At first glance, Myrica Muse looks rather uncomplicated. Fruits, rose and rum – how easily digestible for the olfactory senses… like a Pimms in the garden; straightforwardly delicious. However, this blend is anything but and it seems to show a different facet on every waft. It’s inspired by the ‘aperitif moment’ – the time when you just want to linger with the day – it’s not quite nightfall but you can sense it coming .
Miller Harris Myrica Muse FragranceI love the strawberry notes that remain throughout and even though I’m not all that familiar with bayberry, it’s not, apparently dissimilar to bay leaves with a dash of clover, which I am familiar with. A New York Times feature calls it ‘the scent of winter’, its real name is the name of the fragrance – Myrica, and you may have heard it called Bay Rum. So, the pinches of juicy fruit sit beautifully next to the sharper notes of Myrica and in fact, seem to soften them.
There’s a big burst of florals – strong ones, too, in the form of jasmine, lily of the valley, patchouli and rose – which you might expect to overtake the other notes, but they don’t. To my nose, they appear and disappear between the strawberry and the bottom notes of benzoin, musk, amber, sandalwood and vanilla. I couldn’t pick out the vanilla or the rum but the sandalwood and benzoin kicked in well into the wear. So, Myrica Muse unravels rather than revealing itself fully at the beginning. If you like fragrances that develop over time and are prepared to sniff it regularly (or miss the permutations) this is for you. I think this is one of the best Miller Harris fragrances I’ve come across – it’s very different but at the same time it has notes of familiarity so you don’t feel all at sea with it. Lovely. Prices start at £95 .