Habit Rouge Rouge Privé

There is very little I can add to Habit Rouge that hasn't already been said. Despite its silly and rather pretentious name, this is one of the greatest perfumes of modern times. For me, personally, it holds a place in my heart of nearly equal gravitas being the first perfume I ever truly fell in love with. It has this ability to swoon and caress me, to reset my mind and emotions to a stress-free state of contentedness that really no other perfume has managed yet to do. Released in 2023, and followed quickly by the parfum version in 2024, having the ability to only smell this now a third of the way through 2025 means I am playing catch-up to long-ago news, and I have avoided reading anything about it except from Guerlain in preparation. When I smell the 2024 parfum concentration in relative comparison to the EdC/EdT original, I am certainly left wanting. The parfum concentration is a big suet pudding drenched in a caramel vanilla sauce that has lost one of many of the defining characteristics that made the original EdC/EdT HR so evocative: breathability, diffusiveness, and effervescence of all of its notes. The parfum is great for an icy cold winter's evening huddled around a fire - and that said, if one has no point of reference to the original HR you would find the parfum to be exquisite, but that says a lot more about the genius of the original more than it says about the composition of today's parfum. So, when I stepped up to the plate to try Rouge Prive, this perfume fanatic and HR lover was trepidatious enough to sh*t his pants. It's always a fraught endeavor messing with near-perfection, and when Guerlain say they're going to let Delphine Jelk "update" HR for the modern man of modern times, cue the crowning in my pants. I should first start off by saying that Prive is a great name for this version because "private" describes exactly the direction HR was taken. HR RP has lost that diffusive and effervescent character of the original, but rather than being made lumpen and sweet and thick like the parfum, it was made "private" - it is taut, lean, and close to the skin without losing any of the notes and other characteristics that have made HR a legend. If HR was the epitomal representation of 60s Franco-European masculinity - an exuding confidence that is firmly stated yet subtle, gentle, and comfortable with a bit of femininity - then Prive is the representation of modern masculinity, where confidence is kept close to the vest and focused inward rather than outward, kept tight and private, rather than publicly diffusive. The bergamot opening, that shimmering and effervescent signature of the original HR that feels like it was sprayed in a fine mist throughout the air, now smells like a fresh juice-oozing bergamot was cut right in front of your nose; it is superbly photorealistic and mouthwatering, but tauter which somehow doesn't subtract from its necessary effect. The leather is less dry and powdery, and has been amped-up to be more fresh and new without going down the road of dirty and animalic. The patchouli has also been amped up, but kept dry and peppery and mildly earthy, reinforcing this feeling of tautness and newness without being at all too earthy or dirty or cloying. All of the notes played by the instruments that made HR great are present and accounted for, playing at the same volume as before, but perhaps there are now two basses and two cellos, as opposed to one; the violin is not a Stradivarius, but a modern electric. I happily stand with my concerns and trepidations unmanifested. Mission accomplished, Guerlain and Ms. Jelk. This is indeed HR for the 21st century man, and it's wonderful.

Habit Rouge Privè is a very special collector edition that i am glad i had the patience to understand, this scent has 3 faces, The first one is pure citronellla, the bergamot and the ginger listed are probably lifting it up and allowing it to last, but to me the opening is pure Bitterish lemons, This first phase is fairly long and keeps you there, is almost playing with you, as it smells like any Citrus heavy scent, is linear and bright, in the second phase the Orange blossom comes out next to a opaque Iris, it gives a feeling of a wet towel due to the iris junxstaposing next to the lemonish orange blossom, i have to be honest, this is my least favorite part, and probably i have to get used to it, is very hard to get over the " ammonia" effect that this mix has, unfortunately i wish i never smelled ammonnia, Once we get rid of those both in my opinion boring parts we reach the depth after 1h, this is where you feel the real Habit Rouge dna coming out elegantly placed, The leather is next to light spices, to create character, it radiates as a Dark Red Leather trench rather than a Jacket and it becomes deep and beautiful, from now on is a leather masterpice that slowly let the citronella effect fade away and becomes bloody dark red, almost like a painting, is hard to describe, but this is the most "Red" scent i have came across, but isn't a common red, is one of the most beauiful shades of velvet red ever, is unique, elegant and versatile. Extremely Masculine and mature. One thing to note is that this scent is better in the air than on the skin, I sometime underline this because not all scents act in the same way ofc, this one was designed to smell insane outside you then on you, To me, is better in the trail, rather then on yourself, it leave a misterious trace to die for, this is where i think Dalphine worked hard imo, the connection between the yellow of the lemon and the dark red leather is a contrast that in the air radiates something unique. Is understadable why the comments are so good of who love this scent, is a masterclass of elegance, but not that elegant that you can't wear it everyday, is a velvet Coat that is made with very high-end garments, but has a very modern cut. Aside the very strange "historical" choice to pump the Citrus to 2000 in the beginning and let it be so bright, the dry down is a banger and it will surely have a special place in your collection. The Privè start is really a letdown, accompanied with a beautiful dry down and stabilization, is like a concert that start badly and ends up making you stend up and applause, unaspected, hate and love, and that was probably Delphine point with this work, i think sometime porfumers wants you to delete the file of "bad" smell from your brain, showing you how something is actually made without any indication of what it is and allowing your brain to accept something as nature wanted it. That's mastery. Update: Last very long on me, That first " unsettling" part is now registered as part of the contrast between lemon and leather, is glorious and special, it takes time to understand that part. Secret Weapon.

This one is interesting. The original Habit Rouge is a masterpiece of French perfumery. One of the most versatile scents ever made. A juxtaposition of citrus and florals with leather and the iconic powdery feel. I smelt this flanker today with high hopes. I was not disappointed. The Habit Rouge DNA is definitely there. In all honestly this could be called Habit Rouge Intense. The opening is zingy with the added ginger. Overall the scent is less powdery. But it’s the leather that is the star here. As some people have stated below, they get a band aid vibe. This is because the new leather accord here is similar to that by used Alberto Morillas in Gucci Guilty Absolute, Dark Lord by Kilian. It can also be found in Purple Oud in the Dior Prive line. There is also a slight smokiness in the dry down. A rep I know who works for Guerlain told me that they used oud in this leather accord and I can kind of see it. There is a big animalic quality here. Habit Rouge is a scent that can be considered refined, gentlemanly, sophisticated etc. But one thing it was not at least by modern standards is sexy. This all changes with Habit Rouge Prive. Because of the animalics, it is very sexy. I would consider it the perfect summer evening/date night scent. I was aware of Habit Rouge since my 20s but only in my 30s started wearing it as I felt I had reached the age. It is a more mature scent and the recent reformulation has made it feel less dated. With Habit Rouge Prive I think they have made it even more versatile. This could easily suit anyone 25+ looking for something refined and sexy. The leather and animalics give it a modern edge. I predict this will be a hit once people get their noses on it. As it is a limited edition flanker one day this will turn into those highly sought after discounted gems selling for 10x the price in a couple of years. Suffice to say I picked up a bottle.

At the beginning of my fragrance journey I stumled upon Habit Rouge EDT and found it very oldschool and oldmanish and did not change my opinion ever since. That fragrance just does not do it for me. I took a gamble and bought Rouge Privé and what a nice surprise it was! The note pyramid here is spot on and if I should make a change, it would be moving the leather to the middle notes. Opening is very nice citrus with ginger and it lasts almost an hour. After that I already start to pick nicely done and quite promiment leather with hints of iris and orange blossom. Drydown comes in about 2 hours time after application and you get the famous harmonic guerlinade in all its beauty. At this stage it starts to sit close the to skin, but lasts for another 6+ hours. This is how transitions in a fragrances should be made. It never feels like a loud fragrance but I believe it was never ment to be like that. This is classy fragrance for a confident and well dressed gentleman doing his own thing, who does not need to anounce his entrence with his fragrance. Except the hot sunny days it can serve you throughout the whole year and it can get you covered on multiple occasions. Even though I decided to not keep this fragrance in my collection, I really appreciate the quality and masterful blend and rate it 8,5/10! Maybe I will come back to it again in the near future as I found the smell kind of addicting as it made me comming back to it quite often during my testing. I highly recommend to sample it to anybody that find the notes listed here interesting. 8.1.2024 update: I had to buy it again and now it probably stays in the collection :)

Habit Rouge Rouge Privé is a citrusy, woody and leathery fragrance. It has a very citric opening that is reinforced by ginger, and from that moment the leather chord is already noticeable, in fact the citric and leathery duo make a strange but very attractive combination. As the minutes go by, the citric presence decreases, but without disappearing, while the presence of leather and a woody base of patchouli and subtly spiced with vanilla increase. Due to its citric and leathery characteristics, Rouge Prive is suitable for use almost throughout the year, except on very hot days, because it can be a bit dense, it could also be a signature fragrance, used in formal and casual situations, office work and that will be appreciated by an audience more mature than young. In terms of performance, the smell remained for more than 10 hours. with me, leaving a noticeable sillage for the first two hours. The smell of this fragrance is a modernization of the classic Habit Rouge, it gives it a more current twist, without going in the trends of very sweet aromas or with a lot of ambroxan. I highly recommend that lovers of leather fragrances try it, and although I am not a great knowledgest of leather fragrances, but I do identify certain similarities with Gucci Guilty Pour Homme Absolute, especially in the drying phase. In fact, I recommend trying it to any lover of fragrances, because they are going to find something interesting and so everyone will assess whether it is a jewel or not, for me it is. Special mention should be made of the color of the bottle, which in that red color is very attractive.