La Fumée Arabie
Miller Harris (2012)

A well put together dry incense creation with a slightly animalic oud and some cumin to keep things exotic (but not too much body odour smell), there are some flecks of vanilla and rose but hardly detectable, just enough to stop it being overly serious. Overall the main theme is incense and cedar with more woody nuances from oud..it is suitable for all seasons due to its dry character, good performance and a fairly sophisticated sillage, it is similar to a lot of woody incense fragrances ..but one of the better ones I've tried.

This smelled just awful to my novice, untrained, inexperienced nose.
Worst smelling cologne I've tried since TF's Noir Anthracite. Whereas that smells overly "masculine" (like burnt leather) this one smells definitely "feminine" (although I certainly wouldn't want to smell this on any lady I like).

This perfume smells like someone trying to cover-up the smell of a urine soaked diaper with cheap incense, spices, rose, vanilla and oud. And it's not the clean smelling, synthetic oud, no, it's the authentic, rough anamalic smelling, genuine oud - so it has that going for it too.

All in all, this is the worst smelling niche fragrance I've tried so far. Just not for me I guess.

I notice in the absence of much but sand and scrub and pines that I have come to wear La Fumee pretty much all of the time. For just like I wouldn't wear my beloved Shalimar to a zen retreat, its excesses can seem gross and unconscious in the starkness of the desert, too.

I experience Arabie as largely the same as the classic La Fumee, but with some additional facets and texture and contrasts noted by others. I do think I prefer it if I could only have one, for it loses none of the subtlety and classical beauty of what came before.

The inclusion of vanilla doesn't make it sweeter; if anything, it's drier and less sweet than the original. But - this seems to be key - the vanilla note is real botanical vanilla, so its woody aspect amplifies the other woods instead of softening or sweetening them. Makes for a gorgeous and warm and discreet drydown that wouldn't be out of place at a zen retreat.

La Fumee with a twist...

This is a really great incense fragrance. Like La Fumee before this, it is an labdanum and incense combination which is a winner.

The fragrance itself is dry and full of depth. The cardamom and dry cedar, coriander and other "dry" ingredients really add to this composition. To put it this way, this perfume definitely has a "mood" about it. It is a concept perfume which is designed to transport you into a world. A world of candles and spices and woods and mystery. It is incredibly evocative. I do like it very much.

Sadly, the downside to this one is that it does smell quite similar to the original La Fumee. Because of that, if this one costs more (reportedly) then I would have to suggest buying the original. The only discernible difference here is that (to me) it is more woody. There is a heavier emphasis here on the dryness of the woods than anything else. If you want the original with more of a dry, woody vibe, this is for you. However the original, with it's sweet, dry ambery incense balance is still the original benchmark, and a "classic" in it's own right. Still, this just goes to show, Miller Harris rarely does a bad perfume. Extremely high quality stuff here. Perfume as artistic expression.

This is a good, dry incense scent. The oud is extremely restrained. A simple, dry spice profile. Wood and leather notes in the dry-down. Classy and elegant.

As a lover of La Fumee, I was very keen to try these flankers.

Arabie is pretty solid. It tones down the burning church aspect of the original and adds some extra spice. The opening is very reminiscent of Fueille de Tabac and I suspect this is nothing more than a slight fusion of the two (not a bad thing as they are my two most used Miller Harris scents.) It's a lovely scent but I find it doesn't stick about long. The base notes seem even weaker than the original.

Having tried four of the flankers, I'm left with the overall sensation that they're just a tad redundant. They don't really differ enough from the original to surprise and delight and I'm not sure they merit their hefty price tag. In fact, they don't, and this is only underscored by the fact that the original La Fumee has been put in the same gold topped/labelled bottle and a whopping £60 extra added to its price tag. Silly!

It's definitely different enough from the original to merit trying but if you own La Fumee and Feuille de Tabac already, it's probably not worthy of a purchase (unless you find it discounted.) If you don't own Le Fumee, go for the Intense version as it's the best of the flankers. The composition is a better, more rounded, sparkling, fizzing version of the original and lasts a hell of a lot longer on the skin.