L'Homme Idéal Intense

L'Homme Idéal L'Intense

Guerlain 2018

This is my Guerlain L'Homme IDeal L'Intense Review on YouTube. I've been anticipating the launch of This is Guerlain L'Homme IDeal L'Intense so I put this overview video on the previous Guerlain L'Homme Ideal releases here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oIxZtNj8w The previous releases included the original Guerlain L'Homme Ideal, Guerlain L'Homme Ideal Cologne, Guerlain L'Homme Ideal Eau De Parfum and Guerlain L'Homme Ideal Sport. Now we have This is my Guerlain L'Homme IDeal L'Intense. So what's the story with Guerlain L'Homme Ideal L'Intense? Is it any more intense? Is it better than the previous versions? Find out all about Guerlain L'Homme Ideal L'Intense by watching my video on YouTube. Thank you.

Most of the hype about the L'homme Ideal line goes to Cologne and EDP. But this one never gets talked about. Why?
It starts off with a high dose of Cardamom which smells a bit fresh. The dry-down is smoky, heavy, sweet and the chili just uplifts it do another level and rounds everything out. The star of the show is the chili, otherwise it would be a sweet creamy mess. The chili makes it jump out. It's bold and can be offensive (which I like) but that also means is unique and memorable. It's near perfect to me.

L’Homme Idéal L’Intense is my favorite in the Idéal line. The chili pepper separates it from the others and makes it standout in my entire collection. It’s prominent in the opening and persists throughout the life of the scent.

On my skin the longevity of Idéal L’Intense is solid. I get 7-8 hours. Satisfied with that!

Here’s the disappointing part. The projection and sillage are unworthy of the label “intense”. It sits close to the skin soon after application and stays there. Without hugs or close contact, it takes a good nose to detect it. Over spraying helps but not enough for me. This is not the type of scent you want hiding close to the skin. I want my friends to enjoy it. My spouse to enjoy it. I want the maximum enjoyment of knowing others enjoy it! Where is my scent trail, Guerlain?

That said, I would buy it again! My love of the fragrance is far greater than my desire for more projection. The limited projection is irritating because of how much enjoy it.

This L'Intense by Guerlain is very pleasant to my nose. I enjoy the initial spray on my skin, instantly get a nice combo of Cardamom & that Chili note. A bit of almond in the back, that almost makes it slightly sweet, maybe even woody.
.
My thing is, you hear the phrase "L'intense", you instantly think, it's gonna be long lasting, heavy & almost like a cologne bomb. Now I'll say it lasts on my.skin probably 5-6 hours & only.projects for Maybe the first hour, maybe hour & ½ . To me that's not that "intense". I think with that name, Guerlain was implying that the note breakdown, the smell, makes it intense. It is spicy but pleasantly spicy not aggressively. Maybe a little sharp, but it's smooth. The fact it sits, very subtle yet present on the skin makes it very unique. Guerlain has that formula that just makes the scent do that. (Sit close to skin, yet still project to a degree)
.
I'll say this, wear this on a date night or even night out & you can't go wrong. Just don't expect to get a lot of compliments unless you're hugging a lot of people, reapplying the fragrance, or just catch a lot of people after applying it leaving the house. This can be worn in spring/summer, I guess I'd probably wait til a chilly night or winter. Because of the spiciness, it doesn't do bad in winter. Also drys down into a more vanilla/smokey fragrance so it could work in warm weather too.
Check this one out, could be a blind buy. Smells amazing to me

This review comes immediately after that of the progenitor L'Homme Idéal Eau de Toilette, so it is pretty natural for me to compare the two fragrances and find the points where they converge or diverge.

"L'Homme Idéal L'Intense | Guerlain" reveals itself in a similar way to Bentley Infinite Intense and apparently looks quite distinct from L'Homme Idéal Eau de Toilette. From the very beginning, the chilli pepper lights up a lively and enveloping tonka bean with its multifaceted warm spices. I miss the creaminess of the orange blossom, here replaced by the balminess of mild green cardamom. The greenish pods provide a cooling effect for a moment. Unfortunately, I can barely perceive the bitter and nutty almond, a trademark in the Idéal line, which is somewhat muffled and drowned among other notes. In its place, I hear a whisper of cherry, not juicy but relatively dry. In a way, it reminds me of cherry and tobacco. The cherry vibe is there but in the background, and you have to sniff precisely to detect it. That said, the openness isn't poor at all, and I love it. Thick, warm, sweet and a little dark.

As the scent enters the next stage, it becomes rosy and leathery. With a masculine slant, the rose blends gracefully with the initial spiciness and balances both the resinous cistus and the refined leather. A leather note is the anchor of this fragrance, and while it may not be the most intense note in the bouquet, it is always there. What I get is a smooth suede shadiness. Here I get an oriental character, but not too dark or opulent. Again, L'Intense has a distinct aroma to the OG, lacking the bittersweet edge of the amaretto.

The smoky notes associated with the tremendous dark vanilla tincture characterize a decidedly intriguing fragrance on the finish. It has a smokiness very similar to incense. A hint of chocolatey patchouli adds a kind of darkness, while tonka contributes its sweetness. I don't particularly smell anything that dirty or bold about this one. The woody facet comes from the creamy sandalwood, perceptible if I smell the perfume next to my skin. When the smoke subsides after that initial explosion, vanilla wood, leather, and tonka bean are the notes that close the curtain. The longer it sits, the smoother it gets.

My final verdict, L’Homme Idéal L’Intense is anything but a flanker. I have presumably tested it side by side with the OG, and they progress in separate ways from start to finish. It has excellent longevity and medium sillage but quickly turns into a skin perfume, and it doesn't project like a monster. Seasonally, it is to be worn in fall and winter all the way through. The spicy, smoky and tart aspects lend themselves exceptionally well to colder temperatures. I like it, but I find it less unique than the original.

I base the review on a decant I have owned since June 2018.

-Elysium