GUERLAIN L'Homme Idéal + GIVEAWAY!

On the whole, I can't say I'm a fan of marketing campaigns that surround a fragrance launch. Of course they can be incredibly successful in attracting a captive audience, but I ask myself "when is enough enough? When does the consumer get savvy? A good campaign can never be underestimated though: look at what Guerlain have done with La Petite Robe Noire for instance - some duo-coloured brushstrokes in fanciful poses have perfumistas clambering over one another to buy the latest bottle. A clever tactic to ensure multiple purchases, but let me ask you: in all honesty, how many more bus stops or billboards depicting little Miss Black Dress can you pass before *actually* considering topping yourself?
Still, the success of the La Petite Robe Noire campaign will be hard to duplicate, and now, as the world anticipates the launch of the first new commercial Guerlain masculine in 6 years; L'Homme Ideal, we have great expectations. And the marketing gurus chez Guerlain know it.

Without writing reams, Guerlain's marketing dept have had something cooking in the pipeline for months... that is the idea of L'Homme Ideal (The Ideal Man) - the man of legend... does he actually exist? Well, frankly this author doesn't care. I don't care for the myth, nor the name, nor the insipid visuals supporting the launch with images of women (all of carefully-considered ethnicities) each wearing black dresses with sensible hemlines. I'm not attracted to it in the least, but then maybe I - with my obvious 'appendage' - am not the demographic they're targeting. Its all lost on me, I'm afraid.

Anyway, I'm not here to grumble... there is a silver lining to this story, and that is my opinion of the packaging and the perfume. Hats off! High fives! Fist bump! (Insert awkward hip-hop handshake here). To my delight, Guerlain have delivered a product that is new and interesting and remains faithful to the brand. Perfumer Thierry Wasser has manifested a fragrance which feels contemporary, but without losing sight of the masculine ancestors that came before it. Presented in a beautiful faceted glass flacon with matte black painted edges, the bottle feels like a natural evolution of the original square Habit Rouge flacon. The graphics on the box look stylish and contemporary, and evoke thoughts of QR Scan barcodes - very much in keeping with modern technology.

From the bottle, L'Homme Idéal has a somewhat unorthodox flight... a zesty citrus note interwoven with oily aromats that are slightly sour in nature. A cursory moment of coniferous berries and crushed rosemary leaves lingers over a curious component that feels slightly plasticy, but not altogether unpleasant. Just as one registers quite a departure from other Guerlain fragrances of the same ilk, this 'fabricated' facet recedes and a slightly milky almond / tonka quality presses up from below. It brings with it a more familiar slightly saccharine accord which feels like sumptuous praline. As the scent takes a turn toward something more rich and complex, a woody/tobaccoey note spreads like a blanket through the composition. It warms well on the skin and is both cedar-like and cigar-like. The bitter/sour notes in L'Homme Idéal's flight never seem to altogether disappear, and this adds an enjoyable, unexpected dimension. It is perhaps amplified as the scent dries down, by a bitter leather note upon which the composition is perched. L'Homme Idéal is sensual and endearing. It feels contemporary, yet somehow customary... very Guerlain, in that regard.

If one is pressed to trace it's ancestry and draw comparisons, where I feel L'Homme Idéal resides in the Guerlain lineup, is somewhere between Heritage and L'Instant Pour Homme. The trio share the same olfactory temperature... it borrows crisp autumnal woody aromatic nuances from the former, and creamier, saccharine tones from the latter. This being said, L'Homme Idéal is sufficiently individual to be enjoyed irrespective of the other pair.

The new Guerlain is due to launch on June 23rd 2014 - just as the European summer takes flight. This is curious to me, as I find L'Homme Idéal er, ideal in the autumnal southern climate right now. It will be presented in 50ml and 100ml sizes with ancillary products offered at select retailers.

GIVEAWAY!

Three Sorcery of Scent readers will each win one carded spray sample of L'Homme Idéal. To enter the draw, simply leave a comment in the comments form below, telling me why you would like to try L'Homme Idéal. 

For an additional chance to win, leave a comment on the Sorcery of Scent facebook page too.

Winners names will be published both here and on Facebook on Friday June 13th.

Good luck!