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BPAL Madness!
RaeiNarcissus

413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs. California

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


I read these notes and thought to myself, well, i'm a foody, I'll probably get the berries and cream as the dominant notes, and get fig and cognac and leather underneath. I put it on at the lab, and then drove home, and sniffed my arm an hour later. And I get leather, from this, very sexy dirty leather. The cognac and fig are underneath it, and it's really really nice. This is a seducers scent, and wow it is delectable. It's one of those dig your nose into your arm and can't drag it away scents.

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in the bottle: definitely getting that fig in a big way. it's not like Eden, but the note is easy to pick out. i'm also getting a bit of the berry and just a dash of the cognac. :yum:

 

wet on skin: more of the same, but with leather creeping in to the mix. if the leather stays where it is and doesnt start to dominate, this could be my new favorite scent. :beg:

 

dry down: the leather is salty, rich. the berry is sweet and ripe, much like the berry note in Bloody Mary. the fig is still present, but more in the background. and the cognac is adding the right amount of class.

 

in all: a sexy thing for anyone of any gender to wear, this is a scent of seduction, talking dirty and fooling around in the back of a classy movie theater. total win. ;)

 

 

 

:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In bottle: creamy fig

 

On skin: sweet berries and fig, fruity & delicious

 

Half-hour later: everything's melding together nicely: a base of smooth boozy cognac, berries in the middle, then leathery and dusty on top

 

In conclusion: sweet but definitely unisex, all the elements are perfectly blended. The dusty waft really does remind me of a brown paper bag!

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Mmmm! This is just what I was hoping it would be. It reminds me a lot of Wanda, which is my favorite BPAL ever so I'm thrilled. It has the same creamy, fruity, leather feel, but the cognac and fig make it a little more subtle and more unisex. To me it's a slightly less fruity, less in-your-face-sexy version of Wanda. But it's still damn sexy!

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i am loving this.

on my skin it is totally different than in the bottle and that makes all the difference.

on me, this is a soft, sexy, smutty leather scent with just the tiniest hint of berries sweetening the mix.

i can't stop smelling myself.

i knew i would love this one, and i'm not at all disappointed.

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Funny , on my skin I am amping the more fruit like aspects of this . I do still like it , as unlike some of the more foody / fruit laden scents I've tried from the lab , this is very dark & creamy indeed . I suppose that's the leather helping keep the base of this grounded . I do like this quite a bit , enough that I would consider a back up bottle . Something I don't do on a regular basis .

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413 US 15, in a word: HUMMINA.

 

Wet, it's aaallll ripe berries. They're tart, they're red and purple, and they're strong. I don't like every berry blend, but I LOVE the berries in this. I'm not sure what they all are, but it does remind me of the berry note in April Fool. As it dries, more notes emerge, but the distinction between them all is so subtle to my nose, at this point, that it's hard to say what. The cognac is definitely there. The paper bag is there. The longer it dries, the more I can smell a little cream. It isn't sweet or vanilla-y, just milky. So far, the fig and leather aren't so noticeable.

 

Once totally dry, about 15-20 minutes later, it's mostly cognac and paper bag with cream, a little tart berry, a little leather, and I STILL can't pick out the fig. I guess it's blending with the paper bag note (which really does smell just like brown paper, without the stinky paper mill undertone).

 

The berry and cream are strong enough to prevent it from being too dry or sharp, but the other notes are strong enough that it isn't foody. It's nicely balanced. It smells dry from a distance, but the cream and berries come on the finish. After a few hours, the cognac and bag are a little bit less aggressive, but it's a small change.

 

eta 3/18: After only a month, this is already so much smoother and well-balanced. The paper bag and cognac notes are much less aggressive and the cream is much more pronounced, so there is a good, smooth, even blend of berries, cream, and dry notes from application to evaporation hours later. Yay!

Edited by naeelah

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I have no idea how I feel about this blend.

 

That's not a bad thing! I bought this blend for the cream and the leather, and instead, all I get is... ripe berries and paper bag! I should have known that I amp berries like crazy (oh my god, do I *ever*), but who knew that I amped paper bag?! That dry, dusty scent comes across SO CLEARLY on my skin; it's like someone dropped fresh berries into a paper bag and I'm inhaling deep. I get no leather. No cream. No cognac.

 

But... while this isn't what I wanted to get from Miller Vs. California, what I *do* get is nice. I've worn it about three times in the past week, which is a LOT of repeats for me. It's a low-key sexy scent, calm enough that it's work appropriate, but versatile in both hot and cold weather. I think that this is just an example of wonky skin chemistry though, so your mileage may vary on that.

 

Again! I have no idea. But it sure is nice. <3

 

Edited: Aaaand I finally found the cognac! About three hours after application, I got a rich, creamy cognac that made me faint with delight. Now if only the berries-n'-bag scent would combine with the cognac-sex scent! Mayhaps some aging, with this one...

Edited by herkissofshame

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First, I get TONS of berries, with a very spicy kick to them (what's in that paper bag?!). At the dry down, the soft fig peeks through, with some of the leather and cream showing up for company. For awhile, I thought I had a strong contender to dethrown Pinched, but there's very little cognac here and the overall scent fades extremely quickly. Little throw, less lasting power. A disappointment. :(

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Miller v. CA is like a fresh green vine heavy with sweet red berries that has been freshly cut. There is leather in the background and a little of dusty papery bag, but as it dries it hides further in the background. The berries come out more as it settles and and the vine is less prominant. I will enjoy my decant, but I do not need a bottle.

 

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This is a round, ripe, voluptuous scent from the juicy berries and figs. The leather grounds it (and makes it dirrrrty), the cream smooths it, the cognac classes it up. I can get every note, but at the same time, the blending is perfect. I know that sounds impossible, but it just is.

 

I am absolutely in love. I am not a huge fruit lover, unless it's a really dark fruit, a la Snake Charmer. But this is just naughty. It's such a sophisticated, seductive scent. Wearing it makes me feel very womanly and very powerful. Color me surprised. My next order will have a backup, as this has shot up to my top ten.

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I think this is very valentiney. In the best way. I think this might be fig, cream, paper bag, currant, cognac and leather on me in that order. When I was in grade school we all made a piece of fake leather to draw a map on by taking a piece of paper grocery bag and crumpling it and smoothing it flat and crumpling it about a million times. It became this soft drapey thing that was suedelike to touch. For some reason this reminds me of that. It is very soft. It is definitely fruity but in a subtle way like fruit that is smothered in whipped cream. I think the leather and cognac give it a little strength and keep it from being too light. It makes me think of a sun faded burgundy leather book cover with something old fashioned and pornographic inside.

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Pwah? I have no idea why, but whenever I put this on, I immediately think of LUSH's Retread conditioner, the yogurt/melon/violet concoction that is all sorts of wonderful. It's got this greenish snap that reminds me of violet leaf, which may be the paper bag note. On me, the berries and cognac stay really quiet and it's mostly this ruffly underside of a leaf aroma. Quite odd.

 

I really do like it but probably won't need more than this bottle.

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In the bottle: boozy red fruit. I'm not sure if it's fig or berries or what... I'm thinking it's more the berries though. A teensy bit creamy...

 

Wet on my skin: definitely berries soaked in booze. And I guess that's fig in there, I'm having a hard time picking it out. The whole thing is dark somehow...

 

As it dries it gets a little more creamy. I have to keep re-sniffing and thinking about what I smell. I think there's a note (or notes) in here I'm having a really hard time pinning down. I guess it's the "paper bag" part? I'm not really getting any leather, or at least none that's saying "here I am! look at me! leather here!" maybe it's down there in the juuuust cant quite seem to catch it range, hiding behind the fruit and the booze and I just cant pick it out.

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In the bottle and on my skin at first, this smells clean. It's like fruit scented shampoo with a kick of leather in the background. As it dries down, I get something like a dry, perfumey, slightly spiced wood. The fruity aspects start to smell sharp and lemony on me after about five minutes, and I start really hating this.

 

I don't know where all of the listed notes are at, because this smells like cheap, dry musk and lemon cleaning fluid on me. Smoky leather fades in and out. I'm getting nothing like vanilla or cream, and no fig at all (and I love the fig note, and it's usually pretty strong on me). This is a sharp mess on my skin. :(

 

ETA: I've held on to my bottle of this one for the past three years, hoping for the fig and cream to come out more as it aged, but it hasn't gotten better at all. Oddly, it has gotten more fruity and soapy with age. I don't get the leather at all anymore, it's just a vague, artificial berry shampoo sort of smell. Fake-y berries and that artificial clean smell. Bleh. Time to put this one up for swaps.

Edited by Little Bird

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In bottle/imp: Leather and smooth, creamy fruit.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very smooth, well-blended scent. Sniffing it I immediately get leather, but it’s blended with a bit of sweet wine and very smooth fruity notes. It’s got a nice brightness to it, but also a smooth finish and a nice grounded leather note.

 

After a little while: As this settles, it becomes much more of a fruity scent. The berry, fig, cream, and a bit of cognac blended together become the main part of this scent with the leather in the background and the smell of the paper bag adding a whimsical touch. It’s fruity, but the leather note strikes me as a little bitter or acrid.

 

Overall Impressions: This is right on the verge of being great on me, but the leather note smells a little bitter on my skin. The other notes blend together beautifully and this is mostly a smooth, creamy fruit scent. Too bad about the leather.

 

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Wet: This goes on raspberry, cream, and paper bag. I declare I smell the paperbag note :blink:

 

Drydown-this turns into a weird but lovely raspberry cognac with hints of green...I think it's the bag.

 

There is no leather in this for me so... :joy: I love it...and I now have my own legal perfume!!!

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Oh, love. This just confirms for me that I adore the food scents above all else.

 

In the bottle: It's all berries and cream, with just a slight bit of cognac in the background. It reminds me of childhood desserts around the kitchen table while my father sipped his brandy.

 

On, wet: The berries are stronger, and the fig is there as well, but now the cognac is stronger.

 

On, dry: The leather has made itself known, and loudly. It smells a bit like an old fashioned gentlemen's club, all leather chairs and brandy snifters. The berries have faded into the background, and I get just a whiff of paper bag if I hold my wrist directly under my nose.

 

This one is a keeper for me.

 

PS -- I put some on my neck today and now the dog wants nothing more than to sniff me for hours.

Edited by catatonic1242

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I have a rocky history with Beth's leather bouquet - it's ruined more blends on my skin than I care to mention :( So I swapped for a decant of MvC with more than a little trepidation...

 

I'm not 100% sold yet, but I think we may have something here...

 

Wet, MvC is super fruity & cool - imagine the ubiquitous wine gums, but in squidgy Asian jelly candy form... that same dark red/purple fruity scent with a hint of something dry & tannic, but super wet & glistening & fresh. I think it's the leather that my nose is reading as cold & wet... very interesting.

 

Once it dries down a bit, the papery element emerges, and I can tell the fig is in there - at this point, it's very similar to Strangler Fig, minus the super dusty incense note. There's some overlap, too, with Freak Show, strangely enough... again, that tannic dry fig with a trace of something smooth, likely the cream.

 

Ultimately, I know this isn't one I'd wear enough to warrant keeping, but I'm more than thrilled to have found an exception to my leather troubles :)

 

ETA: Ehhhn. I'm going to have to take it back. The leather is just too much :( It goes very fresh & AXE body spray on me after a bit, and will NOT go away. I can smell it days later on the cuffs of my cardigan. That I washed. Twice. :ack:

Edited by tartchef

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Sweet, sweet berries and figs--*really* sweet. Boozy, from the cognac. The faintest hint of leather underneath it all. If that leather note behaves for a few more hours, this'll be a winner. It's quite strong, too--I keep smelling it wafting around in the air. I'm waiting to smell the paper bag but it hasn't made its presence known--this is just fine without it, though. Tasty!

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In the imp: leather and cheap men's cologne

 

Wet: there's the leather, something creamy and something... not so good. it's medicinal sharp.

 

Dry: pine resin??

 

This one was a real disappointment. It's so strong that my left nostril has closed up. I never got the berries (note of DOOM), figs or cognac. I really had such high hopes for this one. I was praying for this to work on me, but it doesn't. On the plus side, I helped contribute to a great cause, so it was worth it. ^_^

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413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs. California

 

Oh my, this one is complex! It's sweet when I first open the imp and then it turns into standard men's cologne. When it's wet on my wrist, the oil turns into a spicy leather with a hint of booze in the background. But when it has dried, the cream and figs and berries bubble to the top. I LOVE berries so I have no problem with this stage. Now that it's been on my wrist for a few hours, the oil is less brightly fruity and more creamy with one of the darker scents pulling the scent back down to earth.

 

I may need to spring for a bottle of this one; I don't think an imp will be nearly enough.

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It starts off very green smelling...looking at the list, I have no idea what might be smelling green. It doesn't last long, though. Soon it starts to smell like a sweetened paper bag. Thankfully, that doesn't last long either. =)

 

In an hour or so it dries down to a creamy sweet fragrance. The leather and cognac keep it from being an innocent creamy sweetness.

 

Very unfortunately, there is still paper bag underneath it all, and I fear that that is the scent that will last the longest on me.

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I am marveling at the fact that the cream note in this doesn't go to plastic. This is a very fruity blend on me.... I get the fig/berry mix and it's a very cold, Asian jelly sort of vibe with a hint of creaminess. At the beginning, it was fruity paper. But now it's definitely more of a fruity dessert.

 

I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on it, but I love the concept!

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