Description
As the crocuses blossom under the still greyish skies, hope springs eternal and the promise of sunny days is served none better than by citrus scents just starting to bud carried in the air, promising the advent of summer. Perfumer Lyn Harris chose grapefruit (pamplemousse in French) to celebrate this passage into spring and summer, inspired by her walks in the groves of grapefruit trees in the gardens of La Palmeraie in Marrakech.
The yellow packaging of Le Pamplemousse gives an idea as to the fragrance inside: joyous, vibrant, zesty! This mix of hesperidic notes with bitter, damp and earthy aromas is intricate and more complex than a simple citrus cologne. The tartness of grapefruit is couple with the freshness and sweet tanginess of rhubard and green melon. The citrus note is further extended thrugh a heart of delicate orange blossoms coming from Morocco while herbal notes of sage and rosemary on a bed of vetiver, oakmoss and Atlas cedar seal a unisex perfume which will delight upon its release in a few weeks.
Le Pamplemousse by Miller Harris will be available as an Eau de Parfum 50ml/1.7oz. Le Pamplemousse was launched in 2012.
rzd66 – :
In an other review of a Miller Harris perfume I said that all their perfumes sofar were of high quality, interesting and smelling good!
That is also tha case with Le Pamplemousse. On the opening you are caught by a strong, tart freshness. I hate grapefruit yet the perfume blew me away in a good sence. Not that the initial scent was particularly pleasing. But that is the point and to me shows quality. It adds to the story. Have you ever eaten a grapefruit without a shiver and without thinking.. why?
The other notes in this perfume support the first and original idea of grapefruit, balancing it out and allowing the perfume to develope. It settles down soon after the initial blast and becomes fresh and invigorating. After the grapefruit fades, which seems inevitable with citrusses, you can look back on a lovely grapefruit, and can indulge in an other Miller Harris creation.
fzf905JeomiWogkig – :
Sharp and bright, somehow dry rather than juicy yet intensely refreshing. The grapefruit-rind zesty element is really strong, even verging on acrid, but so well rounded out with little grace notes of melon and moss that it just feels clean and fresh. No huge sillage but terrific longevity for a citrus; on me it goes for a good 4h+ as a scent cloud then lingers on skin up to 7h total. Certainly unisex, but pretty austere and natural and earthy, – also not sweet AT ALL – so it skews very slightly masculine, and definitely niche. Crisp and classy, but not cute or cuddly.
insokImmusemi – :
I bought this on a whim when I saw it cheap and have no cause to regret it! It’s not what I normally go for but I do love Miller Harris so I figured it would be fine. In fact I don’t really like grapefruit that much either.
But I do love this.
I don’t get tons of grapefruit, it’s more a fresh grassy herbal scent with a bit of citrus but it just feels so natural and just like Cassis En Feuille it makes me smile and want to walk somewhere beautiful.
Under the lighter top notes I get quite a bit of vetiver and oakmoss, I’m not mad on vetiver but I don’t mind this too much but it’s the top notes I prefer.
For a light citrus type this lasts quite well and projects passable too. I reach for it many mornings to wake me up and it’s gained a strong place in my collection!
kalligylla – :
Oh goodness… This should be called ‘Le Oakmoss!’ From the beginning I got an awesome pomelo & oakmoss punch to the nose but the citrus faded quickly and all I’m left with is a very realistic, thick, oily, herbal concoction. It almost had an Aramis vibe to it in the opening few minutes with all the oakmoss but now it’s kinf of settled and… No pamplemousse. Which kind of sucks because I’m on the hunt for a good Grapefruit or Pomelo soliflore (solifrutti?)
If you wait it out for about 10-15 minutes a very soft/faint citrus mist (probably the orange blossom) joins the moss and herbs but yeah, too little too late.
It’s okay as a unisex (skewing to male) scent but I feel a bit of false advertisement with that name. Well, the hunt continues…
pop_koRn – :
Beautiful, fresh and bright scent for spring and summer time. I can imagine wear this perfume, when I walking in the green forest and also very similar Verger from the line. But not pamplemousse in my opion.
dnn249 – :
Utterly fantastic. The grapefruit stays really citrussy and it makes me feel all wholesome and cool on a hot day.
dedbin – :
I sniffed this today and instantly said it was a copy of Memory of Kindness. Since I like that one this one appealed to me too. However, I subconciously accuse the maker of this that she is very strongly influenced by the masterpiece of Christopher Brosius. And I don’t forgive copying.
But if you’re not familiar with his work, don’t let my opinion stop you from trying, for it isn’t bad. The comments below quite nail it.
ufk252speagoessenda – :
This fragrance is maybe the most bitter smell that i have encountered. It’s smells like a fresh cutting cover of a grapefruit instead of the juice even though grapefruit is a little bitter.
I detect basil and vetiver wich gaves it a soapy clean effect.
A unique summer scent.
volchok.jr – :
too soft, vanish soon,not worth the penny
Dimitarr77 – :
Quite authentic, credible grapefruit well executed and well maintained (good staying power for a fresh citrus). There is an allusive green bitter undertone that comes and goes and makes it distinctive (for a while) from other dominant citruses. Although most of the time it reminds me of Miller Harris’ own Citrus Citrus. However, this one is more complex and longer lasting and somehow fresher. Would work better as a truly unisex fragrance, too. On the downside, it is somewhat one-dimensional, but it doesn’t claim to be anything else – grapefruit.
Maria Andreevna – :
Le Pamplemousse is quite a nice fragrance that goes though three completely different olfactive stages on my skin – it smells like three different perfumes that have nothing to do with each other.
On initial spray I feel almost smothered in sharp greenery – herbal sage, rosemary and loads of freshly cut grass.
I am not impressed with the opening as I had hoped for something completely different.
Here and there I smell my wrist again but the scent remains green and I forget about it.
Within the next hour the fragrance changes completely:
Now I smell tart, fresh, juicy grapefruit – this is what a grapefruit fragrance should smell like!
At this stage Le Pamplemousse is nothing but invigorating – it recharges my batteries and it makes me smile; I am convinced for now. 😉
I make my way home on the tube and forget about the fragrance but as soon as I am at home and through the door, I feel the urge to smell my wrist again.
Now, another hour on, Le Pamplemousse has changed again!
What I smell now is oakmoss and a hint of freshness, something that is very reminiscent of fresh but somehow still elegant summer colognes.
It is tending towards the masculine side, but it is certainly not a testosterone-enhancer.
Wow!
After three hours the fragrance is completely gone from my wrist and the low-sillage scent-adventure is over.
All in all, for me it is a “like” but it is not full-bottle-worthy.