Currant
Blackcurrant
Blueberry
Ivy
Grenadine
Aldehydes
Violet
Boxwood
Pink pepper
11/24/2024
Parma
34 Reviews
Translated
Show original
Parma
Top Review
20
Grenadine freedom
Unusual. Own. Portable. Valuable. Well composed. These are the fragrances from Cartier's 'Les Heures' range. And little known. I can only guess why this is, as they combine so many of the qualities you look for in niche fragrances. The main reason seems to me to be the extremely limited availability. The fragrances in the range can only be tested in the in-house boutiques. To make matters worse, only a selection of the thirteen fragrances in the line can usually be found there. L'Heure Folle even occupies a special position, as it is the only one in the world that can only be bought online. There are a few other "webexclusive" fragrances here in Germany, but you can find them in other countries. Only L'Heure Folle is not. Even a sample of it is not available. So they are extremely scarce in the French luxury house anyway. You almost get the feeling that they don't really care about the fragrance division at Cartier - and especially the exclusive ranges. Sales are made with the core jewelry business. That is why Matilde Laurent - who has been the in-house perfumer there since 2011 - probably has all the freedom in the world to let off steam. And she makes full use of it, giving us wonderfully unique, often slightly unwieldy but always wearable perfumes that are so thoroughly composed that they seem to come from a single source. In my opinion, such unusual and at the same time convincing fragrances only exist or have existed in the designer sector under Ellena's aegis at Hermès in the Hermessence line.
I also wrote about elderberry bionade in my statement. I haven't noticed this recently when I've been wearing it, but the perception was probably due to the interesting and rarely used fragrance "grenadine". This is originally a viscous fruit syrup made from pomegranate juice, sweetened with sugar and with an intense red color, which was mainly used to flavor and color cocktails. Nowadays, it is usually a berry mixture of raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries and elderberries. In addition, products with a high sugar content, red color and artificial fruit flavors can now also be called this (source: Wikipedia). Both contemporary variants seem to me to have been the inspiration for this fragrance, especially as, unlike Parfumo and Fragrantica, blackberries are also listed in the notes on basenotes. And the slightly artificial, candy-like olfactory impression mentioned above suggests that artificial aromas have also been added.
Overall, it is a very unique profile, far removed from the usual, often over-sweetened and over-sugared fruity notes in today's (designer) fragrances. It is refreshingly different, slightly elegant and much more delicate. I can't remember smelling such a fruit-centered fragrance from a quality house before. The only one I can think of is L'Artisan Parfumeurs 'Mûre et Musc Extrême', which has a much higher creamy note (musk) and a somewhat darker and more natural fruity note.
The only notes that I can't clearly identify from the fragrance notes are aldehydes and the green leaves, shiso and knotweed that are singularly listed on basenotes. However, they will certainly contribute to the green impression, which - as I said - is extremely restrained.
Fragrance profile:
L'Heure Folle, the "crazy hour", is a linear fragrance and smells of a subtly green-tinged, slightly creamy, red fruit candy. If you take a closer look, you can imagine the fruitiness as a raspberry-currant mixture - very slightly bitter - with a dash of artificial candy-like fruit aroma and a sugar-like glaze. This scent always reminds me of a childhood candy flavor, a combination of violet pastilles (violet appears in the notes), firm raspberry candy and soft sugar strawberries. What sounds intensely sweet is, however, moderately dosed. This is helped by the subtle creaminess, which has been finely tuned to evoke associations of cream almost dissolved in fruit water and somewhat dampens the concentrated fruitiness. There is also a subliminally perceptible green tone underneath, which has a distinctive effect and makes boxwood and ivy associations (as listed in the fragrance notes) seem plausible. Green tones are actually a trademark of Laurent's fragrances, but are usually used more succinctly than here. She also likes to use incense, which I only catch as a hint here, even more discreetly than the green tone. Looking at the ingredients, this impression is probably due to the blackcurrant and/or boxwood. I also wrote about elderberry bionade in my statement. I haven't noticed this recently when I've been wearing it, but the perception was probably due to the interesting and rarely used fragrance "grenadine". This is originally a viscous fruit syrup made from pomegranate juice, sweetened with sugar and with an intense red color, which was mainly used to flavor and color cocktails. Nowadays, it is usually a berry mixture of raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries and elderberries. In addition, products with a high sugar content, red color and artificial fruit flavors can now also be called this (source: Wikipedia). Both contemporary variants seem to me to have been the inspiration for this fragrance, especially as, unlike Parfumo and Fragrantica, blackberries are also listed in the notes on basenotes. And the slightly artificial, candy-like olfactory impression mentioned above suggests that artificial aromas have also been added.
Overall, it is a very unique profile, far removed from the usual, often over-sweetened and over-sugared fruity notes in today's (designer) fragrances. It is refreshingly different, slightly elegant and much more delicate. I can't remember smelling such a fruit-centered fragrance from a quality house before. The only one I can think of is L'Artisan Parfumeurs 'Mûre et Musc Extrême', which has a much higher creamy note (musk) and a somewhat darker and more natural fruity note.
The only notes that I can't clearly identify from the fragrance notes are aldehydes and the green leaves, shiso and knotweed that are singularly listed on basenotes. However, they will certainly contribute to the green impression, which - as I said - is extremely restrained.
Longevity and sillage:
The fragrance lasts a day on my skin, although it recedes somewhat after about half of the day, but always remains perceptible. Based on my experience (how does the fragrance linger in the room), I rate the sillage as average, but I have received contrary feedback. After half a day of wear, the fragrance was still clearly noticeable at a distance of more than two meters (and that with two sprays in the neck area). In this respect, the sillage may be stronger after all.Comparison of the fragrances in the old and new bottle:
Since the end of 2018/beginning of 2019, 'L'Heure Folle' - like all fragrances from the exclusive Cartier ranges - has been offered in a slightly different bottle shape. The most obvious changes are the opaque white, magnetic lids wrapped in colored ribbons. Whether the fragrances have also been changed in this context is beyond my knowledge. In any case, I don't smell any significant differences when I compare the two versions. I have a sample bottling from the current bottle shape and own one in the old (2010 batch). The only minimal differences I notice are in the top note and base. In the top note, the new version seems slightly more sparkling, which could be due to a higher dosage of pink pepper and/or a loss due to the age of the original version. In the base, on the other hand, the 2010 version is somewhat softer and deeper. The fragrance glides out really smoothly. The new version behaves as if slightly dulled. This could be due to the use of a different musk. I don't notice the difference when I wear it on my neck, but only when I wear it on my wrist and smell it carefully. In terms of profile, they both have the same scent.Conclusion:
'L'Heure Folle' is a very independent fruity fragrance that recreates the olfactory image of "Grenadine" and thus points slightly candy-like in the generic sweet-fruity direction, but appears much finer. I have never encountered such a singular concentration on fruity notes in the niche sector - except in 'Mûre et Musc Extrême'. As usual, Matilde Laurent, who trained at Guerlain, demonstrates her skill in creating very subtle, reduced, thematically extremely clear and slightly unusual fragrance profiles that always remain wearable.
26 Comments
