L'Heure Verte

[fairnymph]

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

In the bottle: Extremely pale yellow oil. Roses and absinthe. Rather sour. Slightly sugary sweet and faintly smoky.

Wet: Way more floral; rosier and the lilacs are strongly present too, in about equal force. Less sour, less booze, less sweet. Still that waft of slightly bitter smoke.

Dry: The florals fade a bit, or else other things amp. I can smell the anisey-wormwood of the absinthe, and it's light, sort of herbal-woody and vaguely boozy, the most pleasant sort of anise scent I've encountered.

Later: The sugar-light flowers-soft smoke-slightly green combo reminds me vaguely of The Fairy Market, though this is less fresh, dustier.

Summary: The lilac is a touch soapy and rather heady and the rose is slightly dried-powdery, but both are kept in check by the slight anise tang and bitter opium, and then softly, subtly sweetened by pure sugar. Great throw and lasting power.

So, so much nicer than I would have ever thought, but a bit too old feeling for me. Edited October 23, 2008 by Shollin
Fixed BPAL tags --Shollin

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Rose water, lilac blossoms and a very faint tinge of absinthe and opium. More floral than I expected.

 

Wet on skin - roses, lilac and opium smoke. I was hoping for more of a wormwood/absinthe smell. Let's check back for the dry down!

 

Dry on skin - Aw man, this has turned into rose baby powder. No opium, no absinthe, no sugar, no lilac. Bummer!

[n1k1ta]

Powdery rose, a bite of burnt lilac with an undercurrent of liquor at the beginning. It's not what I expected at all. L'Heure Verte quickly turned into opium and lilac. I never got a distinct absinthe note. The opium and lilac are wonderful together, but this perfume is not green for me. Color me disappointed.

[auburnette]

L'Heure Verte

 

Wet, in bottle: Rose, lots of rose. Can definitely smell the scorched aspect too.

 

Wet, on skin: The rose goes crazy! But the absinthe's there too, making my mouth water. The dominant note is definitely still rose though. Go away, rose...I want absinthe, not you! Go away, go away...

 

Dry, on skin: As it dries down the rose backs off a little and the sugar and smoke come through a little bit, but not as much as I'd like. Having said that, it's definitely wearable. I'm not too keen on rose as a note, but it doesn't completely ruin this blend for me.

 

One imp will be enough, though. I have an imp of Absinthe on the way to try. I'll be interested to see if the rose backs off further as it ages.

[laforetnoire]

Once dry, it's very sweet rose water, lilac and opium smoke on me. There is a very light herbal note in the background.

 

The rose water note is not to strong on me, normaly my skin amps roses and make them turn into babypowder. I'm happy that I've finally found a rose scent that works for me.

 

I really love this one, it's part of my favorites now.

[Emma2403]

I was expecting (and hoping) something similar to La Fée Verte but not at all (at least, not on me).

 

I get tons of rose. Beautiful rose, mind you but I was hoping for more absinthe. Absinthe is there, in the background, but rose is really prominent.

 

When it dries down, I get lots of sugar and a beautiful hint of absinthe.

[ankhfangirl72]

L'Heure Verte is very sweet at first, in fact it smells not just sweet but like actual sugar. The anise isn't that obvious to begin with but comes out after a few minutes. The lilac and the rose water are there for a while but then they fade out again to leave sugary anise goodness behind. It's lovely. Sweet and light but with the smokeyness behind it. Yum

[MCS4096]

A friend and I spent a particularly amusing evening in an absinthe bar in Amsterdam. To me absinthe is a near perfect drink, and I've been excited to try the labs absinthe blends, although I know the reviews of L'Heure Verte have said it is a minor player here *shrug*

 

In the Bottle: Absinthe and rosewater, the effect is a sour floral, with a bit of opium smoke, not really sweet. Absinthe has a very high alcohol content, and I get that from this.. it's a cool boozy note, not the lab's warm boozy note. The scent is certainly evocative of green as well.

 

Wet: The sugar and flowers amp.. it's almost entirely roses and lilacs.

 

Dry: Mmm... the opium smoke really comes out, it's hazy and warm opium. The notes are all pretty even on me right now.. I do wish the absinthe was predominant, but the blend is lovely.. herbal, floral and smoky. There's a nice juxtaposition between the roses (which are warm to me) with the coolness of the sour herbs. It's a bit medicinal (well, opium and wormwood anyhow ) Very unique! And given the memories it evokes for me, I'm really enjoying it

[anastasia]

This is kind of fresh and light. The art for the label is perfect. It is very evocative of the actual absinthe ritual and I love that the water is rosewater and that there is lilac in here somewhere in the sweetness but it really is all very blended on me with nothing jumping out except "the smell of absinthe" as a dominant note. It warms up on me a teeny bit but mostly makes me think of a fancy crystal absinthe glass. This is not Van Gogh or Rimbaud absinthe, it is refined and lace curtain ey. In my mind it is pale milky green and light rosebud pink. I'd like to think there were some rich old ladies drinking absinthe in their parlours somewhere... but this doesn't smell old. It smells fresh like daydreaming of spring in the middle of winter.

[BaronLaCroix]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet.

I was really hesitant about getting L'Heure Verte, but I'm so very glad I did. It's a soft scent, although not un-masculine, really more gender neutral, which is nice. The absinthe notes poke out most for me, although the sugar to mix is there as well. The rose lays low, like it's a boutonnière. Opium is ever more subtle.

I'll miss this one when the Carnival leaves town.

Makes me want to: chase a green fairy while wearing a tuxedo.

[yeahbutnobut]

L’Heure Verte

 

In the imp: sweet rosewater with a volatile hint of absinthe.

Wet on skin: is there mint here? My skin is tingling! The scent is sugared roses and absinthe.

Dry on skin: ooh, this is very pretty. Faint, but very pleasant indeed, for now at least. The rose is dominant, and it has a sugared quality reminiscent of Hope, though not as vanilla-sweet. over it, I smell the anise-dominated scent of absinthe, cool and icy and ethereal. I smell just a hint of lilac but surprisingly this lilac isn’t amping like it usually does-it’s so quiet here. I don’t smell any opium for now.

After a while: soft, sweet, gentle rose. I’m surprised as to how gentle and dreamy this scent is. The absinthe still lingers but it too is soft, and it’s not a soapy absinthe. The scent is now reminiscent of slightly fruity roses…in fact there’s a Turkish delight thing going on here. Yup, this smells like Turkish delight served with absinthe-an interesting combination!

Verdict: I have tried a decant and a bottle of this-and both were quite different. The review above is for the decant-which I greatly prefer. It smells of roses softly kissed by the Green Fairy. The roses are sweet, gentle and cool, sugared lightly, but it does have a rosewater quality to it. the absinthe is subtle, the cool clear green scent goes really nicely with the roses. I especially loved it when the rose turned to Turkish delight. Unfortunately the bottle I got didn’t have this enchanted rose scent, but was heavier on the lilac, which then went bad on my skin, and the scent wound up smelling of sour roses and wilted lilac with opium. it’s a shame really…I’ll definitely keep the decant of this with the sugared absinthe and rose scent though.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? the decant, not the bottle.

If you like this, try: Hope, Pontarlier, Absinthe, Margeurite, Two Five and Seven, Victoria

[asciident]

Wet: Minty, and from somewhere also pine?

 

First on: Resinous (opium?) pine. WTF?

 

Dry: ...Old lady perfume. So disappointing.

[magikalbrownies]

geez --- ABSINTHE. LOVE YOU.

 

in the bottle, i smell the lilac, sugar, and absinthe. ITs seriously an awesomely good scent.

 

applied: absinthe and definitely smelling the scorched sugar. the sugar reminds me of when i brown it for syrups. LOVE THIS STUFF. i kept sniffing my arm all day and it was ...

 

wet - HELL TO WASH OFF. ha. this stuff does not come off the way you'd expect. it just got stronger on me. more absinthe...loads of lilac... but its a bit more subdued.

 

overall: LOVE IT...LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT...its in my top of all the scents ive gotten and will be a new one i pursue.

[femmefatale]

This one is not at all what I expected. At first it's a somewhat clean incense scent, however that's possible. Once it's drying it's a bit sweeter and greener and the rose water comes out, though it's not a rose scent. It's also somewhat fizzy smelling, I think from the absinthe?

Once it's been on my skin for a while, the sugar reappears. But not as just a vaguely sweet scent, but as actual sugar, mixed with rose and absinthe and the barest hint opium. But this is in no way foody, so foody haters, no worries here!

I like this so much more than I expected. I really only got it because it was a partial included in a bottle lot and I had fully expected to swap it away. But even though this is really not me, I like it! I think this would make a wonderful spring/summer scent when my normal ones are too heavy (though it's totally wearable year round).

[papermaker]

In the bottle it is absinthe and florals...

Wet: On me it is sugared lilacs and sweet rose water...

Dry: True blue absinthe with swirls of lilac and rose.

 

[persianmouse]

Oh, this smells like dangerous men. Not bad men, necessarily, but dangerous. The kind of man who's entirely too good-looking, and knows it, with an almost feminine mouth, curved at the ends to always appear smirking at a private joke, and feral eyes. Hair that looks fabulous and rakish, even whilst he engages in...strenuous activities. Looks just as home with a lily in his hands as he does with a billy-club, and he doesn't particularly care which one is in his hands. Charming, cultured, and clean. Has been known to cut with things other than his wit, but not often and never undeserving, if one has a rather liberal interpretation of the word 'deserving'. He looks at you as though you are the only thing in the room, which, depending on his mood and your history together, can be either very very good or very very bad. Is kind to animals, and especially favors cats. Somehow manages to keep his shirt sleeves pristine and white, but maybe he just buys new shirts, cause certain...liquids you just can't get out. Has an awful tendency to startle you by coming around corners, suddenly and slowly at the same time, full or mirth at how nervous he makes you. You think inappropriate things at the mere sight of him taking off his suit jacket, and he knows you do, and makes sure to look at you every time he does, so you know that he knows. He shaves with a fancy-handled straight razor in his practiced hand, and never cuts himself.

[ouch!]

Hmm not what I was expecting. This is a soft delicate light scent.

 

All Im getting from this is the sugar, the lilac and the rose. Mainly the rose though.

The sugar is not scorched like I thought it was going to be, you know..like..that kinda burnt brown sugar smell you get in Sugar Skull or Sticky Pillowcase. It's just sweeet sweet dusky rose and some lilac.

 

None of the other notes make an appearance for me, and the oil dooesn't morph either. Where is the opium smoke and the Absinthe??

 

Ah well..not all things work do they?

[Monster]

I dunno if this was a nod to Guerlains famous, L'Heure Bleue or not but, either way I had to try it just because it reminds me of one of my favorite perfumes (and I love Beths absinthe note).

 

In the bottle this smells like lilac and absinthe. When I put this on my skin the absinthe and lilac are still the two dominant notes along with a gentle rosey haze in the background.

 

As this dries I'm sniffing less absinthe (although the memory of it is still there, now in the form of something bitter...but not in a bad way) and more rose. The smoke note is very light and adds a little bit of mystery to this scent. I would desbribe this as a dark, femenine floral.

 

I think I actually really like this! It starts off a bit strange but as it settles into my skin, L'Heure Verte really works well for me. I don't like this as much as L'Heure Bleue, but it's still very pretty and wearable.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Monster

[Andrea912]

The absinthe is present, but in the background. A softly bright green scent.

[crebbsgirl]

Wet this was heavy on the absinthe. As it dried through, the rose water and lilac took over, turning this into a predominantly floral blend. The scorched sugar never really showed up for me, which is a good thing because my skin does horrible things to sugar. The rose ended up amping on me, as it usually does, so this was a no-go.

[NoinHime]

In the bottle this was very very heavy on the booze. It just smelled like alcohol to me and I didn't think I'd like it. Very strong.

 

On me wet I still smell the absinthe but the lilac and rose water are coming through. It's also smelling just a little sweeter.

 

I am very surprised. I didn't expect to like this one at all. The booziness faded down to give it just a little bit of "fun" but it's mostly a nice smokey floral with a little bit of sweet.

 

[surf-tormented]

In the bottle, it smells light and herbal.

 

On my skin, it seems to go through three phases. First, a very light herbal floral phase. It's like I didn't even put on perfume. I thought I smelled it and I actually smelled my shampoo instead.

 

Just as I think I may sell the bottle because it has next to no scent on me, the second stage comes. In about a half hour of wear. This is the anise absinthe phase. I don't like too much anise, so this is a perfect amount. It is still not as strong as I would like, but I fear that the anise would override all other notes if it was stronger.

 

The last phase is herbal smoke powder. And sometimes when I wear it, this amps up to 11 and I can smell it from afar and something it is barely a whimper.

 

This could be a good work or crowd perfume, something wear someone might take offense to what I wear if my perfume is too strong, but at the same time, being a more expensive blend than most of the GC, you would think the throw would be a lot better than their Absinthe GC, which it isn't.

 

But if you are into very light floral perfumes with a slight herbal tang, this would be great on you. I still don't have a verdict on this one. As soon as I think about selling or swapping it, it gets stronger, like it knows.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[lahdeedah]

Lovely L'Heure Verte. Nothing at all like I was expecting you to be. I feel a bit disappointed, but I actually still love this one for what it does have.

 

On Wet:

The most expensive soap ever. Definitely old school, Victorian Soap

 

Dry:

Less soapy, but still very old fashioned. Genteel. I get no naughty Absinthe (which I really want to smell). I get a hint of smoke at the edges; I get a little sugar, though not scorched per se, but mostly I get powdery rose and lilac. Soft and pretty, for sure, but not the sort of insinuated debauchery I was expecting from this blend. Way too innocent for the workings of my beloved Green Fairy.

 

Overall: I feel this one actually deserves a place in my catalog, because I don't have anything quite like it with it's overall strength. In a way, it reminded me a bit of Signior Dildo from this year's lupers. Both faint, pretty floral fragrances that I really enjoy the smell of, and are nothing like anything else I currently own. I think this one is stronger and longer lasting, so I believe I will end up springing for a bottle in the end. (Plus I really really love the name, even if I can't smell the absinthe! )

 

 

 

[aquazoo]

Starts a teensy bit soapy, but then more floral. While I like lilac, on me it does not work with certain combinations. This is one of them. I can tell there are other notes there, so it's an interesting scent.

 

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting the opium and the rose, similar to Clermont. Hrm. On my skin, soapy rose and opium. Oh, come on. Please, turn into something else. Please?