L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Extrême / Eau de Parfum (2005)
by Guerlain

Didn't think I had much to add to the overwhelming positive reception of this Basenotes Favourite. However. If you are glossing over reviews or taking forum advice you might erroneously come to believe you're dealing with a cartoonish (Terry's) chocolate-orange gourmandish fragrance. That common narrative does an injustice to the fragrance.

The first point to stress is that this is a CHALLENGING fragrance. Its not necessarily going to solicit compliments. You may need a certain amount of 'don't-giving-a-crap' to carry it off. This challenging aspect has a lot to do with the strong anise twist that is present from the start, and kind of dirty dry-down. It comes off at-least as challenging as many niche releases, Le Labos, L'Artisans etc. If this great scent is too challenging just drop the extreme and go with regular LIDG.

The Extreme kind of starts its journey where regular LIDG ends. A very brief opening is green and vaguely citrus. This fresh green foliage is quickly joined by patchouli and anise which dominates in the heat. I believe the powdery patchouli combined with grape-fruit type sharp-green citrus is what tricks peoples noses into 'reading' a quality raw cacao type dustiness. At this stage the fragrance is quite formal and mature.

Into the midsection. The green citrus has inevitably gone whilst the patchouli and anise burn strong. This is where the fragrance earns its 'extreme' tag. Its seems to intensify with time and with body heat. A little dirty vanilla begins to appear adding to a boozy-gourmand quality. No obvious woods or florals - although there could be a bit of Iris in the mix.

Fast forward to the dry down - and it's a long unfolding journey. We have the dirtied vanilla, slightly sweet tonka and persistent powdery patchouli. I guess this is a derivation of the famed Guerlainade accord (I get something similar from Heritage). Its a classy well-rounded end-point to the journey.

Overall - a challenge, but stick with it. its worth the wait when in clicks. Not the most versatile fragrance, but something this unique and creative seldom is! Truly deserving its extreme tag, and may leave you feeling like you've had too much of a good thing - can easily be detected on clothing the morning after.
85/100

I really wanted to like this fragrance. Alas, it was just not for me.

A warm, comforting and sweet fragrance

This is one of my all time favorite designer fragrances.sweet, warm, elegant combination of cacao, star anise and patchouli with just a hint of citrus. this is one of the fragrances that feels subtle when first applied then it intensifies with time before dying down in 12+ hours. it has good projection.
highly recommended

9.0/10

Over promoted in my opinion. Before you buy this try it on your skin and not a test strip. The "dirty" orange thing is true, upon initial contact. Give this some time to dry down and it gets better. Forget all the talk about formulations- it is what it is. Simple as that. This one I hope gets better in time, for it's the least worn in my collection. I had such high hopes after all those glowing reviews about LIDGE. Nothing more than hype.

LIDGE is pretty much the same as LIDG except for slightly toned-down citrus and the Guerlainade is amped up a bit. Great as an alternative to LIDG in the colder months.

8/10