413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs. California

[thelaurenator]

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

Sigh. This smells like really strong burnt rubber on me (O HAI LEATHER) and cognac. That's all I get. Oh, and some really bad musk-- I think that's the so-called "paper bag note."

[Desanera]

In the Bottle: Oooh - sort of boozey cocoa.

 

I went to look up the reviews, and reading *leather* I went to re-sniff my wrist.

 

Drydown: Whoa - when did the sex come out? When did my arm become sex?

 

Sexy book leather. I smell like a sexy porno library slut. This doesn't strike me as magazine, it's definitely book. Like an old leather-bound book of victorian erotic engravings or something.

 

I love BPAL. Where else can you smell like a high class library slut? This is awesome. I may need another bottle. Or three.

[cometgirl21]

In the vial: It smells very green.

 

Wet: Still green, a little bit of the berries are starting to come out now. No paper bag or leather or cognac.

 

Dry: Still green. I don't know about this one. It's headache inducing. I'll update later after it stays on a while. So far, not impressed.

 

Little bit later: Where'd it go? If I sniff closely, I can smell creamy berries. I really don't think this ones for me. I'll keep my decants but I don't think I need a bottle.

 

Later still: Ok, it faded, but it's back again. Creamy berries. Nice, but I don't know if it's worth a bottle still. I want the leather to come out.

 

Last edit, I hope lol. Wow. This has some throw. I am very rarely ever able to smell myself. And I only used a little bit of this. Apparently, I amp berries. Now how come blends I actually like don't amp like this lol.

Edited March 7, 2009 by gothicangel18

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Sweet, creamy fig-berry, not too sweet.

Fresh on the skin: Sweet, a little spicy, creamy, a little... bitter? Oceanic.

5 minutes: Ahh, smoothing out. Sweet but not too sweet, creamy, fruity, a little... something else. Complex, very nice.

10 minutes later: A little powdery. I like this.

1 hour later: Huh. Sweet, powdery, berry... and scotch tape? Huh.

2 hours later: Yup, powdery, berry scotch tape. Kinda nice!

3 hours later: Vaguely berry-flavored scotch tape. Pretty sure this has stabilized.

4.5 hours later: Pretty, delicate, berry scotch tape. The confusing part is that I always thought the scotch tape was ozone-related, but I can't understand why I'm getting it for this blend. Hrm.

 

Verdict: Really nice for something that reminds me of scotch tape! I'll keep the decant and try it again sometime, but I suspect this isn't bottle-worthy for me.

 

One phrase: Berry scotch tape.

[mgrazulis]

I truly wasn't expecting to like this one...but I'm head over heels in wub!!!

 

In the imp: boozy sweet green fig, glistening in cognac

Wet skin: hee, hee, hee! A brief whiff of brown paper bag, then gone---poof! Big ripe raspberry and rich cream and the fig is voluptuous and seductive!

Dry: I can't stop smelling this ! No leatha--but that's ok by me. Big fig keeps turning up with the cognac. Pure heaven with a touch of cream and berry. Win-win-win!!

[tajana]

Berries! I got a LOT of berries out of this, significantly more than I was hoping for. There's just a bit of booze and sharp leather at the edges, but start to finish this is predominantly fruity on me. I think I can catch a whiff of paper bag if I look for it. After it dries down the tart berries soften and sweeten up, and the fig gets more prominent, which does a lot to make this feel a little more nuanced. The creaminess is subtle, the edge off the leather chills out, the cognac isn't a major player, and the end result is a light and fresh berry cologne. Not much throw, but decent lasting power. It's not bad, but it's not the rich, debauched scent I was looking for.

[Schmoozy]

This is fantastic. Berries and leather with hints of fig and cream. The dryness of the paper bag is very noticeable, and seems to even out the sweetness from the berries and cream.

Leather and fig mingle beautifully in the background. This is a masculine berry & cream blend. The touch of cognac rounds it out and adds more depth.

[nekogrrl]

Wet on skin: Lovely berry creaminess.

 

Dry on skin: Add a bit of leather around the edges to the previous statement. I really like this. It's sweet, which is usually kiss of death for me, but the leather and probably the cognac in the deep background keep this scent modulated.

 

Verdict: Bottle!

[Ceri]

In the vial: Sickly sweet berry

 

Wet: I think I'm getting leathery berry with fig. The notes have blended so well I'm having a hard time figuring this out. Or I'm just lousy at identifying notes.

 

Dry: Creamy, powdery berries with hints of something green.

 

Overall: This is quite nice but I'm not sure if it's bottle worthy.

[MisterShrapnel]

Bah, I think my skin doesn't like berry. As with Australian Copperhead, my arm now smells (to me, anyway) like shampoo. All the other notes are hiding underneath, since Miller vs. California turns out to be chock-full of berries. Fans of Australian Copperhead may love this!

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Decant: mmmmberry and cognac

Wet on Me: now I get cream added to the berry and cognac

Drying Down: creamy berry leather. And heck I even smell brown paper bag!

Dry: wow..thisis a sweet creamy berry scent that I just LOVE. The leather and cognac keep it from being a total foodie over sweet thing for me. This is Hef in a smoking jacket whilst surrounded by Playmates. Suave, Debonaire, but a total gentleman and playboy with the cute of the playmates thrown in. Man, am I glad I got to try this!

 

[aquazoo]

Starts manly — that must be the leather. It's not as foody as I thought it would be. Leather and fig. And yes, paper bag!

[twilighteyes]

On me: leather. single note. Hello leather. Yes, you are still sexy, leather. But I wanted some cream and fig and berry. *sigh*

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Rich cream over cognac mostly. The other elements soft, but present. Wet: The paper note really rises on the skin to mingle with the dominant cream and softer cognac. Given a few minutes, the leather eats the paper mostly, then starts going sweeter from the berry. Smells weirdly like the pharmacy where my mother shopped when I was a kid around Easter Time. I think it’s the cream and fruit mimicking some of the seasonal candy. Periodically the cognac and leather go head to head, which I love. Dry: Mmmmmmmmmm…. The cream/cognac/leather/fruit combo settles into something lovely once the elements finish ducking it out for dominance. Beautifully balanced.

[rayvn1]

I was really surprised with how much I like this one! I'm not a foody BPAL'er, but this is such a sweet, delightful blend I can't resist it It's a very fresh, springy blend and I can't get over that it has every note I don't care for (fig, cream, berries) and I'm still nuts for it. The lab folks are geniuses, that's all I can figure... Decent throw of creamy berries with a deeper fruit smell I guess is the figs. Not much paper bag and only a hint of leather, but it has good staying power. I'll treasure my imp and may need to track more down.

[kbrighton]

Put this on at the breakfast table this morning, and my son immediately got a stuffy nose -- not a good sign.

 

wet: I smell like a smoker/drinker who is trying to cover it up with perfume--you're not fooling ANYONE

 

dry: After the initial unpleasantness this smells rather nice. I get figs and berry with something dirty underneath.

 

 

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Primarily cognac and leather; the berries are a faint sweetness.

 

Wet on skin: The alcohol is amping a bit, along with the cream. The berries are still present but still faint.

 

Dry on skin: This eventually turns into a delightfully boozy cream with just a touch of berry.

 

If this blend had been more berries on me and less cream, I would have been forced to buy a bottle. But as it is, I will cherish my decant.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Cream and berries. Dessert-y.

 

Wet: Weird. The cream coats everything and I get a very... visceral reaction. I can TASTE Miller vs. California. It's cream. Lot's of cream. And some berries. And a bit of leather/paper bag funk.

 

Dry: Sharp, boozy berries over cream. At this point it is super, super SHARP AND BITING on my skin. The berries are the prominent note and the cream is present and beautiful and binding everything but just not working out right now. There is definitely something in here that is making me taste it. All the elements should be gorgeous together but they're pretty much... not.

 

Throw: A few inches from the skin.

 

Overall: Cream/milk notes always take a few months to age up and become my faves. I have faith that Miller vs. California will be the naughty Alice or Love's Philosophy for me--both blends I initially blew off because of aggressive secondary notes while fresh but eventually aged into really beautiful dairy inspired blends. It has potential but it just needs time.

[jarvenpa]

Disclaimer: I have the most naive nose in the universe and never seem to figure out what I'm smelling with any accuracy.

But I have a wild imagination and a lot of glee.

 

Ordered this quickly and unsniffed (because for some reason...don't remember why...maybe because I'm a writer and bookperson and the concept was "Yes!" to me).

 

First hit: my goodness, I have just smeared chocolate covered cherries all over myself. Very expensive, high end, chocolate covered cherries. Possibly ones with booze added. Yum.

 

Very strong. And there's...spice? Something kind of spicy and delicious.

 

My thought was "this scent combines all the forbidden things that are bad for you but...soooo good". There's a whiff of...tobacco smoke?

 

I love this fragrance. It settles down to a very sexy, spicy, sweet but naughty sort of smell.

[topaz]

Bordello got time warped and is now a "personal escort" in a Vegas penthouse. She is setting up for her next appointment- a favored john, dressed in thigh-high leather boots and leather corset with garters. She purses her berry red lips and pours a glass of his preferred Remy Martin to let it air. She turns to the bed a removes a package from the maroon satin sheets and smiles as she recognizes the handwriting on the package. Crisp crackling fills the air as she removes the plain brown wrapping and she reads the note written on cream colored linen paper that simply states "for tonight." Her eyes light up as she lays the leather paddle on the satin sheets and she softly hums "I was made for lovin' you" under her breath.

[magikalbrownies]

i smell the leather and plum on my skin.

 

geez it smells yum.

 

the cream sort of spoils it but not overly. how come i smell cigarette smoke?

 

either way - adding it to the wishlist. i love this stuff.

[milo]

In the bottle, there is a strong berry scent with a bit of sharpness, which I'm guessing is the paper bag. On, I'm not liking the paper bag, but I LOVE the creamy berry, there is also a bit of spiciness here!! Yes!! I wish the cognac would come out a bit more.

This is very yummy, though I don't get any cognac or leather yet. I love both notes, but as a background. This would be perfect without the paper bag scent, but otherwise, this blend is FANTASTIC! This will only get better with some age.

[zee]

Fact: I didn't like this when I first tried it. Not at all. It was overwhelmingly leather and cognac when I put it on, both of which I enjoy in scents, but not on their own. Sadly, I put it aside for awhile.

 

Today I slathered it over my wrists, hoping it had settled enough to show me what it was really made of. And WOW. All the notes are detectable (although I admit I don't get a paper bag) and it's delicious! It's now about 8 hours later and I can still smell it, only it's now all berries and cream. Still not mad keen on the initial wet stage, but once all the notes come out to play, it's utterly delicious and something I can see myself wearing a lot.

Edited April 17, 2009 by zee

[CynicalPink]

I've only got a DROP of this to test, so I gotta make it count

 

I'm having trouble picking out distinct notes but, this is wonderful. I can sense some berry and cream. If there's leather in this, it's not like the leather in Whip that went plastic on me. Maybe I need to get that note another stab.

 

Something spicy shows up to compliment the berry and cream. Maybe that's the paper bag. Miskatonic U's paper smells spicy on me, so I'm going to go for that.

 

DAMNIT! Why do I try and find these old LEs!? It's going to be torture to try and find a bottle now but I NEED one. I would wear this like crazy. GAH

[Lyrical]

In the bottle I get more cognac and fig. On my skin I got a lot of red currant and cream, but no leather or paper. The next time I wore it the leather note emerged quite strongly, and I don't much like the smell of leather, so this spoiled it for me. The throw is impressive!