Habit Rouge
Guerlain Habit Rouge Eau de Parfum works from one of the shortest material lists the house puts its name to, and it is far better for it.
Four materials, and each one is doing a job. Iris leads, and it is the material that gives the fragrance its bearing: cool, powdery, slightly earthy, the smell of a dry root rather than a flower, and never sweet. Nutmeg presses against it with a dusty warmth and a faint prickle, which is what stops the iris turning austere. Then the base takes over, and it is a study in contrast. Vanilla is handled dark and balsamic rather than as a dessert, more like the resinous pod than the sugar, and oakwood sits under it dry and faintly tannic, closer to sawn timber and bark than to anything polished.
There is no long evolution to follow. A composition this short declares itself in the first ten minutes and then holds its shape, which some wearers much prefer to a scent that keeps changing its mind. What it does have is depth, because the two base materials are heavy ones and the eau de parfum concentration gives them room. It is a cold weather fragrance and an evening one, and while it is aimed at men it reads as formal rather than aggressive. Expect it to sit close to the skin after the opening hour and stay there for a long time, which is the behaviour of a base built on two materials this heavy.
Guerlain is a Paris house, founded in 1828 and part of LVMH today. Its founder made Eau de Cologne Imperiale in 1853 for the wedding of Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, which brought him the position of official perfumer, and the generations after him produced Jicky in 1889, the first fragrance to put synthetic materials alongside natural ones.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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