one word: WONDERFUL!!

As other reviewers have said, the magnolia stands out strongly in the first half hour then as the basenotes kick in you can smell rose (even though none is listed) mixed in with warm honey. A very safe fragrance, will not disgust anyone but will not grab your man by the 'ehem' and make him crazy for you either.

This scent is creamy and acidic at the same time. Very white and floral but also powdery and sweet; the magnolia note is very pronounced. I love the bottle!

On me, the sillage is exceptional and one spritz lasted all day and was not overpowering but definitely noticeable. This is not one of my favorites because I prefer "darker" fragrances (like Midnight Poison and Opium) but it definitely has some appeal.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Red Apple
Middle Notes: Iris, Jasmine, Ylang-ylang, Magnolia
Base Notes: Musk, Amber, Benzoin, Vanilla, Honey

Love, love, love this! I am a very harsh critic when it comes to scents, especially florals! This scent is the perfect balance of floral, amber, and citrus. It evokes memories that are just on the tip of your brain, and is unique enough to create new ones. Please try this!

I only discovered L'Instant de Guerlain earlier this year, but now I wear it all the time - it's my new favourite scent.

One reviewer on here described it as smelling like rice pudding and roses, and I'm with her on that.

I do think the packaging is surprisingly plain for such a pretty and feminine fragrance, but no matter: it's the scent that counts, and this really does smell divine.

L'Instant (meaning "the moment") was created 2003 for Guerlain and it's a treasure of mine. Just looking at the bottle makes me smile, it's so luxurious and classic. The scent is oriental, feminine and floral. I recommend that you splurge and buy the Eau de parfume because it will last longer.

Top note: bergamot, mandarin.
Middle note: chinese magnolia, sambac jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris.
Base note: vanilla, benzoin, musk, amber.

The moment for this scent is evening, I think it's a bit too heavy for daytime although I wear it all day long : )

I first received this as a gift when my fiance took a trip to Paris to visit relatives. Now..realize that I was never much of a "perfume" girl because so many scents give me a massive headache that my fragrance collection is really very limited. Anyway...from the second I first used this I loved the scent--the test would be waiting for the headache. Suffice it to say, I never got a headache!
Since then, this has been my go-to, regular, every day scent. It is clean and not heavy at all, but during the day it leaves a subtle scent. It really feels so fresh!! This is the only scent I've worn where so many people have asked me what scent I'm wearing--because they love it. In fact, I actually had a guy follow me throughout a store one day to find out the name b/c he wanted to purchase it for his wife. I love L'Instant and always get it when I'm in France--it is actually easier to come by there than over here.
I'm also totally in love with Guerlain's L'Heur Bleu--OMG. I love that scent so much..that said, due to our personal body chemistry, we all wear our scents differently. My fave may be your clothspin-over-the-nose scent and visa versa. However, Geurlain just has so many beautiful scents.
Hope this helps!

I loved the scent of this on a scent strip, but it turned into disgusting baby powder with a hint of jasmine on me. Not only that, it's very strong. I don't know which note makes things turn into baby powder smell, but things do have a tendency to go that way on me, so if you have the same problem, I would steer clear of this fragrance.

so sweet and feminine!

I LOVE Luca Turin's review of L'Instant -- something that sounds like a great idea when you're drunk and then the next morning, you're just kicking yourself. I totally agree and would add that during that drunken fit, what an effing grand time you're having. Forget the perfume snobs, though. This is a great scent -- and probably the first "grown up" perfume I ever bought. I fell in love with it because it seemed so elegant and ladylike, all the things I wanted to be. Now I know the perfume snobs hate it because they see it as bringing down the house of Guerlain. Whatever. This was my first Guerlain fragrance and it served as an intro to the even better things their house had to offer: L'Heure Bleue, Chamade...we could go on forever here. With hindsight, I can see the validity of the argument that Instant doesn't quite fit in with the illustrious company of Guerlain's other perfumes. But, again: whatevs, man. Instant's sillage is great, the longevity is great. Compared to Shalimar, it's mediocre...but what isn't mediocre when compared to Shalimar? In short, I'd say Instant is a naive young woman's vision of what an elegant, chic perfume smells like. I wore this once and one of my girlfriends told me I smelled like a young woman who knows what she wants out of life -- what better compliment is there?