L'Être Aimé Homme Divine 2008

L’Etre Aimé Homme is an exceptionally interesting perfume that only reveals itself hesitantly.

It starts with a very spicy-herbaceous impression. Immediately, the celery mentioned in the pyramid is present, but not intrusive. It is so indistinct that one could confuse it with anise or juniper. Additionally, I immediately get a very woody impression, specifically very dark wood. The wood notes are not specified further, but it could be cypress. Possibly also the artificial note "cashmere wood," which I actually do not like. If that was used, then it is extremely sparingly applied, making it bearable.

I cannot identify the straw flower (immortelle), which Divine makes quite a fuss about, but I also do not know exactly how this flower is supposed to smell. It does have a somewhat straw-like scent, though. At times, I had the impression that there is musk in the base, but that was probably an illusion. I did not notice anything distinct from the bergamot and lavender in the top notes, but I believe the lavender is there and contributes a very restrained ethereal note.

So what kind of scent is it? To sum it up: wood and celery. But it is crafted so skillfully that this fragrance becomes truly interesting. The very dark wood notes, accompanied by a hint of patchouli, provide considerable depth. At the same time, alongside the appetizing spiciness, there are unidentifiable ethereal notes that appear very bright. They also remind one of light musk, although it is clearly not that. Thus, the scent has both heavy and light aspects.

I have already encountered this duality in the wonderful L’Homme Sage. It may be a characteristic of Divine's men's fragrances. If I were to assign a color to this scent, it would again be black-and-white checked. In other words, the perfect fragrance for a suit with a herringbone pattern or a pepper-and-salt jacket. This scent suits such clothing better than jeans and a T-shirt.

The celery note recedes somewhat after half an hour, but the black-and-white base pattern remains. It is a very good perfume. Unlike many other fragrances, the dark woodiness is not exaggerated, even though it is the theme. Even if one does not have a pronounced preference for cypress, sandalwood, and the like, this scent is pleasant. Etre Aimé is a rather subtle fragrance, though without the homeopathic dilution of a Kenzopower.

After about an hour, Etre Aimé approaches the scent of L’Homme Sage - so, corporate identity!

Like everything from Divine, Etre Aimé is a high-quality and original perfume. Although it largely remains within the spectrum of known ingredients, this fragrance has no predecessor or imitator that I am aware of. The excellent quality of this scent does not reveal itself immediately. Loud pop music is foreign to it; it is more esoteric jazz, whose quality only becomes apparent upon careful listening.

L’Etre Aimé Homme will surely appeal to only a small, manageable circle of connoisseurs.