Cuir D'Oranger, Miller Harris

Cuir d'Oranger — это аромат от британского бренда Miller Harris с кожаной композицией, которую разработал британский парфюмер Лин Харрис. Аромат вышел в 2005 году. Дизайн упаковки разработала компания The Nest. Композиция аромата Cuir d'Oranger раскрывается нотами апельсинового цвета, нероли и петитгрейна, уступающими место центральным нотам жасмина и ириса. Нижние ноты пачули, розы, дубового мха и березы органично завершают аромат. Miller Harris Cuir d'Oranger Notes: top notes of orange oil Valencia, pettigrain Paraguay and shimmering orange flowers Tunisia, fused with jasmin Egypt and orris absolute resting on a rich base of leather with birch tar, Spanish ciste, oak moss and patchouli (from The Perfumed Court website) On first spray of Cd'O, I smell spicy pepper, citrus and light florals. Soon, this is followed by deeper green notes, powdery moss, and iris. The fragrance is mostly dry and bitter after the initial blast, and this is offset by juicy orange and sweet floral notes. Pepper is not listed in the notes, but I do smell something which reminds me of black pepper. However, I have noticed that sometimes patchouli can have a peppery quality, so this could be a factor. The iris is buttery and a little candied, reminiscent of the iris in Miller Harris' Terre d'Iris, but less overt. In the mid development, Cuir d'Oranger loses the fruity orange, but still maintains a citrus quality due to the petitgrain. Petitgrain is bitter and woody, and it blends beautifully with the oakmoss and iris. The pepper note has actually become stronger, but it seems more vegetal than in the early stage. The powder is also more prominent, and has a rooty and bitter quality that is quite diffuse. There is a tiny bit of sweetness, probably from the orris and perhaps some of the floral notes. So far I am perplexed about the leather portion of this fragrance. I think I can smell it faintly in the base notes, but it seems that for the beginning and middle development, I am mostly led to the illusion of leather due to the dusty, almost tannic quality of the oakmoss, orris and petitgrain combination. I am sure the patchouli is also chiming in on this too, as there is a deep earthyness present which anchors the ephemeral powder into something more substantial. As Cuir d'Oranger approaches the drydown, a smokiness begins to emerge. This could be the birch tar note and perhaps some vetiver. The fragrance is still quite dry and bitter, has a touch of pepper, and is much softer overall. The powder accord is beautiful--it is not like baby powder at all, rather, it is green and dry, evocative of living plant aromatics in a garden or forest. I am reminded of the smell of many plants in the artemesia family, such as southernwood or wormwood. These plants have an astringent, medicinal and sweet herbaceous smell that permeates the air. That is the sense of this powder accord in Cd'O. Lovely. The leather is still not strong, and really seems to play a supporting role to the oakmoss, vetiver and other notes. The fragrance stays mostly in this form for the rest of the development. However, in very late stages (7-10 hours later), the Cd'O has almost nothing left of the dry mossyness and settles into a sweet amber skin scent. Sillage is strong at first, and moderate for the majority of the development. Longevity is very good--in overnight wears, I can smell the amber base the next morning. Cuir d'Oranger is listed as a unisex fragrance. I agree with this designation, although it seems to be a touch on the masculine side. When compared to other leather chypres, it is not as floral as those which would be considered more feminine. The leather component of Cd'O is really not a major player, but the fragrance is immensely enjoyable nonetheless, especially with Lyn Harris' beautiful use of oakmoss and the warming pepper note. :