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:
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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)
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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"