Reviews of Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette Légère (2005)
by Guerlain

I have been a loyal HR fan for 23 years, and have mainly used the EDT. My loyalty (or is it resistance to change?) was tested when i came across a bottle of the Legere version in a shop here in Lagos. Without hesitation or testing (no testers) i bought it on the spot.

On first application, i actually smiiiiiiled! What a bright interpretation of my beloved HR! It was the HR i knew very well, yet fresher. The amped-up citrus top notes blasting a hip-hop hit using sampling of a classic 80's funk hit. Beautiful. But i was so glad to be reminded this was still my beloved HR, so i felt less disloyal and thought i should appreciate HR's (first class) attempt at a modern makeover.

Maybe because i live in the (35 centigrade +) tropics, in about 30 minutes a strong olfactory perception i began to experience was that Legere is quite animalic. "Animalic" has actually not been an impression that came to mind in all my years using and loving HR. I knew i had made one of the greatest finds of my fragrance experience, so far, as i am a skank-fiend. Reading the previous reviews here, i was therefore surprised at pluran's take. I believe he is correct, in his climatic environment, so it just may be that Legere is a climate chameleon. In the dry-down the oriental qualities begin to shine prominently, the woods and vanilla also playing their distinct melodies in harmonious accord. The animalic vibe still lurks in and out throughout the dry-down, depending on skin humidity.

Legere throws out sillage even better than HR EDT. Longevity is amazing, par for the course with the Guerlains i love.

Is Legere better than, or inferior to classic HR? Hard to answer. However, i will just say that while i will always respect and defer to age and experience, when a mature person goes through a makeover and comes out looking better and yet mature, then i would think that the person is all the better (inwardly and outwardly) for the makeover. I believe both HR and HR Legere both have their place in the same wardrobe, so one has a HR for a specific mood, time and occasion.

Many thumbs respectfully up!

I'm quite shy to admit that I can't really tell the difference between the original and the Légère version. Light this is not. The sillage is equally vivid and the longevity impressive. Many hours on my skin and I'm still smelling it. Absolutely wonderful!

I bought this first and then Habit Rouge EDC second. I like all of the incarnations of Habit Rouge, but I find the EDT a little too powdery for my taste. The EDC is sublime, but it wears like an EDC and the pitch of the fragrance tends to fall in the lower midrange.

Habit Rouge Legere is a much brighter scent than the EDC, and less powdery than the EDT. It really accentuates the citrus topnotes. In a way it's almost unisex, but there in the basenotes, the leather and musk are still there. I actually find this fragrance to be much stronger than the EDC, so it's not quite accurate to think that this is just a "light" version of Habit Rouge. I also keep getting this red licorice "twizzlers" note out of it. When I sniff this, I can see what Dunhill Desire for a Man tried to be and failed at miserably.

IMO, one of the most fantastic scents ever from Guerlain. Perfect from start to finish and a great compliment to the original! This version has that little extra flair to make a huge difference in "wearabilty." I think that Mr. Guerlain explained it pretty well. A HUGE THUMBS UP and 5 STAR RATING!!

With the newest Habit Rouge derivative, Eau de Toilette Légère from 2005, Jean-Paul Guerlain added a fizzy lime-lemony accord to the top notes and thereby modulated the whole Habit Rouge 'tune' into a bright, joyful key. While the classic Habit Rouge lives in a forest where smartly dressed haunters on horseback are garthered, Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette Légère lives in the city. Though still recognisably Habit Rouge, it's a brighter, sunnier, gayer scent. Very well constructed.

Citron, Bergamot, Orange, Lime
Neroli, Patchouli, Spices
Vanilla, Leather, Cedar, White Musk

The top notes have a fizzy, almost metallic lemon-lime accord. It's Habit Rouge adulterated, modulated to a much brighter key. Extremely well made, high quality ingredients, good development and drydown, lasts forever. It's a good scent, but has a perfumey quality about it (perhaps from the kind of neroli used) that I can't get on with. I'm also not into white musk and it doesn't belong here. Either way, the sillage is profound and compelling. A girl walked past me several times one day while I had it on. She smelled damn good. It didn't take long to figure out that it wasn't her that smelled good. It was me. The thing is, I perceived the scent as something better suited for a woman. Smells fine on man, just better on a woman.

Significantly different (75% or so) from the original, Eau Légère lacks all of the animalic qualities, and a good deal of the earthy, root-like accord.

Regarding the previous poster's claim that this fragrance is better blended, smoother, base notes not as sharp than the original (have no idea what that means). I would only say that this fragrance, while still full of quality, is inferior in all respects compared to the original Habit Rouge (especially the vintage formula).

The feel of two fragrances is completely diferent. Habit Rouge is one of the best I own. Habit Rouge Eau Légère is one I own yet never even wear.

It's very hard to tell what has changed, but overall this version seems to be better blended, smoother, and not as rich. The topnotes seem stronger with more citrus and the bottom notes seem less sharp.

Being that the original was created back in 1965, I never thought I would wear a "dated" fragrance. Not until Guerlain released a Legere (means light in French) version, I was brave enough to give it a try. Because it wasn't released here in the US, by the grace and generosity of steely glint here on the Basenotes forum I managed to get a practically full bottle of the stuff. NO REGRETS, PEOPLE!!! At first because I didn't know what I was expecting, I was taken aback by the strong topnotes of lemon and lime! It remains on the rest of the drydown, but doesn't take first fiddle afterwards. The oriental part emerges, sensual, sweet with vanilla, some florals, with a hint of an earthy patchouli and warm woods. I managed to sample the original finally, and rather than the lemon-lime note taking the scent out of the depths like the Legere, they soon disappear a lot quicker and let the oriental notes prevail. They're both good and they both have their purpose in my fragrance wardrobe.