XII: L'Heure Mysterieuse Cartier 2009

The mysterious hour is, as we know, midnight. Witching hour, as it was fondly called in superstitious times. Thank goodness we are a bit further along today and no longer lie trembling and shivering in bed, startled by the slightest noise, going ghost hunting.

However, Mathilde Laurent seems to have drawn some inspiration from the witching hour when creating this masterpiece, as L´Heure Mysterieuse has become quite a dark time span.

Even when reading the fragrance notes, it was clear to me that this is a perfume for me. Frankincense, elemi resin, and patchouli promise something heavy, and my hopes were fully satisfied here.

The opening accord is subtly fresh and restrainedly green, but already allows the lush spiciness of the heart and base to shine through.

After a little while, a wonderful accord of jasmine and spices comes into play. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this scent melancholic, but it’s not really uplifting either. I simply can’t find a suitable word that could accurately describe my impression of the fragrance.

The base then adds a resinous-smoky accord to the heart note and skillfully rounds off the scent.

L´Heure Mysterieuse would be a wonderful companion for a concert evening or an opera gala for me. However, nothing cheerful should be played.

Whether I will be able to afford this Cartier, I do not yet know, as my self-imposed pain threshold is clearly exceeded here, but who knows!