L’Homme Ideal Cologne by Guerlain

Okay, so, I have already reviewed L’Homme Ideal by Guerlain on this site. Since this initial publication, they came out with Cologne and a host of other fragrances under the Ideal banner. The subject of this review, L’Homme Ideal Cologne, always got me confused with the original EDT release because of the name and very similar original bottles. Anyway, I’ve updated the page for my review, for this fragrance I don’t even think they make anymore.

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What does L’Homme Ideal EDT Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, bergamot, orange, almond, musk, pink pepper, musk, neroli

Click here to try: Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Cologne EDT Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce

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My Full Wear Review

The opening of Ideal Cologne is an excellent blast of the citrus notes that makes up the composition. Mostly, it’s grapefruit and orange but I can also detect of bergamot. Really, I find it to be very attractive at the start, I love the citrus notes in this fragrance.

Now, the almond note is also there, and is the main attraction in the original L’Homme Ideal but this is an entirely different scent from that one (which is also a great fragrance).

This is more of a summery citrus based fragrance while the original is more of a sweet masculine scent for the colder months of the year.

About 15-20 minutes after spraying on my skin, the almond and vetiver notes become much more prominent. Man, it becomes such a smooth and pleasant scent to wear.

The citrus notes feel quite ‘cool’ and light, almost like a frozen drink, and then the almond and vetiver give it a bit more substance as it wears on.

Thankfully, the musk note in here isn’t overpowering and provides a nice touch. It screams freshness with that sort of zesty energy found with citrus.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Ideal Cologne isn’t a big hitter, and really doesn’t need to be. This is a light fragrance that doesn’t hit you over the head, rather, it lingers throughout the day.

None of the Ideal scents are complete beast mode, at least for long stretches of time. However, this is lighter than flankers like EDP, and is going to sit closer to the skin for much of the wear.

It’s longevity is better than the original fragrance. With this, I can hit 8 hours or more of good performance. Again, it’s not a powerful scent but it will stick around for a while. For a summer scent, it’s actually got great performance.

For me, this is spring/summer all the way. While I completely dig L’Homme Ideal, I felt that it’s performance wasn’t totally up to snuff, and I have too many other options in the colder months.

However, with Ideal Cologne, I get a very reasonable option for when it’s warm outside, nice performance, and a scent that is versatile. Update: Yeah, wearing this outdoors is a great experience during the early parts of the summer.

I could wear this casually or out on a date and feel like it would work well. It’s attractive in the sense that you want to smell it, but not necessarily a ‘sexy’ fragrance…it kind of skirts that line.

This is a good option for those who want something to wear during summer evenings. It’s clean and has a crowd pleasing aroma.

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Overall Impressions of L’Homme Ideal

Overall, would I recommend L’Homme Ideal Cologne? Yes. I think it’s a really good cologne all around. Not the best thing ever, granted, but still a great wear that is still affordable.

Update: This has been discontinued for a while now. Though, it’s among my favorite from the Ideal series. Maybe, even number one, depending on the day. I doesn’t appear that you can still chase down cheap bottles. So, I don’t know if I’d pay the higher asking price. Over $100 is a bit much, unless you’re already sure that you love this one. 

This fragrance did grow on me, more and more, as I got more experience with it after initial testing. The Ideal fragrances are a bit overhyped, in my opinion, but they’re all enjoyable. 

The citrus and almond combination is awesome here. Taking these notes found in the rest of the line and giving them precedence versus the heavier leathers and smoke that can be found in other Ideal scents.

From what I’ve seen you can pick up a nice sized bottle for under $40, at most places online. I’m quite impressed by this and will probably pick up a full bottle for myself at some point. For the summer, it’s a nice pick up and it isn’t too well known.