Last weekend I had the pleasure of being immersed in the two new Miller Harris fragrances. The ScherzoxTender launch for consumers allowed Miller Harris fans to get a peek into what a press launch for the brand is like. From the outside of the space you were greeted by the amazing floral graphic that adorns the ScherzoxTender packaging.
The Concept
Miller Harris approached two perfumers and provided them with the same extract of text from F Scott Fitzgerald (Tender is the Night) which was to inspire the fragrance. The idea being that the fragrance that the brand felt was a better fit would be retailed. Fortuneatly, both fragrances are beautiful so the decision was made to have the two as a ‘standalone’ sub range is the same way that Perfumers Collection, and La Fumee are. The dripping flower graphic that represents both fragrances is beautiful and is found on a white background on Scherzo and a deep purple background on Tender.
Scherzo
You’re the only girl I’ve seen for a while that did look like something blooming
Created by Mathieu Nardin who has worked with the brand before on Vetiver Insolent and with Annick Goutal on Tenue de Soiree which are both fragrances in my collection. From first whiff this fragrance felt familiar to me. Not sure if it was the nose or the notes but of the two fragrances it was instinctively what I was drawn to. It is a warm sweetened floral that stays pretty close to the skin yet kept reappearing during my day as I gesticulated, ate and generally went about my day.
- Tangerine
- Davanna
- Olibanum
- Narcissus
- Pittosporum
- Dark Rose
- Patchouli
- Vanilla
- Oudh
- Sweet Note
Tender
I ask you to remember somewhere inside me there will always be the person I am tonight
Created by Bertrand Duchafour who is a nose with significant pedigree with Comme de GarconAcqui di Parma and other brands. Tender was the grower. I liked it but it quickly became addictive. I could not stop smelling my wrist and as I did so, I discovered more and more elements that I enjoyed. The green floral morphs into floral with a touch of spice and then into the resinous wood.
- Pink Pepper
- Aldehydes
- Green Hyacinth
- Cinamon
- Black Tublip
- Leather
- Saffron
- Geranium
- Cyclamen
- Incence
- Turkish Rose Absolute
- Peony
- Amber
- Cedarwood
- Myrhh Absolute
- Patchouli
- Frankincense
- Vanilla
- Storax
- Sandalwood
- Musk
The Purchase
At the consumer launch, the fragrances were being retailed for a whopping 40% discount so I had to indulge. Whilst I really want to buy both… but I plumped for Tender. Why Tender? Becuase it was more addictive, and less familiar. Tender hits a part of my brain that Scherzo does not. Scherzo is immediately accessible and very much in my white floral comfort zone. Tender I had to work a little harder to work a little harder to get to know, but I find the fragrance truly intoxicating. Both fragrances have excellent longevity on the skin. Six to seven hours later the fragrances were still there. The staying powder of Scherzo was particularly impressive. Will I be buying Scherzo? Of course, but I can wait till January 2018 for it, as I have Tender in my hands and on my skin.
You can read more of my Miller Harris fragrance reviews here and here. Follow me on Instagram for me more beauty news and reviews.