Cartier: Les Heures de Parfum

As I've said before, I find it difficult to write about fragrances. Hillary is just so adept at nailing scents, describing them in ways that would never occur to most people, whereas I'm all, "It smells good" or "Yuck". But I do love perfumes, and feel incomplete if I rush out the door without any. My favorites for daytime: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Chanel Chance, Banana Republic Jade, Givenchy Ange ou Demon Le Secret. Nighttime must-have: Givenchy Ange ou Demon. (Scents in bold were gifts from their respective brands.)

I tend to love somewhat musky numbers, find amber hard to resist, and am in a constant search for smoky fragrances - something with a hint of Catholic Mass incense. So I was thrilled when Cartier gifted me with two incredibly evocative scents from the five introductory fragrances in their Les Heures de Parfum collection. Each perfume is paired with a specific hour - the first five are L'Heure Promise (Hour I), L'Heure Brilliante (Hour VI), L'Heure Folle (Hour X), L'Heure Mystérieuse (Hour XII), and La Treizième Heure (Hour XIII). All were scents I'd describe as fine - as in, glorious and expensive-smelling. But the last two were by far my favorites.

Via Skype video from Paris, Cartier's perfumer Mathilde Laurent (pictured) gave an incredibly detailed account of each fragrance, the concept behind it, and why she chose each note that went into making it. That could have been quite dry or boring, but I was riveted. It helps that Mathilde is enchantingly chic, brainy, and welcomes questions. 

For L'Heure Mystérieuse, paired with the midnight hour, she went with peppery elements like coriander and juniper, along with jasmine, patchouli, frankincense, and incense. Mathilde explained that scientists like her are big fans of the latter, as smoke was the first perfume, created thousands of years ago. I was so taken with this smell that I had to have it. Saying that it's like the most beautifully scented Catholic Mass you've ever attended doesn't do it justice. 

My other favorite, La Treizième Heure, is by definition "the impossible hour" - there is no 13th hour on the clock. A mix of birch, maté, patchouli, narcissus, bergamot, vanilla, and - most winningly - leather notes, this is the most seductive of the bunch. It smells like something Coco Chanel would have worn, but not in public and never for anyone but the love of her life. It's a scent you don't want to share with just anyone, the kind of perfume you may wear primarily for yourself in the privacy of your own bedroom. I'd go so far as to say that any guy who objected to this isn't man enough for me. (Mathilde says that these fragrances are suitable for women or men to wear, and I can see that very much with these two.)

You can get each scent in the collection for $250 each (like I said, they smell expensive, but they're drastically cheaper than a bespoke Cartier fragrance created by Mathilde just for you). Only the first five of the collection of thirteen have been released, and you can get them boxed in a fetching Cartier red case from Cartier shops or Saks (the latter of which exclusively carries X from the set, which is only being sold in the US). Price for that is upon application; in other words, if you have to ask... 

Comments

[All Women Stalker]

Whoa! $250 each?????? That's outrageous.

[Jackie]

That's for 2.5 fluid ounces, and I don't think it's unreasonable if you value truly stand-out fragrances that don't smell like something you can buy at any old mall. If someone wants to wear cheap perfume, there are plenty of options. For those who really put a premium on exquisite, delicate scents, it's a great purchase or gift. (We could have the same debate about shoes. I just won't pay more than $400 for a fantastic pair, because I know that I can get an incredible pair under that threshold. While many of my favorite perfumes cost well under $250 per bottle, I value scent more than I do shoes. Your mileage may vary!)