Coeur de Fleur (2000)
by Miller Harris

Like a Valentine bouquet in the shape of a heart, Coeur de Fleur offers sweets, but this is not the tooth-piercing sugar rush blasting from so many candied fragrances today. I’m more of a “floral girl” than a “fruity girl” but I appreciate the fresh, never dominating mix of peach and raspberry in CdeF.

In fact, Coeur de fleur combines the dulcet tones of four different scent families: fruit, floral, gourmand, and resin. Jasmine and sweet pea hold up to the fruit, while mimosa and iris add just a hint of earthiness. There must be only enough vanilla and amber to anchor the other sweets; neither note stands out on its own, but instead they harmonize to create a slightly peppered, cream base. As the name suggests, flowers compose the heart the blend, and I believe they give it a timeless appeal.

The dry down is what I call “clean sweet”—a category I’ve coined to describe the refreshing character of a few timeless floral scents such as the original versions of “L’Air du Temps” and “Aniaïs Anaïs,” fragrances that defied trends and typologies. While both are drier than Coeur de Fleur, I find that the three share a sort of olfactory integrity.

Coeur de Fleur pays tribute to the spectrum of sweetness available in fragrance, a variety of distinct elements too often blended elsewhere into a heavy, one-note goo. While I prefer other Miller Harris concoctions, such as the spicy, rich Fleur orientale, or the yummy, dirty l’Air de rien, I would recommend Coeur de Fleur to fruity-floral lovers. It has decent sillage--not too loud--and it lasts 3-4 hours. This chic, sophisticated interpretation of perfumery’s sweet gamut demonstrates the benefits of using restraint to achieve fragrant depth and dimension.

This is a really nice fresh floral that is well balanced and very pretty. It just becomes too sweet for my tastes, but it does remind me of fresh sweet pea blossoms, mimosa, raspberries, and all other light and "pink" summer flowers.

A very feminine, fruit laden floral, that is almost impossibly cheerful in its early stages. This only briefly attained the neutrality that would have made it possible for me to carry this off, and sadly this period was in the twilight of its power, shortly before evaporation. That said, there is much to enjoy, not least the inexorably optimistic and uplifting aura that this possessed in the early hours. This is most definitely a feminine fragrance that would be a tremendous fillip when applied early in the morning.

Ach, where do I begin. This is so lovely and ladylike and womanly, without being prissy. I was bowled over.

As with the other Miller Harris scents, it does boast a high element of natural essences, therefore somebody who suffers with hayfever may have to do some juggling with it.

Def. loverly tho.

A fruity / floral fragrance — “lightness” is the byword because it’s not quite as sweet as several other fruit fragrances I’ve encountered, and because the scent stays close to the skin — not a lot of sillage. The primary fruit in the fragrance is peach, which I am not usually a fan of, so I consider this well done simply because it doesn’t bother me. The fragrance features a very catching fruity opening that is sweet, with a touch of the sharpness of the raspberry leaf. The middle florals are restrained, too, and form a delicate floral note. Unfortunately, the floral note is almost overwhelmed by the peach from opening. The florals continue into the soft, translucent base of amber and iris — I don’t get much vanilla until the very end of the long lasting dry down, where it continues the translucency and delicacy. Coeur de Fleur is neither a sensual nor an elegant creation — it is an innocent and delicate casual scent, making it quite a bit more feminine than masculine. I don’t see it as unisex.