By Thomas
Permit me this heresy: I never understood the original Habit Rouge. Really. Habit Rouge: the unassailable classic in men’s perfumery, the five-star stalwart of masculine scents: Not Down With It. For some reason, or no reason at all, it never did anything for me. Actually, for a while I thought I would not find a Guerlain that I liked. Eventually Vetiver opened the door, some of the classics followed, but Habit Rouge stayed outside, a little too...aloof and stiff-upper-lip for my tastes. (check in soon to see Thomas eat crow on the original HR)
Fast forward a few years and a few changes in tastes, and we have a shiny silver box marked Habit Rouge eau Légère. I admit to a tinge of interest when I heard it had been modernized to good effect, but I was afraid it would be like putting racing stripes on an old Studebaker.
So much for my fears. The opening is a subdued lightly-sweetened powdery-dusty herbal opening, but with a subtle lime kick. Strangely, it’s evocative of a red Twizzler candy, without being sticky and juvenile. Is this a bit of subtle suggestion from the red straw in the bottle? Maybe. Smarter men than me can argue that point, I’ll just enjoy the scent.
The twizzler note goes away within an hour or so but the lightened feel remains, and like a lot of Guerlains it’s well-blended so that I catch effects rather than notes. It’s still a sweet powdery scent, but nothing like what you’d find in grandma’s bathroom. It’s strangely non-assertive, a light earthy-spicy-floral thing that hovers between the three without committing in any direction.
Into the drydown Habit Rouge eau Légère tends to deepen a bit, the notes descend into a fairly dry vanilla-amber-leather, still retaining the raspy powdery-dusty feel from the beginning. This scent doesn’t have much throw and never becomes shrill or overpowering – it feels just right for a dash of quiet masculine confidence. That said…although this is marketed to men, I think women can wear this to great effect, and wonder just how much difference exists between this and Shalimar Légère – after all, wasn’t HR made as an alternative for men who nick their wives’ Shalimar?
Year: 2005
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Ha! Eagerly awaiting your dish of HR crow, Mr. T.
ReplyDeleteThe Legere sounds interesting, like it might be good for the hot weather season that's fast approaching (it's already starting to hit 80 here in Dallas).
Do Texans not do Spring? I'm not sure I can get used to this whole jumping directly from Winter into Summer business . . .