L'Homme Idéal Guerlain 2014Eau de Toilette

L'Homme Idéal (Eau de Toilette) by Guerlain

Bottle Design Thierry de Baschmakoff

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L'Homme Idéal (Eau de Toilette) (Guerlain)

7.1 / 10 571 Ratings

L'Homme Idéal (Eau de Toilette) is a perfume by Guerlain for men and was released in 2014. The scent is sweet-gourmand. It is being marketed by LVMH. Pronunciation

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Perfumer

Thierry Wasser

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Citrus fruits, Rosemary, Orange blossom
Heart Notes	Almond, Tonka bean
Base Notes	Leather, Indian vetiver, Cedar

Ratings

Scent

7.1 | 571 Ratings

Longevity

6.9 | 412 Ratings

Sillage

6.5 | 431 Ratings

Bottle

8.2 | 444 Ratings

Value for money

6.8 | 12 Ratings

View Video of L'Homme Idéal (Eau de Toilette) (Vimeo)

Submitted by Apicius, last update on 25.12.2020.

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Reviews

09/18/2020

7.5
Scent 7
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

MisterJ

Translated Show original

MisterJ

Beloved enemy

No, I couldn't do it anymore. It just didn't work out between us, although all the conditions and the first meeting were unforgettable. It was many months ago, it was chilly, I was alone and was looking for something new, something that hadn't gone up my nose yet, a fresh experience. At the turquoise D, I tried it, didn't know what to think of it at first and took a scent strip with me through the city. Even on the far away Saturn I still smelled of him and there it happened. A twist. Besides the sweetness I smelled something fresh and fruity. Sweet, fresh, gourmand - splendid. I was in love.

But then came the thunderstorm. My head buzzed and resisted the ideal man. It stung and hammered. I parted
But I had never forgotten him. This fresh twist... i never forgot it
Recently I saw an offer I couldn't refuse. I took it. To rekindle that initial love. The lid opened. The first spray. The old feeling. The twist. The fruitiness amidst the sweetness. But inside me, a cry began. My body said no again. My nose was overwrought. But what the ideal man didn't know was that I was going for a love triangle. In the back of the room was Mr Mugler, straight up. from Havana. He looked at me and said, "You already know me and there's no place in our lives for the ideal man." He was right. And I said, with my head throbbing... goodbye... until we meet again, maybe someday, somewhere maybe

1 Replies

08/05/2020

8
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage

Stulle

Translated Show original

Stulle

Top Review 26

Men's tonka bean

First of all it should be noted that I am not so good with very sweet scents. I like to smell them, but most of them turn into syrup on my skin or clothes. That's why I had reservations about testing L'Homme Ideal at all - based on some comments I expected some really bad stuff. However, to my great surprise, this EdT does not turn out to be so sweet in my tests at all.

It begins fresh, minimally citric, and is accompanied by a slight orange blossom - usually one of my nerve candidates - thankfully in a restrained dosage. Aha, so that's how unobtrusive you can do it.

Halfway swiftly Tonkabohne takes over the direction, in addition I perceive a very self-confident heliotropic-almond note. The astonishing thing for me is that this combination does NOT become overly sweet; the expected sticky turgidity is intercepted in time by dry notes, which I think I can identify as vetiver and some iso-E super cedar.

In the further course, the two base notes mentioned keep the fragrance consistently upright & clean and do not allow it to become an overly sugary broth. I somehow think of two strict lifeguards at the edge of the pool, who send the loudly bawling and annoying screaming necks into the paddling pool and/or immediately back into the changing room. Or something like that.

Even after hours, I still feel the above-mentioned structure (T-bean/cedar/vetiver) and believe that Guerlain's trick is exactly that: to create a tonka bean fragrance for men that doesn't become a grumpy gourmand, but retains a certain dignity.

I find the Sillage quite good, but not as overpowering as some other gourmand fragrances (e.g. the Mugler brand). That in turn makes LHI very socially acceptable. The shelf life is also good and the fragrance can be perceived from morning to early evening. The feedback from the environment is quite positive; however, if I need more volume and attention, I can resort to something else.

My personal insight:
the expectation of a gourmet due to the usual suspicious scents (here especially Tonka) can lead one astray. Breaking away from prejudice and waiting for the fragrance to develop is broadening. It's also nice to know that you can do much more with tonka beans than just sweet stuff
Even though the series of the ideal man has a stupid name (but we know: no story, no glory), it has obviously established itself. I think it's really good overall, and it often suits my taste; for me, it's a successful addition to the classic Guerlain fragrances, not the decline of the brand.

In the case of LHI I am in any case pleased about a valuable, but not overly demanding mainstream fragrance, which almost always fits and which I would like to wear not only exclusively during lonely walks in the woods.
NO TIME? READ THE HERE:

- fresh & minimal flowering prelude
- lots of tonka bean, some heliotrope & almond
- Vetiver & cedar limit the sweetness
- A tonka bean fragrance with calculated sweetness for men who like it smooth, but not loud & sticky.

15 Replies

04/06/2020

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 8
Sillage 8
Bottle

Nedim96

Translated Show original

Nedim96

Helpful Review 5

An enrichment

Summer evening 1965, I am sitting on the veranda of my range, children still playing heartwarmingly in the remaining golden rays of light. In front of me a vanilla coffee on an old, worn wooden table and in my left hand a nobly processed tobacco pipe. The crickets sing their songs from everywhere, surrounded by the fiery red curtain of the sky, in the centre of which the golden-orange sun is setting...

These are my first impressions that I have before me when I smell the perfume I don't understand why a perfume like that is only a 7.0. The first time I smelled it, I fell in love with it right away.

08/15/2019

9.5
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Spiff
7 Reviews

Spiff

Amazing and Versatile

From the moment I smelled this at the store, I was mesmerized by this scent. To me this is an extremely classy scent with beautiful almond and leather notes.

I also tried the EdP but found that to be too busy for my liking, and although I understand why many people favour the EdP, I much prefer the EdT.

I'm not very good with notes, so I'll just say that anyone thinking about an Homme Ideal should give the EdT a try.

Performance is more than adequate. I've only worn this once but I found projection and sillage are average or better. Longevity seems to be at least 6-8h. I'll update this after wearing it more.

Despite being more suited for fall/winter, I feel that this can be a good fragrance for colder spring days as well as cooler summer nights. Paraphrasing Carlitos01, avoid hell and the arctic.

This can be found discounted online.

04/11/2019

5.5
Scent 4
Longevity 6
Sillage 7
Bottle

Coemgen

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Coemgen

The warming companion for autumn - quiet, average and unfortunately somewhat boring

L'Homme Idéal (Eau de Toilette) was given to me as a sample by a well-known drugstore chain. Already with the first small attempt it had not torn me straight from the stool. Now I tried again...

The most striking sign of this perfume, in my opinion, is the orange. She's giving this perfume its shape. The subtleties come through the rosemary and the almond. Overall an acceptable blend that leaves a warm feeling behind. That's also the big advantage of this perfume: the warming feeling that I still feel even after a few hours. As a little bonus the leather comes out a bit more after 1 hour and gives the scent more depth. More of that would have suited the perfume well.
But apart from that, this fragrance lacks a special feature. He doesn't do anything wrong and doesn't risk anything and therefore seems average and a bit boring. The feeling I had at the first try didn't come up at the second one either.
I found the Sillage acceptable and the durability better than expected. It lasts a few hours without getting noticeably weaker and only loses its power gradually without changing much I have never seen the bottle in real, but in the pictures it looks fine. That sounds hard now, but the average appearance of the bottle, matches the average fragrance.

Conclusion: If you are looking for a perfume for autumn or for a nice dinner that does nothing wrong and leaves a warming feeling behind, you are in good hands here. If there was something special, he should look around for something else.

Small addition on my part: I am rather the southern young sporty type, my grandfather came from Greece and I am an enthusiastic strength athlete. For me this scent is too calm and "noble". It's probably the core of a gourmand (please correct me if I'm wrong here), but I'd rather recommend this perfume to an older man.

3 Replies

01/13/2019

9
Scent 7.5
Longevity 5
Sillage 10
Bottle

Apicius
220 Reviews

Apicius

Incredibly young

If I was asked what I smell most in Guerlain's main gents' cologne L'homme Idéal, I would say I smell the lots of work that Thierry Wasser must have put into during its development.

Maybe once in a decade, Guerlain releases a new gent's cologne which is to become the basis of their revenues. After its successful introduction, flankers usually follow over the years, extending the range of the original style to further directions of smell. Unlike the freedom one may find in niche perfumery, a fragrance like L'homme Idéal must be spot on. Missing the spirit of time or the audience's taste would be a disaster.

With this in mind, I admire the courage to go for a sweetish oriental as a follow up of the warm and woody Guerlain Homme. Like its predecessor, L'homme Idéal is all about base notes. But as it is the case with many excellent Guerlain perfumes, you fail if you try to describe the fragrance along the published scent notes. All I can say is that a typical Guerlain tonka gets transferred by dark and warm, maybe also slightly herbal notes into a very unique sweetish accord. Denominations like almond accord or Amaretto can roughly describe its style but should not be taken too literally.

L'homme Idéal does not create a fragrance sensation that points to an outer experience. No dark forests, green meadows, salty sea air or the like will appear in the imagination. Instead, L'homme Idéal points back to the personality and, of course, the body of the wearer itself. With modest warmth it is aiming to enhance physical presence and attraction. I being that way, L'homme Idéal is exactly in line with its predecessor. Perfumes like these are stylish in a way that a perfectly fitting suit can be regarded as stylish: slightly underlining the appearance of the wearer without giving too much statement of its own.

A whole group of mainstream perfumes nowadays try to achieve this effect by dimming down the strength of the fragrance to be more an aura rather then a scent. I appreciate this approach but with L'homme Idéal, this kind of smell reduction was not necessary. In a way, L'homme Idéal is both expressive and understated. Incorporating such contradicting aspects into one perfume is brilliant.

I perceive L'homme Idéal as an incredibly young fragrance. Expressive, sweetish orientals are generally the taste of teenage boys. At a certain age, one can eat a whole bag of candies without the slightest hint of nausea. In full awareness of this context, the industry has launched numerous very affordable sweetish, strong colognes aimed at the young audience. Just mention this to school teachers, and see how they will roll their eyes!

With its sweetness, L'homme Idéal docks onto fragrance and taste experiences we may remember from teenage years. But the whole topic is dealt with on another, much more mature and refined level. L'homme Idéal can be a kind of accelerator that provides access to the world of adult perfumery for the young. A young man used to affordable orientals may want to buy L'homme Idéal along with his first suit, and wear both at the wedding of his mate.

I think it is worth considering if a perfume that is to attract the young in return also emanates juvenile attraction in the perception of the old.

Be that as it may - men who long outgrew teenage smelling and eating habits can still use L'homme Idéal and regard themselves as age-properly dressed. Maybe it is time to leave the vetivers, the chypres and all the other beautiful oldster frags behind...

I very much like Thierry Wasser's and Guerlain's approach. Although driven by commercial interests, he is doing the same as we try to do with our perfume reviews: arousing interest in perfume beginners for high quality perfumes.

1 Replies

07/12/2018

7.5
Scent 6
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Sebastian80

Translated Show original

Sebastian80

Danube wave in the bottle

As a child I was allowed to wish myself my birthday cake every year. It's been the same every year: Donauwelle, a sheet cake with sour cherries, butter cream and thick chocolate icing.
I don't want to claim that Guerlain's ideal man smells like birthday cake, the quite present cherry note in the lovely coat just reminds me somehow of the old days. Although I can also perceive a slightly bitter almond, I unfortunately (or rather luckily) do not associate the aroma of Amaretto with this fragrance at all. It may be that I lack the necessary competence here, but I find the Italian almond liqueur to be slightly stinging and cake-sweet
The complete composition of Guerlain seems harmonious to me. Not too sweet, not too loud, but warm and fruity.
Little intrusive and balanced, but also a little arbitrary. Directly one will probably not notice with L´homme ideally rather, for it it is suitable by its gentle character for office and everyday life.
Ideal for going out for dinner during the day, in the evening or simply as a good feel-good scent, also for children's birthday parties :)

3 Replies

06/26/2018

MasterLi
375 Reviews

MasterLi

Beautiful almond and tonka fragrance...

I absolutely love the notes combination here. This fragrance has that sweet, nutty almond facet combined with the tonka bean aspect. The orange blossom also gives a nice, fresh aspect to it (especially when combined with the citrus). The leather and cedar round off the base here. It's a lovely lovely fragrance.

I see this one as very playful and laid back. It doesn't take itself too seriously. I also think that it would be a great hit with a lot of people. Nothing negative here. Just the right amount of gourmand sweetness and playfulness. I can see myself wearing this fragrance a lot. Refreshing and sweet, with just enough woody base and masculine aspects to keep it going. Extremely well made. I like it very much.

06/17/2018

10
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

MisterShaver

Translated Show original

MisterShaver

Top Review 16

Thank you Mr. Thierry Water

With this fragrance I really have to hang on to Apicius' statement and thank Mr. Wasser. Because alone like the smell came to me .... I had birthday and in the apron one is asked what one wishes. Here my wife and daughter were the questioners. Now one wishes oneself a smell often by coupon, but I wanted to have something in the hand. So I sent my two ladies to the perfumery of my confidence with the idea there to talk and try to find the scent that the shop owner - who has and knows my fullest confidence and my scent demands - serves up. I learned that there were a few at the start, but my ladies chose this one. That alone is enough for me as a good introduction.
But now came the day of revelation, speak, my judgment. And this one fell without me reading here.
Now this fragrance is my first from Guerlain. So there's nothing for me to compare that to. I am also not familiar with the other fragrances mentioned here. So I am free of anything that could cloud my judgement on the floor of a commentary "that smells like".

And now I notice that the first time I spray it on, a small, delicate nasal explosion takes place. The mixture of the first fragrance components reminds me of a fresh rush with a slightly bitter brake. And I perceive the pleasant echoes of the almond and somehow something vanilla-like. But it's not cute. Is there any bitter vanilla? I don't know, actually you bring in something rather sweet, sometimes even something heavy and pompous. But not here. It is probably the mixture of the tonka bean with the almond that triggers this in me. And all that follows is what I prefer so much. Something leathery, something woody and something oriental.
My perfume dealer of trust did a great job, my ladies recognized it, and I confess that the scent shows me that a somehow masculine scent can have a sweet overtone. Only so much of it that he doesn't drift into the sweet field.
And that's why it's the ideal scent for me. Perfect for the warm summer evening where you want to set fine accents. Which of course will also fit in the office.
And therefore I can thank Mr. Water, because without him I should not have experienced it.

I'm so happy!

06/04/2018

8
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Carlitos01
285 Reviews

Carlitos01

Very helpful Review 8

L'Homme Générique?

I was curious to measure my own apreciation over Guerlain's L'Homme Ideal. The reviews I read are quite of the love-hate kind. The Parfumo scent rating is quite polarized with high and low marks. I never pay much attention to the fragrance trolls voting a fragrance with a zero. I would only rate a scent with a zero if it would really stink or contained plain H2O in the bottle. L'Homme Idéal EdT does recall me a certain type of fragrances like Code Profumo, Pure Havane, Azzaro Pour Homme Intense and SpiceBomb, without being similar to none. I just use them in the same occasions. However all those fragrances have higher 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 by other scents. L'Homme Idéal supporters claim this EdT to be very alluring, quite sexy, good performer and with an 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 naturaly with the fragrance DNA, the seductive almond note. This first phase is generic and metrosexual, but not really boring.
With the heart notes, the scent becomes more pungent with sweet tonka beans and the persistant and dominant almond, that endures till the dry down. Other fragrances rely on almond and tonka to mark a gourmand position. In L'Homme Idéal case, it gives you a singular middle notes combination. The orange blossom top note already proposes you an elegant sweet ambiance, and participates in the sweet accord together with the tonka and almond notes. it's not very "Guerlain" but the result is good. The fragrance shines 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 heart sweetness, mainly due to the powerful and long lasting almond note.
L'Homme Idéal trails its own path now for a very pleasant drydown, but performance is only average.

I already tried the two EdP concentrations. To my nose, the Eau de Parfum seems to have a similar performance and a kind of cloying scent, with a strong tonka and a faint vanilla. Stronger but not better. Heavier but equaly short lived. I own the Intense version which I judge to have a better balance, showing a bit of cardamom in the opening. It also uses a stronger vanilla with some smoke in the drydown. Nevertheless its performance is average as well.
This Guerlain fragrance family promotes timid new paths in this industry. it's not as revolutionary as those started by Thyerry Mugler twenty years ago, but it is innovative enough for a conservative designer like Guerlain. I believe this new type of blending to be not as bold as the revolutionary designs of Paco Rabanne for instance. But 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 with a sillage of about an arm lenght. The projection is quite inferior to what I am used with Guerlain perfumes. I applied two heavy sprays to avoid the almond note to be clowing.

My rates for L'Homme Ideal EDT:
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Scent Opening: 7.5 (metrosexual and almost vulgar opening, unusual in Guerlain's perfumes)
Scent Drydown: 8.5 (more "unique", sweet, subtle and agreable than the opening.)
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 prjects for 1.5 hours)
Versatility: 8.5 (the EDT sweetness is elegant and alluring. It has got a fresh nuance that contributes to propose a wider range of situations where you can safely wear L'Homme Idéal like a signature scent, office fragrance, in leisure ituations, in dinners, conventions, receptions, weadings, dinning out, dates, intimacy... but not really in clubbing, work out, beach or sweating activities)
Wearability: 9.0 (just forget to use it in 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 realy do think that this fragrance will please to a wide range of both younger and older people)
Uniqueness: 8.5 (This fragrance has lot's of cousins but no 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: 6.5 (€46,00 for 100ml EdT tester + shipping. For this price I could buy a Guerlain's Heritage EdP 100 ml flask that I prefer by far)
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Average: 8.05 / 10.00
- between 7 and 8 =above average;
- between 8 and 9 = recomended;
- bigger than 9 = don't miss it;
I would not like to recommend this fragrance without a previous test. You may be one of the inconditional lovers or you may belong to the indiferent majority. I suggest you to compare it with similar alternatives. I don't plan to buy another bottle whenever the present bottle finishes. Anyway, for the usage I will give it, it's going to last for quite a while. I would prefer either the Intense version or a possible "L'Homme Ideal Boisé Intense", if such a flanker would be issued in the future.
Like many other people I am not impressed. It's an "honest" fragrance but to 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 zero freshness, I prefer the Azzaro's scent and I get a lot better performance. For the same price, I really prefer Pure Havane for instance. Climbing up the price leather, I prefer Code Profumo to L'Homme Ideal EDP, and I get a way better performance.

Music: Yes - "Soon" from the album "Tales from a Topographic Ocean"

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