L'Heure Bleue (1912)
by Guerlain

Take a stroll on a moonlit winters night, and you will recreate the physical equivalent of L'Heure Bleue .It has a haunting austerity that will either repel or enchant you. Personally, I prefer these fragrances that evoke a sense of consciousness, rather than something designed for a specific occasion. Gentle, powdered floral notes are supported by a sweeter base that ensures an episode of simple pleasures. I am especially fond of wearing the EDP version in cooler conditions. A modest application provides a most memorable experience.

Only when you are no longer flipping your hair and giggling are you are ready to try this.

Wisdom, mystery, experience...the whisper of an ancient secret. Never gave up red lipstick? Read Nabokov, Fitzgerald and David Mitchell? Never mistake Monet for Manet? Lulu's bob, Gershwin as well as Bach, tannin heavy reds, martinis made with gin.

Elusive, yet opinionated, A distinctive murmur. A classic.

An old woman sobbing softly in church with motes of dust twinkling in sun rays swirling around her. Some oranges and flowers decaying slowly rest in a bag on her lap. A mustiness pervades the air. The old lady finds it hard to move on.

In my sketchbook I have a list of some of my favorite words. Among them:

ELEGANT
OPULENT
BEGUILING
MELANCHOLY (Because the word looks like what it means.)
REVERIE

L'Heure Bleue embodies them all.

A couple of months back I acquired a vintage bottle of L'Heure Bleue (the one with the rosebud top). I live on an artist's budget and was a little upset with myself (at the time) for paying more than I should have for something that I figured was not really a necessity.

I don't feel that way now. After wearing L'Heure Blue several times I've discovered that it inspires me in a way that no average perfume can. For me, it evokes a state of reverie that grows from a longing for something I can't describe. Melancholy inevitably follows because the ability to fully define that "something" continues to elude me and I know that I may never know what it is...."Rosebud".

The icing on the cake was when I discovered that the name was inspired by, what has always been, my favorite time of day/evening. Sometimes, as the day starts to wind down, I put on L'Heure Bleue, pour a glass of red wine and go out on my front porch to watch the last colors of the sky as they fade.

Note: I actually wrote this review last year, but recently edited it for a mispelled word that was important to the description of the scent (smile).

Try as I might, I can't enjoy this one. I don't think most "cold" fragrances, like this and Apres L'IOndee, work very well on my skin. The top notes here remind me of hospitals -- a musty sweetness that somehow manages to be both antiseptic and unclean. There's a urinous notes, mixed with powder, that sets my teeth on edge. As the heart opens up after the first couple of hours, the powder seems to soften and spread out, and now I get the velvety and "praline" notes that so many people are fond of. The vanilla at the bottom is good stuff, as with all these classic Guerlain's. But the opening is truly ghastly for me and lasts a long time. I'll keep the sample around and test it every so often, but so far this simply isn't for me.

Reading about this fragrance made me super excited!
Intellectually I got crazy, as I had to try and test this fragrance, and discover all the hidden notes.

Until I smelled it... I got dizzy.

After reading up some more, I thought, mm maybe I applied too much, so I went with lighter application and tried not to directly smell the fragrance, but just try and catch some whiffs.

I enjoy the base, which I like alot, but the top notes really throw me back and instantly make me nauseous sadly.

I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately my heart says no. I'm giving this a neutral rating because it's not for me, but I like the base and appreciate the hard work that went in to creating it.

I will keep it around however for further testing perhaps once every 6 months or so.