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VII: L'Heure Défendue 2010

7.8 / 10 142 Ratings
A popular perfume by Cartier for women and men, released in 2010. The scent is gourmand-earthy. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Gourmand
Earthy
Spicy
Sweet
Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
LiqueurLiqueur
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CocoaCocoa PatchouliPatchouli Tolu balmTolu balm WoodsWoods
Base Notes Base Notes
MuskMusk SandalwoodSandalwood AmberAmber LeatherLeather VanillaVanilla

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.8142 Ratings
Longevity
8.2111 Ratings
Sillage
7.3114 Ratings
Bottle
8.3107 Ratings
Value for money
5.511 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 10/26/2024.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance is part of the Les Heures de Parfum collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
04 Musc Maori by Pierre Guillaume
04 Musc Maori
Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie (2019) by Roja Parfums
Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie (2019)
Bornéo 1834 by Serge Lutens
Bornéo 1834
Veilleur de Nuit by Serge Lutens
Veilleur de Nuit
Ambrosia Chocolat / Ambrosia by Sarawen
Ambrosia Chocolat
Chocolate Greedy by Montale
Chocolate Greedy

Reviews

2 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Fluxit

42 Reviews
Fluxit
Fluxit
Helpful Review 3  
Cocoa in the Catacombs
Ooh, this scent had me on my toes for quite a while! Spotted in the Forum, chased in the souks, yet in vain: Sometimes the sample couldn't been found by the trading members, sometimes it was kept after some initial hesitation because one had found a growing pleasure from the pricey chocolate. Then a sharing, which I resisted because - let's face it - this fragrance is quite on the expensive side and for me too risky for a blind decant-sized buy. Of course, one could wonder why I even test high-priced perfumes then anyway, but the souk is always a trusted resource that keeps these doubts away. And it's always fun to test for curiousity, the, uh, socially acceptable term for "addition" ;)

Since this is my first review on the English part of the site, let me state that while I have no extensive background in perfumes, I did a decent exploration on chocolate scents within the last months. Some of the known niche ("Chocolate Greedy", "Sorriso", "Nerocacao", "Ore, "Musc Maori No.04", "Pardon", ...), others from obscure indie creations purchased on Etsy & Co, not even listed on Parfumo. So I do believe that I can evaluate L'Heure Defendue comparably well.

For some scents - and I find this often holds true especially for the chocolatey ones - I don't recognize the notes from the pyramid very well, so I approached my sprayed wrist optimistically, yet critically. However, what hits me with a brutely delicious force is hot chocolate that defies every scepticism! A dream of cocoa, and yes, it stings a bit, but it's the same welcomed sting that a shot of Amaretto brings into a yummy winter chocolate.
Niiice. Somewhat clumsy how the calorie-rich drink is spilled onto a wooden board, but what do I care? I'd lick it right off!
Unfortunately, this climax lasts for minutes only and goes south from there. The beautifully smudgy woodchocolatecup is brought into the cellar, heck, into the crypt even. Earthy, musty disturbance. Patchouli, you miserable guest! Almost mouldy, it sits down with me, agnostic of my frantic waving to keep it at bay.
Even the shy clatter of some vanilla orchids in the corner won't save the cocoa party for the next hours, until they are present enough to get my focus. But the spell is broken, in acceptable balance again, but fallen from grace.

Retrospectively, I find it understandable that the gourmandy top note doesn't make it into the heart or even base, that could be wearisome. But the earthy patchouli is an unworthy successor for my nose.
Then again: For 250 bucks, I could get quite some real chocolate ;)
________
Appendix for this .net review: I wrote my review on .de to bring my new perspective to the other existing comments. There's plenty of praise from fellow parfumo members for this scent, so take my words with a grain of salt. One other review mentioned the visit into the crypt, yet she fully recovered and enjoyed her hot chocolate with a top score of 10.0; your mileage may vary.
0 Comments
Lauser93

891 Reviews
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Lauser93
Lauser93
3  
A liqueur I could never drink
Unfortunately, VII: L'Heure Défendue is a fragrance that has pretty much fallen through for me. To me, it smells like a musty liqueur that I wouldn't drink. The longevity on my skin is (unfortunately) strong at around 12 hours and the sillage is not to be sneezed at either.

The top note really bothers me. It smells like an earthy, musty and musty liqueur that has been sitting in an old, dusty bottle for far too long. The heart note remains earthy with rooty hints of patchouli, vetiver, some cocoa and coffee beans. The base saves an even worse rating on my part. It smells sweet, woody, leathery, resinous, spicy and balsamic with notes of bourbon vanilla, cedarwood, amber and sandalwood.

No, the VII: L'Heure Défendue was really not for me. Nevertheless, I would like to thank Nick for bottling it.
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Statements

12 short views on the fragrance
Dark chocolate with patchouli. Very well balanced not really sweet gourmand which stays with you the whole day and behaves delicate
0 Comments
23
3
Delightfully dry-ambered patchouli with a lovely, realistic cocoa butter note without generic sweetness. Subtly bitter and refined!
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3 Comments
14
2
You sit in garden soil after a rain shower and open a box of chocolates.
Box paper, dark chocolate, cocoa & lots of patch! Wow
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2 Comments
9 years ago
13
1
Ah, why did this have to happen to me again... A beautifully delicate chocolate patchouli scent!!!!
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1 Comment
12
7
Cocoa powder on the yeast dough & mom is chirping in the musty cellar with a little liqueur. Cocoa patch with amber, leather, and wood. Earthy over time.
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7 Comments
11
Chocolate-Chypre! So, it opens with a hint of chocolate glaze, then a subtle citrus-floral ganache, garnished with a little patchouli leaf.
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10
Chocolate-minty patch and dough note...I don't like it
It's a mix of yeast and sourdough, yeah, I know, it's good...
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9
Noble dusty-bitter cocoa powder, thanks to proper patch but for adults. Dry, sensual, with a splash of liqueur in the cup. Intoxicating!
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10 years ago
8
1
To me, the patchouli here unfortunately smells VERY earthy! Like a dug-up bar of chocolate. What a pity! The base makes up for a lot though!
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1 Comment
8
I feel like I'm in Charlie's Chocolate Factory, although surely nothing as elegant and beautiful is produced there. I give 100%...
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