\nBut I would describe myself as a real perfume snob, a true\u00a0eau de toilette<\/em> fundamentalist. Ah aha ah, I told you I was posh! wink<\/span> <\/p>\n
But I want to believe that the time I spent at\u00a0ISIPCA<\/a>, a perfumery school created by Jean-Jacques Guerlain was kind of useful…<\/p>\n So for me, there is perfume and… perfume. These are not necessarily perfumes that I would wear but the\u00a0Shalimar\/ Habit Rouge\/ V\u00e9tiver by Guerlain, Coco by Chanel, Eau Sauvage by Dior are vibrant, powerful scents that speak to me\u00a0and\u00a0that move me. If you review\u00a0the fragrance\u00a0pyramid \/ perfume notes of these great perfumes (the ingredients\u00a0in them), you’ll notice that they’re\u00a0much more complex than the pyramid of the current fragrances. My vision of perfume is quite different. Well, in fact, it’s complicated to keep a fragrance all your life, you will likely\u00a0want to change at some point. And that’s when I discovered the fascinating world of niche perfumery<\/strong>. Many of these niche perfume brands work with one perfumer<\/strong>, who will take time to develop a fragrance that may not appeal to everyone but it’s actually the main concept! In the niche perfumery, exclusivity<\/strong> is required and tailor-made<\/strong> perfumes are quite common.<\/p>\n These brands are logically less famous than others; brands like Serge Lutens, Diptyque, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Malle, M\u00e9mo, Jo Malone…<\/p>\n And then there is also\u00a0Miller Harris<\/a><\/strong>. (#longestintroever)<\/p>\n When I received the invitation to discover the new perfumes of the brand Miller Harris<\/a>, I was delighted!<\/p>\n I knew the brand by name because it was sold at Le Bon March\u00e9<\/a>, where I worked for several years but I\u00a0never\u00a0really got a chance to look into it. (shame on me, I know)<\/p>\n We were invited by the brand team to\u00a0the prestigious tea house\u00a0Fortnum and Mason<\/a> across from Dubai Mall (perfect for the occasion) and they introduced us to their latest collection, Jardin d’enfance<\/a><\/strong>. Joking aside, the founder of the brand Lyn Harris<\/a> started her career as a\u00a0perfumer in Paris and Grasse before founding Miller Harris in 2000<\/strong>. And you can totally feel the influence of the beautiful French parfumerie<\/em> in her creations.<\/p>\n But the brand also has\u00a0a very British<\/strong> twist that combines the\u00a0love of nature<\/strong> with a sophisticated<\/strong> style.<\/p>\n The obsession of natural essences<\/strong> is palpable in her creations, and some of them even have almost a botanical<\/strong> side. But they’re obviously sublimated<\/strong>\u00a0and they are overall beautiful creations.<\/p>\n Lyn Harris left the Miller Harris ship a few months ago but she still remains a shareholder in the company even if she’s no longer the perfumer of the brand. Jardin d’enfance is\u00a0the collection that celebrates 15 years of the brand.<\/p>\n On this occasion, the perfumers at Robertet created, with the help of Lyn Harris, a walk in an enchanted garden<\/strong>, very flowery and colorful, the reminiscent of the childhood garden of the founder of the brand. She used to spend the holidays in the family house and her grandmother owned a beautiful garden<\/strong> full of flowers, fruits and aromatic herbs.<\/p>\n This garden has always been a major inspiration<\/strong> for the founder of Miller Harris and the 3 fragrances of the collection Jardin d’enfance<\/a>\u00a0are their\u00a0interpretation.<\/p>\n The inspiration and the story behind a perfume is a really important part of the product itself.<\/p>\n Successful\u00a0perfumes (start with a scent) rely on\u00a0a meaningful story\u00a0<\/strong>to support these invisible scents we wear, connect with and love, scents that become part of our own life story<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Each perfume has its own story, capturing the essence<\/strong> of the perfume and intertwined with\u00a0the choice of scents. Good stories behind perfumes are not closed books, nor\u00a0the personification of some celebrity, they are authentic<\/strong>, honest, timeless, have personality, but are also open enough for consumers to build on them<\/strong> and create stories of their own.<\/p>\n Cassis en feuille\u00a0is my favorite<\/strong> of\u00a0the 3 fragrances in the collection.<\/p>\n If I had to get it into a category, I’d say it’s an aromatic floral<\/strong> scent, with a rather green<\/strong>, woody<\/strong> and musky<\/strong> side. When I attended the presentation, I thought it was more an\u00a0Eau Fra\u00eeche<\/em> or a Cologne. But no, it is a true Eau de Parfum<\/em>\u00a0(the fragrance concentration rate is higher). So it lasts longer on\u00a0the skin than\u00a0than a fresh fragrance.<\/p>\n The heart notes<\/strong> (present on the skin after a couple hours) are a\u00a0continuity of the top notes with green tomato leaves<\/strong> (my guilty pleasure, I’m crazy about this scent) and aromatic<\/strong> notes with galbanum<\/strong> and a floral<\/strong> bouquet with\u00a0geranium and rose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The fragrance settles in base notes<\/strong> (the most persistent, it can even lasts several days on the skin) with musk<\/strong> and Virginia cedarwood<\/strong>\u00a0that give the fragrance a more sensual<\/strong> and animal<\/strong> side. I can also describe it as creamy<\/strong> on me (you can’t chase the cosmetic addict away with me ;)\u00a0).<\/p>\n By detailing the perfume pyramid, I realize that my crush for this perfume is not at all surprising. It also reminds me of a perfume that I literally adored during my adolescence, Les Belles Libert\u00e9 Acidul\u00e9e by Nina Ricci<\/a>, a fragrance that was composed around\u00a0the green tomato scent.<\/p>\n Anyway, I’m still not sure ‘Cassis en feuille’ will become the perfume\u00a0of my life, but it will certainly be the fragrance of my summer. I’ll probably be back to ‘M\u00fbre et Musc’ soon, but you know what they say about escapades, once you start… wink<\/span> <\/p>\n The perfume Cassis en feuille by Miller Harris is available at\u00a0official brand retailers<\/a>\u00a0and the stores<\/a> but also online<\/a> for $145.<\/p>\n
\nMy favorite ones are usually classics<\/strong>. They reflect a certain golden age of perfumery, they’re complex and captivating potions crafted by skilled artisans called nez<\/em> (nose).
\nUnlike them, the majority\u00a0of current fragrances are the same, or even worse, a watered down\u00a0version of a successful perfume. (How many versions of Shalimar<\/a> will Guerlain release, honestly? There is a\u00a0new\u00a0every year now! And besides, why distort such a masterpiece? Leave my mother’s and grandmother’s\u00a0Shalimar alone!)<\/p>\n
\nYou may have noticed, I don’t really care about whether they are for men or women, as long as the scent is beautiful, that’s fine with me! smile<\/span> <\/p>\n
\nThe current scents are made to be switched<\/strong>. It’s not unusual for people to change perfume depending on their\u00a0mood of the day. It has become a real fashion accessory. So no need for them to last long on the skin. Actually, it’s better\u00a0when they don’t\u00a0last more than a few hours.<\/p>\n
\nI love the idea of \u200b\u200bthe signature scent<\/strong>. This idea of \u200b\u200bhaving your own scent, unique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nBut I like the idea.
\nLittle more than 10 years ago, when I was in my olfaction course at\u00a0ISIPCA, it was the\u00a0opportunity to make a shortlist and find the\u00a0ideal contender for the perfume of my life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nNiche perfumery or alternative perfumery<\/strong>\u00a0refer to brands wanting to restore the former glory of perfumery, offering more exclusive perfumes, usually quite rare (and yes, also more expensive)\u00a0and obviously less frequent in number than more\u00a0classic perfume brands.<\/p>\nThe Miller Harris brand:<\/h3>\n
![\"Miller](\"https:\/\/bonniegarner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/miller_harris_cassis_en_feuilles_image.jpg\")
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\nYes, Miller Harris is an English brand but all the perfume’s names are in French. To quote my girlfriend LuAnne from the blog Weesha’s World<\/a>, most perfume brands need to hire at least one French person in their team, otherwise they are not credible. bigsmile<\/span> <\/p>\n
\nIt’s now the\u00a0company Robertet<\/a> in Grasse which creates the Miller Harris creations and Jardin d’enfance is a\u00a0result of their work.<\/p>\nThe collection Jardin d’enfance:<\/h3>\n
![\"Miller](\"https:\/\/bonniegarner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/miller_harris_cassis_en_feuilles_card.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nCassis en feuille:<\/h3>\n
![\"Miller](\"https:\/\/bonniegarner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/miller_harris_cassis_en_feuilles_image_2.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Miller](\"https:\/\/bonniegarner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/miller_harris_cassis_en_feuilles_mist.jpg\")
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\nWell, that makes 5 categories. But with a complex perfume like this one, it seems rather normal! wink<\/span> <\/p>\n![\"Fragrance](\"https:\/\/bonniegarner.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/06\/fragrance_pyramid_cassis_en_feuille-577x513.jpg\" "\\"Fragrance")
<\/a>The top notes<\/strong> (what you smell\u00a0when you first spray the perfume) are very green<\/strong>, fresh<\/strong> and tangy<\/strong>. You smell some Sicilian bergamot<\/strong> and peach<\/strong>\u00a0for the freshness and the sweetness as well as blackcurrant leaves<\/strong> that give the tangy acidity.<\/p>\n
\nI haven’t told you but the contender to the role of perfume of my life is M\u00fbre et Musc by L’Artisan Parfumeur<\/a>, and you have a lot of similarities with\u00a0certain notes in this ‘Cassis en feuille’. It’s not just because I worked at L’Artisan Parfumeur, it has been my go-to perfume for over 10 years.<\/p>\nAnd you, what is the perfume of your life or your crush\u00a0of the moment? Did you already know Miller Harris fragrances?<\/h5>\n