Habit Rouge Eau de Parfum (2003)
by Guerlain

At the moment of spraying, I get a whiff of Turkish Delight, despite the rose supposedly being in the mid-section. Lemon and rose are the dominant notes in this one throughout to me. The lemon takes over for a while after spraying and gets sharper as several other citrus notes combine.
After 30 minutes or so the patch creeps in and together with the woods tones down the citrus. I get a fair amount of sweetness here from cinnamon and jasmine and it hits a nice creamy chewy lemon candy groove. From here the patch heightens, giving a good earthy edge to the lemon bon-bon. I love patchouli but rarely get it married with citrus fruit, this makes a nice change for me. The rose volume too dials up as it gets more and more involved.
A lightly smoked balsamic base awaits for this earthy Turkish Delight. But the leather/labdanum haze plays second fiddle to vanilla here which adds another level to the confectionary accord. I like this, it's bright fresh citrus throughout on me offset by sweetish rose and increasingly gourmandesque vanilla in finale.
It's got a tad more legs than the none-too shabby EDT
on my skin and feels a little 'fuller' despite near-identical notes. Another quality scent from Guerlain.

This is definitely a fragrance from the past, in that it is unlike what you’ll find at the perfume counter in your local department store. I tried to learn as much as possible about this fragrance and the House of Guerlain before purchasing it. The history of this house is rich and storied and the history of this fragrance is the same. It’s been refromulated, but it certainly takes me back to the scents I remember from my childhood. It is not like the trendy designer fragrances of today. Just look at it’s complex composition. The top notes announce themselves without any shyness. The dry down takes awhile, and the heart notes aren’t meak either. However, the wait is worth it, because a marvelous transition to the bass notes occurs, and the maturity and complexity of this fragrance is revealed in a suave manner which reminds the fortunate wearer of its French origin. As the sillage softens, this fragrance reminds me of a mature and confident lady. She won’t be rushed. However, when she decides to reveal her softer side, you truly appreciate her beauty. This is not a scent you can test at a store and appreciate. You have to wear it for a day. Get to know it. You’ll love it more each time you wear it.

The opening of this is filled with mixed emotions... On one hand, it's fairly pleasant, but I can't know why exactly....while on the other hand, it's an almost nauseatingly harsh citrus. The drydown is slow and appears 2 hours or more after application. This is where this fragrance shines. It turns from a harsh citrus, to a smooth bright floral. Such a dynamic fragrance.

After having my sense of smell completely educated and enlightened by the edt version, I purchased this..the edp. Wow guerlain have basically taken the edt version and made every note denser and more rounded ..what we have is obviously a stronger and longer lasting habit rouge with a much slower dry down. There is less to smell tho with the edp, the dry down isn't a race either ..it's more a journey and that's why I prefer this over the edt..the higher concentration of alcohol in the edt kinda takes some of the elegance away (although the edt dry down has a fantastic light incense). The edt would work better in summer for sure because it is light and fleeting, exotic and thoughts of India come to mind. Overall tho I'll just say this , I think the general smell of habit rouge in whatever concentration and variation is the greatest I have come across. Darvant said it perfectly, each to their own habit rouge.

This is my favorite version of Habit Rouge.