Miller Harris is a great brand and I am really enjoying getting familiar with. I have great respect for noses. The training that they go through is quite unbelievable. The ability to distinguish between two thousand different notes is completely inconceivable to me. Could you tell the difference between turkish and damask rose? With with twenty one fragrances in the range I have made it my mission over the past six months to smell of of them both on blotters and most importantly on my skin. After much consideration, I have managed to whittle down twenty one to three by excluding fragrances I currently or have previously owned and focusing on the sub ranges in the brand.
Le Jasmin (£155.00) is part of the Perfumers Library which were launched in 2013. A small but luxurious edit of fragrances where the boxes are designed as book ends
I love jasmine fragrances which are intense and bold as well as being warm and sexy, but jasmine fragrances can be a little headachy. Le Jasmin is different from any other jasmine fragrance that I have smelt. This is jasmine blended with a sparkly citrus blend of lemon, bergamot and mandarin orange. Sounds unusual but trust me – this works and elevates the jasmine to another level. Rather than being confronted by the jasmine from the first spritz, it makes a gradual appearance as the citrus notes dissipate blending with herby rosemary and lavender. The jasmine stays with you for hours, leaving you with musk and cedarwood at the end of the day.
Honourable mention – Tuberosa. It was difficult to pick between the two but if La Jasmin is like a Roland Mouret design, Tuberosa more Herve Leger. There is room for both in your wardrobe but for daily wear La Jasmin pips Tuberosa to the post.
Poirier d’un Soir (£65.00) is part of the Le Jardin d’enfance range which all share a fruity floral element.
It was created by Matieu Nardin, the same nose as is behind Rose Silence which I bought for my sister and Vetiver Insolent which makes me want to have grown up time with the Mister. Both are fragrances that I really like but Poirier d’un Soir is a COMPLETELY different fragrance. Opens with sweet, gourmand, pears caramelised in rum, which then leaves the pear behind and becomes a rum infused woody joy. I think that pear is a far more interesting note than apple in fragrance and Poirier d’un Soir is absolutely my favourite pear fragrance.
Honourable mentions – Miller Harris are known for their citrus fragrances and Le Petigrain, Le Pamplemousse, Tangerine Vert and Citron Citron are all fragrances that I have had on rotation in my collection.
La Fumee Alexandrie (£155) is part of the six fragrance La Fumee Collection. To be clear, I don’t like oudh fragrances.
Not the commercial versions, not the authentic versions none of them… and then La fume Alexandrie went up my nose and got under my skin. I have no frame of reference for the smells of the middle east. To me, La Fumee Alexandrie does not smell like Istanbul which is the furthest east I have been. I did spend a lot of my youth in churches and the incense element is familiar but not overpowering. The fruit gives sweetness, the floral element is very much in the background. I find oudh confusing yet La Fumee Alexandrie seems familiar. I also love how this fragrance layers. With a fragrance like Poirier d’un soir the layering take out the sweetness of the pear and amplifies the woodiness It isn’t too smoky which some oudh can be and if you have read my review of The Smell of Weather Turning you know how I feel about smoke in my fragrance. With Rose Silent it cuts back the rose to almost nothing – which is fine by me. When I add a cologne it can amplify or minimise the juiciness. It is a real transformer. That said, I do wear this on it’s own and enjoy it.
So there you have it. My paired down wish list. No doubt you will be seeing more Miller Harris on the blog this year and if you have any recommendations please let me know.