413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs. California

[stellans]

Leather, cognac, fig, ripe berry, and cream, stuffed into a plain brown paper bag.

I ordered 2 bottles of this blend right out of the chute because I knew it was going to be big. And it is! It's taken me a while to get around to enjoying it (other than opening a bottle to sniff and test from a cap the day it arrived), so it's had a month or so of aging. The blend, IMO, has changed even in that short time -- it's also my opinion that this is one of those blends which, like fine wine, will get better and better with age.

The berries, fig and cream seem to be uppermost to me, until it has a chance to meld with my own skin chemistry; then, the leather comes out, and there's a slight boozy note which must be the cognac. I don't get any of the 'brown paper bag,' but it's really not missed by me at all. If the leather hadn't shown up, I would have reviewed this as a very nice fruit blend, and sold my extra bottle. But the leather! the leather! It makes this blend special, I tell you! Insolent, domineering, and supple: the leather note is what makes this blend hoard-worthy.

Edited July 25, 2010 by stellans

[sprocket21]

I was worried about the leather, but all of the other notes sounded delicious so I opted for a decant.

 

In the vial, it's very crisp fruit, no leather in sight. This is promising!

 

On me, it stays pretty much the same - crisp, light, fruity. I think the cream is sweetening it up a bit, the fruit note almost smells like Sweetarts. It's reminding me very much of another BPAL blend but for the life of me I can't place it. While it doesn't smell like it, this blend makes me think of a light fruity champagne. It's a perfect light and delicious summer scent, and I can't believe my luck that there's no sign of leather. From reading reviews, that doesn't seem to be the case for everybody, but if you're waffling, at least try a decant.

 

[catattack]

Wet: Strong! Cognac and fig. There's also something spicy I don't recognize.

Drydown: This is almost peppery. It smells "hot" (temperature). This is a very sophisticated scent.

Overall: This is very unisex and grown up. I think that the notes need to blend more and age and I think that'll help bring out all the notes and really make this an awesome scent.

[tragedy]

hesitant to try this because all I have is a drop/sniffie and all I need is more lust for LE blends, but here goes:

This smells exactly like the notes in the imp, I can pick out all of it, even the brown paper bag

On the skin this is a lush creamy berry... Is it the fig I need to try more of? I'm thinking thats what is attracting my nose so much...

*opens purse* Take all my money!! Take it!!!

 

Edit to say: When I bought a bottle the drydown was entirely different! I got at first a predominant leather that I was afraid was going to ruin it ... "whats this?? This isnt the miller vs cali I tried on!!!" But in the drydown its the same... beautiful. But the difference was so strange!!

Edited July 1, 2009 by tragedy

[djsiberia]

reminds me of store bought perfume with paper.

i'm not a fan of fig....and mixed with berries and paper...just not my thing.

Edited June 6, 2009 by djsiberia

[benthic]

Sniffing this in the imp, it's extremely strong and chemical to me, which might be the alcohol note. Wet on my skin it was the same, and I started to worry, but on drydown it's very nice; there was a stage where it smelled mostly like the paper bag, though. Now that it's all dry, it's a very nice fig and cream scent. On me this oil sort of ran through all of its notes individually--first the alcohol, then the leather and paper, and then the fig, berries and cream. Unfortunately, it's faded in intensity a lot by the time it gets to the very nice fruity cream stage. I like the way it ended up, but not enough to seek out more of it, considering the path it took to get there.

[rachilde]

After about half a year with BPAL, I've only found a handful of scents that have stood out against all the imps I've accumulated. One of these is Miller V CA, which I purchased a decant of because I was going to law school. It smells delicious. It smells like a berry milkshake would taste; yet, the smell isn't cold--it's actually nice and warm like melted caramel. I do not detect any leather or cognac, however; though I can smell something that seems like paper bag and that's what dampens the sweetness of the cream and berry so that it doesn't become unbearable. I don't feel this scent is particularly complex, but it is incredibly delicious. I will probably repurchase a decant somewhere if I can find it.

[kerikeri]

Basically every note in this I've loved in another blend (especially fig, berry and leather), so I imagined this had to work pretty well on me, and it does. Sometimes BPAL's berry blends all start to smell alike to me, but the leather adds a nice edge to this one. And oddly, I do smell the paper bag-- it just adds a little crinkly dryness to the scent, which is interesting.

 

It's not jumping up and down screaming BUY A BOTTLE NOW, maybe because I know and love all these notes so well that the whole thing's just a little too familiar, but it's really nice and I might hunt down more eventually.

[myoubi]

IN IMP: Sweet! But not unpleasantly so -- and not really foody either. Just a pleasant sort of slightly-spicy sweetness.

 

ON SKIN: Still sweet, but now the cream is coming out to play. Cream and I don't usually get along, so I am a bit worried. Mostly I am getting cream and berries and fig grounded by something spicy. It's pretty nice -- I like it but I'm not head over heels.

 

5 MINUTES: Berry leather yumm. The berry leather has hints of something more sinuous and dark threading through it, not sure what that is. The cream is still around, keeping things a bit on the sweet side, but it isn't marching forward and demanding everybody's attention.

 

15 MINUTES: OM NOM NOM leather cognac figgy goodness. also, weirdly -- I can smell the brown paper bag. The fig pops up every so often, but, as in a game of whack-a-mole, is quickly beaten down by the victorious leather note. This is awesome, as leather smells like the Sex on me. However, I would have appreciated a bit more in the berry department. Cream has mostly vaporised, which from my perspective is A-OK.

 

1 HOUR: [will update when it happens]

[voorishsign]

Delicious! Got this as a sniffie from a sale and really like it, though perhaps not enough to hunt for more. A lot of foody smells end up very cloying and headache-inducing on me, but not this one. It's slightly sweet, but not too sweet. I can make out the fig and the cognac, slight hint of leather. No cream though. Why does cream never show on my skin? I so desperately want it to.

 

Gorgeously blended, though, I must admit And it grows ever deeper with each passing moment. Very nice.

[levelek]

I got a sniffie of this with a forum purchase - I coaxed the last drop out of the vial. Insofar as that is representative of the scent...

 

I am amping the sweet/foody/figgy notes, as expected. The overall impression is dense, creamy, but not sickening, beautifully blended. Fig is not my favourite note, but I would wear this scent (or would have done so, if I had had the chance!) I seem to do well with leather notes, they are very subdued on my skin but they probably provide the grounding that I like.

[Venneh]

Got this as a decant as part of a PIF package from Dark Alice; thanks again!

 

In the decant, I'm getting the leather, some kind of booze which I assume is the cognac, and the berry and maybe the cream. Wondering how this'll act on my skin. Ooooh. On my skin, I'm definitely getting the cognac, fig and berry at first, with the leather and cream lurking underneath. Depending on what this does, this may be a bottle scent. It ends up being too much of a berry/fig/booze scent, with just a hint of leather underneath, and is the first blend to have given me a headache. It's just very overwhelming, and not working for me. Not going to be looking for more, sadly. But someone else is bound to love this.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Venneh

[filigree_shadow]

I generally like the leather + berry combination, and I like it in this. The leather is really soft, though. Not very prominent on me. I'm not sure that I'm crazy about the cognac in this, which is odd to me since I figured leather and cognac would smell good together. It's a softer scent than I imagined it would be, probably due to the cream (which thankfully is not turning to plastic on me in this one like it usually does). Plus, when I read "brown paper bag" I didn't think that would be one of the notes involved, but I'd swear it is. There's a dry papery note in here too.

 

It ends up being a sweet creamy fruity scent with a leather undertone. Quite lovely.

 

I like this, and it works. The only reason I'm not going to look for a bottle of it is that I think I already found my leather true loves, which are Nanny Ashtoreth and Le Père Fouettard. I think Miller vs. CA would definitely grow on me if I wore it often enough, but... damn, I just have so many bottles. I'm trying to be super picky these days. In a death match between this and Nanny, Nanny wins. But I like this. Crap. I'll keep the decant and wear it a few times, and later I'll decide whether I need more. That seems reasonable.

[Dormouse]

This was all berries when I first got it and didn't grab me at all. I wanted leather and booze with just a hint of sweetness, not blackberry jam.

 

Getting it out now to test it's much richer and a lot closer to what I was expecting. The leather is a lot more prominant and sexy and the cognac and fruit give a wonderful sleazy feel to it. Definitely one for going out and making an impact. A keeper, in fact I almost wish I had got a bottle.

[starfish327]

fig and berry, straight up. it's very sweet, and lush. the berry gives it an almost sweet-tart edge, but the fig makes the berry wearable (i normally can't wear the lab's berry note). i wish i got more leather, but i'll give up the leather since the cream isn't curdling on my skin the way that it did in candles moon. this is a very pretty blend and the only thing i wish is that it lasted longer on my skin- though i did notice that it amps every so often.

[Gin]

Beautiful. Berries and cream and fig, over leather. This is a surprisingly clean scent.

[aleciarivas]

Unfortunately, something in this turned to immediate baby powder on me

[cinderfallen]

Whew, this is one strong, piercing scent! Knocks my nose out. Kind of smells like Christmas, that cheery holiday candle scent inlaid with a whisper of dry leather. But mostly, from one dab, this is just giving me a headache. I'm going to need to VERY sparing with this because of the strength of the scent!

 

Diluted, this wafts so much more delicately. This is a almost edible fruit and a slight hint of light cream, with the leather note not much visible--it just keeps a papery backbone to the prettiness.

Edited September 23, 2011 by cinderfallen

[angelmecha]

Imp: Slightly sharp, clean smell. It is creamy, but doesn't smell like cream... if I had to place this on the ingredient list, it'd be some kind of mixture of the leather and cognac, sweetened by berry and smoothed by cream. It's nicely combined and hard to pick out particular scents, though it's a very distinctive perfume.

Wet: Cream and paper bag, lol! The sweet berries flourish on my skin and become juicy and purple/red. The cream is starting to amp, too.

Drydown: Is it weird that I *like* the paper bag smell? It is definitely an appearance on my skin, though that seems unusual... I smell creamy berries and a slight down-to-earth muskiness that must be the cognac. Mmmmm.

 

Verdict: I should probably find a bottle of this. Maybe if I had more I'd feel more at liberty to wear it more often. As it is, I use my imp sparingly, but do enjoy it when I do... plus, the DH approves, and he's picky!!

[everanything]

Wet on skin: first impression was soapy. Very soapy.

Dry on skin: candlewax?! I keep sniffing and that's all I can think of is candlewax. Maybe a little leather underneath, since it is reminding me of the first phase of De Sade. And if I concentrate, I can honestly smell brown paper just a bit, wayyyy underneath.

10 minutes: Hey, maybe there's some berry? But I think that's also the wax...like a berry candle. I'm not getting any fig or cream, which is sad.

20 minutes: Why hello thar. It's softened down quite a lot. So much so it's nearly vanished. Still waxy, little fruity, barely leather. I may do a second test and slather more, but this seems to not like my skin much. That soap thing is really awful, and I think it might be the fault of the cream.

 

1 hour plus: faint wafts of spoiled cream and soap. The drydown is terrible, and then it just vanishes.

[mymymai]

ITI: Berries, cream, and cognac on first sniff. Honestly, it’s rather appealing.

 

Wet: Hm, the scent gets slightly astringent from the greenness, like when you snap a stalk and it smeells overtly green and sort of icky. I’m wondering if this is from the paper bag. I can also tease out the ripe berry, but not much else beyond that.

 

Dry: It smells like a currant Yankee candle now. I like it here much bettter than wet.

[fufu_berry]

I'm firmly anti-foody, so this wasn't a scent I had really considered -- berries? cream?! -- but I was killing time reading reviews and it sounded so awesome I had to try it (being obscenity-inspired didn't hurt either).

 

In the bottle: very creamy and sweet, with a hint of masculine cologne.

 

On wet: very bright and fruity, has an almost astringent quality. I could kind of feel it in the back of my throat, but not in a gagging/unpleasant way like going through the perfume section at a department store.

 

Dry: Ahh, now the leather and cognac are coming out to bring down some of the foodiness. Kinda smells like going to the bar after hitting up the comic book store (a very familiar smell to me indeed!). There's just a hint of cream to keep the fruits from getting too overpowering (I seem to amp them).

 

After a while: Berries and cream are mostly what's left. I keep thinking of that weird Skittles commercial -- "I'm a little lad who loves berries and cream!" It's not something I would usually gravitate toward, but it's not so sweet that I need to wash it off.

 

Overall, I liked this a lot. I think one bottle is plenty, but I'll certainly grab it when I'm feeling sweet (happens every so often)!

[tauntonlake]

Holy moly, this is GOOD. I always wear a drop or two on my sleeve of my t-shirts,, because my skin wreaks havoc with notes (and I love that after it goes through the wash, my clothes always have a faint tinge of leftover perfume.) .. and this is one of those, that I wish I found earlier, and a bought a few back-up bottles. Not that the notes are the same .. but it really reminds me of Port Royal .. my other go-to favorite. Kind of sweet and perfumey, but not department store perfumey..... more like florist shop perfumey... a natural perfume .. I'm all over this, and will pick up another bottle on EBAY if it ever turns up ... <3

[Nascargot]

Throughout all stages, I get primarily bright figs and a paper note from this. I was worried because of the ripeness of the fruit that it might turn a little funny on me, but thankfully not. The cream shows up after a bit but for the most part it stays the same. I get pretty good wear on it too but the throw is rather limited. Glad I acquired it during winter since right about now seems like a good time to wear it!

[northatlantic]

Sniff from the bottle: sharp, grassy fig and berry. Promising!

 

Wet: GAH VINEGAR. GAH GAH GAH. How can the lab's whiskey note be so delicious on me and the cognac so, so wrong? Maybe it's the combo of the cognac and the leather, or the cognac and the fruit? But wow, it is very sour and unpleasant. NOT happy. I can smell red berries beneath this, but it's far below and faintly cough-syrupy. No cream or paper in evidence; it's buried beneath the Attack of the Killer Cognac.

 

Drydown: Okay, it took almost a half hour, but now I get green fig over a base of berries and cream with a little bit of the spicy-cola note that Beth's leather usually turns into on me. THIS is great, a really interesting combination of tart, sweet and earthy. But that first half hour is NOT pretty with my chemistry. Another one that I think needs some time to mellow before it achieves its potential.

 

Verdict: Promise that may take some time to fully realize.