L'Heure Verte

[voodoocatwoman]

Spilled absinthe, scorched sugar cubes, opium smoke, lilac blossoms, and rose water.

In the imp and wet: I pick out absinthe the most from this. Lilac is in the background.

Dry: Mostly rose and lilac.

I can barely detect it. Not bad but not great.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was pretty excited about trying this. I love a lot of the lab's rose blends, and I'm fond of lilac. I was hoping for a sweet, sugared rose with a background of absinthe. I think I was envisioning La Fee Verte with sweet tea rose & extra sugar.

 

Unfortunately, the rose in this goes pretty sour on my skin (which surprised me, I figured rose water would be a softer, lighter smelling rose). It's almost like sour lemon and sharp rose, with an extra cut of white sharpness from the opium. There's a sharp smokiness to this that gets a bit stronger in the drydown, and I don't really like it at all.

 

L'Heure Verte is pretty much just sharp, tart, smoky, soured rose on my skin. It's the sort of scent that gives me a headache if I sniff at it for too long. I *love* the artwork for this blend though.

[Loligo]

I love Absinthe, I love all kinds of sugar notes, I'm okay with opium... but all I get after the first few minutes is stinky rose water with a hint of plastic-y smoke. ::weeps::

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Light fruitiness and bright rose with an undercurrant of smoke.

 

Immediately on skin: This scent sits in a blind spot for me a little; I can barely smell it. When I do get whiffs, it’s mostly rose with a touch of lilac and something faintly alcoholic with a bit of bitter smoke underneath. But mostly, I get rose and lilac.

 

After a little while: Mostly this is rose (watered down, sweeter rose) with hints of lilac and a little opium smoke. It has a subtle sweetness that might be the sugar cubes, but I don’t think I actually smell any absinthe.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent didn’t do much for me… it’s very light and not as impressive as I was hoping. All I got was a bit of rose with a little lilac and opium smoke. I hope others have more luck with it.

[tinyvulture]

I remember Absinthe (the BPAL scent; I’ve never tried the drink) being very minty and lemony, and this is quite different. I mainly smell black licorice and Ricola cough drops (the original herbal kind!) Seriously, that’s exactly what it smells like to me. Sweet and medicinal. There’s a touch of smoky opium and light, soapy florals in the background. This is a really unique and different scent. I’m not sure how to classify it. Herbal/foody? I’d love a hard candy that tasted like this, but I’m not sure I’ll wear it as often as it should be worn. Probably off to swaps.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: the sweetness of the blend is what strikes me initially.

 

Wet on skin: the scent of absinthe is very, very far in the background. The fragrance is very light and rose is the top note.

 

Dry: a light sweet rose scent that is deepened by opium in the background.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I like BPAL's Absinthe and have an imp, but what really interested me in this scent is that I am *insane* for La Fee Verte--it's one of my top 10 BPALs of all time, actually. So I know that absinthe can blend amazingly with other notes, especially sweet ones.

 

L'Heure Verte is different from the fairy of the hour...the strong anise of the absinthe stands out, as does the sugar. I'm getting only the faintest breath of the flowers; it mainly smells like absinthe poured over sugar cubes. I'm debating whether to keep it or give it to my sister, which would take some major selflessness on my part, but as much as she loves Moulin Rouge, I know she'd want this one. Hmmm.

[smallvoice]

Rose.... why must you hate me so? What did I do to make you turn on me? Is it my tonsils? Were you that attached to them? Ahem. Anyway. So, here's what I get: Rose soap.

 

No lie. It might be a sweeter rose soap than Rose Red, but certainly not sweeter than Alice. I don't get the depth of the opium. I don't get sugar cubes. I don't get absinthe. Just rose soap. I wasn't ever a HUGE fan of rose, but I could wear it in some blends. Not anymore!

 

ETA: Maybe I don't get those things because I haven't bothered with letting it age! The mint is coming through like woah, and it's very unusual. What an intriguing blend!!

Edited August 30, 2008 by cordia

[MeiLin]

In the imp: I'm not entirely sure what absinthe smells like, but I think that's what I'm smelling. It's herby, sharp, tangy. I smell the sugar and opium and the florals, but that tangy smell is predominant.

 

Wet: An almost apple-like tang. Very pleasant.

 

Dry: Sweet, very soft lilac and rose. The herbal tang is sadly gone. I like this, but I'm not going to get a bottle of it. If the tangy smell had stayed, I think I would have.

[kawaiiferreto]

Oh... my....

 

Sugar loves me, and is what, as usual, makes this blend so fabulous on me. Lovely sugared florals, and a tiny hint of smokiness. I've honestly never smelled/tasted absinthe, but I'm guessing that's what part of this blend is reminding me of Te Po (liquidy yummy minty citrus goodness.)

[theseagrows]

ooh this is a nice one. in the imp i smell the absinthe and sugar and not much else. on my skin the florals bloom and i get a slight smokiness. there is something candylike about this, and there is a slight sourness at first, which could be the rose water. however, i really like this scent overal- it's subtle and pretty. the only problem is it fades very quickly and doesn't have much throw.

Edited July 24, 2008 by theseagrows

[Ilex]

Well, hello Rose. Rose rose rose... with a little mint/anise running beside. Its a nice rose. Only goes a bit soapy after an hour. Opium smoke? No. Lilacs? No. Burnt Sugar? Maybe a hint, maybe no.

 

I do like the mint/rose combo, I wish the mint/anise was stronger though. Perhaps I'll throw some absinthe on top of this and see what happens.

[twilighteyes]

Oddly, I am getting all rose rose rose from the dry down. Good thing I like rose!!

[Saya]

In the Bottle

The absinthe is pretty strong, this is my first time trying a BPAL absinthe blend so I’m a little nervous!

 

On My Skin

The rose and lilac have decided to come out and play but there’s this really sharp bitter note in the background. As odd as that combo sounds, it kinda works.

 

After a Bit

Very interesting smell. It’s a sinister floral blend that never lost the sharp bitter note. It’s become soft, smokey and a bit sour.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 3 Throw – 3 Longevity - 3

Overall - 3

 

Final Thoughts

L’Heure Verte is a very unique blend but probably not one that I would ever wear. I may keep the imp to see how it ages, but I won’t be getting a bottle.

[Czarina]

In the bottle: anise, rose, sugar, and a distinct "boozy" note.

Wet: Sugar and a hint of roses.

Drydown: bitter lilac.

 

ETA: The opium emerges after about half an hour. This is a very subtle scent.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Czarina

[naeelah]

This is exactly what I hoped it would be. Other absinthe blends have been too licorice heavy for my tastes, but this has just enough balance of sugar and light florals to make it beautiful.

 

Wet, it's sugary boozy absinthe with light roses. The anise is very subtle and fragrant. In the initial dry phase, the sugar and booze fade away some and it smells primarily of anise, roses, and lilac. It's very light and feminine (but I think it would make a terrific scent for a dandy). After a while longer, the scorched aspect of the sugar the the opium smoke begin to creep in, making the scent a little bolder and deeper.

 

It really smells exactly like the note description, only subtly so. A sugar cube, lightly scorched, with soft anise and light roses and lilac, under a faint puff of smoke. Even though it contains sugar, I wouldn't say this is a sweet scent. It isn't bone dry, but it isn't at all foody.

 

Definitely a winner. Try it if you like: Absinthe, La Fee Verte, Pontarlier (duh), Rose Moon, Sugar Moon.

[grashopper8]

Interesting....A fresh lilac/rose note that isn't sharp or overpowering, tempered by sugar syrup.

 

An unexpectedly pleasant floral on me. Reminds me of Her Voice, but not as intense.

 

4.1 out of 5

[batsy]

In the vial: Liquor, but fresh. If that makes sense. And sweetness.

 

On the skin: There's definitely hints of Absinthe to this, but there's more to it. It really reminds me of a sugar cube dipped in lemon and set on fire. I had several birthday sundaes with a "candle" like that and it certainly invokes those memories. The tiny whiff of rose in the background is a nice touch. Yum!

[hespera4523]

When I first get a snootful of L'Heure Vert in the bottle, the absinthe and rose clap me over the head with the olfactory equivalent of a large hammer made of silly putty, bringing back memories of my last birthday when my ex showed up with a bottle of Czech absinthe. Things didn't end well, or ended too well depending on your point of view.

 

Then it settles back and lays down decently on my skin. Even wet, the rose doesn't overpower. Which is brilliant, as I am most decidedly not a rose-a-holic. I am not rose-negative, but I am mostly rose-neutral. Mostly what I get is the opium-incensy, with lilac and absinthe a respectful half-step behind, and rosewater bringing up the rear.

 

This is a good scent, a very good scent indeed. I am glad I got this, was a worthy bit of ebaying!

[Miss Lynx]

I didn't really get anything very absinthe-like from this one -- mainly just a sort of generic perfuminess, with a trace of that sugary note that's in Hope and Faith and some of the Halloween scents.

 

In fact, it's kind of similar to Hope and/or Faith -- maybe if they had a third sister who smelled like lilac instead of violet or rose. With that sort of synthetic edge that lilac perfumes usually have (I like the smell of actual lilacs, but lilac perfumes never smell very much like actual lilacs to me).

 

And that's really about all I can think of to say about it -- it's not one of the more interesting scents the Carnival has produced. Just sort of "Yep, that;s perfume, all right."

 

Grade: C

[zankoku_zen]

This smells like nail polish remover in the little vial. SAD.

 

And on application, its got this burnt rose/lilac sort of smell. The burnt aspect mellows. And it's a soft sugary rose/lilac smell.

 

Yeah, so not me.

[innocent]

Very faint anise fading to vague soap. No hint of rose water (which I adore). A much brighter scent than I was expecting, almost-but-not-quite-floral. The wet stage is nice, but the dry down is disappointing.

[Emera]

IN THE IMP: Dark, slightly spicy rose and a background of smoke, possibly some fresh lilac.

 

ON SKIN: Rose – dark and velvety, but with a definite spicy edge to it, and the smoke underneath. I was craving something strong, so this is making me rather happy, heh. I think the spiciness is actually the absinthe – while I don't get the anise element that I expected, it's sharp and almost woody, reminding me rather of lavender. It's a rough, dark kind of scent, almost harsh. Not my usual kind of thing, and I really don't know when I'd actually wear it, but I'm really enjoying it nonetheless. The sharpness of the absinthe keeps it from being overly heady.

 

LATER: Goes to simply dried, spicy rose.

 

SUMMARY: Dark, spicy, dry rose over a hint of harsh absinthe and smoke. Moderate to strong throw, long wearlength.

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: A sickly sweet rose. It's weird. I kind of like the smell of rose water, but I kind of hate it at the same time, and this blend is evoking the same reaction from me. What is the sweetness? It doesn't smell like scorched sugar to me. Maybe the opium smoke? Is that sweet?

 

WET: Rose water, something sweet, and absinthe. Something smells minty or spicy to me, for some reason.

 

DRY: Pretty much the same as the Wet stage. A sweet, sugary rose, almost nauseatingly so, with absinthe. Slightly minty. Interesting, but not for me!

[rayvn1]

This is not bad! I usually don't like rose scents, but this is more of an atmospheric Victorian type scent than a real "grandma's house" cloying rose. In the imp it was sparkling and fresh, so maybe it was my body heat that made the unnoticed-when-wet rose pop so hard when dry. I kinda like it. Dreamy, kinda feminine. Can't quit sniffing my arm - and that's usually a good sign! Makes me think of hanging out in a dim Victorian bar watching people sip their absinthe on a drizzly day. Nice!