Fall Fragrance Picks for Women: Miller Harris La Pluie and Ormonde Jayne Tolu



Ladeeeez! Here's what I've been wearing and loving in the chillier fall weather. Think of it as a capsule collection of perfume: one for day and one for night...
This cloudburst of ylang ylang, mimosa, jasmine, vetiver and vanilla is balmy, a little humid, a little milky. La Pluie is floral without being sweet. The vetiver seems to steer everything away from “perfume” to “vegetation” -- and it's also kind of sea salty. It is prettily peculiar.
I think of Tolu as a harvest goddess perfume. It's ample and abundant with a poignant waft of aromatic meadows at the end of their summer cycle. Tolu contains orange blossom and rose, but they're not the point here -- they're more like the padding in the bra. Uh, the tolu and frankincense bra. Broadly, I smell Tolu as a feminine version of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, and a more voluptuous take on the spooky, bleak Dune by Dior. Fumies of the female persuasion (and those within sniffin' distance of same), please share what you're wearing this season.

54 comments:

  1. I have been wearing a lot of Dark Amber and Gingerlily, rather soothing and sweater-like. Sycomore is nice too, in a vaguely woodfire way. --AnnieA

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    1. Annie A - ah yes, "woodfire"! Nothing like a little olfactory char to counteract the November rains and chill.

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  2. This season, I have been wearing Mitsouko by Guerlain. P.s. I love your blouse. :)

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    1. Thanks DG! And funny, I was just playing around with Mitsouko the other day. What's your preferred concentration?

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    2. I have the eau de parfum. Never tried the eau de toilette option before so I can't really give an actual preference. Having said that, I do like what I already have!

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    3. I also have Bvlgari Black sitting on my dressing table which I might wear for bonfire night...

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    4. Both Black and Mitsouko would smell perfect set against the flames of the bonfire.

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  3. I would love to try these lovely perfumes but we dont have them where I live, I've been reaching to Laliqe encre lately which I bought to my husband hehe & I've been sampling Amouage interlude man which I liked more than the women one. Hessa

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    1. Lalique Encre Noire - like Sycomore, another charred vetiver to snuggle against in the autumn.

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    2. IS this the Encre Noire that is such a high concentration of Iso E Super?

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    3. yes, 45 percent.

      http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/iso-e-super-its-merits-its-faults-geza.html

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  4. Fall leaves, pumpkins and chilly morning temperatures stimulate a part of my brain that craves amber. I've been wearing the heck out of MPG Ambre Dore and Hermes L'Ambre des Merveilles. One is a little spicy, aromatic and oud-y and the other is salty and sheer. Neither is overly sweet.

    For sweet, I wait for colder weather and lightly spritz Profumum Dulcis in Fundo. It's comically sweet. Like a Creamsicle liquer. Topped with whipped cream. And paired with creampuffs. No fooling around with this one.

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    1. Dulcis in Fundo: must you style your hair in Cindy Brady ponytails while wearing it?

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  5. Hi Katie,
    Once the weather changes, I reach for my heavier, "stickier" scents that make me feel cozy during the day, and sexy at night. Two of those are Orris Noir by Ormonde Jayne for night, (sexy feminine notes of iris, incense, sambac & patchouli make my husband nuzzle my neck mmm...) and Black Orchid by Tom Ford for daytime always gets "OMG, what fabulous perfume are you wearing?" comments from friends & cab divers. I find them both too, too for warm weather, but as soon as it's cashmere turtleneck weather here in NYC, they both lure me in and stick around all winter as constant "go to" scents. I do resist wearing them too often and choose another one of my faves - Marrakech by Jouany. You must check this one out if you haven't already. Absolute heaven!

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  6. Just recently I've been wearing Parfum Sacre by Caron. Spicy rosy, powdery woody and fruity. It's been hitting the spot.

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  7. Hi Katie, after hearing your inspiring story I ran upstairs to the closet in which I keep my perfume treasures among them a discovery set( that makes every fumie very happy, I can assure you) by Ormonde Jayne I bought this year. Immediately tried a spritz of Tolu ( even the colour is gorgious) and it is delicious!!!!! Luckily I can order samples form Miller Harris at Celeste perfumery in the Hague in Holland but Ormonde Jayne has to come from over the North Sea. I bought the discovery set because I was very curious about Ormonde Woman. I ordered a bodylotion which is lasting all day. Thanks for your inspiring story!

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    1. That OJ discovery set is a pleasure, not least because sliding it open and shut is like automatic origami.

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  8. I've been wearing lots of Theorema, Midnight in Paris, and my Sonoma Scent Studios (especially Champagne de Bois and Vintage Rose, lately).

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    1. Ooh! Now I want to pile on my Sonoma Scent Studio Incense Pure.

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  9. I love Ormonde Jayne fragrances but admit that I haven't yet fallen for Tolu. I prefer Ta'if as my winter OJ.

    Katie, what do you think of Ta'if? Given your love of The Lady, I'm curious!

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    1. Ah, the Lady, the Lady, ever my Lady. Ta'if hasn't hooked me into her charms, although I know she has a devoted following among rose lovers.

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  10. PS - Katie, are you going to do a Fragrance Collection Part 6 video? Can you believe it's been 2 and a half years since you did that series? I bet you've collected a few extras since then and have been wondering what they are.

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    1. I NEED to do an updated collection video. Yes oh yes. Right now I'm in London and most of my perfumes are in LA. The next time we're all in the same room together, I'll do that update vid.

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    2. Please do!

      What do you do when you are away from your frags? That'd be another great video. I'm sure we'd all love to see what you pack and how you store it. Do you decant stuff for travel?

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  11. Ive been dousing myself with diptyque eau duelle. so comforting, a perfect blend (to me) of not-sweet vanilla and incense. yum. if only the staying power was better on me! hence the dousing..

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    1. I just can't get over what a cute handle "Stormy Mittens" is!

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    2. I was just thinking the same thing!

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  12. Wonderful suggestions-I have indeed been wearing Tolu occassionally (in parfum concentration, as in the pic). Plus, for the past two weeks, I've been showering at the gym in Tolu bath oil (or better, unscented Eucerin shower gel + Tolu bath oil). Did I mention that my gym bag smells delicious? Kudos to OJ for making bath oils!

    To me Tolu is a vanillic oriental inspired by the classics (Shalimar and Emeraude) but darker, warmer, with more animalic, hinting at the darker orientals a la Tabu (or Ambre Sultan indeed).

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    1. Thank you, cacio, for adding such value to this post with your observations. I heartily agree with both your points about the character of this perfume, and the fabulousness of Ormonde Jayne for offering such a comprehensive variety of ways to guff forth of Tolu. There is a shower gel, body lotion, bath oil, solid perfume, travel sprays, a candle - when's the toaster coming out? Bring it!

      I also have the parfum version.

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    2. I love the OJ bath oils. I have Ta'if, and it's perfect for the bath or for pairing with the edp, if for no other reason than the elegance of using that glass stopper to apply. The bath oil is a little bit different from the edp, so it's almost like having a flanker (there's more orange flower and freesia, and less pepper) and they go great together. I wholeheartedly agree that the OJ extension line is well worth the money, and that's coming from a total cheapskate! ha

      I'd love to have one of their parfum bottles. So, so pretty looking, though I've never seen them in person.

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  13. Hey Katie

    How does the sea salty of La Pluie compare with the sea salty of another Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel...?

    By the way, I'm liking these non-edited single-take videos a lot. They just seem more honest and spontaneous :)

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    1. Thanks Anonymous - I agree that my recent videos are more spontaneous, and it's nice to get your feedback on that. Now I just need to graduate from crummy webcam to my better camera.


      Fleurs de Sel is dry dry dry, salty and woody, with a distant floral glow. La Pluie is more obviously floral/vanillic, and truly does have a beguiling humidity to it. But it's still a lot drier than what "floral/vanillic" would suggest in a mainstream perfume.

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    2. Ditto on the single-take videos. :)

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    3. I also like the video format. It feels more direct and you seem "closer". And you are very pretty in this one!

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  14. Will you be going to the art of scent exhibition in New York and reporting on that, Katie?

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    1. Sounds like a hoot, but I'm not in that part of the world right now.

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    2. I am quite sure my brain would short circuit if I went, and I have a degree in Art History! But then, I might die of the giggles, first.

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  15. Ooo, a tolu and frankincense bra, I want one! Tonka would be too much, like a 50s prom night gone wrong. An Indian Amber bra (benzoin and vanilla)-- I'd go for that at night. Am I having a vision of a new product line???

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    1. Fragranced over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders!

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  16. Great review! Oh Katie I am so with you on wear what you love not what "They" say you should wear. And Personality! Yes to that in good friends and perfume. La Pluie and Tolu from your review make me want to don my pith helmet and go exploring!

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  17. Hi Katie. I LOVE your reviews and wish you'd be my new BFF. As fragrances go, I love Bois D'Armenie, but it's too woody for my husband. He loves Givenchy's Very Irresistible Sensual on me. If those two scents had a gorgeous love child, can you think of what it might be?

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    1. Michelle, what a lovely thing to say! I apologize that it took over 2 months for me to catch up to your comment. (I'm guessing that I'm no longer a candidate for your new BFF.)

      Nevertheless, for a woodier Very Irresistible Sensual, maybe Stella by Stella McCartney might work...? Cologne Pour le Soir by Francis Kurkdjian?

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  18. Love the idea of paring down to day and night scents! I should really edit all the bottles cluttering the top of my chest-of-drawers...except there's no more drawers left...
    I've just discovered Rochas Femme (the reform) and am thrilled by its warmth and sexy friendliness. It does seem a little too rumpled (or rumpy?) for the office, so Cabochard or Trussardi original provide focus - in the form of Leather!

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    1. Sophie, succinct reasoning for a succulent mini-collection.

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  19. Sophie--

    No, just get more space for your bottles.

    I bought a teensy bottle of Rochas Femme at (of all places) my local farmers' market. I like it very much. I think it's an older bottle, though. It's black and lacy. Sexy!

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  20. I agree, don't stick with "rules," for their own sake. But I like having a particular time of year to wear something. It makes it feel more special.

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  21. I visited London in the beginning of October for the London Film Festival. I came across the store of Miller Harris on Monmouth Street. I went there twice being helped by two different very knowledgeable and kind sales assistants to find my perfume. They gave me samples. After having tried out several samples I returned to the store before my departure choosing LA PLUIE, a tea "Thé Fumé" and a jam "Orange Flower". These three treats make me joyous ever since on a daily basis in the grey fall. LA PLUIE goes well with my skin. Keep in mind everyone is different. LA PLUIE has a lush and free spirit. It is an infusion of airy sensuousness and earthy self confidence at the same time. I smell strongly Ylang Ylang. The Vetiver embraces it all. I cannot wait to experience LA PLUIE when the weather will turn really cold and snow will be falling ...

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  22. You only wear two scents a day? I rarely do fewer than three, is there something wrong with me?

    The one I keep returning to and wish was a little heavier is Chaos. I lucked into a great ebay find, both the original Chaos and Safari, which I've also been wearing. Before I fell down the rabbit hole, I had a nice collection of perfume (as I've always been loved perfume). My stash, however, succumbed to a bout of "clearing the clutter" and I tossed many great frags, including my original Chaos. So glad to have it back!

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    1. I'm so glad Chaos and Black Cashmere and Fuel for Men came back in the DK line.

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