Once again I am cribbing off of other Posse Peeps, this time March, who wrote about this one last week. She forced me to come off my “I am not buying anything” determined resolution for 2025 (which at least lasted longer than the resolution to give up Dewey’s Key Lime Cookies or clean out the veggie drawer in the icebox) and purchase a bottle of this. She had me at “green”.
I had had experience with Miller et Bertaux, having gone through at least one bottle of their Spiritus, which I ran across at a sadly now defunct store in Santa Monica on Montana Avenue (with a sister store on 3rd Street in West Hollywood) called Palmetto. I found a nearly full tester on the sad sale rack for something like $25, with a smudged label. Oddly enough the only other customer in the store was Ms. Lauren Bacall- every inch the Stah! and ordering everyone around whether they worked there or not in a benign way that came across as lovably imperious rather than just imperious. She smelled it when I spritzed and clearly wanted the bottle. G-d love her, she was known as an Old Hollywood version of Minnie Driver in AbFab; wanting it now and wanting it free. And I got a bug up my butt, said to myself “not today, Satan” and paid for it before anyone even had the chance to ask if I could give it up. Then walked out of the store, gliding over her patented Haughty Gaze without really seeing her (a useful trick learned from my mother) and left the store with my friend.
I wanted to tell her I thought she was robbed of that Oscar for “The Mirror Has Two Faces” but I didn’t think she wanted to hear it.
Anyway, green, green, green.. and green. It’s green. Actually it’s GREEN. Notes (from March’s review) are laurel, bay leaves, verbena, green sap, coriander, jasmine, cedar, vetiver and musk and you definitely get the first six straight off, as well as grass clippings (which I love), peppercorn, and a little pickle juice. Just a little. I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t read that this is something that usually puts March off Galbanum scents, but it’s there. Not full on Vlasik-fantastik, but there.
Once that slightly spiky opening calms down, you can discern the jasmine, cedar (reads more stemmy than woody) and skin musk which is also in Spiritus. This part is lovely and eminently wearable and last for a good 10 hours. But I have to admit I did go back and respritz to get the full Green Monster effect, grass, galbanum, gherkins, and all. I might have tossed that resolution, but it was worth it.
Have you tried either one of these? Any others in the line you like (please don’t make me lemming.. Again..) I do know that you can get samples of others in the line from Surrender to Chance, but I haven’t. Yet. Let us know in the comments if you have.
Miller et Bertaux green, green, green.. and green is available on the interwebs at very reasonable prices- less than $60 for 3.4 ounces. I purchased mine at Fragrancenet.
Images: My iPhone, Pexels, and Wikimedia Commons
Help! Help! I’m down a rabbit hole! But this Alison in Wonderland is seeing bottles of green juice flying past her!!!
YAY for tossing the no buy Tom. You can go back on the wagon again now if you like.
LOVE Miller et Bertaux and have a few bottles here. I could own every on in the collection. All wearable and just a little happily strange. Also, so affordable and their bottle is my favourite perfume bottle of them all nowadays. So easy to hold and spritz. A couple of other brands use them too.
Portia xx
I do love their bottles and the cardboard boxes as well- the little bureau feet are so cute!
I’m delighted you acquired some Green x4 and tried it for yourself, Tom. I own and like it very much. My skin seems to pull the coriander and other herbaceous notes out strongly. That’s what I smell in the long-lasting drydown. Not so much the galbanum, vetiver or jasmine, which frankly I’d prefer. But I like this quirky oddball and appreciate that not every Sue, Sal, and Sara that I encounter is gonna be wearing it too. I’m glad you stuck to your guns and bought the Spiritus bottle that Lauren Bacall was eyeing. Finders keepers rules, right?!?
In the case of good scents heavily marked down? Darned tootin!
Now I’m 2 for 2 on this line. I’m almost afraid to try the rest..
Oh.. Palmetto! I do miss it so. I miss Montana Ave. The OLD Montana Avenue (I yarbled about that a few weeks ago on your comment on March’s post).
I think that Bacall (Madame Betty to you, mister!) story is fabulous! I would’ve done the persack same thing.
Miller et Berteaux… I don’t know if I’ve ever tried anything from the line. Must investigate.
I miss that Montana Ave as well. And the Santa Monica that had Henshey’s department store, Fred Segal, and the 3rd St. Promenade that wasn’t like every mall from Portland Oregon to Portland Maine.