DorothyGrace

I can't put my finger on what other perfume this reminds me of. Definitely reminds me of something I have owned over the years. The nearest I can think of is Elizabeth Arden Green Tea (the original version) although I don't think one could be mistaken for the other as there is a lot less going on in Lanvin Éclat d'Arpège . Perhaps it is the green tea note with lemon that is tugging at the old scent memories.

This came in a funny old perspex box with the base making up two of the four sides of the box and the lid making up the other two. Easy enough to open once realization hits but a bit of a faff to put back together without this one's glasses. Nice shaped bottle; not egg shaped like the Arpege but more spherical. Liquid a rather fetching mauve.

I dreamt that my mum liked this so I bought it. In my dream it was patchouli but I knew from my reading of the notes that it wouldn't be and purchased it anyway.

This comes across to me as a touch sweet lemon and green tea. Maybe a bit sherbet like, maybe a bit rubbed (lemon) leaf. Hint of musk. I'm not getting any obvious wood (ceder is listed in the notes) and I'm pretty unsure I could say that I detect floral elements.

I find it pleasant enough if somewhat thin and faint (oh so faint). I gave a spritz to my son (I don't know how he puts up with me to be frank) and it was gone so far as we could smell in half an hour leaving just a slight sweetness. I've had three or four top ups today to see if it will build but for me it remains very much in the background.

I like it and would probably give a quick spritz to go to the supermarket as to me it gives a clean (in the sense of having washed with a perfumed soap but it doesn't smell soapy) well groomed fragrance. I could be wrong because we all smell as we smell but I don't think I would come across to others as obnoxious and I'm supremely doubtful that anyone would notice at all were I walking through the detergent isle.

I also think I bought this because next door has been bish bash boshing with major refurbishments (think removal of chimney breast etc) for the last six months which for the last month have been staging a duet with major roadworks outside my house and I am feeling somewhat exhausted by it all.

Not super relevant reasons for my purchase but this is so far out from what I would consider my style of perfume (Aromatics Elixir, Nuit de Noel) that I felt the need to explain myself. Ha ha.

My gosh but I'm finding Miller Harris perfumes light, even thin.

To me this one seems to have a lot in common with Melody but without the vanilla. On my skin it is even more faint than Melody and comes across as a bergamot green tea scent in the same family as Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden but much pared down (1990s version).

I get a few seconds of something similar to Green Tea, then a soft, weak lemony green tea with a dash of bergamot. Apparently there are notes of nutmeg, birch tar, and musk but I only get the barest of touches of a smokey musk a couple of hours in and then only if I stick my nose right on my skin and take lots of little sniffs.

I find it very pleasant as a hot summer out for a picnic type of deal where its mild lemon tea scent is not going to interfere too much with the enjoyment of the food. On the whole though I find it far, far too weak with my skin having the strength of smell that I get from using a perfumed soap.

Aspects of this remind me of a much softer Green Tea with added vanilla and no jasmine tea. Pared down, a bit more simple but enough to trigger a strong memory of Green Tea.

So, with a bit of help, I finally rescued by bottle of Green Tea (1990s) from behind the radiator where it had sat for nearly a decade being regularly roasted in the winter. To my astonishment it is entirely intact. Same beautiful watery green colour, same beautiful sherberty cups of lemon jasmine tea.

I find Melody quite nice but it is very soft in comparison with my Green Tea.

Sweet laundry musks with a little tiny touch of bergamot develops some vanilla notes which are sweet and gentle before some five or six hours later becoming a slightly sherberty bergamot tea. Despite finding it underwhelming in strength it lasted from lunchtime to bedtime (gone by the morning though). I noticed very little projection, getting just the occasional waft, so had to put my nose some three or four inches from my skin to smell what it was doing.

I can't say this smells bad because to me it doesn't and actually it smells nice. On the other hand I can't say it smells like a perfume one would wear just to smell nice, rather I would say it is interesting.

I have worn this a few times now and can smell it all day, with a great come back burst next morning when I wash my hair in the shower (because I like to give a quick spritz of perfume in my hair). So, on me at least, it has pretty decent longevity.

Again on me this is also pretty linear. All day I can smell a very slightly lemony crushed tomato leaf with some accents of ivy gone wild. And that's it. I don't get any fruitiness, I don't notice galbanum, nor am I reminded of woods and moss.

But I do find it a pleasant smell that doesn't turn on me, doesn't smell funky or dirty, doesn't suddenly develop discordant notes of vanilla , just pleasantly realistic crushed tomato leaves.

For reasons unknown, Miller Harris perfumes all have very poor performance on my skin; I get virtually no projection nor trail.

Other than that none have been offensive to my nose but all have been a little lack luster.

On first spray I got a little bergamot, then a few seconds of something that reminded me of juniper. A few minutes in and the whole settled into a strong pink pepper with a touch of sandalwood for about half an hour. By the hour mark most of the smell was gone leaving me with something that reminds me more of a a ceder-wood aftershave than a sandalwood perfume.

The first half an hour is quite nice and I am very fond of sandalwood perfumes in general (remembering most fondly Extract of Mysore Sandalwood by Crabtree & Evelyn) but this one is far too airy for my tastes and performance on me is quite lacking.