Guerlain Homme L'Eau Guerlain 2010

Becoming aquainted with an outstanding perfume can be a magic moment that will be lingering in your mind forever – and for me, this was the case with Guerlain Homme L'Eau.

I had already known the original Guerlain Homme, which had given me an ambivalent impression. I loved the base note but regretted how it was spoiled by the candy-like so called Mojito note. So, when I saw that the head note of Homme L'Eau was a bit more traditional I decided to buy blind.

I recall the evening when I came home from my usual working week – stressed and exhausted. I had received a message on my smartphone telling me that something was waiting for me at my nearby Packstation. I love that institution. You just put your card into the slot, and magically, one of the boxes opens and reveals a gift for you. It was a chilly April evening, the air was wet and fresh, and so the parcel and its content was also cooled down to that chilly low temperature.

Back at home, I opened the box immediately – and sprayed.

It was not only the scent of grapefruit and mint against that warm, intimate woodiness. It was also the light blue flacon of frosted glass – square and solid and with a big cap that felt simply good holding it in my palm. And it was the sensation of having this perfume cooled down before spraying. When the first spritz touched my skin, I got a delicious shivering sensation along with that fresh and lively smell. My first acquaintance with Homme L'Eau could not have been any luckier.

In Homme L'Eau Guerlain did right what they did wrong within the original Homme. None of that miscarried Mojito note, but a fresh and rather traditional citric and minty head instead. Guerlain is not bad at citric top notes. I got the impression that after Homme and Homme Intense Thierry Wasser was finally allowed the freedom to create a decent perfume, and without having to pay any tribute to the Cuban holidays of Mme Delacourte.

Homme L'Eau lives very much from the contradiction between the almost steely freshness of the mint and grapefruit accord and the musty and very intimate warmth of the woody Homme base notes. Other than the original and the other flankers, something light and musky was additionally added to the base providing a link to to the otherwise too different top.

For me, Homme L'Eau confirms a general experience I made with Guerlain: the less popular lighter flankers of their successful gent's fragrances are very often more interesting than the “Intense” or “Extreme” versions, and the original. Do not ignore Habit Rouge L'Eau and Sport, and if you still can find it, the Vetiver Eau Glacée and the light versions of L'Instant pour Homme!

Homme L'Eau does not have any Guerlinade. Rather than Guerlain, it is definitely Thierry Wasser's odor mark you will find here – very much the same style as his light green-lemony but woody Cologne du Parfumeur. Unlike that Eau de Cologne, Homme L'Eau is no eau at all. The longevity is outstanding – well over 12 hour after applying it rather discreetly.

I think Guerlain Homme L'Eau was a limited edition but some still can be found on the net. I recommend to buy soon – though inevitably blind. And keep it stored in your fridge!

L'eau in my opinion is a little better than regular Guerlain Homme. It's more fresh and comfortable for a hot day.

Smells a very natural mint touched by lemons, grapefruit and a bit of vetiver.

Along with his brother, longevity is weak.

Updated January 2014

Great creation. Very cool. Very very cool. If you try it as safe as you buy it. Good creation. It smells good. Clean. There are none like it. Elegant.

It's the coolest of the guerlain homme line! The bottle makes the idea very well, with opaque glass and light green juice inside. The least complex of the line but far from simple. The opening is very citrus, you immediately feel lime and bergamot, after a few minutes evolves into a more unique fragrance, bergamot joins mint, sweet enough. The base is the same as boisee, the lime on the bottom will accompany you all day, becoming very relaxing. The projection is not excellent, but will remain on the skin until the end of the day. A very accommodating and summery scent, I think there is nothing similar in modern perfumery. Perfect on hot days. Now interrupted, to be taken absolutely, but not a crazy price.

vote 8.5

Guerlain's L'Eau pour Homme is one of the best of my blind buys. And what a summer fragrance it is. Very elegant and refreshing, yet the scent stands out from the ordinary refreshing waters and sport versions that can be found in abundance at drugstores.

The fragrance opens with a very fresh green and aquatic note: lemon, lime, and mint, a hint of green grapefruit, which never comes across as too zesty, but instead creates a subtle and elegantly fresh aura around the wearer. A splash of rum rounds off the crisp appearance. As the scent develops, the fragrance gains a woody note, which I miss in the fragrance pyramid above. But one doesn't have to list all the ingredients; that keeps the sniffing exciting. I suspect a cedar base, without the fresh, citrusy notes really disappearing. This is also what distinguishes this summer scent: its remarkable longevity and abundant freshness. Nothing about this Eau gives the impression of being synthetic. On the contrary: it comes across as luxurious, like with rolled-up white shirt sleeves.

On my skin, the scent lasts for hours. I recommend applying a couple of sprays to clothing in addition to scenting the skin. The top notes seem to cling even better that way. I don’t use the fragrance only in summer but all year round.