Comments on: Guerlain L’Heure Bleue fragrance review

By: sugarplum

sugarplum — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:14:35 +0000

further follow-up: having read various anise/pastry references over the years, decided to I smell my cookie jar which, while currently empty, generally is filled with Stella d’Oro’s anisette toast. There is, indeed, a resemblance, though the Stella d’Oro is all about mornings and coffee and LHB is to me the eternal nocturnal.

By: sugarplum

sugarplum — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:43:02 +0000

Kevin, your point about applying with a light hand is well taken. While I can happily douse myself in Shalimar—layering EDT and the extrait OVER Kouros, for pity’s sake! with a little of the body lotion on my arms and legs—and feel all luxe, calme et volupté, a recent lavishing of LHB left me feeling as if I was poisoned; the bitter almond I think—that is where cyanide comes from! Lesson learned.

LHB is my bedtime scent of choice, and one night I fell asleep to the Adagietto from Mahler Sym 5°. It was a bluish, coolish night, and the weather, scent, and music melded perfectly. Next day I Googled® “Mahler L’Heure Bleue” and lo and behold, who pops up but Luca Turin himself, to wit:
“When it comes to arranging a folk theme, the early twentieth century had Mahler and L’Heure Bleue…”
Well, I find the neither Adagietto nor LHB folkloric (Sym 4° by all means!), but the pairing works for me by way of nostalgia.

By: misschips

misschips — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:23:48 +0000

Better late than never, no?
I am entirely new to this party, but I have to say how wonderful it is to read such passionate opinions, and so well-written! Kevin, the review was superb.
The ‘blue hour’ has always been my favourite time of day. The colours, especially greens, in that particular light seem both brighter and more dull, and the cool after baking in the sun is balm on the skin. So, when I first read about L’Heure Bleu, I had to try it! I got a spray from a boutique in the city and shortly met my fiance at a bar in the rooftops. The sun was going down, and as we talked the moon climbed through the deepening blue sky, past trees, chimneys and steeples. The anisic bitter-almond in the top notes (I quite understand those who find it medicinal) nicely overlaid the beginning of the evening (and perfectly complemented the absinthe in the Corpse Revivers!), while later sweet, spiced notes reminiscent of baklava, or nougat perhaps, enveloped me in a warm haze of happiness as I gazed at my love. Every time now that I wear L’Heure Bleu, I am reminded of that evening, and the story of the perfume’s creation, and feel as though perhaps I have inadvertently stumbled upon one of the world’s great treasures.

By: Maharani

Maharani — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:39:19 +0000

Hi,

Im new to the board. Lovely review but I have to disagree with most of it. I love L’Heure Bleue and personally find Luca Turin’s description-Guerlain the virtual pastry chef -spot on. So something that reminds me of pastry cannot be cold or waxen or medicinal and certainly isnt to me. I dont find it reptilian or wilted. I also adore Mitsouko, so for me personally that dichotomy between the 2 doesnt exist, though I do wear them in different moods and for different occasions. To me, L’Heure Bleue is warm and comforting, very interesting, quite different from anything else out there-so I wear it privately as most people I know either squeal or go on about their allergies. Im a Guerlain lover which might explain my feelings.

By: pauliestarr86

pauliestarr86 — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:07:04 +0000

I’ve been wanting this fragrance for awhile since I love most guerlain fragrances, and knew it was hard to find so I went to one of my broadway discount spots and to my joy found a 2.5 oz bottle of eau de parfum for 80 dollars i didn’t know if I wanted to spend that much money on a classic perfume so I walked all of broadway looking for it couldn’t find it so I went back and bit the bullet so to speak lol. l’heure bleue was up against annick goutal quel amour so of course i had to pick l’heure bleue! I opened the box and fell in love I bought it unsniffed but definitely didn’t regret it. It smells very familiar but I can’t place the memory. l’heure bleue definitely grew on me through out the day but I can definitely sense the “melancholy” and “sad” feelings of it. It smells very medicated like a 1950′s skin cream; The anis seed stays all the way through ontop of powdery florals at the end a slight hint of vanilla. I definitely can see lily munster or morticia adams wearing l’heure bleue lol and bette davis or joan crawford going through a psychotic episode screaming about wire hangers lol My boyfriend thought I smelled like an old candle but I thought I smelled like heaven lol

By: Sandi

Sandi — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:32:36 +0000

I’m reading these because I have just ordered a sample of L’Heure Bleue and your post rang bells with me. Noon on a bright August day (even here in the PNW) gives me a headache. It’s pushy, loud and says ‘Have a Nice Day!’ in such a cheery manner I almost want to slap it, lol. But, I am neither a ‘day’ person nor a summer lover. I also ordered VdN, Mitsouko and Shalimar (I’m not a mall person either) and am impatient for them to arrive.

Am new to the blog but love it already. I can see many a pleasurable hour ahead of me wandering through it.

By: beck

beck — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 11:53:58 +0000

I have just found your blog and I love the language used in your reviews – speaking about perfume on the internet seemed absurd when I initially looked for a review, yet it actually demands poetry.

My mother has a bottle of L’Heure Bleue that my grandmother bought in Paris before WW2 (when we were rich, as she used to explain to me, who has never been rich). I would sniff it and dream. Once when I thought I was old enough I tried wearing it but it was all wrong and I never did it again.

By: RedFlavorRed

RedFlavorRed — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:00:48 +0000

L’Heure Bleue
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom ~Anais Nin~

The blue hour perfume hesitates
a turquoise tear, before falling
cerulean through her hourglass night;
a mauve nocturne of
low saxophone notes
and amaretto sorrows
echoing footfalls of younger years
departing her dark almond-forest hair;
and she listens, eyes kept closed
so as not to awaken
a dream about to come true,
blossoming within herself
an indigo rose
unfolding lavender lovers
pressed violet against her lips.

By: Greta

Greta — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:25:54 +0000

I agree with you about L’Heure Bleue, I find it suits me perfectly. I have worn it for almost 50 years, occasionally interspersed with Mitsouko. I have very pale Irish skin and don’t like the bright of day either. Though I am not drawn to blues and purples, I do like greens and beiges. A sales person once told me it was designed for a fair-skinned, light-eyed woman.
Many years ago I met the love of my life. Alas, we were both committed to others and parted for 10 years. His partner died, and previously I was divorced. When we finally got together on my birthday and Valentines’ Day, he brought me a bottle of L’Heure Bleue; he had remembered it all those years. He also brought me a framed print of Botticelli’s Venus and said I reminded him of her down to the Morton’s toe. We just celebrated our 26th anniversary.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:28:29 +0000

News: oh, dear! Maybe someone will come along with “professional” advice. I had that same thing happen with a vintage bottle and I simply wrapped the bottle, in upright position, in a warm washcloth and was able to get the stopper out without breaking it (the worst) or spilling perfume. After the warmth penetrates the stopper area…slowly move the stopper from side to side, round and round…VERY GENTLY, VERY PATIENTLY. If you feel like screaming…set down the bottle and LEAVE THE AREA for awhile. Let me know if you get it opened.