Cologne Reviews

L’homme Ideal Extreme by Guerlain

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L’Homme Ideal is a wildly popular line from Guerlain. Ideal Extreme is a scent that has really gotten talked about as one of the greats of recent history and as being a must have for anyone’s collection. It was released back in 2020.

For me, the Ideal line has been one that I enjoy, but it’s not something I absolutely have to keep around. Does Ideal Extreme change that? How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a buy?

Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Extreme Overview

Notes include: plum, almond, tobacco, heliotrope, leather, cinnamon, bergamot, pink pepper, patchouli, cedar

Click here to try: Ideal Extreme

My Full Wear Review

Here’s how Guerlain describes it: L’eau de parfum extrême? A woody ambery fragrance that will allow you to remain a man who is talented to the extreme, for everything. For this all-new interpretation of L’Homme Idéal, Thierry Wasser, Guerlain’s Perfumer, chose to explore new facets of almond, L’Homme Idéal’s original olfactory signature. At the heart of the composition lies powerful ambery and woody notes which are bolstered by daring hints of spice and warm, charismatic notes of tobacco.

Outside of Ideal L’Intense, I actually get a lot of the leather note with Extreme versus others in the series. Even, early on in the wear.

But, Extreme doesn’t start off things as a pure leather, by any means. Pink pepper spice, sweet plum with a touch of citrus, a cinnamon kick, and the almond note that comes standard in the Ideal lineup.

The spice sort of just sits in the background once you past about five minutes, it’s not a massive factor on my skin, at least.

The plum isn’t particularly juicy, it’s tartness is subdued by the surrounding ingredients making it sweeter as you move along. Yet, early on that tart quality definitely has a bit of an upper hand when compared to the sweetness.

Ideal Extreme comes across as having a dried fruitiness versus something juicy. So, at this stage this Guerlain cologne is a nutty leather livened up by cinnamon/pepper/plum.

The next phase is when the tobacco note, comes into play. The spice and plum will recede, giving lots of ground up to the tobacco, leather, and almond notes. Those notes do hang around, but they’re not front and center.

Heliotrope is the floral note in this one. Not massive, gets somewhat obscured by that almond note, but you do get some sweetness/powdery touches out of that note. There’s also some patchouli, just not much at all for me.

Basically, the end is a general sweetness of plum, the tobacco becomes stronger than the leather, and then the almond note at a much diminished state.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

With a name like Extreme, you might expect a complete sillage beast. It’s not. Certainly above average, has a strong opening, but pretty moderate on the whole. It’s about what I get with the Eau de Parfum version.

I’ve seen some people say that Extreme lasts all day on skin. For me, I get in the 8-9 hour range. That’s still really good and meets the standard of what most folks will need on a regular basis. Yet, it’s not entirely elite, in that sense.

The last few hours, it’s a skin scent. Still, no issues with performance to worry about.

Seasonally, this is autumn and winter all the way. I really wouldn’t want to wear this in the heat, it’s decent in moderate temperatures, but lovely when it is actually cold outside.

Ideal Extreme gives you plenty of versatility within that time frame, however. You can wear it to the office in the daytime and to the bar at night. It’s got enough class to be professional, but it isn’t stuffy or boring.

Plus, it’s pretty mass appealing. The sweetness, tobacco, leather, and almond are all accords that most people are going to enjoy smelling.

Overall Impressions of Ideal Extreme

Overall, do I like Ideal Extreme? Yes, I think it’s a very very good fragrance. It’s not my personal favorite, but there’s nothing that below average here. I still think that I like Ideal EDP a tiny bit more.

Also, I personally was into the old Ideal Cologne, but that’s disappeared. Along with its, Platine Prive replacement.

The opening with the fruitiness, the cinnamon and pink pepper spice is really great. It doesn’t let me down, further on in the wear, staying pleasant throughout. With Ideal L’Intense, that dry down doesn’t match my enthusiasm for the start. So, I’m glad that this one holds up.

The almond, leather, and tobacco trio are easy to enjoy. Nothing too harsh here, you get a nice performance, and it’s a scent that will draw complements.

If you’re in the US, you will have to track this one down. Either off of eBay or at a place like Selfridges in the UK, which I’ve linked to.

Update: They’ve made this much more widely available since the initial review years ago. In fact, the whole Ideal line is easier to find in the US nowadays.

But, even with some international shipping costs, the price is still low enough to make it worth getting a hold of, if it sounds interesting.

Dune Pour Homme by Dior

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Dune Pour Homme is one that I experienced for the first time many years ago. Sometime in the past year or so, I picked it up again in the form of a travel sprayer decant. I thought that I’d already published my review of it, but I guess not.

So, this is another blast from the past, a fragrance first released in 1997. How does it smell? Is Dune worth a try?

Dune Pour Homme Overview

Notes include: fig, sandalwood, cassis, vanilla, tonka bean, basil, sage, rose, mignonette, cedar

My Full Review

Here’s how Dior describes Dune: Original and harmonious, Dune pour Homme takes its inspiration from breezy seaside escapes. Its composition associates fresh, woody and oceanic notes in a fragrance that is serene and in harmony with nature.

I’m not sure when this scent got discontinued (Update: it is apparently back or has been limited to certain markets. So, you can actually get Dune fairly regularly now). Nor do I know when my decant of it is from. So, who knows if any reformulation took place that effected its performance?

The scent itself, I don’t think so, as that smells exactly how it is sounds based on the notes list.

The opening act is really fresh with basil and sage, coming out of the gate hard. There is a light fruity cassis note that joins, but never feels too pronounced on my skin. It just sort of hangs around for most of the wear.

Under that fresh spice? Fig. Lots of it. Also, mignonette, which based on what I’ve read is giving it that greenish-watery-violet smelling aroma. I like it, more so than the usual violet leaf note that gets stuck into a ton of fragrances.

The basil and sage’s dominance hangs around for a little bit. But, this one will go from more herbal/green/fruity to a warm and dry fresh woods.

That fig, cedar, and sandalwood really take shape. The sweetness here is very light and faint. Sure, vanilla and tonka are there, but not all that noticeable to me. After the first hour, not even on the radar.

I like Dune a lot at this stage. The remaining sage note gives it an enjoyable freshness when paired to that of the woody notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this stuff is light and airy. Again, maybe that didn’t used to be the case. This batch doesn’t really leave a scent trail and isn’t going to project too far from the skin.

It is a nice scent bubble. 1-4 feet for a majority of the wear. Dune isn’t a cologne that is going to overpower or bomb out a room.

That being said, I can still pick it up on my skin around six hours later. It’s passable, just know what you’re getting into with this Dior.

Seasonally, spring through early autumn. I like this in moderate temperatures and the warmer air. I really want to be outside when I have this on. I don’t live in a desert area, but I could enjoy wearing this around a place like Las Vegas on certain days.

Dune Pour Homme is a daytime fresh woody fragrance. Not a nightlife or romantic wear. But, within that daytime arena, this one is pretty versatile.

It isn’t totally stuffy nor childish. It can work casually or in a more formal setting. Not like tuxedo level, but it’d be fine in an office.

Overall Impressions of Dune

Overall, do I like Dune Pour Homme? Yes, I do. It has a style that is unique and yet feels timeless. I don’t know of another men’s fragrance that smells exactly like this. This Dior is such a departure from the other colognes out on the market today.

It evokes the sandy dry air of the desert, but where it just begins, and not too far off from the sea. I dig these sorts of scents, that give you visions of a specific place you’d want to wear it.

Fig is one of my favorite underutilized notes. The stages of freshness, green herbal, and then warm air and dry woods are great.

The performance? Not so much. Maybe the initial bottles had more power than this. But, this batch is pretty darn airy. When you pick it up, it’s beautiful. But, a lot of the time you won’t even notice.

As a skin scent or a 1-2 foot radius aroma, Dune Pour Homme will stick around for about six hours. Again, not great, but not horrific. If I had a full bottle, I’d be spraying a ton to really try and get the full effect.

As it stands, this Dior is discontinued. It’s a great and unique 1990s fragrance, but not a must have for most people. Sure, if you find a bottle for cheap, give it a try. However, unless you’re a collector, you probably don’t need to chase any super expensive bottles on the internet.

Though, as of now, they seem to still be under $100. So, it’s not too big of a gamble.

City of Stars by Louis Vuitton

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City of Stars is one of the new fragrance releases by Louis Vuitton for 2022. It was a perfume that seemed to get more attention than the others recently, so I was interested in seeing if it was actually any good. How does City of Stars smell? When should it be worn? Is it actually worth a try?

City of Stars Overview

Notes include: red mandarin, bergamot, lemon, lime, blood orange, musk, tiare flower, sandalwood

city of stars review

My Full Review

Here’s how Louis Vuitton describes it: Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud offers a festive ode to Los Angeles by night, its excitement and extravagance, from star-studded boulevards to the constellations shimmering above the skyline. As darkness falls, the city’s lights surge in a sensual olfactory tableau.

The opening is obviously going to be a mix of citrus notes, just by looking at the ones listed. The main one that sticks out is the lime. Some blood orange and bergamot are also detectable. But, it is mostly a blend for much of the wear.

However, the citrus here doesn’t go full blast like how it does in Afternoon Swim. No, instead the tiare accord and musk have their own strong presence early on.

Louis Vuitton describes this as a nighttime fragrance, but the perfume is honestly quite beachy with the citrus and tiare giving it a tropical flair. Feels more sunny and daytime.

One thing to notice, during the wear, is how there is a balance of powdery and a creamy aroma throughout. The musk, tiare, and sandalwood notes all go back and forth to create this effect.

City of Stars has a similar style to Soleil Blanc and Virgin Island Water. But, I get reminded of Dior Homme Cologne, which is citrus, musk, and white floral. However, City is more complex and more feminine than that cologne.

Still, even with those comparisons, City of Stars still feels distinct from all of them.

The dry down is a slightly powdery white floral fragrance. There is a lime juiciness still around, just not all that powerful. There is still the muskiness and that lotion-like creaminess, neither really takes over the composition, though.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This fragrance has a pretty moderate sillage. It does hang in the air and leave a nice scent trail in your wake, for about the first hour.

The projection probably maxes out in the seven foot range. After that, it’ll stick around 3-4 feet for the bulk of the wear. A nice bubble of perfume for yourself and those who get closer.

Just know that this isn’t going to be a powerhouse. I found it to be good enough, in this department.

The longevity here, seems to be in the 6-7.5 hour range. After that, it is gone on my skin. But, it has hit in that range, each time that I’ve tested City of Stars out.

It doesn’t have that marathon performance, but it is passable in this regard.

Seasonally, this is a spring and summertime fragrance. It’s bright and lightly tropical vibe, is built for the warmer months of the year.

This is a unisex fragrance. The tiare is usually a note for women’s perfumes. While it does for sure lean that way, it isn’t too ‘girly’ that a man couldn’t pull this off.

Again, I don’t know why this is marketed as a nighttime wear. I suppose, on warm summer nights out, I’d wear this. But, this really comes across as a more casual to semi-formal daytime wear.

It’s pretty and attractive. Not a super seductive scent or one that begs for attention. Clean powder, musky cream.

Overall Impression of City of Stars

Overall, do I like City of Stars? I do. It’s not completely amazing, but I like it about the same as I enjoy Afternoon Swim or Cactus Garden by Louis Vuitton. Two of their better fragrances, in my opinion.

Much better than On the Beach. More recently, this has been getting overlooked by Pacific Chill, but this is the better perfume.

The citrus is nice, giving it the usual summertime vibe. City does do a good job with the tiare flower, letting it have a tropical influence, but also giving it a nice powdery aroma to balance out some of the creaminess.

So, you get a beachy sun tan lotion aroma, that is lightened by that nice fresh powder. It keeps things light and clean. It’s so bright, sweet, and just lovely.

I really love the lime note when it’s playing off of that powdery touch. Really quite phenomenal at times.

It’s not a super complicated or heavy scent, but it has its distinct facets, which give City some more character.

The performance is decent, not terrible but not amazing either. For this style of summertime fragrance, it is pretty good. But, Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc does have a better longevity.

Is it worth the money? It’s worth sampling to see if you want to spend almost $300 for a bottle.

(Update: even pricier since I first published this review in 2022). Louis Vuitton scents are very pricey and I don’t recommend most people just hopping in with a blind buy. The Dua brand has their inexpensive take on this formula, called: City of Dua. 

If you’re in the market for a good summertime beachy or tropical scent, this is one that I’d look at. It might be worthwhile in your specific case. Otherwise, I’d find a sample, if it sounds like one you might get a kick out of.

L’Homme Eau de Parfum by YSL

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L’Homme is a now long-running series of releases from the YSL house. The Yves Saint Laurent brand has put out some of my favorites over the years and was the first real designer I got into back in the day.

Here in 2022, they are coming out with an eau de parfum version of L’homme. How does it smell? Is it worth a try?

Note: I continually update reviews of fragrances over the years, if they stick around. So, this now includes L’homme eau de parfum too. 

L’Homme Eau de Parfum Overview

Notes include: bitter orange, oak, cognac, cedar, and more

Click here to try: L’Homme EDP

My Full Review

Let’s see how YSL describes this fragrance: L’Homme, the new Eau de Parfum, encapsulates the heart of the L’Homme franchise, the woody accord, in a more powerful, deliciously intoxicating variation. Like a liqueur, the fruity essence of Bitter Orange goes perfectly with the Infusion de Bois de Chêne. This new ingredient, distilled from oak shavings from barrels made in Cognac, brings roundness and power to the captivating trail of this new Eau de Parfum.

L’Homme eau de parfum opens up with the original’s bergamot note enhanced and amplified by the bitter orange note. It’s really reminiscent of the Parfum Intense version, at this early stage, just without the same amount of amber an note and orange blossom.

I haven’t seen amber listed here, but there seems like there is some in the mix…at least initially.

It’s sweet and does have some of that boozy aroma from the cognac soaked oak note, but that isn’t terribly strong within the composition.

I do notice, that this actually has plenty of that L’homme EDT inspiration. Bergamot, vetiver, and cedar. The spice is limited and that violet leaf note, which I like the geranium and lavender here which replaces it.

The initial citrus burst fades, this one becomes more woody and earthy. It’s starts to be more influenced by the geranium. It has a stronger aroma than the lavender to my nose. Slightly herbal, green, and supports that citrus top.

The lavender adds a clean softness to the background, but the main thrust of the scent is geared towards the wood. Oak has a bigger role early, then it’s cedar.

Fresh, with a hint of booze. That citrus sweetness lingers, as geranium and vetiver really come through.

So, early stages of L’Homme EDP are like a citrus cocktail that settles down into a gentle woody fragrance. Not a huge amount of development, but very enjoyable.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this is a step up from the modern L’Homme EDT, but really not too much so. This isn’t a loud fragrance or one that’ll leave a massive scent trail, especially after the citrus stage has faded.

That initial bit is pretty moderate with its projection and it is light but noticeable thereafter. I wish it was better on this front, but this L’Homme style formulation never seems conducive to that.

The longevity is decent. 6-6.5 hours, on my skin. Not terribly impressive and not terribly performing either. With the EDT, I only get a few hours with my bottle. This is better than that, at least.

Seasonally, this is less of a warmer weather wear than L’Homme. EDP is better in autumn and winter. It can venture into the middle of spring probably, but won’t really be great after that. I’d avoid the heat and humidity.

I’ve worn it indoors during testing, since it’s already super hot here in the summer months.

This is an attractive scent. Good for nightlife and has an ability to venture into the daytime hours, also.  It is somewhat sweet, boozy, but not overpowering. It’s not overly formal, but is well put together

Overall Impressions of L’Homme EDP

Overall, do I like this latest L’Homme flanker? Yes, it is one of their better releases from this line. Though, it isn’t perfect, and I don’t think it surpasses the classic formulation of the EDT.

The opening is really great with the bitter orange and cognac ingredients. It takes the nicer aspects of Parfum Intense and EDT and remixes them with a boozy woody finish. It’s not too sweet or too thick, retaining that same light freshness of the EDT.

The geranium and oak really help bring this one together and keep it distinct from the rest of the L’Homme lineup.

Update: Coming back to this one three years later, L’Homme EDP has become an extremely popular fragrance. It really is one of the L’Homme flankers that should be around for quite a while. I am still annoyed with the performance and wish that opening act was around for longer. Still, this is a really good release by Yves Saint Laurent.

The performance is just okay. I was really hoping that this would be a huge improvement from what I get with the EDT. Sure, it’s better, but not great at all. That’s the biggest weakness of this YSL offering.

The smell itself? Is really something that I like. If it had the performance aspect, it’d be a super replacement for the EDT.

As it is? It’s a very good release that is worth getting a hold of. Just expect that you won’t have the boldest or best performing new colognes. Even if, it is one of the better smelling of them.

Cool Water Parfum by Davidoff

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Cool Water Parfum is one of the many flankers that Davidoff has brought out over the years, using the name of it’s insanely best-selling cologne from the 1980s.

This Parfum version of the scent was released in 2021, but I recently received a sample of this stuff to test it out and see how it compares to the original and rest of the series? How does it smell? Does it last long? Is Cool Water Parfum worth a shot?

Cool Water Parfum Review

Notes include: lemon, pink pepper, vetiver, and sandalwood

Click here to try: Cool Water Parfum by Davidoff

My Take

The opening here is heavy on the pink pepper. Right away, this would be called a ‘blue’ fragrance with its clean and fresh vibe, and you’ve smelled fragrances like this one before.

It isn’t going to be like the original Cool Water, however. So, don’t expect that at all.

Sauvage EDT comes to mind, but only somewhat in style, not exact smell. Also, it’s a better and more substantial version of Light Blue Living Stromboli in the opening, without the calone (blue instead of aquatic) and the Haitian vetiver note ramped way up in the Davidoff.

Citrus, pink pepper, vetiver are the major commonalities. Bits of those two colognes are here, but I am liking Cool Water Parfum more.

Spicy, fresh, and blue early on from the pink pepper note with a light lemon backing it. As it dries down it will feel woodier and soapier. Still has that kick to it, but the pink pepper begins to take a back seat to the vetiver and sandalwood.

It’s not always a smooth transition and the mix can feel slightly harsh at times, but for this price range I think Parfum does a very nice job.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Cool Water Parfum does have some body to it and it can also project itself quite well. Not a complete monster with its reach nor does it feel like a heavy cloud surrounding you all day. However, it is completely noticeable to have on and substantial.

For me, the longevity on this one can hit around the nine hour mark before it fades completely. I’d expect for most it’d be in the 8-10 hour range potentially. A very solid performer and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

Seasonally, it might be too fresh for the coldest days on winter, but outside of that I think Parfum works just fine. It might waver somewhat in extreme heat too. I think it’ll be just fine, if you’re not spending the day outside or something like that.

Within that frame, this Davidoff cologne is quite versatile. It has a fresh and cleanish aroma that will fit in pretty much anywhere. It’s not necessarily a nightlife fragrance, if you want to really go bold with your fragrance, but this one will do just fine.

Mostly, it’s going to be a daily wear and sort of ‘do it all’ utility cologne in your rotation.

Overall Impressions of Cool Water Parfum

Overall, do I like Cool Water Parfum? Yes, it is an enjoyable wear. Not too complicated, not perfect, but a scent that can cover a lot of bases.

Pink pepper and Haitian Vetiver are two notes that really dominate the composition. So, if you’re not into those, this might be one to avoid. To me, the peppercorn can be somewhat annoying at times, but not too bothersome.

It’s got a blue-ish presentation like so many other of the mainstream designer fragrances of the past decade. As such, you’ve smelled plenty of other fragrance that are like this before. Though, this does somewhat separate itself, despite being a bit simple.

The performance is also good. Not quite elite, but if you can get this for a discounted price, you’re usually not going to get better than this. Davidoff is one of those brands that can get heavily discounted from its retail price, but those savings aren’t always available.

So, you may have to pay $98 or thereabouts for a full bottle of the stuff. At that price, I’d probably pass, but this could also be a very good pick up if you can get it for relatively cheap.