Horizon

Ok, so when ya hear the term " Hidden gem" they're reffering to Guy Laroche's Horizon! This fragrance smells great! Very fresh, fruity and herbacous. I wanted this bc Ive really been getting into classic aldehydic fragrances, and I figured Horizon might be a "tough wear" bc its supposedly a classic "kitchen sink/aldehydic" type of fragrance, yet I get no (noticable) aldehydes, which means that the aldehydes are probably blended and used in a very modern way. Now, I definitely do NOT mind that the aldehydes are subdued bc it simply smells THAT GOOD! The star of the show has to be the Mandarin Orange (with the peel), mint and Patchouli, along with sea salt and hints of green notes. Its (almost) like sniffing the peel of a slightly over-rippened mandarin orange.You can pick up on a tiny bit of aldehydes, but again, its barely noticable and only of ya know aldehydes are actually there and it's probably only used to give this a "fresh/sparkley" effect. The intoxicating Mandarin (peel) is present through the life of the fragrance which seamlessly blends in with the beautiful sandalwood, cedar and Patchouli base. Decent performance, lasts about 6-7 hours with moderate projection, and is still detectable on clothes the next day. Now, I suggest over spraying a bit bc although Horizon starts off somewhat strong, It dies down and gets smoother within 30 mins or so. And since its an edt, over spraying may be warranted if for example, ya want it to last an entire work shift. Now, ya can go anosmic to this within the first 2 hours, but trust me, its definately noticable to folks around you. As a matter of fact, when I asked a co-worker to let me know if she could smell Horizon on me about 5 hours after application bc I could not smell it, she asked if I had a cold bc she could very clearly smell it on me😉 The kicker is that Horizon only costs me $9.96 for a 1.7oz splash bottle! Also, This does NOT smell dated or "Old Man-ish" at all and definately can be considered a mature, modern fragrance! This one is quite unique and definately worth "gate keeping". I really do enjoy it quite a bit and was surprised at just how great it smells as well as how good the performance is, ESPECIALLY considering what the brand has done to our BELOVED Drakkar Noire. 8.5 outta 10 fragrance imo and thats out of a 70+ bottle collection! Fantastic find and definately recommended! I've already grabbed a back-up bottle before this GEM gets discontinued, and suggest any fragrance enthusiasts do the same! Thanks to whomever took the time to read my thoughts on Horizon! 😉 --------UPDATE- 3 weeks later-------- Maaaaaaan! This stuff is really ADDICTIVE! It's truley becoming one of my fave fragrances (even when compared to my "high-end" designers!) It's such a juicey Mandarin Orange peel/Patchouli forward fragrance. The aldehydes are super well blended and give this a sparkling effect which is awesome.. Quite unique and a LOVE for me😍😋

I got rid of this one years ago because it made me feel like I was the guy in the film, The Blair Witch Project...the one who had his nose in the corner of the basement while his girlfriend was being killed near the end of film...I just hated it. It was so fucking DANK. A musty old forgotten house, hidden deep within the pine barrens, where some really bad shit went down. Piney, musty and a little pissy. At the time I bought a 1.7 oz bottle off Ebay for a few bucks. I believe I later gave it away to a friend at work. Fast forward 7 or 8 years later, I've had this gnawing urge to go a 2nd round with this beast. Kicked around the thought for years, in fact. So what do I do?? I go back on Ebay and order a new 3.4 oz bottle, lol (legit thought process, right?). Turns out I'm glad I did. After an exaggeration realization, I've come to actually enjoy Horizon a great deal this time around, so I'm assuming that my nose has matured more with age. That said, I feel a little guilty writing such a harsh review on here, which still exists if you wanna keep scrolling down a good ways. But ultimately I decided to keep it because that was my honest review at the time. It's funny how time can change your olfactory perception on scents. I've come to the conclusion that I was allowing my imagination to run wild with Guy Laroche's Horizon. It's a deep, woody and soapy pine driven prototype aquatic for the early 90s that deserves respect and recognition for being extremely daring for its release time. It's most certainly still dank in my eyes, but in the most comforting way possible. This is a scent that you wear for yourself and no one else. A scent of comfort with an artistic drive that’s more interesting and challenging than a Kenzo PH. Tired of blue mall releases? Here's a Spring challenge that won't cost you hardly anything to dip your toe in (just hope The Loch Ness Monster doesn't bite it off). Although like me, it could take a more mature nose to truly appreciate this anomaly. Horizon currently sits on my favorites shelf.

★★★★★ This was one of the few times I blind bought a fragrance, but at the price of 9$ it gets really tempting, plus it has been a target for me in a while and I couldn't find a tester anywhere as it's long gone. I'm at a loss for words. The overall effect of this very clever Aromatic Green / Aquatic composition achieves niche quality, since the result is terrifically unique and "out there". It starts with a minty fresh aldehydic opening and lavender reminiscing an oceanic herbal splash, which is unbelievably refreshing and pleasing. Five minutes later, pine needles help in the overall outdoorsy and masculine character.The oceanic element takes a back seat while an underlying sweetness (probably the cyclamen or something fruity) takes over, I'm finding hard to explain since this is a very busy fragrance, and not in a negative way. For most of its lifespan, it holds a camphorous character, almost soapy, almost smoky and herbal (probably due to the lavender and moss). If you forget about the note pyramid, it evokes that oceanic feeling, and can stray from green to aquatic. Very unique, summer/spring fragrance of masculinity with a longevity of 8 hours on my skin (great for a summer fragrance) and after the intense opening, a moderate sillage, As it can be very medicinal if over applied, I discovered that spraying it in the air and walking through the "cloud" gives the most appropriate and desirable effect on my skin. The dry down is that of a classic retro fougere, but without losing its summery green/aquatic character. Thrilled from this blind buy, definitely intending on keeping it and enjoying it in the warmer days, both day and night! It is not a "safe" smelling fragrance due to its complexity and authenticity as a cross-genre fragrance. The other aquatic fragrances of that era (Acqua Di Gio, L' Eau D' Issey, CK One etc.) lack character in front of this unique gem and are most certainly more safe, which is why they succeeded and they still dominate every department store to this day.

Having been a big fan of Drakkar Noir for many years, I really wanted to smell other scents by Guy LaRoche. This one for some reason, was nearly impossible for me to find here in the NE United States. Thank you very much to Action for the lovely decant-great swapping with you!... If Drakkar Noir is the "bad boy", Horizon is his outdoorsy younger brother. Bright, sporty, athletic and green. This has many notes listed (as does DN) but they are so well blended; that ultimately, there are notes that come and go during its development, but it is overall very "green" and warmly fresh... The opening is very bright, with citruses, sharp herbs and some dry florals. It reminds me of a clear summer day without a cloud in the sky...green meadows, herbs growing, lush leaves and fresh air. As it begins to dry it becomes somewhat softer and warmer-carnation and geranium make it manly and floral while caraway adds a hint of warm spiciness to the green pine needles and remaining flowers-here it is sweet but refined, smooth and sexy. The drydown is all man. Forget about the usually generic combination of the listed basenotes, this is woody but not at all common, mossy but not overly thick, musky and leathery-but not in a brutish way: more of a smooth and sexy way. The amber and patchouli are swirling around in there too, but are not really oriental; they just add to the overall rich (but not heavy) feel here. This is very aptly named as it reminds me of where the sea meets the sky on a bright clear day-superlative! Sillage: excellent Longevity: above average Overall: 4.75/5 There was also a Drakkar (original) but I have not been able to find that either; since it was discontinued in favor of continued production of the Noir. If you like complex fragrances wellmade and elegant, with an overly green, natural feel get this. Can't find it right away...keep looking, as this is worth the search! Horizon is currently one of my new favorite fragrances!

Horizon is a confused scent that has no idea in which direction it really wants to go. It's a hodgepodged lost child who's strayed away from his parents at the mall, sitting on a bench and crying while looking for a home. I've bought some weird blind buys in my day, but this one is the worst of them all. What I get from this fragrance is an old abandoned house nestled deep within the middle of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. As you walk into the house you can smell the moisture from the rotting wood, and the piss that some passerby had taken in the corner a few days prior. Dank, musty and pine ridden. The sad thing is, Guy Laroche's house was about 10 to 13 years late on Horizon's release date. This should have been an early 80's release, not a 93 release. No wonder this thing got swallowed up so fast in the early 90's aquatic pioneering craze. Some might say that Horizon is a part of that same phase, but I would argue that in order to claim that notion, one would have to make an argument that Pacco Rabanne PH deserves the right to carry that same title due to it's wet base, but Horizon falls flat in the end. Folks, this damp and musty basement fragrance should not be tied to an aquatic relation...period. This scent is a true aromatic all the way. Hats off to anyone who can pull it off. Feel free to pop my ballons, but I won't be wearing this offering any time soon unless my nose evolves greatly in the future.