Louis Vuitton Heures d’Absence 200ml – Floral Eau de Parfum

Grasse is where modern perfumery was invented, and the fields around it still supply the jasmine and rose that the best fragrances are built on. Heures d’Absence is Louis Vuitton pointing directly at that heritage: a full, classical floral with nothing modern grafted on top. The name means hours of absence, and it is meant as time away.

Why you will love this floral perfume

This is an unapologetically pretty fragrance, and there are not many of those left. The flowers are real and layered rather than a single synthetic note, so the composition keeps shifting as it warms, and the powdery base gives it the softness of something classical rather than the sharpness of something new. It is comfortable in the way a good coat is comfortable.

• A full classical floral built on Grasse-style jasmine and rose
• Layered flowers that develop rather than sitting flat
• A soft powdery base that keeps it elegant instead of sweet
• Eight hours and more on skin, with real presence on fabric
• The 200ml bottle, which is far better value per millilitre
• Refillable
• Composed by Jacques Cavallier Belletrud in Grasse

The scent

Flowers arrive immediately and keep arriving, rose first and brightest, jasmine coming up underneath it within the half hour, creamy and full. There is a green stem quality at the edges that stops it turning syrupy. As it settles, a powdery softness spreads underneath everything and the fragrance becomes rounder, warmer and closer to the skin.

Who it is for

Women who love classical perfumery and are not looking to be surprised. It suits weddings, evenings, cooler weather and formal occasions. It also makes a considered gift for a mother or an older relative, and the 200ml size gives it weight as a present.

How to use it

Two or three sprays on the throat and wrists. Florals of this richness hold beautifully on silk and wool, so a spray on a scarf will last for days. Keep the bottle out of sunlight, since light degrades natural florals faster than anything else.

Key details

• Fragrance family: floral, powdery
• Key notes: rose, jasmine, soft powder
• Concentration: eau de parfum
• Perfumer: Jacques Cavallier Belletrud
• Bottle: refillable
• Suitable for men and women
• Sourced and sold by Jmaloo as an independent retailer. Jmaloo is not an authorised Louis Vuitton stockist.

Size

200 ml