Guerlain L'Heure Bleue was Launched in 1912. It is refined and classic - a distinctive perfume that is like no other. The inspiration for this for Jacques Guerlain was the blue hour (L'Heure Bleue) - that time when the sun is setting and gone, but the stars have still not arrived, when "the night has not yet found its star."
Notes of anise, rose, jasmine, heliotrope, vanilla, tonka and amber.
From Bois de Jasmin - "The carnation, ylang-ylang and anise introduce L’Heure Bleue, but then you become aware of its velvety layers–iris, vanilla, incense, musk, tonka bean. The leitmotif of anise persists through the layers of L’Heure Bleue. The eau de parfum concentration is plusher and warmer than the musk inflected eau de toilette. The extrait de parfum is even more memorable, a mouthwatering confection of orange blossom, iris, and vanilla with a touch of licorice."
From Olfactoria's Travels - "L’Heure Bleue represents my shadowy side, the side where happiness is a smile at the most, where tears are a constant twinkle in the corner of the eye, where anger is blessedly absent and a feeling of longing for the unattainable, not even definable, is pervading me and my surroundings. In that state, I am L’Heure Bleue. Curiously detached from the world, removed into a realm of introspection and futile musings about paths not chosen, dreams never realized."
the Alembicated Genie - "Somehow by equal parts alchemy, skill and inspiration, a perfumer did just that. He took anise and heliotrope with all their airy, licorice and Marasca cherry edible charms, wrapped them around a decadent, earthy, floral curvilinear heart with asymmetrical, sinuous Art Nouveau twists and turns. Orange blossom and carnation and violet, audacious and bold, rose and powdery purple violet tinged with a well-bred, exquisitely mannered tuberose, all whispering all their impossible fairytales of other times and other manners when the heart of life beat at a different, more contemplative and less frenetic pace, when beauty itself was defined by the unusual and the audacious, and L’Heure Bleue, coming as it did at the end of an era and at a time when perfumery itself was being reinvented, is nothing if not bold."
I reeeeaaaalllllyy wanted to love this one. I see it mentioned as the perfect rainy day fragrance and that’s what I was hoping for. However there’s something in the heart that smells stale to me and puts me off. I’m going to continue to try and understand this scent though, I’m determined to like it.
My experience with L'Heure Bleue was so different from what other reviews led me to believe. To me, this smells like a tea house gift shop or a Victorian B&B with fancy little soaps, potpourri, and Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries. I was intrigued by the anise note but all I got was soapy florals with some powder on the drydown. I appreciate it for its role in fragrance history, but it's just not the scent for me.
I reeeeaaaalllllyy wanted to love this one. I see it mentioned as the perfect rainy day fragrance and that’s what I was hoping for. However there’s something in the heart that smells stale to me and puts me off. I’m going to continue to try and understand this scent though, I’m determined to like it.
My experience with L'Heure Bleue was so different from what other reviews led me to believe. To me, this smells like a tea house gift shop or a Victorian B&B with fancy little soaps, potpourri, and Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries. I was intrigued by the anise note but all I got was soapy florals with some powder on the drydown. I appreciate it for its role in fragrance history, but it's just not the scent for me.
This is beautiful. Powdery and lightly sweet. The dry down smells similar to a seeet fine coco powder to me. I love the sample in the glass spray bottles thanks.
This is a very nice perfume. It smells a bit spicy to me, but not too much. It makes me think of a classic perfume...maybe like something a classy lady would have worn in the 1940s. With a touch of mystery!
Okay, L'Heure Bleue touches something that I can't find the words for. It is a classy composition that reminds me of something.....but I can't say what. It is a sort of mood. It is a perfume that touches an emotion.....so you just keep smelling it to revisit this undescribable place...
I really wanted to love this scent with a passion.. the jury's still out though for me on this one.. The trouble is all i can smell long after the top notes have evaporated is this medicinal smell. I know it's probably the aniseed addition but, i can't smell the vanilla or tonka bean that people talk of and so i found it therefore though i hate to say it 'dissappointing'. Maybe i will learn to love it but for me you love a fragrance from first spray or it's not for you, Sadly this one's not for me..Sacralege i know!
Although I love many original Guerlain perfumes, it never even occurred to me to try L'Heure Bleue. It did not sound like anything I would like. I received a tiny sample as a gift and I was mesmerized. It is an unusual fragrance: I don't understand what I'm smelling as much as the mood: Blue, yes, somewhat melancholy, quiet, calm, very much like dusk descending. Very comforting, but also feminine and mysterious. I do get that medicinal/mentholated note others have mentioned. Sometimes it is to dominant, most times it settles down into a beautiful skin scent. I sure wish I could have tried the original, prior to reformulation.
I'm not really sure how to even describe this scent except to say that I love it and just ordered a larger decant to confirm my love. It's a soft powdery scent that changes a lot so if you don't sniff frequently you'll miss a great scene! There are elements similar to both Mitsouko and Apres L'Ondee. More wearable than the former and richer than the latter. I suspect crossing the 2 might give a similar effect. I couldnt identify any particular flower except whiffs of anise. The name suits it well:it has a contemplative, calm quality to it. The tonka/heliotrope/vanilla are the most obvious but not over sweet to me. Funny, I always thought I hated anything powdery but all my recent favorites have that element. It lasted about 8 hours and seems like low-moderate sillage after 1 hour.
I don't generally like florals in a scent but the anise and tonka made me try it and I'm glad I did. I can wear it to work, it comes off as sort of polite and understated but not the least bit stuffy. And apparently a bit sexy
