Reviews of L'Homme Idéal Extrême by Guerlain
L'Homme Idéal Extrême is a bit too extreme in the wrong direction, unfortunately. While the notes sound appealing in paper, I found this to be the L'Homme Ideal theme (almond, cherry guerlinade) loaded with some woody-amber synthetics that approximate an accord of dry cedar and dusty tobacco. It's more powerful than the rest of the line, but I found it a bit too scratchy.
The sweetness here is within reason, and the late dry-down loses most of it, as the scratchiness is gone too mostly by this time, which is about a good five hours or so. It has moderate sillage (close, intermittent) and good duration, based on a moderate application. This would have been an excellent release only if it were smoother.
3/5
The sweetness here is within reason, and the late dry-down loses most of it, as the scratchiness is gone too mostly by this time, which is about a good five hours or so. It has moderate sillage (close, intermittent) and good duration, based on a moderate application. This would have been an excellent release only if it were smoother.
3/5
Bland and forgettable. No real tobacco vibe going on here either. Just a peppery cinnamon/ tonka /woods combo.
To sum it up in a nutshell it's the above plus an orangy almond top, maybe some amber/anise/licorice too but still kind of non-modern. Less so than Habit Rouge but still...
To sum it up in a nutshell it's the above plus an orangy almond top, maybe some amber/anise/licorice too but still kind of non-modern. Less so than Habit Rouge but still...
ADVERTISEMENT
This is a modern masterpiece in my opinion. The blend here is simply superb, the way it opens with almond and spices, full of life, goes to fruity plum and cinnamon, then dries down to a gorgeous tobacco, and you can clearly follow these transitions.
This is a night-out fragrance, you can wear it on any night of the year, the seasons do not matter at all. It smells like a cool young cousin of Tonka Imperiale, the one who loves to drink but knows his limits, and is classy as all hell. One of my favorite wears, i simply enjoy every single minute wearing this. So nice.
This is a night-out fragrance, you can wear it on any night of the year, the seasons do not matter at all. It smells like a cool young cousin of Tonka Imperiale, the one who loves to drink but knows his limits, and is classy as all hell. One of my favorite wears, i simply enjoy every single minute wearing this. So nice.
Amazing gem this is on my skin!
The best of the L'homme Ideal flankers to me.
Regarding the construction, beautiful is the word that comes to mind. Reminds me of Cartier L'Envol in a thinner and lighter presentation, but with all of the layers present and accounted for.
Of note, there is an afterglow, probably the heliotrope? Smells of warmth, energety and is simultaneously comforting. I love this scent!
The best of the L'homme Ideal flankers to me.
Regarding the construction, beautiful is the word that comes to mind. Reminds me of Cartier L'Envol in a thinner and lighter presentation, but with all of the layers present and accounted for.
Of note, there is an afterglow, probably the heliotrope? Smells of warmth, energety and is simultaneously comforting. I love this scent!
Extreme is a wonderfully refined version of the original EdT. Less fresh effects, more warm and sweet ambery/cherry/almond goodness. Be careful with application. It's easy to go overboard. A very welcome addition to the L'Homme Ideal collection. Hard to track down in North America, though. Otherwise, highly recommended.
Indeed it reminds of the original a lot, not better or worse than it, however subjectively not better than the EDP flanker. It has a very classic vibe too, that reminds me of Joop Homme and CK Obsession For Men. Also has that bit of a pinch of a "urinal cake" feel to it.
On me, the dominant notes are cinnamon, plum and almond. Less dominant but noticable notes would be the tobacco and woody notes. I think it'll take a bit of a time and effort for most of the folks to get to like and accept this one. Yes, the first impression of it will not be too good for the most, but I believe that the impression of it will improve in time and this fragrance will be generally more accpeted and liked.
So I'll be the first one to rate it positively albeit I myself still have a bit of an inclination to give it a neutral rating. I won't. Thumbs up anyway.
Originality 6/10
Scent objectively 5/10; subjectively over time, probably 7/10
Longevity 8/10
Projection 7/10
On me, the dominant notes are cinnamon, plum and almond. Less dominant but noticable notes would be the tobacco and woody notes. I think it'll take a bit of a time and effort for most of the folks to get to like and accept this one. Yes, the first impression of it will not be too good for the most, but I believe that the impression of it will improve in time and this fragrance will be generally more accpeted and liked.
So I'll be the first one to rate it positively albeit I myself still have a bit of an inclination to give it a neutral rating. I won't. Thumbs up anyway.
Originality 6/10
Scent objectively 5/10; subjectively over time, probably 7/10
Longevity 8/10
Projection 7/10
One of the most recent releases from Guerlain is L'Homme Ideal Extreme, a sweet, spicy, boozy mix that feels very apropos for the upcoming cooler weather in the northern hemisphere. Its note mix consists primarily of plum, tobacco, almond, pink pepper, patchouli, woods, and just a hint of leather. The plum/tobacco mix is especially telling, with plum being a lovely sweet and boozy additive to contrast the bitter/smoky/green aspects of tobacco, with other supportive notes.
It has an effective sweet and spicy balance, perhaps slightly more sweet than it is boozy but it overall feels complete and well-thought-out, relatively safe but with some intrigue. This could easily be a fall/winter staple for men in particular, for those who are not sweet-averse. It performs pretty well, in EDP concentration, meeting the expectation of a perfume beyond a designer/cheapie.
I blind bought this from News Parfums some weeks ago after seeing a favorable review, and unfortunately it does not yet seem to be available in the US, though it's currently for sale on Harrods' website at $73 for 50ml. I paid a little more via News Parfums at a little over $80 for the 50ml size. The retail pricing seems very reasonable overall for the quality, utility, and performance.
I regard it as a successful blind buy and a recommended try for those that have access it to it now for those, like myself, in the US when it becomes available here.
8 out of 10
It has an effective sweet and spicy balance, perhaps slightly more sweet than it is boozy but it overall feels complete and well-thought-out, relatively safe but with some intrigue. This could easily be a fall/winter staple for men in particular, for those who are not sweet-averse. It performs pretty well, in EDP concentration, meeting the expectation of a perfume beyond a designer/cheapie.
I blind bought this from News Parfums some weeks ago after seeing a favorable review, and unfortunately it does not yet seem to be available in the US, though it's currently for sale on Harrods' website at $73 for 50ml. I paid a little more via News Parfums at a little over $80 for the 50ml size. The retail pricing seems very reasonable overall for the quality, utility, and performance.
I regard it as a successful blind buy and a recommended try for those that have access it to it now for those, like myself, in the US when it becomes available here.
8 out of 10
Starts off very much like the original Ideal, with familiar almonds, very sweet, but more powdery. The aromatic almonds always make me think of amaretto , so it has a boozy feel. Later I get cinnamon as the opening fades. At the tail end of the progression, it becomes darker, almost smokey, with plenty of patchouli and leather.
Solid Performance with persistent projection. It doesn't fill the room unless over sprayed but you can easily smell it jumping off your skin. Lasts all day and into the next on clothes.
Solid Performance with persistent projection. It doesn't fill the room unless over sprayed but you can easily smell it jumping off your skin. Lasts all day and into the next on clothes.
Oh yes, I was disappointed! I had read that LHIE reminded someone of LIDGE, which I love (in the old bottle). I had tried L'homme ideal in a previous version and didn't like it but wanted to see how Wasser would develop it further.
As a fan of Habit Rouge, Héritage, Derby, Vetiver I feel this new Extrême fails to dish up the complex magic I love so much about Guerlain scents, and for me it's really not about reaching back into the past. There's great new stuff out now (Ganymede, Nishtana, Volcano).
This one gets stuck in a somehow dense sugary cherry mist, soon stumbling into tobacco, no exciting transition for me, and some patchouli sexing up the disharmony, just a little, not really. It reminds me of darkened, plum n' cherry candied Antaeus, that's probably my personal truth. It's not bad but heavy, oddly formal and sweet - unfortunately not in a gender confusing sense (which could have been playfulI and given me joy).
As a fan of Habit Rouge, Héritage, Derby, Vetiver I feel this new Extrême fails to dish up the complex magic I love so much about Guerlain scents, and for me it's really not about reaching back into the past. There's great new stuff out now (Ganymede, Nishtana, Volcano).
This one gets stuck in a somehow dense sugary cherry mist, soon stumbling into tobacco, no exciting transition for me, and some patchouli sexing up the disharmony, just a little, not really. It reminds me of darkened, plum n' cherry candied Antaeus, that's probably my personal truth. It's not bad but heavy, oddly formal and sweet - unfortunately not in a gender confusing sense (which could have been playfulI and given me joy).