My Top 3 Miller Harris Perfumes

by Stephanie Sklar

Young black woman spraying perfume on herself by Ron Lach.

Attribution link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/young-woman-spraying-perfumes-onto-her-face-10544091/

If you’re a fan of Parfums de Marly’s scent, Delina, then you’ll love Miller Harris’ Scherzo. Like Delina, the rose in this is very heavy (You may want to avoid this scent if you’re under the weather. It’s very present.) and smells very sophisticated. There’s a tobacco-like note in it that rounds it out. It’s probably the oud. If I’m correct, and it is in fact the oud, then kudos to Miller Harris. They finally got the scent right. Bath & Body Works and Henri Bendel always got it wrong. Being that I’m a writer, I have a soft spot for the story behind the scent. Scherzo is inspired by an excerpt in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, Tender is the Night. Here is the purchasing information for the sample: Miller Harris Scherzo Eau de Parfum Sample, 2 ml, $5 at Miller Harris.

Miller Harris Scherzo 2-ml sample and box.

Miller Harris’ Lumiere Doree is a daintier, airier, sweeter, and more superficial version of Bastide’s Neroli Lumiere. It essentially captures the outer part of an orange flower. It’s an infuriatingly light scent that you’ll need well over 10 sprays of in order for it to be present. This is the ideal perfume for a workplace where little to no perfume is encouraged and preferred. You can buy it here: Miller Harris Lumiere Doree Eau de Parfum Sample, 2 ml, $5 at Miller Harris. 

Miller Harris Lumiere Doree 2-ml sample and box.

Bastide’s Neroli Lumiere is a more verdant and bitter fragrance that smells like the heart of an orange flower. Because it’s a heavier scent than Lumiere Doree, you’ll only need a few sprays of it. It has great staying power and lingers for about half of the day. I usually don’t get hung up on packaging. However, it’s magnificent here—very sunny, cheerful, laid-back, and carefree in shades of pastel orange, salmon, gold, and sangria on the perfume label. Although I usually recycle the outer packaging of most of my perfume, I’m so glad that I kept the matching box that houses the actual perfume. It was too beautiful to get rid of. Every time I take the perfume bottle out of the box to use it, it’s like opening a present on Christmas Day. Both the Arson print (a vintage kind of sans serif typeface) and old-world cursive fonts add a classy and charming European finishing touch to the product. Here is the purchasing information for it: Bastide Neroli Lumiere Eau de Toilette Travel Spray, 0.3 oz, $41.95 at Anthropologie. 

Bastide Neroli Lumiere Eau de Toilette Travel Spray, 0.3 oz.

The smoky oud and incense notes in the opening of Miller Harris’ La Fumee Alexandrie will make you feel like you’re in a leather goods store. In my case, it was Berman’s Leather in 1988. INXS’ ballad, “Never Tear Us Apart” was a huge hit and I was helping my sister find the perfect black suede jacket. Four years later, she passed this amazing jacket on to me and I wore it for most of my four years of high school. The suede was such a soothing smell and I felt like the coolest person in the world whenever I wore it. This perfume has the most exquisite dry down. All, if not most, of the leather disappears and you just get a delicate whiff of the rose note. This is something I’m not accustomed to when it comes to this flower. Therefore, it’s very special and unique. You can buy it here: Miller Harris’ La Fumee Alexandrie Eau de Parfum Sample, 2 ml, $14.99 on ebay (aka evilbay).

Miller Harris La Fumee Alexandrie 2-ml sample and box.