Guerlain is one of the few fragrance houses where the designer line still carries much of the character, history, and quality associated with the name. I am separating this from the more expensive L’Art & La Matière collection because Guerlain’s regular line deserves to be judged on its own. These are not simply cheaper versions of the private collection. Many of them are important fragrances with their own identity, and some have been around longer than most modern fragrance houses. The strength of Guerlain is that even its mainstream releases usually smell like they were created by perfumers rather than assembled by a marketing department. You frequently get real development, recognizable materials and that smooth Guerlain vanilla, amber, powder and tonka-bean foundation. The fragrances often have a slightly dressed-up, mature character, but mature does not have to mean outdated. Guerlain simply refuses to smell like every other designer brand chasing the same blue fragrance customer. The L’Homme Idéal collection is probably the easiest entry point for the modern fragrance buyer. The almond signature gives the line its identity, but Guerlain has been able to take that idea in several directions. The Eau de Toilette is fresher and more versatile, while the Eau de Parfum brings in that cherry-like sweetness and darker amber character. The Extreme is richer and spicier, and the Parfum pushes the line further into a deeper, smoother and more luxurious direction. Even when the individual flankers overlap, they still feel more thoughtfully composed than most designer fragrance families. Guerlain currently describes L’Homme Idéal as its first almond fragrance for men and continues to build the collection around that central signature. Habit Rouge is a completely different experience. This is classical French masculine perfumery built around citrus, leather, spice, vanilla and amber. It was originally created in 1965 and remains one of the most important masculine fragrances in Guerlain’s catalog. It can initially smell old-fashioned to someone raised on Sauvage, Y and modern sweet designers, but once you understand the style, you realize how much character it has. Habit Rouge smells elegant, confident and unapologetically adult. It does not try to make a grown man smell like a teenager at a nightclub.

Today we celebrate the Swiss national holiday🇨🇭🥳 the weather is perfect to wear a citrusy aromatic fragrance. What could be better than a fragrance from Swiss brand for this event? Cologne du Maté is a beautiful citrusy and aromatic fragrance from Alberto Morilla's own Brand called Mizensir based in Switzerland. Unfortunately the performance is a little bit weak. Longevity is 3-4h. Eight sprays in the morning and an additional 4-6 sprays spread out over the afternoon is enough for the hole day tho. Top notes are Mandarin Orange and Paradisone; middle notes are Mate and Sage; base notes are Solar Notes, Musk and Woody Notes.