I find the current EDT quite dry compared to the iris-violet-praline rather sweet and enveloping reputation of L’Heure Bleue (which comes out as such in the EDP but topped up by the very leather note (which again I think it’s due to evolution over time).

L'Heure de Nuit has the same DNA but a much brighter and happier personae, thanks to the dominance of orange blossom. It becomes increasingly creamy, vanillary and delicious as time goes down without ever losing its spicy edge. The first spray is an ambush of neon-bright white florals, in particular a septum-searing dirty Jasmine which is both a headspace floral (quite akin to Molinard’s Jasmine) and very reminiscent of flower stalls selling garlands during a Hindu festival. Instead, it became my bedtime fragrance, soothing and comforting in its powdery aniseed (aka slightly medicinal) opening; decadent, indulgent, and extremely personal in its sweet dessert-like (marshmallow meringue, I would say) drydown. Add to it the signature Guerlain vanilla, which is not sickly sweet and spices, which take some time to appear from the background.

I thought I’d never get on with it but it opened out to a very interesting violet/floral note with some spicy background from the cloves. But where that one has a much brighter, aldehydic and sparkly opening this one is 'dustier' on opening, more soapy/spicy on skin but has that same beautifully gentle and feminine waxy iris trail. is all about bright aldehydes, ylang and florals, whereas L'heure Bleue is far more vanillic, powdery, heliotrope with that classic "Guerlainade" iris-bergamot base blend that Guerlain is famous for.

fragrance to me, meaning that it is a fragrance that you deliberately and thoughtfully put on, and then stop and really smell it and experience it and check on it throughout the day. A bit of that rubber in the old Guerlains which I happen to love, but it has a totally different feeling than those. I adore Shalimar, there are some strange, confusing similarities between them, but L'Heure Bleue is to rude, to brutal and barbarous for me. The benzoin here is quite pronounced, as is the vanilla and tonka (which are all closely related in scent).Please read the full reviews and consider your own needs and preferences before making a purchasing decision. Powdery, yes, but not in a light and fluffy "confectioner's sugar" sort of way; this stage is deeply romantic, moody, and very vintage, almost smoky. I gave her my Vol du Noit EDT as I got the perfume propeller bottle for Christmas and I like it much better and won’t wear.

Shalimar was the dirtied up burnt vanilla leather version of this(love shalimar) this is timeless but old at the same time.Of all the fragrances in Guerlain's current line up, this is the best exemplification of the Guerlinade at present, not denying Jicky and Shalimar their worth but they do have a whole lot else going on with them. And if powdery means "old lady-ish" to other people, then I'm not ashamed to say that I'm still young and I love old lady perfumes! My best friend finds it fairly headache-inducing, and it's the same effect with Mitsouko unfortunately.

She had not been around older folks very much and even her grandparents don't wear strong perfumes but, her association is such.I once read somewhere that the word "nostalgia" was derived from the greek roots of "Path" and "To Look Back". The more I wear this wonderful scent, the more I am convinced that IT, not Mugler ANGEL, was the first Gourmand scent. It’s complicated enough that I can’t describe it more than saying that, on me, it settles into a powdery floral with a hint of spice.