Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Mysterieuse XII

I saw the list of notes and read some of the posts here. Well, I just had to test a sample. Some of my favourite notes! Incense, olibanum, jasmine, patchouli. It makes a spicy, warm and inviting fragrance. Im not sure where the chocolate illusion comes from but it is present on me for a brief while. The resins provide decent longevity and creaminess. Spicy incense, coriander and jasmine. A unisex fragrance for nightwear as surely too much for the day. For the most part it is spicy and a bit resinous. I have to add that I am a Vegetarian person who loves spicy food so please test as my diet effects how this presents on my skin. Reasonably priced 3ml samples are available. If a spice or choc loving person starts becoming amorous with you when wearing this then you have been prewarned that it is a deadly olfactory confection. 🙂 The price has come down a bit with time so a good time to buy online. Not bad longevity in these warm UK summer conditions.

The incense hour makes a lot of sense as the XII hour with its religious spiritual connotations. L'Heure Mysterieuse seeks to soothe the mind and cleanse the soul for the new day to come. And it does so with gentle generosity and loving kindness. The patchouli is chocolatey (not unlike the VII hour) and nutmeg adds a touch of gourmand feel (not unlike the XI hour). The incense is slightly citrusy with a beautifully delicate piney undertone. Perfect to meditate to, and an absolute joy to wear (I may agree with some of the comments below that it lacks the punch and wow of a truly memorable scent, but I don’t think that’s what XII is about. As stated above It’s a deeply personal experience. In the L’Heure collection there are plenty of choices that deliver the wow and then some) ****(*)

Thanks to great Mathilde Laurent, Cartier's fragrances are always of great quality. This line (Les Heures de Cartier) is a rare treasure, all of which are experimental, but seemingly get much less attention than it deserves. XII is the frolic between incense and patchouli. It opens up with patchouli as herbic medicine, but you may carefully discover some jasmine and even with more cautions, incense deeply buried in. However, this soon reverses. Incense becomes the dominant and embraces patchouli. And earthy nutmeg and fresh coriander are the ones setting up the stage. As you can tell this masterpiece is too dramatic for daily, but absolutely needs to be added to a certain artwork collection.

Fragrance of the artistic perfumery of Cartier, created by the nose of the house Mathilde Laurent. Fragrance of great caliber, immense refinement, which embodies the mysterious magic of distant exotic lands. Mystical, kaleidoscopic fragrance: amber, aromatic, balsamic, warm spicy, with an enveloping, seductive, damned sensual charm. Intriguing fragrance, which develops its magical olfactory performance unchanged over the hours, a masterpiece of rare beauty.

It is interesting to read how others think of this fragrance. Skin chemistry is a fickle thing, is it not? This one smells wonderfully spicy on my skin and exudes an aura of mystery... It evokes a singular, decadent image in my mind; I'm in Shanghai in the 1920s, dressed in a sumptuous silky floor-length gown, luxuriating on a bed scattered with velvet Fortuny cushions...with a gorgeous man (or men), of course... ;)

Totally agree with @6opar, both Mathilde Laurent and Cartier deserve much more approbations. Imo, as far as the quality is concerned, Cartier is as good as today's Dior (or even a little bit better). Also, Les Heures de Cartier is beyond comparison with Les Exclusifs de Chanel (let alone Dior). No doubt the latter is fantastic, but Les Heures de Cartier is much more avant-garde niche and artistic.

Cartier's haute parfumerie line is elegant, sophisticated, and distinctive. I hope it survives long enough to march alongside Dior and Chanel exclusives as the best in their category. XII's delicately sweet resinous incense is discreet glamour. It is beautiful and evocative, and makes me feel good and relaxed. It all just feels right. *****

A luscious, luxurious patchouli w/ a distinct, delicious chocolate note that makes me want to taste it. I am wholly enamored by Mathilde Laurent’s artistry in this L’Heures line. Each fragrance is its own entity, and all are delectable, creating a uniquely entrancing collection.

Weird but I do love it. It like smells dampy basement so I dont think it is a perfume. It's more like atmospheric and experimental for me. Love it!

Absolutely stunning! A soft oriental, wrapped in luxury. This is my favourite from the collection, and definitely on my wish-list. 10/10

I am very taken with Mathilde Laurent's work at Cartier, and since smelling the extraordinary L'Heure Perdue XI, I have been collecting miniatures of the whole collection. Packaged in pleasing test tube-like vials contained in slim Cartier red boxes, there is an air of luxury to even the miniatures. Some I have liked more than others, and frequently Proustian memories are evoked for me, the idea behind this collection. L'Heure Mysterieuse XII is a nicely-crafted if underwhelming incense-led classic oriental. Its performance is lacking for an amber scent, and it is nothing groundbreaking, reminiscent of many others in its category. XII opens with peppery coriander, complementing the dry, smoky frankincense that is present from the very beginning. One of my favourite notes, it reminds me of Mass throughout my childhood. In this way, XII evokes another Proustian memory for me, albeit non-edible. Some nutmeg adds warm spice. Elemi rounds out the incense to perfection, adding rich, ambery gravitas with a nice pine-like nuance that becomes more evident as it develops. Clean jasmine adds a floral hint in the background, becoming more evident as the incense subsides. Patchouli adds earthiness as it dries down but it wears thin as it fades. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is perfectly unisex and best worn in autumn/winter. Nothing unusual on the surface, XII is revealed to be nicely composed when examined closely. Made with the high-quality ingredients I would expect, XII is worth a sniff, but ultimately overpriced for what it is. In my opinion, Armani Privé Bois d'Encens is the only incense perfume worth buying. Still, XII is pretty decent in its own right. 3.5/5.

A plastic doll head dipped in milk chocolate maybe? All kidding aside, this is a smooth powdery and iris type smelling that reeks of understated class. Not really something that I need a full bottle of, but if I'm all dressed up going to an afternoon wedding, this will do the trick nicely. Maybe runs slightly on the masculine side as the nutmeg, patchouli and resin outshine everything else but still this is quiet and evasive, not one note stands out predominately to my nose. Snooty and snobby smelling in the typical Cartier fashion, this gets a thumbs up from me.

somehow very powdery to my nose. the incense is strong but fades after a few hours. it's cool, a little more mature. kinda matronly.

It's an okay fragrance to me. Although it smells unique and not really reminds me of anything particular but also not a ground breaker. Longevity and silage are average. For the price tag, I was expecting something stronger and longer lasting. To me this doesn't smell like a finished word. If I were to finish it, I would add some sweetness, perhaps a bit of cocoa and iris, and some good wood like Guaiacwood or clean/bright oud. Highly recommend sampling it before buying.

I got 3.5ml sample from Paris Gallery, I don't know about the notes and type of perfume, once I apply I just got 90% " Bentley men intense " but more refined and quality version. for mw it's skin scent after 2 hours.

Sniffing this in the bottle, it had a warm, interesting spiciness with undertones of incense, promising a wonderful, special oriental aroma with a very distinct "mysterious" edge. Unfortunately, on my skin, the warm spiciness turned into a strange almost rubber-like scent, losing all the mystery and the warmth. Truly a disappointment ...

Not for me, what’s wrong with Cartier? Almost the whole line is a fail for me. Everything is so strong and spicy.

It's nice. My first wear of the four 4ml samples I bought from the Les Heures de Cartier line. Very nice green/sour opening. Jasmine comes through beautifully and sticks around. The incense notes here are beautiful but muddled somewhat I think by the sweet gourmand touches (nutmeg?). In my mind, it recalls vividly the smell of an autumn night. Some smokiness, caramel apple sweetness, very dark with the patchouli. 🎃 Mentally marking my calendar to wear this on Halloween 🎃 Projection and quality of materials does not feel as high Dior Privee or Chanel Exclusifs lines, though these are priced similarly. On the other hand, the elemi-jasmine combination is absolutely brilliant. I'd give the perfume a B+, but I think it might be an A on a woman. I also really like the design of the bottles.

Another very high quality bit of output from the underrated house of Cartier and its consistently great perfumer Mathilde Laurent. For me, I don't get as much of the chocolate tones (although I do somewhat, and much more in the deep drydown) from this as others mentioned they do, I find that this is primarily a musky fragrance overall. The main "reminds me of" as I write is Dzing! and that same musky quality in that fragrance I find in this too but amped up and focused, and super smooth. I think this must be the nutmeg, patchouli and incense mixing primarily, with a bit of jasmine to round it off. Almost comes across like real oud. Not cheap, but excellent stylish and creative stuff.

A touch of mysterious... in fact I don't think L'Heure Mysterieuse XII will take most of the people to the mystical state, instead, it's more like an easy-to-wear, balsamic-to-oud perfume. Elemi resin adds freshness, patchouli envelops it with a little of jasmine, the main note is incense, for the touch of soft and lightness. If you find most oud perfumes are too heavy, amber ones too dense, this hour maybe yours. This is the second one of my samples from Les Heures de Parfum private line, and I only got two, so for This perfume reminds me of... how the iconic La Treizieme Heure XIII, for the Paris boutique address, and Fougueuse IV are alike to me would remain a mystery.

I tested a 4 ml mini/sample. Michael Edwards classifies this as a unisex soft classical oriental. My experience with it suggests weak longevity and weak sillage. This is definitely a soft fragrance, most likely because it was designed as unisex. I detect incense and jasmine but do not experience the base note of coriander. The sweetness of the nutmeg is very pleasant. I do not think a fragrance needs to make a statement in order to be a good perfume, but this one is shy and retiring on me, to the point of hiding... I will not buy a bottle, but am glad I tried it. I have other frags in the heure collection and they are more emphatic in their composition and projection.

L'Heure Mystérieuse is Mathilde Laurent at her absolute best. This is a luxurious scent, full for smoke and incense and spice. There an underpinning of very good patchouli, not dirty, but almost herbaceous. The resin note is elemi which gives another mildly herbal note. L'Heure Mystérieuse has a richness that many modern fragrances lack. It's not a huge hodgepodge of notes, but a few, careful selections that ripen across the dry down. The L'Heure collection has some real gems which are mostly overlooked (perhaps due to cost). If you love a smoky, oriental, then L'Heure Mystérieuse is worthy of your attention.

Chemistry is a mystery. On my skin L'Heure Mysterieuse XII smells like the inside of an auto mechanic shop: grease, solvents, exhaust, leather and motor oil. There was no change from the strong opening through the drydown, other than the scent becoming predictably lighter. On paper the notes and reviews looked promising and right up my alley. I’m usually a big fan of Mathilde Laurent, as I own several of her creations. But this one is a pass, and my bank account thanks me.

I want to say something nice about this fragrance; it has many of my favorite notes. But honestly, it brings me back to the head shops of the 70's, incense and patchouli oil. I have mosquito repellent that I would prefer over this (perhaps it might work well for this purpose). The good part is that it is soft and its longevity is short. I would not wear this. But if my date showed up with beads and a flower headband, I might change my mind.

Gorgeous with either an unlisted abundance of iris or atleast an effect of iris throughout. I’ve encountered this style before but I never liked it until it was this beautifully done: smokey, beige, resinous skin scent. A modern, soft oriental with vague resemblance to Bois d’Argent, Menditirossa Omega and others. My only complaint is longevity, although it comes and goes throughout the day. Spray on clothing for maximum lifespan.

This is brilliant. Spells class and elegance. Chocolate and incense make a great combination. Patchouli is blended well but remains loud and clear. This is one of the best Cartiers. Nutmeg adds a beautiful gourmandish vibe. Coriander vibe is mild. You get the impression of entering a mysterious, faraway temple where incense has been burning full throttle and white flowers have been placed next to the incense.

I've tried this a couple times and both times I immediately think of sharpening my pencil in the corner of the classroom 30 years ago, and smell of the inside of my pillowcase full of candy after trick or treating on Halloween: sweet, chocolaty, and a little bit plastic. It's very specific, and I'm sure not what's intended. Amazing how much this appeals to me not in spite of but because of that.

Ça était repris sur gypsy water de byredo mais plus sombre c est l encens qui fait la différence mais c’est la même ambiance je suis pas trop fan de la collection des heures je préfère les oud de cartier santal,menthe sont des must et ambre et rose superbe aussi mais pour en revenir à celui-là ça reste un belle qualité je préfère celui-ci à gypsy plus mixte et élégant

Given its listed notes, it makes no sense whatsoever but, what this reminds me of most is Guerlain Iris Ganache w/ amped up incense. Certainly not a doppelganger but, definitely some similarity from memory. And disappointingly, I get exactly zero resemblance to Dzing.

This is drop dead brilliant. At first spritz I get this animalic milk chocolat blast. No leather. It is short lived and it settles to this creamy gourmand goodness. It is worth it if you get a deal out there.

It's a shame my skin reacts the same way as melancholybaby. The warm and depth feeling turns into a flat and plastic / rubber-ish scent, I'm disappointed.