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чупакабра2011 – :
Another work of pure unmatchable Genius from Miller Harris. This is as near as you can get to En Passant without BEING En Passant – insofar as it is undeniably French and evocative, yet completely devoid of the darling lilac note which makes En Passant so wonderful. YET …. it IS wonderful in it’s own right, like when you have two beautiful ladies wearing the same coat, and when both unbutton, they are wearing the same dress underneath, yet in different pastel colours. La Pluie is damp. It is spring in a bottle, it’s my home village where spring takes on an amazing meaning every time it comes around in it’s unfettered jubilance, cartwheeling down the back streets onto the Marsh, dodging the cows heavy with calf who gaze at you with eyes which convey a detached interest matched only by that patch of lovely grass over….there. Somewhere the is a photograph my son took of me, sitting on a verdant bank on said marsh, with Hawthorn trees shimmering their new leaves which the horses love to delicately nibble from the branches. I am wearing pastel pistchio green, ivory and taupe and a pair of pink and white rabbit ears. That is La Pluie. Joyful, welcoming, floral, moist, delighted, verdant, arms spread wide to the sky to welcome the begin-again. Love it.
татар – :
What I like about Lyn Harris it’s her ability to make very evocative perfume. It’s was the case with L’air de rien (old books, dusty librairies). She done it again with La pluie. A very beautiful perfume but different. On the first sniff a ”strange” note/accord hit my nose. Something that smell like willow. Wet willow. It’s exactly the smell I like after a summer rainy day when my balcony willow carpets are wet. The combination of the wet foliage, flowers and this beautiful and unusual wet note. Thank you Lyn Harris. La pluie is so unique.
agent5339 – :
Miller Harris is one of my current favourite fragrance houses (along with Penhaligon’s and Guerlain). Although not as bold or surprising as some of their other gems, La Pluie shares what to me is MH’s defining characteristic: a kind of damp dustiness, usually green and aromatic.
Judging by many Fragrantica reviews, perfumes certainly seem to us enthusiasts to have personalities – or at least, to magnify facets of their wearers’ personalities – and La Pluie reminds me of a kind and gentle friend; a good listener who is both calming and cheers you up. La Pluie is sweet and soft, warm and comforting as an everyday scent, but still unusual enough never to feel boring.
Dies down quickly to a skinscent, which lingers the better part of a day as a sweet and slightly spicy ylang-ylang. I wish the wheaty opening lasted a bit longer.
This is a scent I reach for on autumn and spring days, in the rain.
rusxxx10 – :
Nothing about this fragrance suggests rain- it’s basically a nice-enough smelling ylang with disappointing longevity/potency…
I’m a bit underwhelmed…
daniell08 – :
What an odd scent. I got this swapping and I can’t quite decide what to make of it. I don’t like it at first spray, it seems to be a sharp, indistinguishable melange, but I really love the dry down. It actually reminds me strongly of my grandmother wearing Chanel no. 5, in the heavy basenotes, plus the strong scent of ylang-ylang. I think this will smell great in the summer (for me, after waiting 20 mins after spraying!)
rolexreplica33807 – :
Floral Aquatic?? Look at the notes . . . cucumber makes it aquatic? More like a gorgeous Oriental Floral folks.
But no matter the label – I love it!
KapustaWynikQ – :
Such a pretty fragrance – like the fresh breath of a garden after the rain. Without having seen the note list, I was sure that this was absolutely packed with orris butter and that’s where the bread-y/yeast-y aspect was come from. Instead it seems to come from actual wheat!
I’m scratching my head trying to smell the ylang. Perhaps the simple fact that I love this is enough to indicate it’s presence, as ylang is by far my favorite floral note.
On me, this was fresh (maybe this is what they mean by “aquatic”?) sweet and floral, light and simple. It didn’t seem to evolve much but is one of these durable, unperturbable accords that that smells unique, quietly beautiful and fresh for hours regardless of circumstance.
Edit: Wearing this again at a more standard dosage rather than my tiny testing spray and all I can think is “How Is It I Didn’t Smell The YLANG?!?!” This is almost a ylang soliflore. I guess it speaks to how different perfume smells at different concentrations and expectations. It’s still very beautiful. The pairing of wheat and ylang is pure genius. It smells like ylang but distorted by the wheat in a way that removes all the rubbery weirdness and emphasizes the fresh prettiness. Such a love.
valelele – :
Ooops, I did it again! Saw a good deal online, read a few reviews on Fragrantica and then went in for the kill. Well, the blind buy, that is. At the same time I blind bought Arpege, thinking it’s one of the classics I should give a try. When will I ever learn?
You may think this is a prelude to a general lamentation on the failings of blind buys in general and La Pluie in particular. Actually that is not the case. Blind buying is probably unwise, but can be strangely satisfying, pretty much like indulging in chocolate.
When the parcel arrived, I sprayed La Pluie on one wrist and Arpege on the other. As they settled, I noticed that they were in fact sisters, or at least cousins. Arpege was full bodied and bold, while La Pluie was delicate but of strong personality. It was as if Arpege had leaned down over a pool of water to catch her reflection, and found – La Pluie!
Just like so many others, I find nothing acquatic about this fragrance. It is the strong ylang ylang combined with jasmine and white flowers which define La Pluie, and that’s also the source of resemblance to Arpege.
I decided to bring my bottle of La Pluie to work, thinking this would be the perfect scent for office: Soft, remarkably energising and with moderate sillage and longevity. It turns out to have been a brilliant move, since I have never received so many compliments ever. Just the last couple of days, colleagues have said things like “I followed your trail of scent down the corridor; it is absolutely amazing”, and “What’s that skin lotion you’re using? It is so lovely!” Apparently I underestimated the sillage?
UPDATE September 2018: Still my most complimented perfume ever!
IGROKOM – :
No idea why this is categorized as Floral Aquatic. Vanilla Floral or Yellow Oriental or whatever is more like it….Thank goodness the aquatic horror word didn’t stop me from taking a chance by ordering blind. La Pluie is a warm fluffy vanilla ylang ylang cloud, a balanced composition that reminds me of a warm tropical yet not necessarily humid environment. It feels pleasantly powdery on me. During the first hour or two, projection was noticeable but then it mellowed down to a skin scent. I don’t get much of a green or wet vibe here. It’s a snuggle up scent, sophisticated – if I didn’t know I might have mistaken it for a Guerlain. One of my best blind buys ever (and I made many) as well as a Miller Harris that blows me away.
esSectict – :
Donning La pluie in a rainy and grey morning, perhaps, is the most sensual experience one can have. Green, very green opening of ylang ylang then a dash of warm vanilla, yet won’t suppress the delicate dry vetiver. Imagine waking up in the heart of a rainy tropical jungle, seeing mosaic of the blue and dark green atmosphere under the old trees, hearing the water slightly dripping on the thatched roof, maybe thunder rumbling somewhere, smelling big rotten pieces of wood wafting in the humid air, and feeling the warmth of your beloved… A scent that is both self-indulgent and inviting enough not to make your lover feel left out.
La pluie is a beautiful scent indeed, and the nose behind it is truly a genius.
Александр1964 – :
I like the fragrance. Very mild ylang-ylang flowers with hidden hint of vanila and wheat. Soft, near body, develops in time.This kind you never meet in streets… original. Souds expensive and rear. I would not call it sweet and or aromatic. It is mild – not sweet… such round wet smell. Very nice.
Риллок – :
La Pluie is such a beautiful floral fragrance. The ylang reminds me so much of my vintage Samsara, but a more versatile, softer and more natural composition that can be easily worn to the office or in close quarters, keyed way down.
I find ylang ylang such an alluring flower with its rich, buttery headiness and indolic vegetal, green undertones, much as icecube describes as dandelion leaf. It’s humid, fatty, voluptuous, but then tempered with white flowers and a soft, airy vanilla.
The lavender and citrus notes are not overt but add some aromatic interest that lifts La Pluie into sweet, dynamic vapor. Cassia bark (cinnamon) and vetiver also balance this fragrance with a little earthy dryness so that the florals don’t languish heavily.
Wheat is not discernable. Perhaps it adds a romantic allusion like the sweet aroma from a fresh baked loaf of bread. In any event, La Pluie is that romantic scent — beautiful, alluring, feminine, lush, wearable, floral, woody, balmy, vanillic, magical.
wedun – :
Despite the name, I’m not getting anything watery or aquatic at all – and I’m totally fine with that.
I get fleshy white florals, humidity, tropical flashbacks and sweetness. When I wear it, it feels warm and lived in, as though I put it on yesterday.
akmal-k – :
Like a magician, a great chef can make you fall in love with foods you’ve disliked in the past. Miller Harris is that olfactory chef for me. First with La Fumee, they made labdanum-amber enjoyable for the first time. And here with La Pluie, they’ve worked their magic with ylang. While voted high on the Main Notes, I didn’t even *realize* these accords were in there. In fact, their frags are so masterfully blended, that it’s often hard to *pick out* any single note.
Out of the below reviews, I most resonate with Majesty, who calls La Pluie a “humid vanilla”. And like cedriceccentric, I’m in the minority for barely registering the ylang note at all. This is overall highly refined and office-friendly. It’s doubtful there’ll be any complaints, even in overdose.
kiss4 – :
Considering its name,I decided to wear it the first time while there was a gentle Indian summer rain. The scent indeed is watery,but almost like a delicious mud made of flower petals and chalk,with some metal sprinkled over. Then later in the day i sensed a cake coming from somewhere,and then in the evening when i could swear that all of the perfume disappeared,while lying in my bed,a whiff of the scent Turkish carnations came from my wrist and i was transported to our neighbors garden circa 1987.
Sensuously pleasant surprises.
serejka75 – :
As a few already mentioned, the opening is very green, it takes me back to early spring when the first tiny leaves start to show on the birch trees. Very fresh and quite safe. Then something happens. I just smelled my wrists again and the white flowers have just come forward. They are very subtle and there is something smokey to it too. A very nice every day scent.
Efim_84 – :
Starts out very green on me – similar to sniffing a dandelion leaf – before putting it in my healthy spring sallad.
Little by little the vanilla comes trough blended with a very smooth variant of Ylang-ylang.
I can understand why it is called la pluie as there are a watery feeling lingering around – especially in the opening.
After a while it becomes quite powdery/dusty/damp.
Then the flowernotes breaks trough and the dustiness fades away.
I can notice there are more flowers but ylang-ylang is the most dominate note throughout.
The perfume is at its end state very yummy and sweet.
It stays mostly close to the skin – and I can even smell it a day after if I put my wrist to my nose.
Projection is very weak and that is what I think really lacks in this otherwise nice composition.
.
zmey23 – :
Blind bought, and not regretting it one bit. Somehow the flowers manage to be warm and cozy as well as seem fresh and in bloom at the same time. Not just for women, I feel this is a floral a man can wear very comfortably if he would be inclined to do so. I know I am.
Personally I do not pick up on the aquatic part. Like someone said earlier I too was kind of afraid of this being aquatic like some designer scents for men are, but nope, I’m not getting any of that.
There is some sweetness to it, but it seems to be just the right amount. Almost feels like the natural sweetness from the flowers even though there’s the very, very subtle vanilla in the drydown.
Really enjoying this one. Glad I got the bigger bottle, because this one will be seeing a lot of use this summer and coming fall.
kyzapunk – :
How is it that this scent shares not one note with Juliette Has a Gun Citizen Queen, yet I get a strong similarity between them? (I say similarity, please don’t jump on my neck) I must say this one is much tamer and slightly greener, like someone might say its younger sister. But it does remind me of Citizen Queen every time I spray it.
ffy094intitytek – :
The scent of star jasmine has been captured perfectly here. Not the common jasmine, this a different type of plant the small white flowers are similar but have a distinctive ‘windmill’ shape. The scent is unmistakable, and for anyone who is a fan of that warm, heady all too familiar perfume that saturates the air wherever the bushes are to be found, this one is for you.
stasek75 – :
So common, no sillage no longevity! Just a lemon lemon lemon. There is nothing else.
Luis_Figo – :
To describe my experience with La pluie I have to quote sherapop word to word…
”I suspect that the name of Miller Harris LA PLUIE has engendered plenty of dashed expectations. This perfume opens very briefly with a watery quality vaguely reminiscent of damp wood. From there, however, the composition proceeds with dispatch to a fairly strong ylang-vanilla drydown, so much so that I am reminded of Guerlain AQUA ALLEGORIA YLANG VANILLA.
All stages considered, I would have to say that this is much more of a floriental than an aquatic perfume. As a simple, not-too-sweet floriental, LA PLUIE is nice, provided that one likes ylang-ylang. A lot.”
This is what it is and may I add that to me it doesn’t evoke the smell of rain whatsoever. Maybe in the very beginning there’s a faint hope of it with a brief 10-second damp wood smell, but that’s it. Also, quite strangely, on my skin it smells almost unbelievably too similar to Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood and all the way linear… infinite ylang ylang and vanilla. Sweet, not super sweet, but too sweet for me.
снайпер12 – :
I am a long time fan of Aprés l’Ondée which remains an unsurpassed masterpiece of perfumery impressionism.
La Pluie by Miller Harris is the contemporary correspondent of Guerlain’s chef d’oevre under not European but tropical skies.
La Pluie opens fresh and a bit sharp – black currant, tangerine and lavender setting the introduction in an admirable way.
Do you get the impression of rain? I am not sure but certainly the imagery conveyed is beautiful: I do feel transported under African sky at sunset. I know there’s nothing African in these three notes but those lurking from behind are giving directions for what has to come.
Wheat is the bridge to the drydown: vanilla, ylang, jasmine, vetiver and they go on forever. The more they melt with your skin, the more natural and distinctive the impression of something tropical appears in your mind.
I would not pair this with Fleur des Comores or other tropical vanilla scents, La Pluie is very European in taste, I would say very French, even very Art Deco.
It’s a beautiful experience, a beautiful floral, sweet scent very far away from many nauseating sickeningly tin-of-sweets perfumes of today.
In a word
BEAUTIFUL
gmt011Negeltzex – :
I love this scent, and I’m not even a ylang-ylang fanatic. But it’s rendered here beautifully, and the dry-down is where La Pluie really happens: a slightly dirty rain, definitely a humid summer rain, with an expertly blended vanilla and vetiver base that is well-balanced. The vanilla doesn’t go syrupy and the vetiver doesn’t go harsh. It’s just a gorgeous humid aromatic floral.
I wear La Pluie in warm rainy weather, and my cool rainy weather scent is L’Ombre Dans L’Eau. They’re incredibly different but they both evoke a dampness, just in different ways. I love having go-to rainy day scents that seem to complement the weather. For me, neither are at their best in hot, dry weather or extreme cold, so I look forward to the rain since it’s a treat for me to splash on these favorites!
nikitast – :
two words:
ylang
ylang
it is lovely…
like looking at a beautiful female statue sparkling in a fountain on a hot day.
a truly beautiful rendition of ylang, jasmine and green woods.
yes aqueous. wet flowers.
it is not turning into a floriental on me (phew!) the vanilla is light and fixes the greens in the composition, and lifts the florals. it isn’t adding sweetness that isn’t already there. there is the green sweetness from the ylang, but nothing gourmand going on.
it doesn’t smell like “Petrichor” = “the smell of earth after rain”. for some reason, i expected this…mostly because Harris’s l’air de rien smells like petrichor!
there’s no sweet musty hot damp/dry soil vegetal thing going on.
this is indeed rain. summer rain…in a flower garden, dripping over massive wet shiney leaves in a steamy place where the flower scent lingers all day long.
ylang is used for relaxation, balancing hormones and lifting dark moods, as well as being considered rather romantic. so if you love ylang, then you truly must give this a go! enjoy….and relaaaaaxxxxx….whilst listening to the pitter patter of raindrops.
EDIT: i’ve been wearing this non-stop since it arrived…it seems i cant get enough of that Ylang Ylang. what a perfume! day or night.
This is different to all the other florals in my collection.
unusual and really pretty, yet slightly intoxicating (in a good way).
i love the Miller Harris perfumes i have.
filin-2 – :
I love this. Smells nothing like rain on the soil. More like how you would imagine rain to smell in a garden of flowers, in your mind in a fairy tale. Refined and feminine. As if the flower essence in your imaginary garden marries the clear blue liquid falling from the sky, to form a transparent delicate fluid. This would be MH La Pluie. Can be worn day and night. Lots of it.It’s light and can be worn for work or for dinner. Inoffensive. It says ” Expensive” Class and sophistication. An I can’t go wrong fragrance. Good for a business meeting. Or meeting the parents. Nonchi but correct. Adds confidence and elegance.
A blind buy in a flash sale. A grat addition to my collection.
shtukatyi – :
La Pluie (the rain)…..I love this perfume and let me tell you why….I love summer rain, I love it since I was a child. I love to feel the raindrops falling on my face – it has always made me smile (maybe I’m odd, but I avoid to use umbrella when it rains ;-)). And I love the smell of wet earth, trees and flowers, the odor of dusty raindrops and the sensation of warm humidity all around you….La Pluie is all this, perfectly captured in the bottle…
La Pluie is gentle, but complex. It opens with damp woody lavender-vetiver and evolves into sweet powdery ylang-jasmine-vanilla composition. I do not detect it aquatic in any stage, it’s humid, wet but not aquatic…I would categoeize it as aromatic floriental perfume. It has a bit similar vibe as Apres l’Ondee, but less severe. La Pluie’s wearer loves rain, enjoys it, while who wears AlO waits the rain be over (I love both, though!)…
Silage moderate, longevity 6 hours.
rtsf – :
La Pluie on me is a humid vanilla. Remind me of those rainy days when outside smells like “‘sweet” earth. A bit musty and eventually too sweet for my liking. Sweet earthy jasmine with a huge doze of vanilla. Quite earthy reminiscent of humidity! At the end it gives me a headache and a nauseating feeling therefore it has to go.. Good lasting power and decent silage..
ocbmetal – :
On my skin it’s a more powdery and subtle version of Chanel No19. Not as sharp green, but mild, cold, natural powder. Very nice!
harri – :
If you are onto chypre-fruity or gourmandish or tropical scents, this is NOT for you. This smells herbal green. High quality of herbal green. As I am specialized in chypre-fruity fumes, I can even not properly describe it. Next please!
klabster – :
I find this to be a very wearable tropical floral, of course great for summer but also fine for a cold and rainy winter’s day and no one will think of suntan oil. I agree with others that the ylang-ylang is very prominent, but it’s the other slightly cooler more aromatic notes that keep this from being too sweet.
sane444ek – :
Before I tested La Pluie I was wondering whether it would manage to capture the wonderful scent of warm rain on a summer night – complete with moist grass and all sorts of other plants and greenery.
Or maybe the scent of a thunderstorm about to strike (as the press release suggested)…
On my skin La Pluie is nothing like it.
The top is quite aromatic, a little bitter, definitely fresh, cool and even somewhat marine; I am surprised because I find the opening quite masculine.
While the fragrance dries down it changes completely.
The white flower notes come out more and more, they feel dense and really moist!
The most prominent notes on my skin turn out to be ylang-ylang and orange flower, surrounded by a sweet vanilla veil and with a hint of smoke blown into the fragrant potion.
To my nose it does not smell like rain, but more like shelter from the rain, like hiding out in a beach hut at night, waiting for the rain to stop… which, in the end, actually makes perfect sense!
La Pluie’s sillage is about average but the lasting power is quite impressive – I had not expected it to last more than 6 hours.
Also I need to note that the fragrance feels more and more concentrated the longer it is on my skin; I think this is quite unusual but very nice!
один – :
I suspect that the name of Miller Harris LA PLUIE has engendered plenty of dashed expectations. This perfume opens very briefly with a watery quality vaguely reminiscent of damp wood. From there, however, the composition proceeds with dispatch to a fairly strong ylang-vanilla drydown, so much so that I am reminded of Guerlain AQUA ALLEGORIA YLANG VANILLA.
All stages considered, I would have to say that this is much more of a floriental than an aquatic perfume. As a simple, not-too-sweet floriental, LA PLUIE is nice, provided that one likes ylang-ylang. A lot.
uliay – :
Lovely!
A watery cucumber and clean lavender opening. The heart is floral in a lush but abstract way, think of a tropical greenhouse. I can’t really single out the ylang from the jasmine, it doesn’t smell of indole or white flowers either. The base with it’s skin-like woody musk softens it all. It’s a sexy somewhat dirty musk like in fragrances pre-1950s. This gives, like in other Miller Harris creations, a vintage quality to it all, thought its watery elements make it very contemporary.
I get 3 to 4 hours of it, but got compliments about it at moments when I thought it had already completely evaporated. Maybe it’s the musky base that gives me scent fatigue.
tanyaceten – :
Fresh floral with aquatic elements…
A fresh, citrus floral opening with a fruity touch…
It is very nice for spring and summer because you get a fresh and wet feeling out of this!The openin reminds me very much the GUY LARoche Fidji but the dry down becomes more flowery and grassy when the vetiver stands out of the base notes.
It has good lasting power and i give it 3.5/5.