery goodness! I'm glad to have this lovely back in my collection.

Imagine there was a flower smelling of old Nivea cream.
But more flowery.

That's how it smells.

Old Nivea Cream + almond + daffodil(?).


Scent of safety, cuddly like a flanel shirt. If you like Nivea you should buy it blind.

As much as I am not so fond of the original L'Instant by Guerlain, I really like L'Instant Magic. This one is truly different. It has a signature.
Original L'Instant, although also beautiful, it has no uniqueness-at least to my nose.
L'Instant Magic is absolutely sheer heaven.

Guerlain L'Instant Magic 2007:

Having Already Tried Out The Original L'Instant edp When It Was Firstly Launched This Was An Instant NO"NO (A Loud Screaming Scrubber) That I Honestly Couldn't Wait To Wash Of My Skin,I Never Even Knew This Existed Until A Week Ago When I Was At The Guerlain Counter To Purchase My Eternal Love "Apres L'Ondee" & I Lifed This One By Mistake!! Blame The New Style Bee Bottles Only Noticing That The Juice Was Pink In Colour & Not The Usual Clear I'm Used To!! Putting The Spray Top To My Nose I Actually Couldn't Get Over How Beautiful This Perfume Actually Was!! Hunting For My Glasses To See What Was On The Label,The Beautiful Mature Lady On The Guerlain Counter Saw My Failed Endeavours & Came To Assist Me!! "That's L'Instant Magic ,Launched In 2007" & In My Own Honest Opinion It's Far Nicer & Over The Original L'Instant Which Just Doesn't Work On My Skin As This One Really Does!! "Well Im Likewise" I Said! Let Me Spray Some On This Tester Strip For You, Although It's Always Best To Try It Out Firstly On Your Skin etc!! You See When She Did That First Spray Nearly Lifted Me Up Out Of My Highheels!! O.M.G That Is Absolutely Beautiful Wow!! I Couldn't Stop Sniffing The Thin Strip Of Paper!! "Could You Spray Some On My Wrist Please" Which She Promptly Did!! & The Wonderful Aroma Gently Wafting Up To Greet Me!! "Let It Settle My Love For A Good 30-40 Minutes Before You Decide!! lol'lol'lol'lol'lol "I'm Actually Here To Purchase Apres L'Ondee As I Absolutely Adore It!! "Well In My Opinion Love, L'Instant Magic Is The Younger Sister Of Apres L'Ondee,As They Both Share Very Similar Ingredients In Their Structure,Although L'Instant Magic Starts With A Fresh Lemon Aroma At The Start,With Really Beautiful White Musk & Woody Aroma It Then Becomes A Soft Baby Powder Scent!! I Was Absolutely Intrigued!! Anyway I Purchased My Usual Apres L'Ondee & Put Another Spray Of L'Instant Magic At The Back Of My Neck & My Front & Left The Counter!!

Going Up On The Escalator To The Homewear Department Two Very Well Dressed Ladies Behind Me Promptly Claimed "I'm Only After Getting The Most Wonderful Waft Of Perfume Or Something Really Outstanding There!! I Smiled To Myself Saying mmmmmmmmmmm A Positive Reaction Already!! Then While Walking Around The Household Section A Girl Busy Stocking Out Said "O Wow What's That Really Beautiful Smell There" Greedily Sniffing At The Air!! & Yes Her Sniffing Landed To Me!! "Excuse Me,She Began But What Is That Amazing Perfume Your Wearing"?? I Laughed & Told Her!! "A Guerlain?? Your Kidding Me"!! "Well That Perfume Really Suites You, & Personally I'd Buy That Perfume As It's Outta This World"!! Im Going To Nip Down On My Break To Get A Squirt Myself,Thankyou For Telling Me The Name Of It"!! Around 50 Minutes Had Now Passed & Already So Many Positive Comments On It I Headed Back Downstairs To The Guerlain Counter To Make My Purchase & Then Head For Home!! "So Your Back Then Love" The Smiling Guerlain Lady Said, "I Had A Feeling That You'd Be Back To Make A Purchase"!! It Definitely Is A Really Beautiful Perfume,That I Own & Love Myself Too" She Added!! Well I'm Absolutely Thrilled With my New Purchase Of This Soft Musky Powdery Beauty That Lasts A Good 12 Hours On My Skin, & Even My Husband Absolutely Loves This Perfume When I Wear it!! If Like Me You Already Love & Use: Apres L'Ondee,Insolence,L'Heure Bleue Then This Deffo Needs To Be Firmly In Your Perfume Collection!! Simply Gorgeous!! & In My Opinion You Simply Can't Beat A Guerlain Fragrance Hands Down!! Pure Absolute Class In A Bottle!!

As much as I love the original L'Instant by Guerlain, I don't like this one at all.

I think it's the woody and musky notes in this one, maybe some spiciness as well, that really puts me off.

To me this is just a mix of different scents/notes that don't belong together. Kind of a mess.

Hopefully I'll grow to like this one day, since this is in all stores where I live (whereas the original L'Instant is very hard to find here - well, my taste never was similar to that of others anyway, as I always find my favourite fragrances, restaurants, youghurts, ice creams, candies etc. discontinued or closed…).

Oh, I'm a finicky little frolic. I go through my Chanel (only a few) phase, and think I'm in love. But when I come back to the house of Guerlain, I open that thick heavy wooden door, and therein I know I belong. I'm home. You feel the old leather, bump up against the wooden wardrobe, throw off your furs, kick your shoes off, slide in front of the sofa warming your frozen toes and feeling the tingling of your toes separating from your stockings. You can still smell this on yourself, especially as you are warming up. But before he arrives, you want to put that outer layer on for him to follow your trail to the cozy place in front of fire, whilst you lacquer lips up and hand him a glass of say....cognac

Oh, yes....this is that good.....I'm panicking because I have only a few drops of the precious elixir, but thank you to my friend, I'll have a new beauty to spray when the moon is full, and my heart is fluttering.....

You must never discontinue this.......that would make the blood run cold....

please......all women need to share this with their man....

I would say L'instant Magic is a perfect rococo style perfume. It reminds me of a half-naked girl in her boudoir, gentle morning sunshine, powdered wig, porcelain skin, love letters from her secret admirer....
If you love Shalimar or Anna Sui by Anna Sui, I reccomend you to try it.

I just want to thank Fragrantica reviewers for leaving glowing reviews for this perfume. I have never smelled this before, but went ahead and bought it (along with many other untried scents) based on what I’ve read here. I am so so pleased with this purchase. I spritzed this blind buy on my skin about an hour ago. I am so moved by how lovely this scent works with my chemistry, I couldn’t wait to leave this review. It feels light and smells heavenly. For people who like soft, powdery scents, please pick this up and try it. Barely 2 spritzes out of my bottle, and I’m already planning on buying a back up. I am anxious to try my other blind buys. I hope I like them at least half of how much I love this.

UPDATE: I wore it again today and the scent was much lighter and less complex. Maybe because it was hot and we were outdoors mostly. I still LOVE LOVE it, but I think yesterday's reaction must have been a result of accidental layering. I put on Salvatorre Ferragamo Dolce Fiore in the morning, which has good longevity on me, and when I got home in the afternoon, I sprayed some Prada Amande. There was still some very, very light scent on me when I sprayed L'Instant Magic before bedtime, around midnight. Maybe it was the combination of two or three of those, but the resulting scent was so wonderful and it lasted all night on my arms. I will try this again some other time and report back. It's going to be fun learning to layer with this perfume.

I got a vanilla yogurt smell from this perfume.

I love this parfume. It reminds me on granpa's shaving foam a bit. But I don't think it's negative at all. Thinking about it is like a wind from the past in an old theatre stage.It is so close to the skin,only very close people can feel it.

This might be the most beautiful thing I have ever smelled! Seriously. I may even change my signature (I will give it a season and decide since I have only worn it a few times.) Others have described L'Instant Magic better than I ever could as far as technical description. Just want to add that this is a scent for a princess, an elegant, selfless princess. I think of Princess Ann in that last scene in Roman Holiday whenever I smell it. No idea why...

@marco<3 Condivido la tua rabbia e la tua paura. Questo profumo è bellissimo. Che peccato.

Incredible. I never thought this would be so beautiful, so long-lasting. It's like the absolutely perfect perfume for me. Romantic, soft but with a real presence, and so perfect for any season, any venue. I cannot stop smelling my arm! Lovely. To me it's all Iris and almond and it is all I want to smell. Can't wait to get the parfum! My new favorite.

I don't think I've ever had such a pure, instant love in perfume before! This is such a beautiful, purple love! Powdery, musky ... sensational!

This is one of the best perfumes I ever had.So sensual and unique.I haven't smell something like this.This scent is so familiar to me and I don't know why .No one owned it in my family or friends.Indeed it is like a magic potion .It's name should be "potion or something like that. So gothic,vampy but in a classy way.It is sexy but not trashy.I simply adore it.If it was a colour it would be burgundy,dark red or dark purple.Love love love

I'm not good with notes but I find this very familiar, like maybe someone I knew wore this fragrance. I find it to powdery and almost to sweet for me. Scrubber... quick! This is going into the swap pile and I'm moving on to the next Guerlain sample!

L’instant Magic è un profumo prezioso.
Sapere che sia stato messo già una volta fuori produzione mi provoca rabbia e paura.
Rabbia perché non riesco a capire come sia possibile che una fragranza così magnifica possa essere messa fuori produzione e paura nel caso torni discontinuato.
Detto questo, il profumo è uno splendido blend di Mandorle, Iris, Fresia, Violetta e tanto tanto muschio e su di me le note bergamotto e limone si insediano fra quelle da me elencate, ricorda il mondo delle ciprie e del talco, è un incanto più che spiegato questo profumo va provato e poi successivamente fatto proprio.
Capolavoro

❤️

Not catchy at all( L'Instant is million times better in edp or edt. Insolence edp with iris and violet is much more catchy, too. This one is unnoticeable to me.

I love almond scents, and so it comes as no surprise that I also really like l'Instant Magic, which is a good representative of the category.

Firstly, and most importantly, the almond note is really well done here - it smells like marzipan without going overboard on the sweetness, which is exactly what I want from an almond scent. There is something just a little synthetic about it, but that seems to be hard to avoid with this note, and l'Instant Magic is better than most in that regard, so it's easy to forgive.
Otherwise, it's less bold than most almond fragrances I've tried before - instead of leaning heavily towards gourmand territory or being very powdery, this one has a soft, rather floral feeling to it, even a little soapy at times. Maybe just a little too subtle for my own personal taste, but very nice, and it also means it's more appropriate for year-round use.

All in all this is not my absolute favourite from this category, and not a hundred percent my thing, although I do really like it. Which means I'll probably stick with my small decant and be content with that - probably a blessing, if this has really been discontinued.

I hesitated to even try this because I found L’Instant screechy and harsh and also not a big musk fan. But... I’m glad I did. It’s nothing like it on me. It is not as dreamy and moody as LHB and not as floral as champs elysees. It’s like the lovechild of those two with more vanilla than either. I quite like it. For a modern perfume it smells kind of old school. Probably the iris and violet.. which I love. I don’t like overwhelming powder and I was scared from reviews that’s what I’d get... but on me it’s not. Sweet like vanilla cream not candy vanilla ... with purple flowers. Dries down very similar to Kenzo Amour but... less like rice pudding. A win for me.

Redoing this review. I revisited this and have really started to enjoy it as a calming bedtime scent. Soft, powdery, gentle. So interesting that a scent that can be off-putting one day can be so enjoyable the next.

"Love you, because you're so easy to love..." I can't quite remember if this is from a movie or from a song, but it was my immedite reaction when sniffing this perfume. :-)
It has practically all the elements i.e. flowers that I have loved most of my adult life (e.g. violet,freesia, mimosa) on a sandalwood, cedar base. (I'm a big, no, huge! Paris Springtime -perfume fan which explains a lot of my immediate love for this fragrance.) The only element that is missing from my usual favourites' list is the rose and the new extra element is the anise.
When I smell this I see spring flowers all around me. I feel I'm at a garden party, maybe at a graduation party or at a wedding with people dressed to their best. The main colour of the affair is lilac surrounded by other pastels.
Great longevity, can easily be oversprayed. Spring festivities in a bottle.

This is so feminime, gentle yet present perfume. There is something unspeakable attractive about this powdery, almondy, dreamy fragrance. This shall never be discontinued. Others can come and go, but this juice is a feeling of feminity until its last drop.
This is an adult smell, not for teenagers, but for mature woman (above 25), but I can already pull it off. :D Well, I also wear Poison and Coco Mademoiselle despite of my young age. :)
To sum up, you can wear L'instant magic if you want real magic and you dear to use it. ;)

I love this parfume! It's really beautiful.

I got a new bee bottle for Christmas gift. The juice inside is definitely reformulated. It's lighter now, less powdery too and doesn't last as long. It opens more citrusy and they must have added more musk as the drydown reminds me of this old school musk cologne my cousin used to wear 20+ years ago. I had an old version that I much, much prefer. But new one isn't bad either. It's still an amazing perfume that will always be in my collection.

I've held off from writing this review for some time - this perfume is so comforting and wonderful to me that I wasn't sure what to write about it. It's not a rational admiration or interest, here; it's pure emotional reaction and thus difficult to describe. First, a note on performance: this perfume has excellent longevity and moderate sillage. It certainly isn't 'soft' or negligible in terms of performance. You will carry the scent on your body all day, but in a fluffy cloud around you. You can detect all the notes within an arm's distance, but won't be blasting any rooms out. This is good because, overplayed, some of the notes here could be overpowering. Instead, the blend is perfect.

The first notes for me are green florals, sandalwood and marzipan. The iris, woods and almonds just sing together. It is soft and powdery - there is nothing shouting here - it's just a beautiful symphony of blended notes. The sweetness of the marzipan is tempered by the dry, cosy woods, and then the slightly bitter green note, which I think may be the combination of almond and iris. On dry-down, the iris becomes softer and more powdery, the almond remains sweet and edible throughout without ever being cloying, and the sandalwood is a sexy, comforting anchor.

Never underestimate the quiet ones - still waters run deep. This is the best almond perfume out there. The blend is masterful.

Not a whole lot to say that hasn't been said by other positive reviews. This is a great fragrance for powder LOVERS. If you just "like" powder, it might be too much for you. You really do have to love powdery, billowing, soft, fluffy, feminine fragrances to appreciate this. This has nothing to do with the original L'instant. The only thing the two have in common is they're both great Guerlain fragrances!

I personally dig it. Great silage and longevity. Guerlain quality for sure. It does kick off with a "fresh, clean baby" smell. The drydown after many hours surprisingly reminds me a bit of Hypnotic Poison... If HP had 3x as much powder as it does.I will say, I don't understand the reviewers saying there's no evolution to this fragrance because that hasn't been my experience at all. On my skin, it definitely takes a few twists and turns! Not boring nor linear. Anyway, I highly recommend if you're a powder lover. This goes from baby powder to cosmetics powder. As for packaging, I don't like the new bee bottle for this fragrance. I miss the old bottle. I do have L'instant in the old bottle. I should have looked for a older bottle of this one too. Oh well. The fragrance inside appears unaltered and that's what is most important.

I had a bottle of this and although I finished it, I wasn't sorry to see it go. Far, far too powdery for my taste. It reminded me of baby toiletry products mixed with face powder, all relatively inoffensive smells, but not what I want in a perfume. If you love the smell of baby powder/lotion and enjoy all things powdery, then this could be your HG, but it just isn't my thing. I know people adore Guerlain and that distinct creamy denseness they all possess, but I prefer something fresher and more vibrant regardless of the occasion or season.

لمن يعشق رائحة الاطفال
لمن يشتاق لضمهم .. وهل هنالك اجمل من تلك الرائحة البريئة
لينستانت ماجك
..
ابحثوا عن هذا الاصدار وهذه الزجاجة فهي اجمل من الجديدة

I’m a huge fan of the original L’Instant; on my skin it’s an incrediby strong, honeyed and creamy powderbomb that lasts for ages. L’Instant Magic, on the other hand, is a much subtler scent; it’s all about sweet almond, vanilla and iris. It’s soft and pretty, but rather unremarkable. For those who prefer subtler scents, L’Instant Magic is certainly a winner; and for those who love their fragrances super-bold and insolent (myself included), the original is much, much better.

I would say this is a very unique perfume. It’s a very delicate fragrance. At first a little sharp but rounds off to a pleasant silky waft. I think this would be divine to wear to bed. It’s comfortingly delicate.

Edit: This truly is only a whisper of a perfume. If you like actually smelling your own perfume (like myself), I wouldn't bother with this one. Lolita Lempika for Her would be a much better option than this I would say. Soft and dreamy but with a little oomph.

Edit: This is one of my favourite perfumes now. It grew on me...a lot

I have to thank the lovely lady at the Guerlain counter in Zurich airport for introducing me to this beauty.

She was nattering away to me while I shamelessly tried out all the gorgeous Guerlains I had no intention of buying, and right at the end she whipped out a bottle of L'Instant Magic and asked if I'd ever tried it.

Now, I cannot stand L'Instant. It is one of the few Guerlain perfumes that makes me feel genuinely sick (along with Idylle). I really, really despise it. So I was very reluctant. But she was very persistent, said I had to try it and sprayed a little strip which I put in my handbag.

I was flying to Spain and I remember feeling all cosy and lovely on the flight because of the big spray of Mitsouko I had on one wrist. But later in the day, when the Mitsouko had faded, I opened my bag and this delicious, vanillic, lipstick-and-powder aroma filled the air.

This has to be the ultimate powdery perfume. Its so deliciously feminine, soft and soothing. Divine.

The new Bee bottle is so beautiful! Got it yesterday from Douglas. The juice is also very elegant and feminine- I smell violets, almond and powder. But the surprising part is the dry down - in the evening already in bed I sprayed 5-6 generous spritz and fell asleep. In the morning I woke up wrapped by the most tender musk I've smelt- and I generally dislike all musks and avoid musk perfumes.
Very pleased with this purchase!

The loveliest, most evocative, soft, powdery lipsticky vintage at a reasonable price tag ever. I could add some superfluous adjectives such as intensely feminine, ethereal, exquisitely tender, ambrosial...and although well deserved, it might look a bit like showing off. Seriously, this is heavenly, enough said.

رائحة تشبه باودر الاطفال

Johnson&Johnson soap - but in the best way possible!

L'Instant Magic opens with violet and honey, but not sickening sweet, rather dense floral honey scent. Then I feel luxury retro lipstick scent and powder. At this point, it reminds me of soft Chanel No.5, which is a huge plus from me. After an hour there is a distinct Johnson&Johnson soap (or baby wipes, I refer to soap because I currently have J&J soap with very similar scent).
I don't think L'Instant Magic is a seductive scent or evening scent. It is just another good Guerlain! I am happy that Guerlain is the benchmark for quality in perfumery and created so well-blended fragrances, always keeping that guerlinade note.

I wouldn't mind smelling like baby wipes but this is straight up Baby Johnson talc. They could've tweaked it up or made something special and original of it. Just boring to me.

I am having a little love affair with this. Yes it smells sort of like baby wipes/powder but also there is something about it that is just so so sweet (not sickly sweet flavor, sweet like "endearing") and very feminine. It's strong but not cloying and it lasts forever!! A very comforting scent to me that won't fade for many hours. If you like powdery scents try this! It's not boring and it's blended very well.

I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not being able to like this, since it was not easy to find. I probably should have know better as I'm not a huge fan of iris and this is overwhelmingly iris dominated as indicated by the votes. It's this iris note that connects it to the original, which I also had a few reservations about. I also pick up a very distant association to Insolence in the violet, and perhaps a hint of Champs Elysees in the mimosa, almond, vanilla combo. Overall, I get a soft makeup powder and lipstick scent that must be popular and likeable to most people, otherwise cosmetics would smell like somethings else, but to me it's a blind buy fail.

Sorry to say that I don't think this up to Guerlain standards I've become accustomed to. It's got little depth and does indeed smell like baby wipes and quite obviously, I'm not wanting to smell like a baby changing room! I do definitely get a L'Instant signature but much prefer the L'Instant EDP and EDT over this. I'm also surprised it bears the EDP label as I find it quite light and more EDT like.
It's pretty enough, yes but it's too tame and simple for my tastes. I'll stick with my elixirs and the better Guerlains.
It's certainly a 'like' but not a 'love'.

Sorry to say that I don't think this up to Guerlain standards I've become accustomed to. It's got little depth and does indeed smell like baby wipes and quite obviously, I'm not wanting to smell like a baby changing room! I do definitely get a L'Instant signature but much prefer the L'Instant EDP and EDT over this. I'm also surprised it bears the EDP label as I find it quite light and more EDT like.
It's pretty enough, yes but it's too tame and simple for my tastes. I'll stick with my elixirs and the better Guerlains.
It's certainly a 'like' but not a 'love'.

TLDR: Guerlain's fragrance game is weak here.
The reason I purchased a sample of L'Instant Magic is Randa Hammami, the perfumer who also created Mon Precieux Nectar extrait, that discontinued bitter almond, bergamot, vanilla and white musk blanket that makes me feel as delicious as a French confection. Some blogger mentioned a similarity. I can assure you with absolutely no doubt: there is none.
The most prominent top note is one I have also found in Versace Crystal Noir, Perris Monte Carlo Ylang Ylang Nosy Be EDT, and some designer men's colognes. It spoofs a warm, sort of vaguely citrus feeling and is blatantly synthetic to my nose. The rest of the pyramid is weak and powdery.

The blogger was Monsieur Guerlain. Monsieur, how could you betray me!?

"When Randa Hammami was commissioned to make a L'Instant Magic, only loosely related to L'Instant, she got the idea to infuse an overdose of white musks into some of Guerlain's finest players, bergamot, rose, sandalwood and bitter almond, the latter smelling somewhere between marzipan, cherry brandy and roasted nuts. The result combined the chewy taste of an amaretto macaron with a weightless, sensual silk-gown smoothness, so uniquely attractive as to be appointed new Guerlain signature. "I have nicknamed it the Musquinade in a playful reference to the Guerlinade," said Sylvaine Delacourte, "because both have this typical Guerlain DNA, which means an audacious overdose of certain raw materials, very beautiful natural ingredients that confer a signature, and a trail that is immediately recognizable."

Moral: While it's okay to let marketing develop an idea, it's unwise to allow them complete ownership over the perfume development (looking at you, Sylvaine Delacourte). It is a travesty to use "chewy" and "audacious overdose of raw materials" to describe whatever the fuck this is.
Summary: about the same level of magic as instant coffee. Guerlain needs to stealth it off the shelves, do a Nombre Noir landfill on this sucker, and let Thierry and Delphine have a go at rehabbing it. Since they would be turning lead into gold, call it L'Instant Alchemy.

Guerlain L'instant magic is in my wishlist for a long time even before testing it as I love L'instant edp and edt and I love powder so there was a big chance for loving magic too.now I have a sample of L'instant magic so I can see whether it really deserves a place in my wishlist or not
It definitely does and even more.I have to buy it before fall arrives(maybe even sooner.it would be nice for cool spring evenings like today)
Guerlain L'instant magic has almost nothing to do with L'instant sisters(edp & edt)but at the same time I can feel it belongs to L'instant family .the only thing they have in common is vanilla.a similar type of cozy,not sugary sweet,powdery vanilla which is very pleasant.magic is as powdery as it's pyramid suggests.when first sprayed I can pick up anise,very soon almond and vanilla showup and last all through it's life.I have couple of other almondy vanilla perfumes but there's something more here.there's powdery Musky flowers(I can't detect violet,instead there's plenty of iris,mimosa and a touch of musk)and creamy woods.becomes better and better as time passes and it's everything I'm always looking for in a powdery scent.a combination of gourmand powder,baby powder,makeup powder,muskyflowery clean powder and warm cream as a base.it's delicious,smooth,cuddly and feels very "me".my taste in perfume changes a lot but my love for this type of powdery almondy vanilla scents never dies.l'instant magic deserved to be discovered and tested much sooner,now that I know that I LOVE it,I need to have it ASAP.I can see that it's not everyone's cup of tea but it needs to remain in production as it's one of the bests of guerlain.so soft and comforting,original,charming,wearable in various situations,such a well-balanced powdery heaven
❤❤❤❤❤

Just got this today and I am IN LOVE!!!!!! Smells very much like baby oil/baby powder on me. This may be my new signature scent. I am not very good at picking out distinct notes, but this smells soooooo good -- have on for about an hour and it is beautiful. Very non-offensive, no headache inducing thickness. Smells like clean fresh very feminine skin. Been looking for this for years!!!!!

Beautiful clean feminine fragrance. An absolute crowd pleaser!

Very strange that such a complex set of notes would translate into baby wipes :-/ not impressed

I just got a 50ml from Overstock.com!! And I had a coupon, with free shipping, so it was about $59 total.
Def back in production, and available from discounters like Fragrancenet and Overstock.

I'm a gourmie freak, but I love L'Instant EDP for the honey (the EDT is just an average like)... and actually I blind bought this before I remembered it's the rare Elixir that is more gourmie.

The cap/nozzle from the new box smells exactly like baby wipes. Man... I hate overly powder scents- and baby wipes are such a generic smell.
But-- the tissue test reveals much more depth. A sweet powder floral.... I smell possibilities. Will report back after a proper winter wear!

Even when a Guerlain scent isn't my "thing"-- I end up liking them. Beautiful quality perfumes! <3

About 2 hours later... something is sweet-powder-- like a vintage lipstick. I can't wait to put this on! <3 (This reminds me of the new L'Ange Noir by Givenchy for that lipstick smell)

I do like this!! I got a lot of almond on a proper wear, and it reminded me of Forbidden by Police-- which I love!

They couldn't restock it so they sent a refund :(

I absolutely love this fragrance, it's my signature scent. I bought a bottle after going to a department store in search of something for my wedding. My signature scent before this was Vintage by Kate Moss, this is so much better but still reminds me of that fragrance. I'd like to buy this in Australia but have had trouble finding it, I was however able to buy from a website and got it for less than  $100 including postage, score! Any idea when it will be released here again and for how long will it be around?

Deppaholic, you can buy it in the duty free shops of the airports.

Simply the Best ..
Better than All the Rest!

@Nahema,
thank you for this wonderful news, this means that I will be able to bathe in it again!:)))))

@malinkonija
L'Instant Magic has been reissued by Guerlain. It now comes in an entirely transparent flacon, the same shape but without the black rim.

it's very warm, cozy and beautiful perfume. I like it but I don't love it so much. I loooove insolence in this house tho.

As a faithful lover of "L'instant", I was very curious to discover one of its flankers, "L'instant magic". Fortunately, I found a small sample of it at home.

It is a sweet musky perfume that smells like cotton on me. This creates an overall feeling of comfort - I had the impression that I was wrapped in my bed sheets all day when I tried it. The presence of the bitter almond enhances this aspect, as it brings another cozy element to the composition.

"L'instant magic" is perhaps a bit simple in comparison to the original. In fact, it conveys very different impressions. The alliance between vanilla, musk and almond has become quite common in perfumery, so one can complain this perfume has nothing distinctive. It's very pleasant, though - not cloying for the least, nor sugary. The creators have used vanilla with moderation, which is a good point.

Not a signature perfume, for sure, but very agreeable occasionally.

What a beauty this is! Today I was going through my perfume collection and I stumbled onto Magic which I haven't worn in a while.It reminds me of Valentina Poudre only Magic is much better.
This is sweet and wonderfully powdery that almond is just divine when you spray it on skin you are sourrounded by this beautiful cloud of powdery vanilla on me this lasts all day becoming a lovely skin scent after about four hours

GORGEOUS JUST GORGEOUS!!! on my skin it smells very soft and close to my skin it smells on me as if it was my natural scent (don't know if that makes sense lol) the only thing i hate about it is that it doesn't last at all

@z.mayad: I think it is :(

Despite being a powdery woody floral musk, L'Instant Magic is all abrasive sharp corners on me. I've had this bottle for years and have worn it maybe 5 times total--only when I have a strong need to be jabbed in the nose with my perfume.

I think it's the type of iris that they use--a super silvery, slivery iris, surrounded by starched floral notes. There is nothing soft or even earthy here--it's all 2D, intensive, stripped "clean" floral notes.

As it dries it becomes super powdery, not musky, but that too is abrasive, it reminds me of scented washing powder for some reason.

I actually kind of like this, it is so aggressively clean on my skin...it is interesting but not a love for sure. Still, sometimes I feel compelled to wear this, this is the type of iris fragrance that I call "Ice Queen." Unlovely for sure.

Like tea with ice, lemon and sugar
After a single contact with edt say it smells okay.
Safe, on summer days, like tea with ice, lemon and sugar. But there is no sweetness of sugar, which operates a plus. With many of the ingredients is magnolia, jasmine, grapefruit and apple - make a nice bouquet. There is no stompleg. I would recommend to people who need democratic perfume to work. For me to like a very safe scent just as Armani Mania is bright but nothing extraordinary.
EDP version is milder as baby wipes

Unfortunately this just turns to a baby wipes smell on me :(

I just got this in a limited edition bottle of this. This reminds me a little of A lab on Fire what we do in Paris is secret. Very powdery and I think loud. I only sprayed a little on my hand to test and bam. I think it will be one of those frags that I spray and walk into as opposed to a direct hit.

Yesss!!! Got a large bottle of this lovely for Christmas and I've been in powdery, almondy iris heaven!! Merry Christmas to me!

Definitely feminine and definitely has lasting power, at least on my skin, I get a violet musk from this after about 15 minutes. There's also an odd note that leaves a slight black pepper impression in my nose (maybe the anise?) - LOVE that!

This is gorgeous and worlds better than the original L'Instant which completely underwhelmed me.
Gorgeous & girly, I like this in winter but something tells me the warmth of the spring sun will also do wonders with this perfume.

I'm planning on wearing it year round. ;)

I have not tried the original L'Instant. I have never seen it in any store anywhere for some reason. Therefore I can’t comment on any similarities or differences when it comes to this flanker. I would of course update if I ever do try it.

Magic starts strongly with violet and honey. It’s a bit sharp yet somehow also almost sticky sweet (vanilla, a note I resent more often than not). The overall impression is of baby wipes at this stage. A little sharp, musky, and iris-powdery. I like the scent more on the dry down it becomes gentler and smoother. A rose note comes through and so does almond which begins to become the predominant note. Lasting power is ok, eventually dries down to a vanillic makeup powdery skin scent.

This fragrance is sweet and very innocent smelling, with the classical baby powder note combination of rose, musk, and vanilla. Past the sharp first hour or so this scent is pretty, but Guerlain has superior violet perfumes than this one. I prefer Apres L'ondee.

finally I got it
love it, it´s so original smell beautiful
half bottle went off very fast
one of my favorite
I can´t described the fragrance thou
powdery but not dry and not plastic
wet powdery little bit lemon-almond cookie

it's powdery almond clean fragrance. I love it and it will be good on men too because it gives clean classy aura.

L'instant Magic is powder heaven; every note in it smells like it is finely milled from the almonds, the mimosa, the fluffy violets, the sandalwood, vanilla, everything is so fine that it is smells powdery, cloud like, wispy, like magic! It smells cold, soft, and sweet, a bit confectionery but not overwhelming. If one were to wear this, they would most likely be a snow queen or an ice fairy.

L'Instant Magic is a must for those who love powdery perfumes, and almonds.

Dusty, sparkly vanilla is what centers the scent for me - the violets are soft ones, not overpowering.

Overall it's a powder scent, but I'm getting the bergamot and floral notes in happy sunny little waves. Almond is pretty discrete to me and lends sweetness but doesn't feel like an almond-centric scent.

Not a cold fragrance as the notes might indicate, it actually feels warm and light yet somehow complex throughout the first couple hours. Feeling some lovely soft bites of citrus folded into the warm vanilla powder~

Beautifully balanced, high quality and a new favorite!

At first spritz, and for about 15 minutes, this smells like boring, empty white florals on me.

Then after about half an hour the iris blooms beautifully with the violet and there is an odd pepper-like note lingering in my nose. It's delightful! Must be the anise mixing with the cedar? In any case it's like nothing else in my collection and I'm loving it!
A light sweetness that never becomes cloying or "saccharine sweet" on my skin. Very feminine and pretty.

Asking for a full-sized bottle on this year's Xmas list. This is perfectly designed for the cold weather and I look forward to wearing it more often. :)

At first I was disappointed but the more I wore it the more it grew on me. I thought initially it was too weak - for a Guerlain, anyway -, but while it is a very discreet one, it's always there, lasting throughout the day, always comforting and making me want to smell myself. That L'Instant Magic doesn't ever "try to hard" is part of it's charm.

It is definitely softer, less "edible", more clean smelling than something like Mondorlo di Sicilia by Acqua di Parma, which always brings to mind delicious French pastries. I would say the almonds are there just for support and added texture, but it's the soft and gentle powdery floral notes that are really what L'Instant Magic are about. The vanilla is very gentle and non-cloying. The result evokes European elegance and spring-like romanticism but understated and laidback enough that it works equally well for the office as for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Uno dei miei profumi preferiti. Sa di infanzia in modo adulto, ed è mandorlato ma non alimentare: semplicemente dolce ed elegante. All'inizio la freschezza saponosa del bergamotto su vaniglia e violetta mi ricorda uno shampo per bimbi, e avverto distintamente anche l'anice. Segue una fase in cui su di me predomina la mandorla, ed è la nota che più rimane su sciarpe e vestiti. Infine, una scia morbida e persistente di cameretta di bambina: bambole, talco, legno e tulle, vaniglia. Prezioso!

Wear it and I will fall in love with u. promise

soft violet powder cloud
so fairy like

A good friend actually handed me an 80ml bottle of this because she was not fond of it. It's my most expensive free perfume in my stash. Lovely elegant fragrance.

This perfume, alongside with Shalimar Parfum Initial, is the definition of modern Guerlain. If I were a 100% Guerlain Girl, I'd wear these two all the time;)
It's perfectly smooth, inoffensive-vanillic, powdery and extremely elegant. I've had a lot of compliments on this one and even considered it my temporary-signature 3 years ago. It's not really a crowd-pleaser as it's not too popular but definitely suitable just for any occasion. It is both refrained and sexy, business and party type of scent. I can't imagine my wardrobe without it, I adore it especially in late autumn when the leaves have fallen, when the sky is grey and foggy and the winter is just round the corner...

P.S. It is nothing like Kate Moss Vintage which I also have and like - it's not spicy at all while Vintage is.

The strongest note is iris, spicy iris. Fades quiet quickly. And on the other hand narciso rodriguez is very strong.

Call me crazy but I prefer this to the original.

My love of Hypnotic Poison has made me obsess over almonds so as soon as I checked out the notes, I knew i was going to blind buy this.
On initial spray I knew that I owned another perfume that was extremely similar...It was Kenzo Amour!
It's not 'like for like' as L'instant Magic is extremely powdery and I mean that In the best way, It's Guerlain after all but for me they definitely have the same 'feel'.
Such a calming perfume, I don't find it sexy it's like a hug in a bottle. Ahh sweet, dusty almonds. Gorgeous!!

I love the original L'Instant de Guerlain for women, but found it too feminine for my taste (as a guy). It's a lovely honeyed amber, but it screamed on my skin. When I heard this was being discontinued (SAD SAD SAD), I looked on here at the notes and took a chance. A friend told me I would like it (knowing my style). I have it in the parfum and the EDP. The parfum is in a beautiful stopper bottle, and it's a very powdery scent, and musky. The licorice note is just right (but I understand many did not like this). This is a beautiful scent that I wish wasn't discontinued!

I have L'instant and just had this one rsvp'ed to me. Well, whatever the reason some don't like, is the reason I love. On me, it's oh so ladylike, so dainty, so delicate, so feminine. I love love love. Powdery, yes. Sweet, well not sweet like sugar, just sweet in how you would love to smell if you knew Elvis Presley was coming up to walk past you, and this just might be what makes him stop and give you a kiss. Yes, this is very lovely. It is not in your face, not harsh, not room dominance commanding. I think I'm in love. This is going to my top 5 list. Yes yes. Thank you, thank you very much!

Mmmm....I am, admittedly, a Guerlain lover. This lovely, gorgeous scent is no exception. This was recommended to me as I was looking for an almondy scent, and sadly this did NOT fit the bill on me. I think I'm just out of luck with the almond note, it rarely even shows up on my skin--not sure why. So for me, this scent starts out all bergamot and vanilla---bright and sweet, a hint of tart and sort of powdery from the get go (the powdery is due to the iris, of course, and is lovely but not overpowering). The drydown is a bit of rose, a bit of sandalwood, and a lot of soft musk. It is GORGEOUS. It has the traditional Guerlain feel to it (thank you, citrus!!) and overall it combines sweet, sexy, and cozy in a fantastic scent. If you can hunt this down, DO IT. You will not regret it!

As I said in my other review L'instant Magic is my second favorite after L'instant. It is very different not another version of L'instant. It is very sweet but light and airy at the same time. Usually sweet perfumes are heavy not this one. It's very light and I think many people who want to try sweet yummy perfume but afraid of heaviness will appreciate this one. I think it is a paradox in itself. It is innocent and sexy at the same time, it changes back and forth like woman's mood. It's magical. My boyfriend hates perfumes he has headache from the most but not this one it's very contemporary

I had long been reluctant to get this as I have Kate Moss Vintage. But now I can say that this is the daddy !! Insane longevity and strength. As some reviewers noticed this scent is a bit of a chameleon. There was a lot of almond in the beginning then it became very flowery and then there was a bit of an awkward almost baby powder moment. Finally it went back to almond. I think this really delivers if you love almonds and powdery scents. However if you aren't so keen on the powder you may want to try Vintage. I need to try them side by side but I seem to remember that vintage has more citrus in it and I will probably reserve vintage for warmer days for that reason.

Not almond, but bitter almond. An overpowering amount of it. A bit of rose and a general flowery accord. Powdery, but not too much so. The colour pink comes to mind, but it would be a dusty pink to go with this perfume. It doesn't smell Guerlain to me.

I'd say this is firstly powdery (very), then flowery and sweet. Weeeeell, it actually depends a bit on where you put it: it smells only sweet powder if you spray it where your skin is most often dry, like on the wrists. If you put it where the skin tends to get damp, you will get absolutely beautiful magnolia flowers and almonds. Magnolia gives a very slightly aquatic feel, but the powder definitely keeps this from being aquatic. You can in that sense customize it to your needs. Otherwise, this is definitely a winter scent - in the summer it is... Choking - cannot find any better description. It's too powder-heavy and somehow acts like a thick, warm duvet around you - not what you want in hot weather. This is very long-lasting on me: ONE spray is easily enough to last over 12 hours. The sillage, you might think, is moderate, but this reaches further than you think. So yeah, don't overdose it, or you will easily fall out of love with this one.

Oh my, this one is a beauty

A total blind buy for me, based purely on reviews here. I had high hopes, and they have been met, and exceeded.

A gorgeous, warm, comforting kind of bliss. Very powdery yes, but a grown up powdery - as others have said, this is not your daughters perfume. Strong, yet not in your face.

I can't imagine it would work in summer, definitely a scent for cooler weather.

I will be buying more than one backup of this treasure

@Englishrose4 - I totally agree.
This perfume is stunning.
Powdery, sweet, creamy, almondy and very VERY strong.
It is 100% feminine. Sexy, yes, but not loud and cheap - on the opposite : sweet, soft and charming.


I have never smelled anything like this.
The perfumes listed as similar don't have the beauty and power of L'Instant Magic.

Wearing it you project the statement:
I am a woman! And I love it!

Englishrose4 describes this best so I won't repeat. This one is truly magic and I was actually hesitant to buy it when I saw the word powdery over and over. This is powdery done right, you just want to wrap yourself in it. I think that it's something about the almond. It makes you feel warm and cozy yet beautiful which is a rare combination. I love everything about it. I stocked up on this gem since it is discontinued. Autumn is the perfect time to wear this beauty. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.

I emailed Guerlain to ask whether this perfume is being continued, their response was as follows "Unfortunately, the fragrance L'Instant Magic will be discontinued from the Guerlain range of products at the end of this year. " Such a shame!

I thought I’d read references to luxury face cream in regards to this fragrance and that is what it reminded me of as soon as the top notes settled down! Not that that is bad by any means – but I’m not sure if I want to wear it as a perfume! But yes – it reminded me strongly of some Estee Lauder Face creams I’d sampled years ago… in fact, if someone had told me then that this perfumes had the same scent as those creams, I would have begged, borrowed and stolen to get hold of it! Anyway, although I was a bit hesitant about the ‘face cream’ stage, the dry down was much more what I expected from Guerlain – a soft, creamy and luxurious vanilla with sweet florally/spicy accents. The longevity was superb as I sprayed it on my wrist last night and I could still smell it as a skin scent this morning before I showered!

what there is about this one fragrance? why soooo many and soo good reviews? I can't see there nothing moore than Just a vanilla bomb! and vanilla in not very good "shape" ! not expensive smelling vanilla, but blast and sythetic vanilla and it is it about this perfume....?

Such a beauty...

Just gorgeous! A classic, without a doubt.

Although overall a powdery fragrance, LIM is very complex and so well-blended I'm totally fascinated, and mystified at the same time. That's the "magic" part I guess! This fragrance wafts. Don't know how else to put it. It's waves of delightful fragrance impressions, yet never muddled, but softly purposeful, extremely well-balanced. Femininely rounded, in perfect harmony at all times.

Opens with soft citrus notes spiked with anise, yet so smoothly and softly powdered there are no "high" notes. The rose accord is there, but so gently honeyed with the barest musk, you have to play hide-and-seek to single it out. Almond is descernable, but certainly not predominant. Almond can be sharp, but I suppose the vanilla accord stops that tendency. And this vanilla is NOT the cake-y vanilla, either. It's an ethereal vanilla.

The dry-down is to die for. Softly floral, woody, yet still retaining baby-soft (not babyish) powder. I think "Instant" (I translate that to mean "the moment") is a misnomer for this Guerlain masterpiece. I would have named it "Denouement". I'm in love!

So this is for powder lovers like me, gorgeous creamy almonds, musky honeyed grown up flowers and then that silky woody powder bomb goes off.

I have the original L'Instant, which I love equally but I would say that is a lot more honey and flowers where as this a lot more about almonds, then vanilla and sandalwood.

This lasts a good 6 hours and is fabulous on fabric, I think it is very comforting smell and reminds me of a reassuring squeeze of the hand from a loved one.

I found this really came alive on a recent blustery autumnal day that had a nip in the air.

Not a memorable scent, there are already tons of sweet almond vanilla iris scents out there, and though guerlain does usually create really well done quality scents, and often masterpieces, we did not need actually another one of that kind. Anyway it's well done, the ingredients are well balanced, so if you are addicted to almonds and you can't get enough of in your perfumes, this is a good choice. Personally, I far prefer original l'instant, much more on the floral side, and fortunately, no almonds at all!

Strong, heavy but sweet scent upon spraying it. I can smell a mixture of flowers and lemon. I find it a bit too strong at this point.

After the top notes have died down it has changed into a warm, sweet floral smell. It's also a bit powdery.

I like the drydown best. The smell is simply beautiful. I'm getting mostly vanilla with some iris. The first few times I tried it I was unable to distinguish the almond, but after wearing it a couple of times I'm now getting lots of almond.

I really like L'Instant Magic, the only downside is that the initial smell is a bit strong and therefore a little harsh on the nose. Beware of overspraying! You really only need about two sprays of this or it becomes too much! Also, you might not want to spray this onto (light-coloured) clothing, as it leaves stains.

It's a luxurious fragrance that I personally would wear at night time or cold/rainy days. It fills me with warmth, like I'm snuggling with a blanket in front of a smoldering fireplace. It took me a while to really get this fragrance but now that I do, I've really come to love it.

I thought that this perfume would be something else, because when i first applied it it was so strong and all that powder was maybe even little overwhelming. But that was for about 5 min. After that, although still powdery, it was much much weaker. I think, about 2-3 hours later it silage has stopped being moderate and become very soft. That's on skin. I can still smell it on my scarf. Altogether, nothing much, nothing special, only very pricey.

Well I bought a testerbottle of pure parfum. and wow, its beautiful. I adore L'instant Magic but the EdP does not last on my skin, about 90 minutes its gone, now I try the Parfum and hopefully it will last longer on my skin. I love the Almond, Iris, Musk, Vanilla and the powdery mix. Very elegant and chic.

tja, jag har köpt en testerflaska av ren parfym, och wow den är fantastisk. jag avgudar L'instant Magic men den håller inte på min hud, borta inom 90 minuter, så nu provar jag ren parfym och förhoppningsvis så ska den hålla lite längre på mig. Jag älskar Mandel, Iris, Musk, Vanilj och puder-mixen. Otroligt elegant och chic.

No sillage, no longevity, but high price. If I spray only 1-2 spritz, I can not smell anything. But if I apply liberally, my stomach and head ache. You may say that it smells like baby powder, but for me this is an old fashioned scent.

For me this is The Best powdery perfume i ever encountered, i know that it is less admired by most of the guerlain lovers but it is such a lovely creamy perfume. Don't understand why some people find it a "loud " perfume, i associate IM more with softness and yuminess with an incredible dry down, it is the only perfume i sniff constantly from my wrist and it litterarly soothe my senses. Kenzo Amour is a bit familiar has same kind of "vibe" but i prefer IM much more. If you like refined powdery perfume you really need to try it. Not to confuse with l'Instant which is very different, more floral and sweet.

Upon first spritz, it is quite strong, but then becomes softer. It is a comforting baby powder soft smell. I think it could be worn night or day. I have an almond oil moisturizer on my hand and this on my wrist, and the combination is so wonderful, like a soft blanket powder puff. I can still smell this 4 softly lingering about 5 hours later and think it will go for a couple more hours. My 5 year old daughter (one of my in house reviewers) still thinks it is a bit strong. I want to try this on one wrist and Prada Infusion d'Iris edt on the other to decide which iris powder I need.

I'm going to be a bit more negative for this than other reviewers. My impression of this is one of personal preference. If you like this kind of scent, it must be overwhelmingly gorgeous for you. It is largely unpleasant for me, mainly because it is so overwhelmingly strong. The tone, the notes, the sweetness of this is fine enough. But it has an achingly overwhelming powdery projection. The sillage creeps into every crevice of your senses like fog rising into the space between trees in a forest, like steam accumulating in every open pore. It is STRONG, and could easily be offensive in a small space.
At first spray, it's light and is seemingly just a "thin veil" type of smell. But it develops and gets much much bigger over time. The scent compounds!
This is much more similar to My Insolence than I would have ever predicted. It has the same sweet synthetic feel and overwhelming construction, and the same sweet thick powdery vibe. The difference is that this is much more neutral and not "sour," if that description conjures up any helpful images for you.
I expected something a bit more nutty and warm, given the almond, vanilla, sandalwood,etc... Instead it's a wall of musk and sweet in a high-pitched shreik. This is the Lauder "Pleasures" of powdery smells. IMO it needs some depth, some grounding, but maybe that would be TOO oriental? I don't know...
And for what it's worth, both my husband and I got headaches the day I tested this. One spritz on my arm. That's it. He complained of having a sharp feeling against his skull (he didn't even know I had tested it), and then an hour later I got a similar stabbing feeling in the front of my head. Truly truly strong stuff.

L'instant Magic is simply sensational for a powdery gourmand. It's one of Guerlain's better gourmand offerings. The almond doesn't overwhelm me like the Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum Poudre which catches in my throat. L'Instant Magic is smooth, creamy and the perfect blend of powder/woods/floral. The sillage is impressive and longevity is well above average (I'd say 8 hours) on my skin. And the compliments don't suck either. :)

First I must say this perume was really weird for me. My nose was used to mainstream and I didnt like it. It was too sweet for me. Now its obsession. Bergamot and almonds. Love it! Try the perfume aswell, its delicious!