Oh dear Guerlain what have you done here? This is so far off the mark it's unbelievable, very disappointing. L'Homme Ideal takes generic to the next level but even that statement makes it sound too exciting...it really isn't. As soon as I got my nose on the top notes I knew it was a tiresome tonka bean and super sweet almond which goes too far and makes the whole thing a creamy, powdered mess. That's not the whole story though because it does have some interesting notes poking through that main accord like orange blossom. I say 'interesting' but entirely ill conceived in my opinion, it's like curdiling fizzy soda and milk...doesn't work. I think what they're trying to achieve is the delicate suede like feel of something like VC&A Midnight in Paris but fails miserably and becomes more like Burberry Brit Rhythm or some other bland Tonka release of late. It's got a strength to it though I'll give it that but it's that synthetic, aroma chemical strength not due to high quality ingredients just unrelenting innovation meaning longevity was good. Anyone would think I didn't like tonka bean but that's not the case at all, just rare to find a truly good one with complimentary notes. Yeah so it's not a good outing from Guerlain in my opinion, which is a shame because I was anticipating this one.
Hyper masculine, if you subscribe to gender in perfume, which I normally don't. But this has really old-school macho dad vibes. It's a great scent, but there's something that catches in my throat and makes me feel like my airways are tightening. I have no allergies that I know of, and this is the only perfume that has this effect on me. All this considered, the EDP is a much more modern, accessible (and unisex) take on the same theme, as is Intense, whereas extreme falls more into the macho category. Of the line, this is my least favourite (and the new silver bottled flanker is superfluous in my opinion). I don't get people calling this sweet, to me it's ultra-bone-dry. For an EDT, it's STRONG.