Guerlain Homme Eau de Toilette
Guerlain (2008)

I tried this ages ago when I first started getting into perfumes, didn't like it, and wrote it off as an unfortunate sell-out for years, so I'm here to officially admit I was wrong and that Guerlain Homme is actually quite good, and nowhere near the derivative trash I and others have unfairly called it.

In a way, it all comes down to that "mojito" accord, a mix of airy metallic lavender with mint and juniper berry that gives the illusion of alcohol fumes and hints at green liqueurs and absinthe. That metallic lavender has been over-used in men's designer scents and is one of the ingredients in the dreaded "woody amber" aquatic smell. Mercifully, Homme is not a "woody amber" though the topnote hints at it, leading to this often and unfortunately being written off by perfume snobs.

After the "mojito" fades, I'm left with mostly juniper berry, simultaneously smelling of pine and calling to mind the classic masculine 80's scents that were built on it. Meanwhile, there's a pie-spiced fougere drydown happening in parallel with the juniper berry, adding nuance and warmth.

This is all very well orchestrated. I'm happy to admit I was wrong, but sad that this formulation was discontinued before I realized how good it was.

Review is for Guerlain Homme Eau de Parfum (in the tall bottle):

This starts off with a strong white rum note blended with peppermint and lime, to smell exactly like a mojito. The rum is the strongest however, while the lime and peppermint are in the background. When spraying this on my skin it actually gives me a slight cooling sensation due to the mint. The rum is of the white variety and not bay rum. But together they smell quite pleasant nonetheless. The fragrance overall leans very masculine and is a sort of "night out" type of scent. On drydown it gives me nice wafts towards my nose of a very intoxicating (pun intended) mojito which smells better in the air emanating from my skin than if I sniff my skin itself. On the drydown, the rum note gets louder. In the late drydown it changes entirely to a vetiver scent (not unlike Guerlain Vetiver, but tempered with white rum). Sillage is moderate while longevity is quite fantastic at over 10 hours on my skin for me. Overall this is the best true "mojito" fragrance in my opinion, and a real masterpiece of perfumery.

5/5

Sporty green L'Instant,
Such charms revealed to those who
Spray less and smell more.

Disappointed by this one. Like the rest of the Guerlain I've tried so far, it's not that it's bad, it's just that it isn't what I had hoped it would be. I see no need for the Guerlain Homme line of fragrances when there's Terre d'Hermes out there that accomplishes this with much better performance.

Respectable idea but poor execution from Wasser. The mojito/lime accord is distinctive, but is let down by ingredients that miss the mark, and the base is rather insubstantial. Essentially a boozy lime-mojito accord followed by at-times screechy florals and cedar-vetiver notes. Rather weak, and very fleeting - also quite a bit synthetic and cheap at times. This is all the more proof that accountants rule the roost at Guerlain, and that quality can be relegated to the disposal bin.

2/5

Perfect modern Guerlain. Eau de Toilette version is indispensible, but discontinued. Stock up.