L'Homme Idéal Cologne Guerlain 2015

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.

How first impressions can sometimes deceive...

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.

All in all, a favorite of the series has emerged very surprisingly for me, which I smiled at until two weeks ago - but which I will wear gladly in the coming warm months, when I feel like summer refreshment without a cool lemon.

And the lesson from history - only testing on paper is not worth it!