L’homme Ideal Eau de Parfum by Guerlain

The L’homme Ideal series from Guerlain is both extensive and extremely popular. I’m close to finishing my reviews on the last two that I grabbed newer samples of. Today’s entry is Ideal Eau de Parfum, which I’ve already experienced multiple times, but was excited to come back to it. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it actually worth a try?

What does L’Homme Ideal EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: cherry, almond, thyme, vanilla, spices, lavender, rose, bergamot, incense, leather, tonka bean, and sandalwood

Click here to try: L’Homme Ideal EDP at Selfridges (ships from UK)

My Full Review

The opening of Ideal EDP is quite interesting. In many ways, it has overlap with L’Intense, yet much less smokiness from the incense note.

Instead, things are lead by cherry, leather, almond, and a mix of spices. On my skin, it is a smooth leather freshness with a warm blend of spice and a cherry note sitting on top. As it moves along, more of the nuttiness from that rather distinct almond note will peak through.

Pretty complex blend of sweet, spicy, leather, and the peaking of some floral notes. Lavender and some rose.

Actually, once those top spices lighten up a bit, I do start to pick up more of the incense. Decently close to my bottle of L’Intense.

The next phase: almond, vanilla, and tonka bean start to create a wrapping effect around the leather and cherry notes. Ideal EDP still has a nice sweetness, just sans any type of sugary candy-like aroma.

For a time, the rose will come out and I really don’t get much lavender anymore. The fragrance feels drier and has a nice balance between warmth and cold freshness.

Finally, it’s leather, sandalwood, vanilla, almond and cherry (in that order). The dry down is pretty leathery/woody with just hints of the more gourmand elements found earlier on the wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is pretty moderate. You do get a fairly strong start, but it really never overwhelms or dominates a room. You’ll get decent projection from Ideal EDP, though, it doesn’t hit the higher end of the spectrum.

The longevity is good, better than the sillage. I will usually get a full 8 hours of wear from this version and up to 9.5 hours, on a good day. Spectacular? No, but really a solid performer and one that won’t just quit on you. No real complaints.

Seasonally, I like this for autumn and winter. The colder and crisp temperatures really bring out its full presentation. More nuance and it simply smells better versus when it is in the heat.

This is more about the nighttime than being a jack of all trades. At least, that’s when I prefer it. It can venture into semi-formal occasions, dates, and even in the office at times. Maybe not a main daily wear, but one that will have a heavy spot in the rotation.

Overall Impressions of Ideal Eau de Parfum

Overall, do I like L’homme Ideal EDP? Yes, I really do enjoy this Guerlain fragrance. I think that it is the best of the line, that is currently available.

The cherry note, blended with leather, almond, and vanilla really is a fine experience. This one has depth and nuance, delivers a good performance, and gives you plenty of opportunity to wear it. Guys of all ages could easily wear this one without much issue.

In the US, it is no longer sold. So, you’ll have to purchase from the UK, Europe, or eBay. That can be a problem for a lot of guys and really drive up the price of acquiring a bottle.

Is it worth it? If you like this line, yes, it probably will be. Personally, I already have a full bottle of L’Intense and don’t really want to own multiple flankers of Ideal. I certainly thought about it and almost pulled the trigger.

Ideal eau de parfum is a fantastic wear. Not my personal favorite, but something that I can certainly want to come back to when the mood strikes.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.