Habit Rouge (1965)
by Guerlain

Re-review of the vintage EDC formula.

Now that I have smelled so many different genres over the past 18 months, I wanted to get back to Habit Rouge and see if I felt the same.

The heavy hitters that comprise the accords are held in check. To look at the listed accords, you would think this is a powerful fragrance, yet it's conservative. Borderline feminine initially until the mids catch up with the opening.

This is a spiced woody with vanillarized florals. It's blended exceptionally well and doesn't have that EDC vibe. I like this much better than 18 months ago as my nose is becoming more adept. Thumbs up for the EDC version of Habit Rouge.

HABIT ROUGE EDC opens with a citrus and spice mix which conveys a similar vintage vibe as Dior's Eau Sauvage. As the lemon recedes the rose joins the vanilla to take centrestage. And this is where it gets disappointingly bad for me. I'm a fan of sweet scents but the sweetness I get here feels watery, a little sickly even and certainly not what I would expect from the same nose who created the vibrantly sublime Spiritueuse Double Vanille. Two hours later, 'sickly' turns to 'decay' and my nose wrinkles up at a moist, earthy faintly fecal note. I don't get it - why would anyone want to smell like they just stepped on a pile of fertilizers?

I must confess I did try my best to like this scent or at least remain neutral. But I can't. Either they had screwed up the original formula big time or I'm just not a fan of dirty earthy fragrances. No offense to those who find this one charming but if I were on the lookout for an elegant fragrance, a sickly sweet scent which literally decomposes on my skin would be the last thing on my mind.

Habit Rouge EDC: my favorite version. this was made when even an eau de cologne had superior strength...or was it to temper certain accords and present it in a more effective way..? whatever the case...HR EDC opens with a extremely well blended, and tightly knit, powdery accord of lemon, rose and spices. the depth this scent has to offer only gets better with every stage as it gets bit more airy and spicy towards mids with a lovely tinge of sandalwood and delicious accord of vanilla..this phase as all of em, is truly gorgeous and simply breathtaking. this ones essentially a floral with superb blend of spices and patchouli all the way towards mids with eloquent sillage. towards basenotes this one turns to be very soft with it's signature powdery accord of vanilla, amber, moss with a touch of Incense. Thumbs up for the EDC version

This would be in the same genrre a PDN's NY or a Creed's BdP. but there is no doubt, HR is the best of the lot.

Habit Rouge EDT: my least favorite version...i gave it 15-20 wearings and it still doesnt agree with me. synthethic accord of lemon pledge welcome you with grit and powderiness. smells like floor cleaner with a raunchy note of animalics. it takes a good 1-2 hours for it to settle dow nto a acceptable accord of citrus with moderate touch of spices. this ones more animalic with tinge of spice, and more of herbs and citrus. Thumbs down for the EDT version.

I don't understand how one can be so shameless to actually put it in stores and ask money for this horrible stench. It smells like "habit drunken vomit"... or "druken vomit habbit", as you wish.

Horrible, just horrible! Unbeareble. Gives me the sensation of throwing up too. It has the effect of an emetic.

If I'd ever met a man or woman smelling like this, I'd sure keep a safe distance from it.


And... LUCA TURIN IS AN IDIOT, A COMPLETE MORON for recomending such stenches. He only recomends stenches, actually... nothing to be surprised, I guess... He's a moron, true. But his blind followers are a million times more dum...

If one day this bald looser Turin says to spray yourself with piss and toilet water, I'm sure you'll all listen to him, to "smell good"... Anyway, most of what he recomended so far is very very close to piss and toilet water.

Tried this at the Guerlain boutique at Epcot, and I was very impressed. I never really had any desire to try Habit Rouge, but I found it to be a very pleasing fragrance. The spice/vanilla accord makes it lean towards the oriental side, but not too far. The vanilla note lasts for the pretty much the life of the fragrance and is fairly dominant near the end. Great fragrance.

EDT review:

I received a sample of this and wasn’t too enthusiastic about wearing it at first. After all, my previous experiences were not too pleasant. However, after testing it again, I ended up making a complete u-turn. While it’s still not one of my favourite vanilla fragrances, it certainly deserves some respect for what it is – a powdery citrus-vanilla-spice combo.

For an EDT, the indications of a quality composed scent are quite evident. The opening notes have the tendency to remind me of Beechams Lemon and Honey but, with some patience, this quickly subsides to allow the spices and vanilla to bloom. All the way through its development, the citrus note can still be faintly detected but even less as time passes. If worn on the wrong person (or even on the wrong day) this scent would probably be quite unpleasant to wear. However, the drydown is sublime with sillage that gently lingers for many hours. There’s also a resinous (some would say harsh) quality about it that gives Habit Rouge some edge.

When compared to other vanilla scents, from the last 20 years, Habit Rouge can easily be perceived as somewhat dated or old-school. To a certain extent, I would agree. However, while it may not possess the contemporary feel that many of its contemporaries have, its real strength lies in both its unique sophistication and gentlemanly appeal.

Habit Rouge may not be for me (although my opinion may change in a few years) but I’m sure there are many out there who love it (and justifiably so).

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]