Habit Rouge Eau de Parfum

(Comparison of a 1988 EdT, a new EdP formulation, and a new Parfum formulation) This is silly. Why am I doing this. I’ve toyed with this for years. I’ve toyed with my “final” review(s) of the EdC/EdT through ad infinitum drafts that never seem to be done. Do I write separate reviews of these various concentrations and let them stand separately on their own? Do I put my thoughts on them together to appropriately showcase their marked differences, and let them stand on their own that way? Wouldn’t it make more sense to compare a new EdT formulation to the newer EdP and Parfum concentrations instead of an original EdT?... A significant reason for my wayward indecisiveness, which should be stated for full transparency, is that the EdC and EdT are going to be difficult for me to approach with any semblance of objectivity or rationality: the EdT is the first perfume I truly fell in love with. The first time I smelled it, many years back in my formative days, was an epiphany. I couldn’t get enough of it. After what was then a short number of years of only having explored a relatively small number perfumes that were highly commercial designer scents, finally getting to Habit Rouge EdT opened a door into a utopian world. “This is what perfumes can be like?!” To call it revelatory would be an understatement. For the purposes of this review, and for the sake of time and focus, I will leave the original EdC alone for a different time and focus here on the EdT; in a simple bullet point, the biggest difference is the higher strength and diffusiveness of the EdT, otherwise they are virtually the same. The EdT was the first HR I tried and has been a staple of mine ever since, I've gone through bottle after bottle, maintaining a rather obsessive collection of HR across various batches and formulations and concentrations for posterity, and marking HR as the only perfume that could get close enough for me to say it is my signature or my all time favorite. And, when really put to the task to assign a signature or favorite, it is the only one I’ve answered with. So, I’m going to give this a whirl, and accept that no matter what I write about one of the best perfumes ever made I am not going to be happy with what I write. Just take a swing, Nathan. It is what it is. Screw it. Let’s start with the Parfum. It opens with a bang of fruity rum notes. Something akin to the good ol’ effervescent bergamot of the original is trying to make its voice heard amongst the baritone roars but it just can’t, coming across instead as more of a slightly bitter, oily, boozy heat. What proceeds next is a browned caramel, boozy, leathery, vanillic, cured tobacco melange, and there it stays for the most part. The final skin scent leans a bit more dark woody, leathery, more bitter tonka than it is vanilla, and really calling to mind charred oak rum barrels. Habit Rouge has never been referred to as linear, until now with the Parfum. This has no frame of reference to the DNA that is Habit Rouge. Zero. This could (should) actually have been called something other than Habit Rouge. That said, if you can suspend annoyance, bias and preconceptions for a moment, it is very good. Though thick and rich - a big, suet caramel and boozy pudding of a perfume - it is easily wearable, maintains levity and breathability and never goes lumpen, it’s just on the right side of sweet, and very highly addictive. I wore this once during a frigid, snowy Christmas get together, where the smells of a wood fire in the hearth, roasting courses of a meal that took hours to consume, and baking desserts filled the air, family and friends hung on me all throughout the evening to get one more whiff. Habit Rouge though, it is not. The EdP tries for the effervescent bergamot opening and nearly achieves it except for an odd, oily, chemical finish that goes down the back of my throat. Once that calms down, the bergamot does come through as very convincingly HR with a bit more saturation and durability, as you’d expect from an EdP, and lasts for a surprisingly long time. Very slowly the floral heart starts to peak out that is balanced more towards rose than the EdT’s rose-carnation balance. This eventually cedes to a center-stage rose leather accord that is really quite beautiful. The rose is powdery, a touch creamy, and the leather is well-worn and suede-like in its presentation that really calls back to the original if but a bit stronger. The bergamot still carries on, albeit very quietly, and starts to link to the green facet of the patchouli in the base as the rose leather fully takes the stage. There is a regality and luxury to this heart layer of the EdP, compared to the more stately and austere layer of the EdT. The EdP then is a good option for the Habit Rouge lover that wants a bit more of a three piece suit feel, rather than dowdy equestrianism. It is plenty enough like Habit Rouge for me to say “yes, Habit Rouge” but it has its own character. The green facet of the patchouli rising upwards to link with the bergamot is a bit of a worry at first for those intimately familiar with HR, as I am. You question if this is going to descend into a dank green patchouli bomb as does so many masculines of the current day, but it doesn’t. That green quality stays very well behaved, lending a slightly bitter freshness and energy to the base and skin scent as the rest of the patchouli comes forward very faithfully to the original. The suede and vanilla remain as ethereal compliments before having more presence in the skin scent, which is true to the original with the leather, earth, woods, vanilla, and resins. The EdP is intended to be more luxurious and heavier than the EdC/EdT, but this careful and intentional balance of the green note with the earthy patchouli, suede, and vanilla makes sure that it does not get too heavy. There is a vibrancy to this regality and luxury. Lovely. Now for the EdT.... Ok, deep breath, Nathan; steel yourself, you can do this.... Sniffff.... Oh, dear god.... The sparkling, yellow-green and effervescent bergamot can cut through the darkest of moments. The conjunction of dusty aldehydes creates a hazy but determined sunlight that radiates from your person, not upon you. It is confidence and energy. There is a tango that starts with this bergamot and the fresh green herbs and slightly anisic woody notes coming up from the heart layer. The tension of this dancing pair is palpable, but instantly magnetic. The seamless lock-step movements with each other are stunning. Chills. It truly gives me chills. As the tango nears the end, a slightly creamy and heady carnation accented by woody spices comes in to resolve the tension. There is a bit of rose for breadth, and a touch of dry earth for depth, with the rose gaining intensity as time goes on. The rose stays on the side of gently powdery and pink, the accented tips of the petals of the carnation. The vanilla and leather at the base are in the background, quietly waiting their turn. They are clear on their instructions: let the rose, carnation, and spices have their turn; wait. The experience is all the better for it. As the base begins to take over, Habit Rouge still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve with this chypre plus amber combination. This blend is impossible. How does Habit Rouge have everything, a kitchen sink approach, yet presents as a fine broth made by a legendary chef rather than a soupy canned concoction a wannabe throws into a pot? Gently animalic leathers, a touch-sweet vanilla, creamy sandalwood, dry beige-brown and loamy patchouli, wisps of damp and green oakmoss, and resins of benzoin and labdanum that are just barely sticky like a very deep and slightly dried earthy honey; the rose and carnation gently caress the base before they depart. Just how. I can barely describe the dry down from the heart to the base without almost getting misty-eyed. It remains one of the most beautiful - and certainly probably my favorite - dry downs I have ever smelled. Nothing feels rushed, but timed exactly as it should be; the trees do not matter, it’s the forest we should be keeping an eye on. All the while the richness and diffusiveness become one with the air around you, never taking up a lot of space or attention but impossible to ignore. Ooof. I barely got through that, but yet I did. Hooray for me. In final thoughts, the Parfum is not Habit Rouge. It is quite good, but it should’ve been called something else. It has nothing to do with Habit Rouge. Therefore, if you like the Parfum enough to go full-bottle do not worry about putting a different Habit Rouge in your collection and creating redundancy. You won’t. The EdP is a faithful, appreciable, and wonderful reworking of Habit Rouge. For the Habit Rouge lover that needs a bit more oomph and saturation, it will do quite well, though the most noticeable differences will be the slightly off timing of the note evolutions, the greater prominence of the rose and leather, and some slightly screechy synthetic qualities - but the differences are negligible when the EdP is considered on its own, and rather simply a detraction relative to the experience of an original EdC/EdT when they are compared. The EdT is a masterpiece. Full stop. Yes, surely and certainly, it smells dated. Even in the 1960s when it was released it smelled a bit retro. But perfection doesn’t come with an expiration date. Yes, I used that word - and I stand by it. With nearly every perfume I have ever worn there is at least something about each of them that I could say I would slightly tweak a bit; at least a very tiny wishlist item that would make it a bit better. Not Habit Rouge. I would not change anything about it. If my home were to catch fire, there are three things I would grab: my partner, my dog, and my stash of vintage Habit Rouge. This perfume will be front and center of my collection, and with me for the rest of my days.

The EDT is hands down a masterpiece, a classic forever. As others have mentioned, we kind of slept on the EDP. The DNA is obviously the same, but it's been completely restructured. Notes that were in the background in the EDT are now coming to the forefront in the EDP, and it makes for a very interesting take on what made the original so great in a way that doesn't make it feel redundant whatsoever. As I once said, the EDT/EDP labels are a bit misconstrued these days, because modern aroma chemicals are strong enough to keep up with higher concentrations. What made the EDT so great were the very long, drawn-out transitions from start to finish. You get to enjoy every part of the fragrance until it fades equally. The effervescent citrus blend from the opening, which was tart, honeyed, and woody, is also here, but it's going a lot darker with redwood instead of rosewood, which had a gentle, rosy, woody nuance. This makes a huge difference, giving an impression of "sturdiness" instead of "gentle". Both are undoubtedly classy, but not old at all. Both have a very beautiful, airy rose, but in the EDP, carnation is tied with rose, giving a slight floral, spicy direction that the EDT doesn't commit to. The patchouli and sandalwood here also reveal their distinctive qualities a lot more, leaving the jasmine "opulence" a bit behind in favor of sandalwood and patchouli. Actually, the rest of what you get from the middle is quite the same; it just mutes some softer notes. Very, very lovely as well. Both have a slight soapiness, but powder is present in the background here. When the base notes start crossing each other, a much more distinctive difference with the EDP becomes apparent. It really wants to emphasize the vanilla and leather that the EDT had, but dialed to 200%. The benzoin and ambers give much more warmth than the EDT, with slightly more labdanum and leathery effects. And the addition of a much more musty, powdery wood is noticeable. Both are amazing, and honestly, it's a "take whatever situation". I think they're both super lovely, elegant, and classy. The EDT is my pick, but I can see someone preferring the EDP if they wished the leather and vanilla came out more, with an extra addition of woods. It's slightly less versatile than the EDT, but they project and last pretty much the same. Quite unisex as well. Another forever classic from Guerlain.

Keywords: baby powder, old lady, handbag, and fortune-teller. The rose and carnation on my skin and to my nose overpower everything else in this fragrance. Rose is a very pungent scent to me that perhaps I am sensitive toward. Strangely, the sweet vanilla note fades after the opening and the mid is just rose rose rose rose. Compared to the EDT, this is heavier and more vanilla-forward whereas EDT is just bright rose. This just isn't a fragrance for me, at this time, in this body. Maybe someday that will change. UPDATE: I've revisited the EDP and tested it on my skin alongside the EDT. It has grown on me. I'm new to perfumery and I believe I tested this on my hand the first try, which, looking back, was not a good idea. After revisiting, a newer note came out to me that I did not detect before: tobacco. For some reason the rose and carnation are more subdued that I remember. Soft powder, tobacco, cedar, rose, carnation, cinnamon, benzoin, a hint of leather and perhaps jasmine. I prefer the EDP to the EDT as it has more warmth to balance out the green notes, whereas the EDT is very green and floral without the smoothness and warmth that make me feel cozy. At times, this scent is dusty and powdery. The dusty quality reminds me of an old book from a library. It has this aged, sweet pulpy papery smell that can be a bit strange at times, but I believe this adds to the character of the scent and what makes this truly unique. It is magical how scent changes with time and method of application. My nose has "grown" a palette and I'm learning to appreciate things I may not like at first smell. What I love about Guerlain's older scents is how truly multi-dimensional they are. The quality of the ingredients and the mastery of blending to create something that is symphonic and dynamic--while being affordable. If you are new to perfumery like I am, make sure to revisit scents you do not like often. There is always something to learn.

Purchased July 2019 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - My first bottle with some oud in it. Don't believe it had it listed here all them years ago, but it blends perfectly deep in the dry down and makes every bit of the mids and lows the headlining act. I came back to say this is one of few scents and colognes that I could wear at the drop of a hat and be happy. That makes it a year-round dumb reach for me, lucky to be living where I am. It's so warm and cozy, gentlemanly and stiff upper lip, leather jacket and donegal, prince of Wales and flannel, denim and cord. What a well done classic. It's almost an acquired taste, yet, everybody loves it - they just won't admit it; women and men. It's a superbly professional bottle that nobody properly understands and if Heritage is half as good as this well then I may just need that one too. It's easily forgotten, yet fondly remembered. All people around me love HR EDP, I can feel it. This cologne has E.S.P. Batch: 8F01 from June 2018. Edit: I have a clone, locally made and sold (glad to support my country's industry), of M7 which smells like my HR EDP but can oversprayed unlike when doing that with Habit Rouge EDP it becomes something like Cinnabar/JHL; and I don't want that from this Guerlain. It must be like M7 apparently is, stupidly missed out on that one when I started on this website but who cares. My clone is the bomb, lasts two days if I spray it to the amount I spray anything from the chemist. What a fabulous scent too, just smells like fragrance. Forget about man or woman, it smells like the essence of fragrant chemistry. It's not generic, though it can beat my Guerlain which I've loved for years and never bothered overspraying. The HR EDT remains citric and doesn't go into M7 territory. Fun owning both, though I'm sure the EDT smells closest the '60s EDC which is what my father grew up around/with.

Scent: 10 Lemon, rose, vanilla, leather... Some of my fabourite aromatic notes in one perfume and very good balanced. Compared to the edt version this is much better. The edp is more woody and elegant. A little bit less citrus and vanilla but more woods, leather, and resines. It makes ne remwmber some lemon candys that i had when i was a child: lemon sugus! I find It very similar to shalimar although this is more intense and powerful. Longevity: 8 This fragance has a good longevity. It lasrs clearly around 4-5 hours but you can still feel it 8 hour after. In clothes you can smell It the whole day. It lasts more than the edt on my skin. Sillagen: 6 What is true is that this is not a beast perfume in projection. This is more like a personal fragance, very adecuated for dates or when you dont want yo stand out. The edp versión has a better projection the first two hours but It has two important differences with this fragance: the smelling is more acid and animalic while the edp is more elegant and sweet, and the edp is more stable, It means that after two hours thw edt begins todo disappwar changing a lot and getting some weird smelling on my skin but the edp keep a very nice soft smelling during the 4 hours It lasts. Quality/price: 6 I have paid 70€/100ml cause here i couldnt find It cheapper. However i have seen It for 50€ on internet (i give a 8 un this case because It has a very good quality). I hace seen here the edt for 60€/200ml but i prefer the edp although It is a bit more expensive. Versatility: 10 I trink this is a perfume suitable for any time or ocassion. I find It totally unisex as well. One of the most versatile perfumes i own un my opinión. Global: 8