Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon

I bought my bottle of Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon because a) my scent twin did and b) I really really liked it. Both facts were a bit of a surprise considering the simple and not so appetizing (to me/us) list of notes: cassis berries, lemon geranium and Turkish rose. Geranium is a popular rose sidekick, but this Miller Harris creation focuses on the geranium as the star which is what makes Geranium Bourbon quite original and interesting.

Every spring I plant regular geranium as well as other varieties such as rose and lemon. I love their aroma, but very few perfumes manage to bring it to life in a wearable way. I've heard that some find Geranium Bourbon difficult and I know what they are talking about- I find that there's a shrill lemony note that is very aggressive when I spray the fragrance. However, just like with several other Miller Harris perfumes, dabbing eliminated any rough edges. All MH bottles come with the spray pump on the side and you can choose not to use it with no extra hassle. I wish more perfume houses would take this approach.

Another interesting aspect of Geranium Bourbon is the play on the "fresh" theme without going in the scrubbed clean direction. The freshness is of an early spring day, dewy green leaves and and stems and a sunny balcony. And despite the light atmosphere, it is still a real perfume with a full body and an eight hour staying power. The richness of the heart notes might have something to do with the red rose note, which normally would bother me, but not here. Despite the obvious floral direction of the perfume, it is actually quite unisex and should not scare even  the manliest men.  It's a lot more airy than you'd expect and there's something very modern about the composition, but I doubt it's as simple as it seems at first sniff.

Geranium Bourbon ($140, 100 ml) is available from Luckyscent and BeautyHabit. The line used to be sold at Sephora, Saks and Bloomigdale's, but it has entirely disappeared from the first two and is currently on clearance at the latter (very few items left). At the same time, this scent as well as most of the others in the regular line can be found at many online discounters, a telling sign for trouble.

Art: Red Geraniums by Marcia Baldwin