Louis Vuitton Relaunches Its First Ever Perfume Heures d’Absence
Prepare to smell expensive
It’s practically mainstream now to like minimalist fragrances that are the equivalent of elevator music. Light and airy, they play politely in the background but you have to lean in for a good wrist-sniff to detect them. Louis Vuitton Heures d’Absence is the polar opposite.
It’s powerful, heady and – whisper it – a little old-school in its voluptuousness. Exactly how I like it. This perfume says ‘I’ve seen things, been there, done that’. And that’s because it has.
Louis Vuitton Heures d’Absence is a reinvention of the original, which launched in 1927. It was Maison Louis Vuitton’s first foray into fragrance and deeply personal.
Heures d’Absence was named after the family’s country home. Just 300 bottles were made, each engraved with an airplane to reflect the brand’s enduring love of travel and the golden age of aviation.
Nearly a century later, Heures d’Absence is back with a modern twist. The first formula has been lost so master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud re-worked a classic floral fragrance to create something much cooler than the usual inoffensive, dewy bouquets.
Louis Vuitton Heures d'Absence Eau de Parfum, £190 for 100ml
Buy it now
We’ll be damned, because this one doesn’t smell like an actual garden of roses and jasmine. It’s more sophisticated and shape-shifting a scent than that.
Heures d’Absence features May Rose, native to Grasse, which has a peppery, honey-like quality to it. Together with jasmine and raspberry, it bursts through before being flanked by warm, powdery notes of sandalwood, vanilla and musk.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
One or two mists is more than enough. At first spritz, my nostrils flare, hungry to breathe it all in.
Heures d’Absence is like the sweeping end score to a film. It calls attention to itself. It makes you want to walk taller rather than slink into work in ripped jeans.
Floral and interesting rarely meet in perfume. They do here.
Fiona Embleton has been a beauty editor for over 10 years, writing and editing beauty copy and testing over 10,000 products. She has previously worked for magazines like Marie Claire, Stylist, Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health. Beauty journalism allowed her to marry up her first class degree in English Literature and Language (she’s a stickler for grammar and a self-confessed ingredients geek) with a passion for make-up and skincare, photography and catwalk trends.
-
The reason why Taylor Swift hasn't been at Travis Kelce's Chiefs games
By Jadie Troy-Pryde
-
Princess Kate was 'right' about key detail in the Harry and William fallout
By Jadie Troy-Pryde
-
I've been working out regularly for nearly 10 years – and these low impact exercises are unquestionably my go-to's
Low impact yet high reward.
By Abbi Henderson
-
This is, without a doubt, my favourite new complexion product and it's perfect for spring
By Katie Thomas
-
Glossier Boy Brow - why it's the best brow mascara and now comes in a shade to suit everyone
By Fiona Embleton
-
I’m a beauty editor and swear by zapping my face with electric currents
By Fiona Embleton
-
I used to hate hair oil until I tried the Olaplex Bonding Oil
By Fiona Embleton
-
STOP EVERYTHING: This product sorted out my cellulite
BRB just off to bathe in it
By Katie Thomas
-
If you'd like to smell completely f***ing glorious this summer, please apply within
Make way for the scent of the summer
By Katie Thomas
-
I am leaving my husband and running off with this complexion product
It is INCREDIBLE
By Katie Thomas