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The bottle is pretty and in summery white. Guerlain is always very stylish and noble when it comes to flacon design. The problem is that the base of the Cool is rather weak and transparent. No part of the base note gives the mint / almond weight. I wonder why musk was not used here either, to emphasize the almond and mint and keep it alive longer. It's almost like when an author hasn't thought up a good/logical ending. So it is with great satisfaction that I appraise my empty 50ml (quite nice) bottle of Guerlain L'Homme Ideal Cologne, and bid it a long overdue farewell. Releasing a heavy fragrance as a fresher summer variant has been in vogue for several years now. I have to say: I like heavy DNA's in a slightly fresher robe, like Spicebomb, La Nuit de L'Homme, Code, Dior Homme and some more. Converting such DNA's into summer scents isn't even that easy. However, I find such scents great for milder summer days and summer evenings/nights without the great heat.
Where does L'Homme Ideal Cool (what a terrible name...) stand now in comparison to the other versions of this meanwhile extensive series (I wouldn't speak of flankers at all in view of the different orientation)? I’ve been wearing this here in June, after the official start of summer, but it’s not really built for the hot days outside. It’s fine at night when it cools off a bit, but L’Homme Ideal would excel during the colder months of the year, like a lot of fragrances seem to do.
For me, the Cologne of the L'Homme Idéal series was, along with the EdT, the stepchild of the series for a long time. While the EdP in winter spreads opulence in a positive sense and the sports version is wrongly underestimated in my opinion and is quite unique with its combination of almonds and aquatics, the Cologne always made the impression of the nice boy from next door during various tests on test strips, about whom you can actually say nothing bad, but who comes across quite arbitrarily. The, unfortunately discontinued, Cologne version had convinced me more and more with the time. Not because it was a complex masterpiece or one of the most creative fragrances. But rather because of its encouraging, cheerful, lively and summery way. This was due to the grapefruit and almond notes. While these notes complemented each other and added more weight, the light musk note was also added (probably mainly as a fixative) to add more weight, inclusion and longevity overall. As a result, the grapefruit aromas could be perceived until the end.
I have tested myself through many colleagues, Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca or for example the Love the way you Taste, just to name a few examples. Both also great fragrances, the mint was very authentically presented, but in the end I always faced the same problem: the more realistic and straightforward the mint was conceived, the more boring I found the wearing experience of the fragrance in the end. I've come to the conclusion that while it's exciting and soothing to have that scent note in a perfume like that, I just don't want to wear it. Do you know this feeling? You find a fragrance super exciting, but at the end of the day, it's just not really practical as a perfume per se. I mostly love fragrances that have a stable, rich, high-dose base. But it is not always easy as a perfumer to create an intense base without losing the top and heart notes or neglecting the desired effect thanks to a present base. Of course, it always depends on whether and which part of the fragrance pyramid the perfumers (have to) set as a focus.I think the first few hours is going to be when you’ll actually get complemented on Ideal. After that, it might have turned too light for many people to notice, outside of those who are close by. I also don't get prominent vetiver and that's a good thing for me. I'm sure it's in there but either blended in well enough or being the smoother, softer, woody vetiver rather than the more grassy or smokey type which I don't like.
In summary, Guerlain L’Homme Ideal EDP opens as a sweet syrupy cherry aroma, with accommodating almond and spices. It then dries down to a subdued version of the opening but with added leather, incense, and tonka bean. This fragrance leans masculine, but only slightly.The almond does not come alone, but accompanied by the "aquatic notes". Don't worry, because these notes are subtle and at least they don't wake up a shower gel feeling in me.
Looking through my haul of fragrance samples, I noticed that I had two scents with the L’Homme Ideal moniker. They had two separate colored sprayers and information cards but I really didn’t know if there was a difference. It turns out that L’Homme Ideal (the subject of this review) has a flanker fragrance called L’Homme Ideal Cologne…yes, they just added the word cologne to it. Anyways, I grabbed the original, and decided to wear it around for purposes of this review. I’m going to cover all of the usual stuff in this post, how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, etc. Please continue reading below for my full take. The Guerlain house was founded by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain in 1828. Starting with common hygiene products, Guerlain was also creating perfumes for his customers, and over time he developed the business into a highly successful company that became an official perfumer for several European royal courts. Ideal Extreme-At times, Extreme has been my favorite. But, less so this time around testing out these fragrances. Though, it may again claim the top spot. This one gets me a ton of leather versus the others. For spring and summer I bought a bottling and tested it several times during the last days. Especially in sunshine and on my skin I got to know a new side of cologne which inspired me. The star is the grapefruit in the top note. It's not the type that reminds me of the sour and bitter juice of various mediocre breakfast buffets, but a sweeter, more ripe fruit that immediately brightens my mind and makes me think about summer. This is probably due to the sweetness of the L'homme-Idéal DNA - here it works wonderfully and is rounded off by a fleetingly perceptible bergamot. This top note remains surprisingly long for a cologne and is supplemented over time by the typical almond, which is on a low flame in comparison to EdT and EdP. It does not play the leading role, but harmoniously accompanies the character of the fragrance, accompanied by a hint of neroli. The whole thing is bedded on a base that, unlike EdT/EdP, is not difficult, but pleasant and slightly fluffy in the form of a light musk gives an interesting depth. Vetiver, as listed here, I don't smell any.Jean-Paul Guerlain is the grandson of Jacques Guerlain. He first assisted, and then created his first "solo" offering, the now-famous Vetiver (1959). His other well-known creations include Habit Rouge, Chamade, Eau de Guerlain and Nahema. In the search for my perfect mint fragrance I also came across this "cool" one, which should replace the ever-popular L'Homme Idéal Cologne from the L'Homme Ideal series. Why Guerlain has made this step, I can not really understand, because I like the Cologne very much, but obviously it was probably due to poor sales figures. Overall, I think L’Homme Ideal is great. It is one of my favorites from the batch of around 40 or so samples that I recently got. The longevity could be better but aside from that, it smells fantastic, and is very well put together. To this well-known Neroli almond, which we already found in L'Homme Idéal Cologne, joins here namely a citrus mint, which gives the overall picture a tangy, almost limonade-like, slightly sweet touch, without being cheesy and too synthetic. The DNA of the Ideal series, especially the Colognes, lives on here so noticeably. I'm a fan of the classic Guerlains - Habit Rouge, Heritage, and Eau de Guerlain are top 3 for me. I've been trying to find something since Thierry Wasser became the current nose, Homme is good but didn't fit me, L'Instant (Not Wasser but still modern) I couldn't get on with the cacao. I kept thinking to myself... where's my modern Guerlain?
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