I’ve had to use the Monclin glasses when smelling these Heures, trying to decide which matters more: their time evolution on a strip or sum total in the Monclin. I suspect that Mathilde Laurent composed these slightly differently from the norm, and may have aimed for an accord of the entire fragrance rather than the sequential top-note-heart-drydown story we are used to. Certainly, and particularly with natural materials adjusted so they have approximately equal strength, the full-score view is best, though hard to achieve on either smelling strips or skin. X and VIII in particular, are delicate compositions that achieve a complex, natural feel without ever betraying the presence of any particular raw material.
for paid subscribers, reviews of L’Heure Défendue, L’Heure Folle, L’Heure Diaphane, and L’Heure Mystérieuse.
Samples from Cartier.