Herbes Troublantes

I'm currently embroiled in a rather long no-buy, and fantasising (as all perfume nutters do) about what I'll get later this winter for my birthday. Herbes Troublantes is a contender, as the only one of the L'Art et la Matieres that I've tried that I'd even consider purchasing as a full bottle. Herbes Troublantes to my nose is an amped-up, neon-lit variant on L'Artisan's Sur L'Herbe, though broadly all these fragrances can be co-considered in the general ballpark of "gentle (i.e. non-galbanum) green", along with the likes of Chanel's Bel Respiro, Guerlain's own Herba Fresca and others. I do consider these to be the modern evolution of cologne, and would class Herbes Troublantes as a cologne even if it's more herbal than citric, as all these perfumes serve the same purpose of refreshing, cooling, and creating a puff of outdoor air to save the soul of the cloistered office worker. Longevity on me isn't huge but not minimal either, at around 4-5 hours Herbes Troublantes performs much like an Aqua Allegoria and wouldn't be out of place (or so hard on the wallet) had fate resigned it to that line instead. As is noted here and elsewhere, Herbes Troublantes was formerly known as Un Dimanche a la Campagne, and was considerably more affordable in price per ml before its re-bottling into L'Art et La Matiere. Some will counter with the claim that it has been reformulated into an EDP, but the simple truth is that these L'Art perfumes are VERY expensive (more so than your typical Serge Lutens and rivalling Malle) - but only occasionally demonstrate the complexity or indeed skill required to really command such an enormous price. Herbes Troublantes is (to my nose) one of the few L'Art fragrances that is a real keeper, and I think it's not coincidental that it wasn't originally intended for this collection as, unlike most of its ill-begotten siblings, it doesn't hyperfixate on just one "material" to the detriment of the balance and abstraction of the composition as a whole. What sets Herbes Troublantes apart for me (as someone who didn't smell its previous version) is its persistent, nocturnal coolness relative to others in this genre - to me it smells like it's somewhere around 11 degrees Celsius, as if you're in a fresh, wild meadow just after the sun has risen above the horizon but before it has had time to warm the air. Indeed, the perfume itself has a brilliant luminosity, as though you're surrounded by tiny white flowers of mint, rosemary and thyme dripping with condensation. And yet it's also somehow fountainous, with enough oomph to really get up and off the skin and into the nose for a good couple of hours. Like most of Guerlain's Aqua Allegorias too, Herbes Troublantes also exhibits the edenic, supernaturally fresh "natural" smell, which is ironically attributable to a deft use of synthetics, as Herbes Troublantes smells several times more like a living plant than something that is truly 100% natural such as Cologne Imperiale. My dislike for the collection it is in (and concomitant price) is not sufficient to make me deny how celestially beautiful Herbes Troublantes really is, it somehow manages to caress and persuade the wearer that they never needed any other smell to feel content. Silence and stillness in a bottle, it is a work of utter genius.

This may be the cleanest, safest most inoffensive and mass appealing scent at the highest quality. While yes there are plenty of alternatives in that soapy clean category, not many do it at this level. It smells like you hopped out of the shower at a luxury spa or hotel, then stepped outside in the morning to smell the fresh air and morning dew. I like to compare it to imagination, because it is my favorite fragrance with that dna and a close comparison with herbes smelling almost like the drydown of Imagination. It just removes the tea and spicy aspects like cinnamon and replaces it with an herbal touch. The only problem with Herbes is the performance is definitely lacking. It pretty much dies into a skin scent within the 2 hour range, and is hardly detectable on skin after 4-5 hours. It's one you have to overspray and/or reapply. On clothes however it can be picked up on much longer. I do about 10-12 sprays, and reapply it after 3-4 hours to make it through an 8 hour shift at work. That's what makes it hard to justify when Imagination exists. It's that same soapy clean dna that's just as high quality and mass appealing for around the same price, that lasts 10 -12 hours on skin, and has amazing sillage. Herbes excels though when you want to smell really nice and clean while being subtle. It's perfect for things like dentist/doctor's appointments, a long car/bus/plane ride, small office spaces, or even as a relaxing bed time scent. Sometimes I don't want to fill up a room with Imagination, even though to 90% of people it'll smell amazing. I wanna keep it subtle for certain scenarios. If mass appeal/inoffensiveness was a fragrance category imagination would be about a 9/10 and herbes would have to be a 10 imo. While it is difficult to justify for the price considering the simple profile and weak performance, it's still something you can't beat elsewhere at what it does best. Being one of cleanest most inoffensive scents at the highest level of quality. Scent: 9.2/10 Versatility: 8.5/10 Performance: 3.5/10 Price: 3/10 Edit: I ended up letting this one go, mainly because I made a large purchase and needed to sell off some of my collection. However, I don't plan on repurchasing it anytime soon. Like I said in the review, imagination is in the same realm. I just would rather wear imagination 90% of the time. It also lasts 3x as long, and gets 3x more positive attention. I actually never got one compliment with herbes while I wear it, but receive compliments nearly everytime I wear imagination

My first from the Guerlain L’Art & La Matière line after smelling them all in store and for good reason. Personally, I just feel like this is a completely unique scent, typically you smell fragrances in a store whether it be niche, designer or private and your brain kinda convinces you that you’ve smelt something similar to this but this was the first time where I’ve felt like I’ve smelled something new. Guerlain’s other private line scents are definitely also beautiful but this is on another level to me. Price is definitely insane but if your wallet allows it, definitely give it a sniff, it’s absolutely stunning. Scent: Opens bright and minty with a touch of florals. A little bit like a nice minty toothpaste and it gives off this cooling effect even in the slightly musky dry down which if you’re like me and live in a hot tropical climate this is almost usable all year round for whatever the occasion. Performance: This is where Herbes Troublantes struggles. It doesn’t last SUPER long like most fresh fragrances tend to struggle with (on me at least) but in the time that it does, it has decent projection where people around me tend to be able to catch fresh whiffs of. Ultimately becomes a skin scent at around the 4 hour mark where it’ll slowly vanish and obviously if you spend upwards of $400-500 you’d hope it lasts a little longer. Not the worst but nothing to write home about. If the longevity was better this would honestly be my first 10/10 fragrance but alas. Versatility: I feel that this fragrance can be used for any season in any occasion and I mean that. Might struggle to project a little in the wintertime but that’s not what you should be expecting from HT anyways and it’s definitely still wearable. Super non-offensive, light and airy scent that just has you smelling like the most hygienic and classiest person in the room! Scent: 10/10 Performance: 5.5/10 Versatility: 10/10 Personal Score: 9.5/10 Definition of a signature scent. Clean, inoffensive and amazing in any occasion. Performance is super disappointing for a fragrance that's so bloody expensive but that's the only thing lacking. Other than that it's perfect.

Revision: An enigmatic masterpiece, full of contradictions, etched in my darn brain. Two years ago I promised myself I wouldn’t buy this. Yet, I can’t shake it. I think about it so much, which is really not normal. (Ugh! $400, here I come.) This is somehow ethereal & weightless, while the herbs are also suspended in wax, as someone described. The treatment of the herbs is dampened. It’s not an astringent herb garden. It’s restrained. The musk is fluffy. I usually like astringent and sharp herbs, so I don’t know why I’m so fixated on this. While H.T. never veers into full-on freshie territory, it is fresh, cooling, calming, elevated, unisex, and a somewhat barbershop spring/summery experience. Imagine a sharp headache inducing scent. This is the polar opposite of that. Zero sharpness, which is, perhaps, why I’m so taken by it. This isn’t a cologne; it’s an EDP treatment of the herbal profile and has a dignified presence. The performance is the only non-EDP quality, which is my biggest qualm with it.) Longevity is far better than I expected (several hours), though it is close to the skin, so it’s one of those “wear it for yourself” frags. This can be modulated by the number of spritzes, and I truly can’t see this offending anyone. This seems like a formula that should have been done before, aside from the earlier Guerlain version, which I never had the pleasure of smelling. If it has been done by another house, I’ve never found it. Wish I could because this is an itch I just can’t scratch. **Bought FB. I couldn’t shake the fixation. I love it and I’m so happy yo have it in my collection. That said, I’m on a no-buy now. Lol

To anyone checking this comment section before blind buying this: STOP. Get that decant first. It's an expensive decant, but you really don't want to spend 500€ on a scent that's 80% similar to lots of other stuff and doesn't perform that well. The influencers are hyping this to the moon because the clones are coming, they will be making 500€ a day from Tik Tok shop just because they pre-hyped the og. Ten whole years after the original version of this was released! Herbes Troublantes is AMAZING. And when it comes to citrus focused freshies, the quality of oils makes a massive difference. But, beyond the spectacular ultra luxurious opening, performance and sillage wise, it's not 3 times better than Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, it's not 2,5 times better than Nio. It's not two times better than Original Vetiver or the Neroli Portofino family. It's definitely not 10 times better than Mugler Cologne or Artisan Pure. While it's not the same as any of these, people around you will get a very similar vibe and scent. This price comparison will be the main selling point of Shiyaaka Sky, and the dozens of other clones that are coming in the next year. I'm betting Mugler Cologne will still be the absolute best cheap option for this profile, it wouldn't have stuck around for so many years if it was not great for the price. So, just get that decant first. And, always explore similar options before letting scumbags influence the way you spend your money, whether that is blind buying a 500€ fragrance you don't already love, or wasting 50€ on "something that's nearly identical" but in reality smells like a cleaning product.