L'Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum

L'Heure Bleue (Eau de Parfum) by Guerlain
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Ranked 20 in Women's Perfume
8.4 / 10 724 Ratings
A popular perfume by Guerlain for women. The release year is unknown. The scent is powdery-floral. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Powdery
Floral
Spicy
Oriental
Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AniseedAniseed BergamotBergamot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CarnationCarnation NeroliNeroli
Base Notes Base Notes
IrisIris VanillaVanilla BenzoinBenzoin Tonka beanTonka bean VioletViolet

Perfumer

Videos
Ratings
Scent
8.4724 Ratings
Longevity
8.5554 Ratings
Sillage
7.7519 Ratings
Bottle
8.8523 Ratings
Value for money
8.1133 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 25.04.2024.
Variant of the fragrance concentration
This is a variant of the perfume L'Heure Bleue (Extrait) by Guerlain, which differs in concentration.

Reviews

34 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
Anarlan

21 Reviews
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Anarlan
Anarlan
Top Review 79  
Hourly time
"Harder days are coming.
The time deferred on revocation
becomes visible on the horizon."

They are two works of the great Jacques Guerlain, which almost force me to deal with temporality:
L´Heure Bleu and Mitsouko. L´Heure Bleu is the crueller of the two, because it lets me feel what time means as it passes. It is completely oriented towards the present, but knows that the clock is ticking.
Mitsouko has overcome the suffering of transience. Mitsouko's done. Brittle and immortally beautiful, lies down on her bitter, mossy bed, a handful of overripe dry apricots in her arms and lets her youth race.

Although physicists and philosophers alike bite their teeth at explaining time, language knows time in all its beautiful and terrible qualities: When time flies by, disappears between the fingers or seems to stand still, language depicts time. Even the greatest of all monstrosities can illustrate it briefly and aptly: That my time would run out one day. Tick-tock.

Already in childhood there were these approaches of introverted, dreamy melancholy when the last rays of sunlight of the day filled with light fell through the kitchen window, while the night drew up on the horizon and the clock on the wall with its relentless tick-tock announced change. The twilight blue-tinted passage of the Heure Bleu, this transition between the past and the future in the making, has always been an hour of bittersweet pausing, of wanting to hold onto the present.

"There's a sweet melancholy that's nothing but a pleasant dream, a lovely melancholy. It is the state of a soul that closes itself off to the vivid temptations that would exhaust it and rather surrenders itself to the illusions of the senses and finds its comfort in thinking about what causes it pain." (Dictionnaire de Trévoux, 1771)

When Jaques Guerlain created L´Heure Bleu, the city of Paris experienced its melancholic blue hour. The world was on the threshold of a radical change, the preparations for a world war were in full swing everywhere in Europe. I see the introverted master in the old photographs in front of me, the snow-white hair strictly styled to the back, white cloaked, more a scientist than an artist, serious. He seems to shy away from the camera, turning his vulnerable gaze away from the viewer. I get a quote from his grandson Jean-Paul Guerlain when he was once asked about the story behind L´Heure Bleu on the Threshold of the First World War:

"Jacques Guerlain once said he had a hunch about the misfortune that was about to happen. "I couldn't put it into words," he told me. "I felt something so intense, I could only express it in a perfume.""

The quote describes the awareness of the transience of the present, which dwells for me in this terribly beautiful fragrance. The top note, aniseed and bergamot, tells the story of the last light summer end of the passing day. Violets, irises and carnations soon immerse the fragrance in a floral, blue-toned sparkle in twilight, so multi-layered, brilliant and melancholic. It surrounds you for a long time before you are released into the night with the comforting velvet warmth of vanilla, benzoin and tonka. It's not so bad. Ticktack.

I have a sample that contains a version of the fragrance that seems to have little to do with the current reformulation because vanilla takes a long time to come and doesn't get too loud either. But it probably doesn't matter to me either to ponder subtleties about reformulations, which L´Heure Bleu passes on the story of the transience of the present from generation to generation, regardless of whether it is transported by shellac or binary codes. L´Heure Bleu tells me to pause in the blue hour as the rupture of the river becomes quieter, taking the present with it, forever driving it away from me as the past, while the future is still in the making.

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
28 Comments
8
Bottle
10
Longevity
9
Scent
Mydarkflower

18 Reviews
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Mydarkflower
Mydarkflower
Top Review 68  
What doesn't kill you..
etc. usf. blabla.

I hate that proverb.

No matter which stroke of fate befalls you, there is always a pithy or pitiful one coming from somewhere: "What doesn't kill you etc. usf. blabla."
Knee open, abandoned by friend, pet or relative dead, house burned down, cancer survived or Hartz4 after a life of hard work: "What doesn't kill you etc. usf. blabla."

I need two fragrances to smell, feel and recognize why I hate this miserable saying so much.
One is "L'Heure de Nuit" - the other "L'Heure Bleue".
There should be a third one to complete the picture, but I haven't found it yet.

A life, a woman's life in fragrance I have here in bottlings in front of me.

The one, the fragrance not yet found, is a girl, a child.
Still untouched by deep pain and sorrow, it looks in wonder at the world, sees magic and miracles everywhere, believes in the goodness in everything, has deep trust in itself and everything around it. Nothing dark that cannot be driven away, evil only exists in fairy tales. She is full of tenderness and joy. The world is good, beautiful, full of fairies and butterflies.

L'Heure de Nuit is a woman, not quite young anymore, not old yet, a mother with small children. She has already seen evil, suffered injuries and even inflicted them, cried, suffered, was at the end of her strength, has picked herself up again. She hasn't had time to hunt butterflies, look for fairies or see where the rainbow starts for a long time.
But your children bring back the spell. Not always, but sometimes, when she sees autumn leaves or snowflakes falling with them, admires earthworms, listens to the wind or observes clouds, she can laugh again like a child, rejoice full of innocence. Then she is tender, soft and loving.

L'Heure Bleue is the same woman, the same girl, years later. After many wounds and strokes of fate, miracles and trust have finally disappeared. It is only the wind that rustles in the trees, butterflies die in autumn and a rainbow is light broken into drops of water. People are not always good, caution is better than looking back. Behind every smile waits a tear. She still sees the beauty, but can't feel it anymore. She can remember that she could see fairies, but she can no longer find them, can no longer believe them.

L'Heure Bleue has often been described as "melancholic" in the commentaries. That's not deep enough for me.
He is deeply sad, a reminder of what once was and what it will never be like again. Lost innocence, deep scars, never completely healed. He remembers the girl from that time and can never be again.

Yes, we mature and grow on our experience, but at what price?
I think "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger" is just wrong.

Correctly, it should read, "What doesn't kill us, lets a piece of us die every time."
31 Comments
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Can777

121 Reviews
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Can777
Can777
Top Review 53  
Lavé en bleu/blue inked
Come with me and sit with me. It's time! It does not take long, but it feels like eternity. The moment when the day dies and the night is born. The short moment when the sun begins to sink and caresses the horizon like a last kiss. The sky becomes a canvas of colours. Like a running watercolor. Bitter thoughts like those of anise fly through the picture in dark swarms of passing birds, like a biting pain from stinging neroli. Thoughts circle like black rags in the distance. Torn clouds in delicate powder tones of blue-violet violet and iris adorn the firmament like a relief of finest marble. In the silence you can hear them coming softly. The melancholy! A bitter-sweet pain deep inside of me. Slowly the sun begins to melt like molten resin of benzoin on the horizon. The sky seems to be bleeding out in the spiciest colours of cloves. Disappearing, warm light in orange tonka and delicate, pastel vanilla. Warm my heart. I can hear my heartbeat. Or is it yours? In that one moment when the infinite horizon has finally brought the sun to itself and the sky is painted blue, you can slowly see it. Soft glittering tears of stars. Here comes her time! Br />
L'Heure Bleue
The death of the day and the birth of the night. Doom and resurrection. Deepest magic lies within this hour. Bitter notes of aniseed and neroli are gradually replaced by powdery tones of iris and violet, flowing together with spicy floral notes of carnation and tonka, until finally, with delicate brushstrokes of a soft-dry vanilla, they become a watercolour of cool-warm tones, like a pastel and infinite horizon. Sweet melancholy and delicate melancholy characterize it. It requires her right mood and disposition to wear it. It is an extremely sensitive perfume which does not only stay on the skin. It may go deeper than some people would like, if you are brave and sensitive enough to allow it to happen. And when you are,.....it whitewashes the soul in deep,sad-beautiful blue!

With the wings of time the sadness flies away!
- Jean de La Fontaine -
34 Comments
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
7
Scent
Rosie88

100 Reviews
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Rosie88
Rosie88
Top Review 42  
Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette?
I have read a lot about Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue, but I have never had the chance to test it... So I let the time pass, until I stumbled over HB again by chance here in the forum...

It must be really good... only which one is better - the EDT or the EDP???? Pooh, that's really hard to say, just from your comments, dear like-minded people...
And then there's the extrait...

Torn back and forth I searched Parfumo and the World Wide Web for answers.... But of course found no... at least not those that fit me ;-)

So I searched for a good offer and pulled out the order finger, which had been twitching and howling like a hyperactive puppy for a long time...!

....The puppy is satisfied and the EDP and the EDT are on their way to me shortly afterwards... Yes I know - a blind purchase and then both variants ordered - a bit crazy what?

But in my defense, I've let the extract go... ;-P

Anyway, I love to compare and here was a great opportunity for a 1:1 comparison of the EDP and the EDT, the result of which I would like to share with you :-)

So, enough talking and continue for comparison.

I start with the EDP:
Sprayed on and immediately impressive! Wow!
I smell clove, very much clove... surrounded by a slightly bitter bergamot and a spicy-hot anise note....
My first thought is, "this is an absolutely classic fragrance." Classic like Chanel N° 5, but different...
"Maybe I'm still a bit too young for this top note", goes through my head... but wait and see...

After approx. 10 - 15 minutes this force will settle down a little and the fragrance will soften...
A beautiful powdery iris emerges... It is powdery, but by no means dusty, dry, or old-fashioned... rather fresh and young...
"I like that better then"

Then I am overcome by a delicate violet note, which - despite its strength - breathes a floral air into the fragrance and makes it a bit more delicate... i feel the smell from then on as "freshly washed and powdered, scrubbed properly and now baby-pure" - if there is such a name ;-)

Then the scent on my skin changes again, because at the end a thick tonka bean joins the base, which makes the scent bitter, creamy and in my opinion a bit "leathery"...

The fragrance therefore remains powdery, creamy, "leathery" and absolutely wearable in the base....

Overall, I am positively surprised by the EDP. The fragrance begins a bit old-fashioned, then changes direction towards youth and then gets stuck in between. A very interesting fragrance... I like that, luckily ;-)

For all of you who don't have enough, here you can find my impressions of the EDT:

The EDT begins - compared to the EDP - much easier and accompanied by a somewhat alcoholic note...
The bitter-spicy sharpness of the EDP (i.e. its top note) is completely missing here at the EDT in my opinion...

...The EDT starts right away with this wonderful "freshly washed and powdered, neatly scrubbed and now baby-pure" note, which I personally very much like...

There comes directly "slide of Amouage" into my mind... he has a certain resemblance...

The EDT is generally not as difficult as the EDP... It is rather fluffy and light...
You can already smell the carnations, but in a lighter dose... The iris is also not dusty or dry with EDT, but rather young and fresh... The violet is much more reserved with the EDT and only quite fine to recognize...

The Tonka is slimmer and more reserved with the EDT, so that the "leathery" note, which comes up at the end with the EDP, does not come up here with the EDT. With the EDT you can clearly smell a nice unsweet vanilla, which is not the case with the EDP in my opinion.

In general the EDT - like the EDP - is rather unsweet.

In my opinion the EDT does not undergo as many changes as the EDP.

Conclusion of my 1:1 comparison:

-The EDP is very interesting because it has a great fragrance and some surprises. The prelude is very powerful and could frighten some...
The fragrance is generally very classic, but - once the top note has been sustained - it can also be worn by younger people :)

-The EDT is the somewhat "younger" version, which starts without the massive top note of the EDP.
There are no more big jumps in the base compared to the EDP. It gets a bit more herb-creamy, but the course from heart note to base is much finer than with EDP.
The EDT is generally slightly younger, fresher and more tender.

If I had to make up my mind.... i think I'd take the EDT... Or the EDP - because it is more diverse?
I'm almost at the beginning again.... No, I would take the EDT :-)

But since I have both variants now, I don't have to choose ;-P

I hope that I was able to help the still undecided with the choice - EDP or EDT
16 Comments
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
SchatzSucher

107 Reviews
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SchatzSucher
SchatzSucher
Top Review 38  
Thoughts in the twilight
I think there is hardly any other fragrance that implements the "Blue Hour" theme so skilfully as the beautiful L'Heure Bleue from Guerlain.

The blue hour, when the day comes to its end and gently passes into the evening, the time between times. The time when one is sometimes inclined to indulge in elegiac thoughts and dream a little. Be it of the here and now, of the morning or especially of yesterday.
It can also happen that a certain melancholy is spreading.
L'Heure Bleue has the ability on the one hand to evoke such a melancholic mood and on the other hand to caress in a comforting and reconciling way.

In my opinion, L'Heure Bleue has the ability to trigger different emotions.
It has already been discussed in great detail that scents can trigger the most diverse emotions in us and are associated with special memories, people and events.

The start seems to me like the rest of the daylight, the setting sun, which still shines quite brightly into the window. Somewhat sharp, warm and almost glaring through lots of anise and bergamot. I am dazzled at first because this ray of light almost stings. This is a quite difficult phase, which I think takes some getting used to.
But the sun has already set on the horizon and this peculiar twilight mood is rising. The fragrance settles, becomes softer and deeper, gentle floral scents have a calming effect, iris and violet come out especially, set cool accents, carnation remains discreetly in the background.
I lean back, my thoughts wander into the past, thinking of many a past event. Not everything in life has always been cheerful and bright. Sometimes a stroke of fate, a missed opportunity, a relationship that ends... i almost feel a little chilly In this blue hour I also like to listen to one or the other ballad with heavy thunder and give myself over to my thoughts.
The scent still recedes a little and the evening dawns, the blue has become dark. I get up, light a few candles and notice how the coolness suddenly brings back comforting and warming aspects, which gently caress me and comfortingly tell me that everything is good in the here and now, just as it is. Vanilla (the wonderful typical Guerlain vanilla), tonka and an idea of benzoin give this cosy warmth and tell me that after every evening, every night, it is day again.

As often described here, L'Heure Bleue needs some time to really unfold, the true beauty is revealed only after quite a while. But then the scent doesn't let go anymore.
Light and shadow are reflected here in an excellent way, the somewhat scratchy prelude, which in the course of a few hours becomes more and more a comforting experience and fades away in an infinitely soft and flowery way, that is quite enchanting.
The durability is on a high level, 9-10 hours are easily 9-10 hours inside, the fragrance radiates very well at the beginning, when the somewhat contradictory prelude has settled, the fragrance surrounds the wearer with a fine and yet present aura.
With these attributes, L'Heure Bleue is particularly suitable for the evening and is a wonderful companion for togetherness in the twilight and for walking. But the Blue Hour is also fine for wearing on your own.
And we all have those special moments when we would like to be alone, to withdraw and follow our thoughts.
L'Heure Bleue may well fit into the cooler season.
I would like to mention that I didn't know L'Heure Bleue before and because of the many nice descriptions I bought the fragrance without testing it before. I knew but I like it
To this wonderful fragrance one of my absolute favourite songs goes through my mind:

Nights In White Satin by the Moody Blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs4RG9u8IVU&frags=pl%2Cwn

I am just now enjoying this great fragrance together with this great song and letting my thoughts run free.
17 Comments
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Statements

4 short views on the fragrance
Vec2tVec2t 1 month ago
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
6
Scent
Violet forward & slightly powdery Neroli-esque notes (generally just white florals).
0 Comments
StaciaStacia 4 months ago
Heliotrope is missing from the notes listed here, but heliotrope is the majority note I smell. Lovely, powdery, old fashioned romantic scent
0 Comments
BertolucciKBertolucciK 3 years ago
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9
Scent
Floral (carnation, violet), powdery (iris, tonka), spicy. For Spring and Fall. Unisex, elegant, with a great performance. A bit smoky.
0 Comments
TruckladyTrucklady 5 years ago
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Guerlain, stop right there. You already nailed the ideal scent.
0 Comments

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