L’Homme Idéal

L'HOMME "GÉNÉRIQUE"? I was curious to measure my own appreciation of Guerlain's L'Homme Ideal. The reviews I read so far are quite of the love-hate kind. The reviewers' scent ratings seem to be quite polarized with very high and very low marks. I never pay much attention to fragrance trolls voting for a fragrance with a very low mark. I would only rate a scent with a "zero" if it really stinks or if it contains plain water in the flask. L'Homme Idéal EdT does remind me of certain fragrances like Armani's Code Profumo, Mugler's Pure Havane, Azzaro Pour Homme Intense and SpiceBomb, but without being similar to none. I just use those perfumes on the same occasions. However, all those fragrances have higher reviewer ratings and better performance than L'Homme Idéal. Other Guerlain well-established perfumes also have higher rates. L'Instant, Habit Rouge and Heritage are Guerlain's untouchable masculine fragrance landmarks and set a target hard to achieve with other scents. L'Homme Idéal supporters claim the EdT to be very alluring, quite sexy, a nice performer and with a unique scent. Let's find out how true that statement can be. The top notes reveal a generic citrus accord and a heavier floral orange blossom that blends naturally with the fragrance DNA in the heart phase. This opening phase is a bit generic and somewhat metrosexual, but without really becoming boring. With the heart phase, the scent becomes more pungent offering sweet tonka blended with the persistent and dominant almond, that endures till it dries down. It is clearly the fragrance DNA. Other fragrances rely on almonds and tonka to mark a gourmand position. In the L'Homme Idéal case, it gives you a singular middle notes combination. The orange blossom top note already proposes an elegant sweet ambiance and participates in the sweet accord together with the tonka and almond notes. It's not a very "Guerlain" blending but the result is good. The fragrance shines unique and pleasant all through this phase. The more subtle bottom notes call for a more vulgar blend arrangement of quality cedar, leather and vetiver that team up quite well with the prevailing the heart phase sweetness, mainly due to the powerful and long-lasting almond note. L'Homme Idéal trails its own path now for a pleasant drydown, but performance will reveal itself as only slightly above average. I already tried two of its flankers with EdP concentrations. To my nose, the "Eau de Parfum" seems to have a similar performance and a kind of cloying scent, with strong tonka and faint vanilla. Stronger but not better. The fragrance is heavier but equally short-lived. I own the Intense flanker version which I judge to be better balanced, showing a bit of cardamom in the opening. It also uses a stronger vanilla note with some smoke in the drydown. Nevertheless, its performance does not shine as well. This Guerlain fragrance family promoted timid new paths to the perfume industry. it's not as revolutionary as those created by Thierry Mugler more than twenty-five years ago, but it is innovative enough for a typical conservative designer like Guerlain. I also believe this new type of blending not to be as bold as Paco Rabanne's revolutionary designs for instance. However, too much innovation does not ensure success by itself. I believe that this fragrance family will grow in supporters and users in the years to come. There will be more consensus around it. A more competitive pricing would help a lot as well. As stated before, the EdT performance is average. The longevity lasts less than 7 hours and shows a sillage of about one arm's length. The projection is quite inferior to what I am used to with Guerlain perfumes. I only applied two heavy sprays in my test to avoid the almond note from becoming cloying. My rates for L'Homme Ideal EDT: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Scent Opening: 7.5 (metrosexual and almost vulgar opening, unusual in Guerlain's perfumes) - Scent Dry Down: 8.5 (the persistent tonka-almond combo blends with leather, vetiver and cedar; I quite like the effect) - Longevity: 7.0 (up to 6~7 hours with 2 good sprays) - Sillage: 7.0 (4 feet at its peak with 2 good sprays; It projects for 1.5 hours) - Versatility: 8.5 (the EDT sweetness is elegant and alluring. It has a fresh nuance that contributes to proposing a wider range of situations where you can safely wear L'Homme Idéal like a signature scent, office fragrance, leisure situations, dinners, conventions, receptions, weddings, dining out, dates, intimacy... but not really in clubbing, work out, beach or sweating activities) - Wearability: 9.0 (just forget to use it on sunny Summer days outdoor activities or cold winter nights) - Compliments: 8.5 (With an increasing number of people enjoying sweet fragrances (but not sickly sweet), I really do think that this fragrance will please a wide range of both younger and older people. And like my daughter says, "chicks dig it!") - Uniqueness: 8.5 (This fragrance has lots of cousins but not really tween brothers) - Quality: 9.5 (great almond, orange blossom, tonka and cedar notes; heavy handy bottle and good sprayer; I just complain about the average performance) - Presentation: 8.0 (nice but common) - Price: 7.0 (€46,00 for a 100ml tester on sale + taxes + shipping back in 2018. For this price I could have bought a Guerlain's Heritage EdP 100 ml flask that I prefer by far) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Average: 8.09 / 10.00 - between 7 and 8 =above average; - between 8 and 9 = recommended; - bigger than 9 = don't miss it; My opinion: I would not like to recommend this fragrance without you testing it previously. You may be one of the many unconditional lovers or you may belong to the indifferent majority. I suggest you compare it with similar alternatives. I don't plan to buy another bottle whenever the present bottle finishes. Anyway, for the use I will give it, this flask is going to last for quite a while. I prefer either the Intense version or an imaginary "L'Homme Ideal Boisé Intense" if such a flanker would be launched in the future. Like many other people, I am not impressed by this Guerlain offer. It's an "honest" and likeable fragrance, but too expensive for its juice uniqueness. For a little more than half of its price, I can order Azzaro EDP Intense (another fragrance that arises to my mind when I wear L'Homme Ideal). Although less versatile for its inexistent freshness, I prefer the Azzaro's scent type and I get a lot better performance. For the same price, I really prefer Pure Havane for instance. Climbing up the price ladder, I also prefer Code Profumo to L'Homme Ideal EDP, and I get a way better performance. Music: Yes - "Soon", taken from the album "Tales from a Topographic Ocean"

This is also my favorite from the whole L Homme Ideal line, which is one of the designer lines that I love the most. It's character is very unique: It starts with sweet, sherbet-like citruses with slight hints of orange blossom; later this sherbet smell mixes with amaretto-vibe almonds and tonka sweetness. In the base, becomes much more masculine with the leather accord and woods. Sweet, nutty, leathery, slightly gourmand and tad a bit boozy. This is a signature scent worthy juice. I believe there is a magic about citrus notes in the sweet, colder weather scents and this one of them. The citrus sherbet opening is what sets the magic for this fragrance. Hilarously lasts longer than the EDP version, this thing is beast-mode for an EDT, lasts 8+ hours on my skin and projection is beastly. However, I believe some people may prefer the other fragrances in the line, so here are my reccommendations: If you like cherry note in the fragrances and want a vanilla-sweet perfume instead of a citrus direction, go with the EDP (I also ADORE this, but performance is weak and leans towards female-unisex rather than male) If you like fruity or tobacco scents and overall a bit closer to the niche perfumery, go with the Extreme (I also appreciate the work here, but fruity scents are not my first choice.) If you are a fan of dark, intense, smokey and spicy scents, go with the Intense (This is my second favorite in the line, but I sometimes feel the smokey-spicy aspect is too upfront.) If you like boozy perfumes go with the Parfum (my least favorite in the line, has some bandage aspects hidden in it.) Of course, they all have the signature almond in it and do not get me wrong for critisizing the others; they are all masterpieces in designer perfumery and can blow almost anything into dust from the designer genre. Hope this helps.

Initial impression: Smells closer to the edp, completely different to what l'homme ideal edt smelled like in the store. Currently getting a very short burst of citrus, followed by mainly cherry, and a little bit of almond in the dry down. I completely see how this smells similar to one million lucky, however since it is missing the nut notes its way more delicate and comforting, less nauseating and in your face. In general great scent, especially at the price point. In comparison to the edp, I think you actually get more longevity out of this for a relatively similar scent. Very classy, but I do hope that the citrus notes come out more with maceration, as I prefer the freshness over the sweet cherry. 07/23 batch. Will update if maceration does make a difference. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: Honestly have grown to love it. The quality and the general fragrance experience that you get for the price is crazy. The citrus and floral notes stick around for longer, and the almond compliments it so well. I even often wear it inside the house as it just makes me feel confident and comforted. Projection doesn't really improve, so if you really want to leave a trail you're going to want to overspray (The atomizer is very high quality and generous, so 6 sprays should be enough). Longevity wise the creamy, almost powdery almond lasts for a while without issue. Daily driver for anyone who likes to dress smart casual or above. Can be used everywhere but the gym. Intimate smell so not a compliment monster, but you'll definitely impress whoever you're trying to impress. Absolutely love it, no regrets, won't be surprised if I finish this bottle very very fast.

So, I own WAAAY too many fragrances (over 200). That means that I end up trying to rotate through them as much as possible and therefore It'll be months before I circle back to a fragrance. Guerlain - L'Homme Ideal edt was my "Gateway" into the house of Guerlain and Id purchased my bottle well over a year ago. MAN! Every time I spray this scent on it truley BLOWS MY MIND at how FREAKIN' GORGEOUS it is! I mean wWOWw! Thing is that these Guerlain's absolutely benifit from Maturation in just about every way, beit performance, nuance and over-all scent profile. Im now spraying some on after maybe 5 monthds since having last used it and I swear its become much richer, potent, longer lasting and that Almond note is now almost "creamy" and smells decadent! Along with the high quality- "Fougere like", masculine/Leaning accords? Fellas! DO NOT pass this scent up! I know that Guerlain has more hyped men's offering other than L'Homme Ideal, but this is TRULEY "Niche Level", ultra refined perfumery! Also dont be negativity swayed by the reformulations and "Bad performance" reviews bc initially when you first spray your new bottle, this scent has at the very least moderate performance, but a few months in after introducing air into the bottle you'll notice how the performance greatly improves as well as the over-all improvements. Amazing for gentleman 25 yrs old and up and damn near a 10 outta 10 in my book! I highly recommend that L'Homme Ideal edt be any guy's (or gal's) introduction into this amazing, timeless brand. Plus this edt is more affordable than most of the other men's offerings and comes in usually at between $50 and $60 for a full sized 3.4 oz bottle.. You'll thank me later!! Lol

Here's all you need to know about this fragrance. Matthew McConaughey in the film "The Gentlemen" by Guy Ritchie as a distinguished and well put together businessman in the UK dealing in the bush business hanging with Lords, Aristocrat's and people of power and distinguished elitism. If there's a fragrance that would fit that profile that he portrayed in the film, it would be this hands down. Sophisticated yet grounded. This fragrance exudes confidence and a daring attitude but, not reckless and more of a thoughtful process of thinking through the scenario to make a calculated risk. Leather and woods to give that depth of masculine presence with a citrus & aromatic flair up top that gives a vitality and reserved energy that is enveloped by the slightest green and warmth accord that makes it inviting with a smooth but, present sex appeal & mystery. Not too dark and neither to bright. Just the near perfection combination of sweet, bitter, woody and earthy composition that a well composed fragrance should deliver when one is looking for the signature scent to do it all. The edp is good and has some depth but, I feel that the sweetness that it has over the edt is geared more to a more younger or more youthful demographic. It gets too sweet on my skin. Not L'Homme Ideal edt. Everything works on harmony like a well orchestrated symphony of notes & accords that borders on being a masterpiece. For some it might be. For me it's just a shade under that line but, I won't deny that this is an incredibly well done juice. And I could definitely see myself wearing this as my exclusive signature scent. I just to get another bottle or two of the early releases....