L'Heure Bleue Guerlain Eau de Parfum

A masterpiece. I really searched for other words, but couldn't find anything more fitting. Essentially, L'Heure Bleue is the perfect fragrance. Harmonious, round, deep, multifaceted, highly individual, unmistakable, exquisite, weightless yet heavy, soft and at the same time strong. It is indeed Guerlain. Learned is learned. A guarantee of quality. Especially the classics. The first time I came into contact with this fragrance was about 18 years ago. And I can still almost exactly remember the situation. It was the time when I began to discover my enthusiasm for Guerlain. All the stories. Almost every single perfume has its own inspiration. So much tradition and history to explore. Just my thing. Naturally, I was particularly interested in the old fragrances. Those from the hands of the greatest masters. And logically, one cannot avoid L'Heure Bleue in that context. I wanted to find "my" Guerlain fragrance and described to the expert how it should be. What was important to me and matched my preferences. Heavy, tendentially dark, full, preferably with an oriental touch, deep, long-lasting.... She didn't have to think long and reached for a bottle. "This is it. Your fragrance." She was right. One breath was enough. I felt something velvety heavy fall over me. It enveloped me. At that time, I was still pondering how it is with women's and men's fragrances. Oh dear. This is a women's perfume. No doubt about it. What am I going to do? But it is mine. Fortunately, the desire was greater and I adopted it despite some concerns about whether I could wear this fragrance as a man. Of course I can. Because today I know that one cannot simply define a gender by a fragrance. There are still notes that I would tendentially assign to women or men, but that does not mean they cannot both wear them. Essentially, our current perception has probably emerged mainly through marketing, and we have learned or accepted it that way. In its origin, however, fragrances were not really assigned to genders. Another example is true Arabic, oriental fragrances, those that can be bought online or directly in Arab countries. There are many fragrances intended for men that are completely atypical of what is sold to us in the West as a masculine scent. But anyway - everyone has to decide for themselves. In the end, it always comes down to the individual wearer and the respective fragrance. And it is indeed exciting when, for example, a very feminine woman wears a more rugged scent and a striking man wears a fragrance with a certain sweetness or floral notes. It just has to fit. And then the seemingly mismatched fragrance even emphasizes the masculinity of the man or the femininity of the woman. Now back to L'Heure Bleue. It was exactly like that. Of course, the fragrance is anything but what we understand as a men's scent. But I immediately recognized the potential, the complexity of this composition. I knew that this fragrance has a development, that it can reveal very different facets and, above all, that it will connect with its wearer. This fragrance is a true signature. And that is why it also emphasizes a masculine personality. I actually feel this way about most of the older, great fragrance classics. Everyone knows by now what the inspiration for this fragrance was, created in 1912. The hour when the sun has set, but the night has not yet fallen. And yes. One could say that L'Heure Bleue perfectly captures this magical moment of the day. But of course, that is an imagination, as it often is with inspirations. Admittedly a beautiful one. But L'Heure Bleue is much more, because every wearer can naturally give this fragrance their own interpretation. So I associate with this fragrance, in addition to its magical radiance, its heavy softness, its enveloping nature, a very special darkness, a certain melancholy, and a lascivious, intoxicating sensuality. All of this, however, always with style and class. French. And despite the sometimes powdery softness of the fragrance, it also possesses a great strength and angularity for me. It is indeed complex and multifaceted. Above all, one must learn this fragrance, become familiar with it. The more one engages with it, gives it time and space, the more one will discover. It is worth it.