IV L'Heure Fougueuse – floral and green and leathery

Photo: perfumeniche

We were in New York celebrating our anniversary with dinner at one of our favourite restaurants. My husband was in the shower while I was browsing perfume blogs. That’s when IV L'Heure Fougueuse hit my radar. L'Heure Fougueuse translates to 'Impetuous Hour' and is part of Cartier’s Les Heures de Parfum collection and review after review raved about it. While my husband got into his suit, I said I’d like to drop by Cartier before we go to the restaurant. ‘I don't think I brought the right clothes for that place,’ he said quietly. 

Off we went to the Cartier Fifth Avenue Mansion. This is the kind of store with ‘ambassadors’ instead of salespeople, where you're ushered into a private room and offered refreshments while they bring trays of jewelry and watches for you to browse. When we entered the store, I told the concierge I was thinking of buying a bottle of perfume. He politely waved us upstairs, where we met our ambassador. She was professional, knowledgeable and very helpful. I explained about IV L'Heure Fougueuse. She smiled, disappeared for a few minutes and returned with samples of each fragrance in the collection. I went for IV L'Heure Fougueuse straight away. The moment it wafted up from my skin, I was bespelled by it, and the longer I wore it, I realized the rave reviews weren’t just hype – they were well deserved.

Created by Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s in-house perfumer, the Les Heures de Parfum collection was inspired by the brand's iconic timepieces. Each scent is named for an hour, expressed in Roman numerals that echo the faces of Cartier’s watches. IV L’Heure Fougueuse is said to be Laurent’s homage to Edmond Roudnitska’s great work, Eau Sauvage.

On me, IV L’Heure Fougueuse opens with sparkling, citrusy bergamot, creamy, floral magnolia and grassy, floral lavender that feels open, airy and fresh. Soon, the smell of horsehair comes forward. It’s gentle and clean, not harsh and dirty. It’s a smell that takes me back to memories of summer meadows. It comes from the grassy, green, hay-like aspects of jasmine and narcissus. They link to the magnolia and lavender, boosting the floralcy at the heart. Yerba mate, a small evergreen shrub, is smoky and herbal with bitter aspects that temper the flowers. It links to a note of leather that’s animalic and a little rough but pitch perfect as a contrast to what came before. At the base, earthy, woody, green vetiver and inky, mossy oakmoss add another dimension of green, while coumarin keeps the hay scent going. Musk adds depth and warmth to the fragrance.

IV L’Heure Fougueuse dries down to a refined, alluring scent that’s well-crafted, complex, and perfectly balanced. It smells of horse, hay and leather, meadows, grass, and flowers. The contrasts between the crisp, airy opening, the earthy, green base, the florals, and the leather make it dynamic and exciting to wear.

After our impetuous purchase at Cartier and smelling pretty fabulous, we strolled to a bar and had a celebratory glass of bubbly before our anniversary dinner. My idea of a perfect day.

Check out IV L’Heure Fougueuse in our Shop.