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Unearthed 1899 Perfume Oil

9.0 / 10 163 Ratings
A popular perfume by Hidden Alchemy for women, released in 1899. The scent is floral-powdery. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Floral
Powdery
Spicy
Sweet
Creamy

Fragrance Pyramid

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

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
9.0163 Ratings
Longevity
8.6149 Ratings
Sillage
7.6144 Ratings
Bottle
9.2144 Ratings
Value for money
7.854 Ratings
Submitted by Nibelung · last update on 01/27/2026.
Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
L'Heure Bleue (Eau de Parfum) by Guerlain
L'Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum
L'Heure Bleue (Eau de Cologne) by Guerlain
L'Heure Bleue Eau de Cologne
L'Heure Bleue (Eau de Toilette) by Guerlain
L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette
Shem-el-Nessim (Perfume) by Grossmith
Shem-el-Nessim Perfume
Shem-el-Nessim (Eau de Parfum) by Grossmith
Shem-el-Nessim Eau de Parfum
Krasnaya Moskva / Красная Москва by Nóvaya Zaryá
Krasnaya Moskva

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions
FumeHeaven

25 Reviews
FumeHeaven
FumeHeaven
1  
109 years later, this majestic beauty is still winning hearts!
L’Heure Bleue (LHB) proved to be my favorite perfume among the Guerlain classics from nearly a century ago (I have also tested Jicky, Après L'Ondée, Mitsouko and Shalimar). My review is based on a fairly recent bottle of the Extrait.

The modern version of this iconic fragrance can be described as spicy, floral and powdery with some gourmand-like qualities. It opens with spicy, dry and herbal presence of anise, which is a note I don’t usually get along with, but luckily I don’t feel its presence on my skin after 10-15 minutes. The fragrance then transitions into floral and powdery elements thanks to the iris and violet, with cloves/carnation providing a slightly spicy vibe in the background. Towards the dry down, it has a pastry-like quality (like freshly baked almond croissant) with iris still in the mix as well.

I am blessed to own one of the most iconic fragrances of all-time, and it is a showstopper from its stunning scent profile, to good performance and exquisite bottle/presentation. It leans ever so slightly feminine, bordering on unisex. I find it ideal for the spring and fall seasons. LHB Extrait is one for the record books.
Updated on 10/11/2021
0 Comments
MutMaat

54 Reviews
MutMaat
MutMaat
1  
The Immortal
The L'Heure Bleu Extract starts with spiced anise, which feels soap-like and somewhat medicinal. Bergamot adds a sharp edge, but at the same time draws one away from the initial bewildering concoction and down the "yellow brick road" of the olfactory pleasures.
After half an hour or so the cloves-neroli duo is on! Insistent, unapologetic and rather "in your face". They do create a rather vintage if not antique feel, which requires a certain degree of courage and confidence to carry. This is VERY different from the latest EDP composition/interpretation, so blind buyers beware! I can smell carnation and bergamot in the heart, which makes the composition relevant and enjoyable for me, but this is an extremely subjective view. Unlike Samsara extract - L'Heure Bleu precedes it by quite a few decades and the tastes and perceptions were very different then, so do not expect a well-mannered and aristocratic treatment from this one. This is more Tarzan than Aladdin.
I love the L'Heure Bleu nonetheless. It projects power, confidence and lays a claim to ruling the world (or, at least, the space around its wearer). It is also reassuring, enveloping and original. I can think of no perfume that L'Heure Bleu can be mistaken for (regardless whether it s an Extract or EDP).
There is no sweetness and creaminess afforded by rose-jasmine-tuberose combination in the Extract. It is very raw, primitive and animalic. It does have vanilla, tonka and benzoin, but even these notes are "thrown in" bare and unrefined.
I actually like it a lot about the Extract, - it gives the most brilliant impression of being "on the prowl" when I am wearing it, and even just a few of drops on my skin are certain to turn heads when I am walking by. This is what I am wearing it for, - to stand out, be unmistakable and unforgettable. This one is not for smelling cute or elegant, this one is to become a force of nature and carry all before you like a tsunami wave. Do keep this in mind.
L'Heure Bleu Extract is the Primordial Beast of a perfume and whether you wash your hands or have someone else next to you with a strong scent (good luck, Baccarat Rouge LOL!) - it will not make any difference. The extract will wrestle down all around it and stand out loud and proud (whether you/others like it or not).
The dry down is luxurious and indulgent. Still unrestrained and "selfish", but closer to Samsara and L'Heure Bleu EDP, and therefore more considerate and seductive.
Needless to say the projection and sillage are "out of this world", and both the wearer and their companion MUST have the balls and the nose to handle it. But if you do, and if you can appreciate it, and (good gods!) enjoy it - you are indeed one of the very few masters of the olfactory existentialism who have attained the exalted state of an immortal!
0 Comments
Eggi37

1 Review
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Eggi37
Eggi37
Top Review 84  
Moment of Silence, Warmth, and Security During the Blue Hour.
What does the blue hour mean?
It is the time (about 1 hour) of twilight, when the sky is still slightly illuminated and shines blue. Thus, it is just before sunset and just after sunrise, the phases before and after darkness.

What does master perfumer Jacques Guerlain say about the scent: "as Jacques Guerlain expressed, L'Heure Bleue represents the meeting of two kindred souls destined to do nothing but unite in a flash of eternity."

My interpretation or effect of the scent on me:
This fragrance has a touch of melancholy, meaning a bit of darkness. But it is not so sad and downcast as to truly speak of pure night, because at the beginning and end of the night or tunnel, blue light is visible, thus hope and confidence. So it is not a scent that makes one sad, but rather gives strength.
One comes from the blue light and suddenly darkness sets in, only to stand again in the blue light afterwards. A moment in life that surely everyone knows. For some, a case of mourning, and for others perhaps just a parking ticket. A moment when one feels lonely and lost. A state of reflection and introspection hits. One begins to ponder and reflect. But one is not lonely and lost, for blue light is visible on both sides of the tunnel. There is confidence and hope. Warm hands reach out from the light and want to pull one into the light. One just has to feel them and reach for them. A feeling of familiarity and security from old days.
To maintain this feeling, one must now gently close their eyes. A moment of silence. The scent pauses time to give attention solely to it. It is the blueprint, like for yoga practitioners. One must become one with their soul and recognize the vibrations of love. When one allows this, they feel the warmth and sensuality that the scent exudes. One can hear the heartbeat of the fragrance. A scent that conveys security and calm amidst darkness, like when one lays in their mother's arms as a child and closes their eyes. This scent speaks to you and says: "Everything is fine, you are safe here." Perhaps this is what Jacques Guerlain wanted to describe with "kindred souls" and "uniting eternity." This is also how I imagine an opium high, where one should feel as if cradled in the womb. However, upon waking from the blueprint, one unfortunately experiences the blue Ambroxan wonder of modernity, which for me stands more for the darkness of perfume history.
There is much love within it, which one only recognizes if they want to understand it and allow themselves to engage with it. As if Guerlain has laid magic over the fragrance and there is a healing energy within it for the souls of people. Perfectly suited for moments in life when one wants to escape modern and stressful everyday life and longs for the nostalgia of good old childhood days and old love. With this, one finds themselves again and comes to rest or silence. Thus, a way to leave the darkness behind with confidence and look forward strengthened. Our whole life is a play of light and darkness. One just has to find the rhythm and the point of calm. L'Heure Bleue does this for me.
About the scent:
Citrusy, herb-green and floral freshness transitions into powdery-vanilla and amber warmth.
With blue-violet violet and iris powder, they have captured the blue tone. Anise is typically sweet-spicy here, but not like licorice. It complements well with the garden carnation and transitions finely-spicy from the top notes to the heart notes. The garden carnation accord, with its peppery-cinnamony spice and its enchanting floral aroma, brings melancholy and nostalgia. Herb-green neroli brings a floral freshness and integrates into the herb-sweet base. Meanwhile, the dry vanilla melt in the base stands for depth and sensuality.
Hardly anyone can make vanilla more elegantly than Guerlain. It is their signature. Not overly sweet or gourmand. They describe it on their homepage as sensual. Indeed, they manage to touch the senses with their vanilla, see Shalimar.
Is the scent contemporary, a compliment magnet, or a crowd-pleaser? No, but it shouldn't be. It is not a scent with which I would want to introduce myself to someone. It is a scent to enjoy and be silent with, thus for oneself. As profound as a soul can be.
Even the employer would understand taking a break during the blue hour :-)

Thank you very much for reading my officially tested fragrance number 2000 (actually, it’s even more) and my first review.
I wish all dear perfume lovers a happy New Year, but above all a fragrant 2024! :-D
118 Comments
loewenherz

920 Reviews
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loewenherz
loewenherz
Top Review 25  
Here's to the ones who dream
It will probably never be definitively and finally resolved - the (never really formulated) question of which among the great forebears of the venerable house at 68 Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris is ultimately the greatest and first among them. Is it Jicky? Shalimar? Sous le Vent? Or perhaps it is L'Heure Bleue, Guerlain's tribute to the precious blue hour between day and night - the time when anything is possible?

Here is a timeless and completely ageless fragrance. It has an infinite amount to tell and still wants to experience so much more. It has the pulse of a winter fire, is hot-blooded and ecstatically orchestrated in an oriental way - and then again it appears powdery for seconds, then soapy, then once more floral-opulent. And yet it is never loud, never restless, never pushy or exhausting, but rather lively, curious and - despite its good hundred years: hungry.

Here is a fragrance for dreamers, perhaps for escapists. Its heart and essence are a floral whirlwind like a psychedelic intoxication, melancholic and untamed yet feather-light at the same time. A fragrance for poets and muses, for reality deniers and eternal youths, for people - not just women - full of passion and fervor. Those who exclude nothing, want everything - and are fully ready to embrace whatever may come.

Nominated for an epic fourteen Academy Awards - only two other films have achieved this so far: 'All About Eve' in 1950 (which won six of them) and 'Titanic' in 1997 (which won eleven, making it the current record holder along with 'Ben Hur' in 1960 and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' in 2003) - Damien Chazelle's La La Land is already THE cinematic event of the year. Relatively early on, there is this wonderful scene where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, in that very blue hour over the sea of lights in Los Angeles and under an evening sky like shimmering jewels on inky velvet, dare to share a serenade and a nearly weightless dance together (the truly weightless dance comes a bit later). And although they both vehemently deny it, this blue hour is also a moment full of future and delicate magic - one in which anything is possible.

In conclusion, in the words of perhaps La La Land's most beautiful song:
'Here's to the ones who dream -
foolish as they may seem.
Here's to the hearts that ache -
here's to the mess we make.'
4 Comments
Favea

45 Reviews
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Favea
Favea
Top Review 28  
The moon has risen, the golden stars are shining...
Before me stands the most expensive bottle of perfume that I own so far. Through a wonderful sharing, I acquired 130ml of this exquisite extrait of the blue hour. I regret nothing, but this bottle (rather the price) will forever remain my secret - just like all the things that can occasionally happen in the blue hour, sometimes remaining a mystery.

The scent is a dream fragrance. It starts with floral carnation and sweet violet and spicy anise. But they smell in the twilight, after a hot day, when the moist vapors rise from the ground. This beautiful scent is then immediately enveloped in the powdery iris, creating a gentle rising mist, or rather, softening it. Almost no light remains now, the full moon rises, and the balsamic night blooms release their enticing fragrances. Here, vanilla and tonka take over this part, giving the night its enchanting softness. And this night lasts long, and is infinitely beautiful, gentle yet so strong.
The sillage and longevity are perfectly balanced. I can bask in the blue hour for an entire day - and that with just 3 dabs or small sprays.
For me, this masterpiece is a feminine fragrance, very complex yet as gentle as the melody of “The moon has risen...”
I would classify it as wearable all year round - always stylish and special.
A dream fragrance or also a fragrance to dream.
13 Comments
More reviews

Statements

41 short views on the fragrance
3
Floral (carnation, violet), powdery (iris, tonka), spicy. For Spring and Fall. Unisex, elegant, with a great performance. A bit smoky.
0 Comments
1
lovely and almost gourmand. I find it very wearable and modern for a perfume created 113 years ago!
0 Comments
1
What a time , what a scent , what a beautiful world ! Very nostalgic !
0 Comments
60
95
Twilight radiates violet blue
Herb-sweet-spicy
Anise moon & iris star dust
Gently lays clove in
deep-dreamy vintage sleep
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95 Comments
54
43
The blue hour strikes
In the rhythm of the clove
Resonantly hums anise
In the soft vanilla bed
Wrapped in green magic
Forgetting time
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43 Comments
40
15
The perfection of the Blue Hour. Ethereal, floral grace and profound beauty that deeply touches and lingers long after.
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15 Comments
38
46
The noise of the world softened
At the tipping point
from day to night
from joy to melancholy
A nest of longings
cradled in violet-blue light
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46 Comments
34
25
Carnations
Whispering softly to me
Stay true to your soul
Then you'll become violet blue
Over powdery delicate clouds
Brought to eternal heaven
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25 Comments
8 months ago
33
62
Your soul is a light
Create a capsule around it
With your hands
Kisses, love, and protection
In this little space
It is yours
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62 Comments
32
30
A perfume for a Queen:
Crown encircled with carnations
shimmering blue in the twilight
a tonka rainbow
No more obligations
We'll meet again.
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30 Comments
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