Gaultier Divine Jean Paul Gaultier 2023

i received a small sample of Divine in a sephora kit - the ranking game i like to play with these sample kits leads me to the winner of the redeemable full bottle, and this time, it was Divine’s turn. it was an easy, EASY decision. listen, i think this gem is highly dependent on one’s own skin chemistry. the way others described it made no sense to me: how could someone turn their nose up at a scent so strangely sweet, so wonderfully decadent? the aquatic characteristics of Divine are what make it for me. it’s less sea salty and more luxurious summer sweat. it projects insanely well and every time i wear it i find myself sniffing my skin incessantly until it’s gone. JPG did his big one with this.

I had originally written a statement about it but felt I needed to explain a little more.

Divine is an exotic/marine perfume. For me, no meringue nor white flowers but a very strong smell of coconut and pineapple surrounded by a salty/sea breeze. What strikes me as odd is that it's undeniably salty but also sweet and in a way that I find very cloying.

To be completely honest, I should point out that I usually don't like sea/marine smells even if sometimes they can suit me. But Divine... I just can't stand it. Too salty but also too sugary, I don't know... It's a mess that's not very pleasant to my nose.

On the other hand, I really love the bottle.

First and foremost my favorite thing about this fragrance is the bottle! I got a sample size in a kit from Sephora and would almost redeem the voucher for a full size of this because of the bottle alone. I'm a huge anatomy geek so needless to say I'm a big fan of Jean Paul Gaultier's bottles :) The fragrance itself isn't bad but it's not something I'd find myself reaching for very often. In a lot of my reviews I talk about how I'm very picky about my white florals because they often come across as cloying. This almost steps into that territory as the fragrance warms up on my skin but the first sniff or two is wonderful and as it fades I like it more. It's not unbearable or bad at all but could easily be something I'm not a fan of in the right circumstances. I'd love to see more floral gourmands because I feel like those have interesting potential but this just *barely* overdoes it with the white florals.

I was able to get my hands on a bottle of Gaultier Divine just a few weeks ago and I love it! One of the few perfumes I blindly bought and I couldn't have chosen better. It reminds me of my summers spent in Saint Tropez and on the southern coast of France. Tropical fruit, vanilla and sea breeze. I find it elegant and playful at the same time. A modern and refined perfume. Not for everyone. In Italy it is difficult to find, mine comes from Germany, but I am happy with it, because I love it so much that I would like to be the only one to wear it. I hope it never becomes too widespread.

Did you ever wonder, "What would it smell like if a watermelon threw up?"

Wonder no more! Gaultier's Divine is anything but. This should be balmy white flowers and fruity beach vibes in the tropics, but there's a sharp, sour, acidic undercurrent that turns the whole perfume to the back alley behind a dive bar.

Have you ever held a girl's hair in a nightclub bathroom, wincing with your eyes watering, studiously pretending not to hear the sound of her prayers to the porcelain god? Oh, my friend, you will intimately know Divine. It's the fragrance of a going out top, three too many Skinnygirl vodka sodas, and texting your ex. This...is the smell of hot girl bad decisions.

I know, I'm being harsh. But legitimately the opening of my sample smells so bad, so much like actual fruity floral vomit and leftover tequila salt, I almost wonder if it's gone off. I suspect the meringue is the problem on my skin, because I also own VS Tease Creme Cloud which shares the same note and both have the same party-girl-but-sick element in common. I adore other Gaultier (La Belle, my beloved!) but on me, this is ABSOLUTELY horrendous.

I am SO jealous that it smells nice on other people.

-- This review previously appeared on another site under the name "PrincessPrickleson." That's me! I'm moving my collection to Parfumo.