Guerlain, L'Heure Bleue, 'The Blue Hour', 37 ml. or 1.25 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, Flacon Bouchon Coeur, 1912, 1940, Paris, France ..

The House of Guerlain is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. It was founded in 1828 when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened up his first perfume store on 42, Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

Pierre-Francois composed and manufactured custom perfumes with the help of his two sons, Aime & Gabriel. His unique approach was to personalize perfume for a specific person, place or event. Honore de Balzac commisioned his own eau de toilette during the writing of Cesar Birotteau, and the periodical La Sylphide, le Journal des Elegances, scented each issue with a different fragrance by Guerlain.

Guerlain catered to the high society of Paris, and obtained a very loyal following. The perfume house was so successful that Guerlain decided to open a flagship store at 15, Rue de la Paix in Paris in 1840. The house was at its peak in 1853 with it's fragrance Eau de Cologne Imperiale. This perfume gained Guerlain the prestigious title of His Majesty's Official Perfumer of France. This in turn led him to create perfumes for other royals such as Queen Victoria of England, the Empress Sissi of Austria, the Queen of Belgium and Queen Isabella of Spain as well as other crowned heads of royalty.

Pierre-Francois passed away in 1854 and his sons inherited the perfume house. Aime became the master perfumer, a tradition that would be upheld for the next master perfumer in lineage. Gabriel managed and further expanded the house.

L'Heure Bleue or 'the bluish hour' was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1912. The fragrance is velvety soft and romantic, it is a fragrance of bluish dusk and anticipation of night, before the first stars appear in the sky. It was created by Raymond Guerlain. The bottle is shaped like the one used by Guerlain for Mitsouko and the stopper is shaped like a hollow heart that alludes to romantic pre-war years.

"The sun has set, but night has not yet fallen. It’s the suspended hour .. The hour when one finally finds oneself in renewed harmony with the world and the light," Jacques Guerlain liked to say. He was referring to his favourite moment, when "the night has not yet found its star". It was this fleeting sensation that he tried to express in 1912 with L'Heure Bleue.

Guerlain L’Heure Bleue is the embodiment of refinement. Catherine Deneuve wore it for many years as her signature fragrance. Its luminous orange blossom is beautifully contrasted with the rich plushness of vanilla, iris and incense. L’Heure Bleue’s sillage is among the most beautiful of great classics .. bright, radiant, and enveloping. It was also the first Guerlain perfume to use aldehydes to give a lift to the rich floral accord. Notes of carnation, ylang-ylang and anise introduce L’Heure Bleue, but then you become aware of its velvety layers .. iris, vanilla, incense, musk, tonka bean. The leitmotif of anise persists through the layers of L’Heure Bleue. The extrait de parfum is distinctly memorable, a mouthwatering confection of orange blossom, iris, and vanilla with a touch of licorice.

Top notes are Aniseseed, Neroli, Bergamot, Orange Blossom, and Heliotrope
Heart notes are Carnation, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang, Violet, Iris, Jasmine, and Bulgarian Rose
Base notes are Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Benzoin, Orris, Licorice, and Incense

Offered here is an older one and a quarter ounce bottle of L'Heure Bleue, the most divine and iconic perfume by Guerlain. It is no longer sealed, and the ties have been cut, but it has been barely used. This is a treasure for L'Heure Bleue lovers! It is presented in the Baccarat style bottle and has the beautiful "Bouchon Coeur” or Heart-shaped stopper It comes in its original silk lined presentation box. No batch codes visible, and my guess is that this was produced in the 1940's. A lovely treasure ..