L'Heure Bleue Eau De Parfum

L’Heure Bleu- “The Blue Hour”- After my Mom had gotten through the 60’s and early 70’s with the fad, fashion, fragrances of the time, she moved into the beginnings of her mid-life elegance, wearing L’Heure Bleu. It was so different to me as a young teen to understand the sophistication of this new fragrance by Guerlain. I just didn’t understand the attraction. My young nose had been in training since I was old enough to dab perfume or sprinkle bath powder, but this was a new “smell” and it came across harsh, and the “Dry-down” certainly wasn’t “everything,” at least to me. Fast forward many years. I recently had the amazing fortune of buying a a “Holy Grail” Bouchon Coeur crystal flask (inverted heart,) Baccarat etched, sealed, (original baudruchage / gold thread,) 75 ml bottle of L’Heure Bleu Extrait, and its 50 ml side kick, a vintage bottle of L’Heure Bleu EDP. (Deep breath) It was with these purchases that my own personal infatuation with L’Heure Bleu began. I shall never realize the incredible beauty of the vintage LB Extrait from my own bottle as I can’t bear the thought of “ruining” her vintage perfection, but I do wear my first LB EDP and I’m discovering what an elegant & timeless beauty L’Heure Bleu really is, as my nose has continued a long and enjoyable fragrance journey through out my life. What L’Heure Bleu is to me: -it starts bright, cheerful and softly spicy, like a cozy, softly spiced (coriander, anise, vanilla) cup of Chai tea, served with a warm lemon scone drizzled with glaze at a French Patisserie to begin my day. - as my day continues, I find myself strolling through the French, sidewalk flower market stalls, enjoying the gloriously fragrant and colorful Heliotrope, along with the sharp tang of Dianthus, fruity, sweet Neroli, Rose and a freshly crushed violet leaf. Such staggering, breath taking, olfactory beauty. “How to choose just one?” I silently contemplate. Which one will come home with me this day? -as the suns rays grow long, my fragrant foray concludes as my senses, calmly soften as I sink deeply into my cozy, blue Iris print chair. I intentionally breath in deeply, and I recognize the sensual wafts of Orris, Tonka, Benzoin, Vanilla pod, rare sandalwood, and fragrant vetiver emanating from a pomander sitting on a table, near my chair, filled with treasures from my afternoon’s sidewalk shopping. I look around and take note that the tall, blue Iris’ from the flower market, have blended perfectly with the deep blue azure hue of the evening. An absolute L’Heure Bleu moment and I capture its beauty in my mind. It is then, that the melancholy of missing my Mom and her signature scent, L’Heure Bleu fragrance, sets in. This scent evokes many memories, of great maternal love, good family remembrances, all the while exuding the pain from her loss and my aging soul. It is at that point, that my “L’Heure Bleu day” begins to fade away into twilight, as beautifully as it began.

"L'Heure Bleue" is my greatest love among all Gurlain's creations. And just like every love - there are no rational explanations or reasons as to why. It just is, existentialism in itself, beguiling and overwhelming. With first spray of the perfume a zesty and slightly bitter bergamot and lemon take to the air like butterflies in dance. Their colours are bright and sparkling, with spicy powder-like streaks of coriander and neroli glistening behind their wings. Anise is not visible to me, unlike in the "Extrait" where it is very much pronounced. The heart blooms on the skin with carmine red carnation, assured and elegant in her classic representation of gently spiced sweetness. She is a perfect bridge between two stages of the composition, making transition seamlessly effortless. As carnation blooms, the red hue deepens, shifting to magenta and then deep purple of iris, its petals unfolding with majestic grace and speckled by the powdery violet, adding tenderness to this regal flower. Iris turns an imperial purple when it reaches its zenith in the composition, contrasting beautifully with the citrusy notes and adding further depth to the spiced floral note started by carnation. Whilst the flowers bloom, I will say that the projection of the "L'Heure Bleue" is a strong one whether in Fall-Winter or in Spring-Summer, and the sillage flows around the wearer as the cirrus clouds, changing colours and moving in most fascinating patterns, think “Study of Cirrus Clouds” by John Constable circa 1822. This painting also gives justice to the evocation of the "L'Heure Bleue" in the name of the perfume. And even though the traditional meaning of the "L'Heure Bleue" refers to the twilight of the day, being melancholic and romantic at the same time, I tend to see it as the hour of the blue skies with transitioning hues and flowing clouds. The perfume's rich and expressive notes are never in a hurry to settle in and become the skin scent, and they are most persistent in their indulgent exuberance. When the drydown finally arrives (and I am never able to pinpoint the exact moment of scent switching to it) vanilla and tonka envelop one in their soft caress, tempering down the spices and bringing the swirling airy phantasms closer, making them intimate and more etherial, like gentle Zephyrus of Ancient Greece. "L'Heure Bleue" could be easily described as a perfect image of the gentlest of wind gods - Zephyrus and his beautiful wife Chloris - goddess of flowers, gliding through the skies and sprinkling luscious flowers over the earth while the goddess of dawn Eos creates a perfect backdrop of the morning twilight rich in blue, violet, and red-splashed deep blues, painted over the eternal sky.