L’Heure Verte by Kilian

I’ve had a sample of L’Heure Verte for over six months now, that I purchased along with the other Liquors from the Kilian collection. Angels’ Share became an immediate love for me, the others less so. But, I did like Verte when I tried it. So, revisiting for my full review, I wanted to see if this still held the number two spot in the series.

What does L’Heure Verte Smell Like?

Notes include: absinthe, violet leaf, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver

Click here to try: At Sephora

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Kilian describes it: Absinthe essence opens L’Heure Verte by KILIAN with an instant head twist into a nostalgic heart of violet leaf and licorice root absolute. Its dry-down articulates a unique and precisely chosen facet of patchouli that resonates throughout, and blends into a trio of earthy woods along with vetiver and sandalwood. 

The first time that I smelled Verte, I thought, “Oh, Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin“. The resemblance between the two fragrances is obvious to me, as that unique scent was one of the earlier reviews that I did on this site. 

The licorice in that fragrance, will give you much of the same scent as the absinthe accord within this Kilian. Actually, I think the Lempicka also has the wormwood note as well, so it’s basically absinthe.

However, this one is way smoother, less sweet, and the licorice doesn’t hit you as hard up top. 

Up top, it’s got a nice sweet and almost powdery aroma to it. Verte’s licorice is nice, although, I personally start to have enough of it after a while.

Underneath that absinthe is a violet leaf, that hangs around for a while. It does add to the greenish, sort of herbal quality that the booze packs in. 

I do like that this one adds the vetiver, patchouli, and sandalwood to a greater degree and makes it more tolerable than the Lempicka scent. It’s dry, warm, and gives Verte a bit more depth than it otherwise would.  

To me, this fragrance is about the absinthe accord early on. Then, the patchouli will become the second strongest, as we dry down. The sweetness will turn more into a woody booziness that is pretty pleasant. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, Verte starts out fairly moderate, very noticeable, but will ultimately sit pretty close to the skin. Not a completely weak perfume, by any means, but not a massive beast that is going to leave a huge trail.

Decent, though.

On my skin, it’ll stick around for 6-7 hours. Not too terrible. Again, the performance isn’t all that great, respectable. Though, I’d personally want more for the Kilian price tag. 

Seasonally, this could work anytime outside of summer. Autumn through early springtime. In the more moderate temperatures, L’Heure Verte is still good to go. However, I wore it on a warmer day and it wasn’t at all near its peak.

This is going to be more of a casual or nighttime wear. I think depending on where you live, it might not get associated with alcohol and could be safe for work. Here in the US, people would associate the licorice note, but probably not catch on to the absinthe.

It’s a boozy gourmand. Not really sexy, but does have an attractiveness to it. It does swing more in the masculine direction, but it is still pretty safely unisex. 

Overall Impressions of L’Heure Verte

Overall, do I like L’Heure Verte? I like the scent, but it’s not a love for me. You’re going to have to really enjoy the aroma of absinthe, because that’s the star here. I do like it for a short period of time, but the smell of licorice wears on me.

Still, this is my second favorite from the Liquors line by Kilian (thus far). The dry down with sandalwood, patchouli, and vetiver is nice. Albeit, not very strong. Once the grip of the licorice gets loosened, I tend to like the back end of this fragrance more.

The performance is just okay. Really, nothing to write home about. It could indeed be better.

This is sort of a safe niche. It’s probably not going to offend anyone, but it’ll stand out as being pretty unique. Most people have never smelled the Lempicka cologne. But, it might not be one that you’d want to take a chance on buying blind. 

The licorice absinthe aroma, is one that isn’t universally appreciated. As such, it’s probably best you try it our before committing to a full bottle.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.