Revisited: Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel

fleurs_de_sel_eau_de_parfum_100ml_1My recent whinge about it being hot and wanting light scents reminded me of how much I loved Miller Harris, and especially their Fleurs de Sel.

I don’t know what the story was on Miller Harris. They were in Saks for a while (indeed Fleurs de Sel was originally a Saks exclusive) then they were also in Bloomingdales and then they were gone. As much as it thrilled me to get a bottle of L’Air de Rien for $35.00 on sale, I still missed that delightfully salty, wholly wonderful Fleurs de Sel. Yes, I suppose I could order from England, but my shall we say reduced circumstances and  shipping and that whole exchange rate thing kindsa put the kibosh on that.

For the time being anyway.

Luckily, Surrender to Chance has it, so I was able to get a decent decant of it and remind myself how good it is. If you’ve been a tonstant weader of my little scribblings, you know that words like “beachy”, “aquatic” or “salty” are like garlic to a vampire for me. Usually. Somehow Fleurs de Sel has some of these elements (certainly the aquatic and majorly on the salty) in spades, but rather than making me want to run to the sink with a scrub brush and some Bon Ami, every time I wear it I just want to bury my nose in my chest and go “ahhh”

Yes, that’s possible. Not pretty, but possible.

I’m not quite sure whether it’s the clary sage and rosemary in the opening or the leather, oak moss and cedar in the heart, but this scent really does something magical: it makes you smell something salty and something that evokes  slightly earthy standing water without being screechy (or worse, getting that dead, defiled mobster under the pier thing that makes Etat Libre’s Secretions Magnifique something that goes on me from Bon Ami to contemplating amputation..)

Actually there are several scents in the Miller Harris line that I really enjoyed in addition to the two previously mentioned. Tangerine Vert and Geranium Bourbon are two that pop to mind; sadly the latter seems to have disappeared from their website, much like Miller Harris has disappeared from our shores.

I think it’s time for a revival, if not a revolt. Hey Barney’s: we want our Miller Harris!

Are there disappointed Miller Harris fans out there reading this? Let us know in the comments.

Notes (from millerharris.com):

Top- Red Thyme Oil, Rosemary, Clary sage, Angelica
Heart- Irone, Narcisse poeticus, Rose,
Base- Cedar wood, Patchouli, Oak moss, Leather, Vetiver

Iamge: Miller Harris. My decant was from Surrender to Chance

  • AnnieA says:

    When I was in England last summer I bought Fleurs de Sel right after spritzing some on my arm, which I never do. Glad I did, as MH is nowhere around where I live.

  • Mary K says:

    I really enjoy Fleurs de Sel and Geranium Bourbon. In fact, I’ve been wearing the latter for the past couple of days – unusual for me, as I usually want something different every day. It really is too bad that Miller Harris perfumes are getting to be so hard to find.

  • jirish says:

    So glad to see you talking about one of my favorite scents, and one that doesn’t get enough deserved attention. For me, Fleurs de Sel perfectly evokes a wild, chilly beach. I love to wear it in the winter and spring. Don’t know why Miller Harris is so hard to find. I got my bottle years ago from a discounter – wasn’t willing to pay those exchange rates and shipping fees myself either. Especially since the U.S. price was so inflated over the British price.

  • Gah. Off topic but soooooooooooooooooooooooo excited about Swapmania. Hurry up, Friday evening, and get here!

  • Alison says:

    I see lots of MH offered from various resellers on Amazon, if that helps anyone.

  • jillie says:

    MH seem to have retired a lot of lovely fragrances – not sure whether this was ‘cos they weren’t popular or if they would have suffered from the IFRA decrees so it was deemed best to say farewell to them. My favourite was Jasmin Vert – not at all indolic and very pretty.

    • jillie says:

      By the way, Tom, loved your review over on PST of the new Rosemary’s Baby movie. I didn’t even know that it had been remade. What is it about people wanting to remake what was perfect in the first place? Never saw the new version of Psycho, but understand that was quite literally a blow-by-blow recreation. Why? I live in fear that someone will want to produce a “new and improved” To Kill a Mockingbird! In fact, it is much like my revulsion of favourite perfumes being reformulated!