Habit Rouge (1965)
by Guerlain

I bought the edt version and I thought I liked it when I first smelled the stuff on paper... It had a great lemon/bergamot opening blast that I enjoyed... Then the "mothballs," as other have mentioned (camphor, most likely) come out in full force along with the baby powder. This ruined the experience for me to some degree, and I really questioned why someone would want to smell like mothballs and baby powder?

Then I tried the scent on my skin... I have to admit that after a couple subsequent full wearings now, my feelings have done a near 180 on this one, something that has only happened one other time in all the 300 or so scents I have smelled to date (Gucci Envy). The camphor does not stand out as much on skin, nor the powder... blending with the lemon quite well creating a rather pleasant mix. I guess all those statements saying you really have to try Habit Rouge on your skin really are onto something here. To round things off, longevity was average to below average, but projection was quite good.

I first gave this one a negative rating, then switched it to neutral... and now I am giving it a thumbs up. Habit Rouge is still not my kind of scent, but I will wear it from time to time, and I am beginning to see why this Guerlain classic has such a strong following. This is indeed a good one, after all.

12nd January, 2012. (Last Edited: 18th January, 2012.)

Sadly I made the mistake of blind buying this fragrance after reading the fantastic reviews about it. My first impression was that it smelt like my grandparents house due to the overpowering powdery smell. However, as it dried I was starting to like it more, a nice citrus smell. However, the powdery smell still seemed to linger. I'm 18 and i wouldn't recommend this fragrance to anyone in the 18-25 age range. I will probably buy this when i'm older and fall in love with it, but at the moment it just isn't what i'm looking for.

6th January, 2012.

Quite a nice blast to start with, then after an hour of toilet block in the twilight home, sheer bliss.
Although worth it in the end, should we have to face such an obstacle course?

19th November, 2011.

This is a review of the newest Eau de Toilette version. This fragrance is certainly complex. Up top I immediately get a huge blast of lemony, powdery wood. Not carpentry wood, but more like antique Indian furniture wood. The basil is definitely detectable and the pimento(allspice) comes out right after. I'm a fan of allspice in orientals, and it hits nicely in this scent as well. I would have to describe the opening as extremely loud yet muffled gently by the powder..

As it dries, the top notes are still there, but the lemon lets the woods shine through, and I get a wonderfully powerful carnation scent out of it. I LOVE carnation - it is such a soft and beautiful scent. The woods are warm and pure, the rose and carnation are realistic, and the spices arrive one at a time, like at a gala event. The patchouli seems to merely create a "texture" in the woods, if that makes sense, and doesn't necessarily project its own essence.

As time passes, the scent warms and sweetens, the vanilla arriving fashionably late as if it had prior engagements and was only just able to make it (and in a ridiculous leather suit). The incense intensifies, and deep floral notes penetrate the sweet smoke in the most beautiful way.

And then it fades quickly but gently. The whole experience lasts about 3.5 hours on me, which is great for an edt considering the rather delicate base. My only complaint may be a batch issue, but the lemon is very overpowering in the opening, and almost disguises the other scents.

The entire experience isn't purely "classic" or "old" to me (and cerainly not bingo hall old lady!). It is more like taking classic art deco lines and filling them with paisley and smoke; a dark, gruff, unshaven man in an exquisite black suit with a corsage in a baroque castle; Clove cigarettes and white bouquets. It oozes class and is perhaps a bit risky as a floral oriental for men. Do yourself a favor, though, and try it out a few times - it wasn't what I expected the first time, and I got a bit overwhelmed by the "lemony mothballs" scent that others mention, but damn did it change on my skin.

14th November, 2011. (Last Edited: 25th November, 2011.)

for a start, i LOVE shalimar. so theoretically i should like habit rouge as well since they are considered siblings. the vintage HR is still pleasant to me... very guerlainish. but i tried the current edt just the other day, and i felt a bit nauseous. i think it is due to the rather pronounced leather note (personally i don't like leather notes cos it reminds me of motion sickness when travelling in a car as a child), unless they are well blended and partly hidden like in polo green (something which don' t make me feel nauseous). so, i will just stick to my shalimar...

17th October, 2011.

there is an abyss from the original to the actual version.
The original was an interesting, fresh, ambery, strange but balanced cologne.

Now it's terrible, it's time to retire its.

My thumbs up is only for the original version!
New version is terrible THUMBS DOWN from all the Arena! MORTE!MORTE MORTE!

2nd September, 2011.