Miel de Bois (2005)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

At first I loved this honey scent (I really don’t know why so many people are disgusted by it). However, it’s so light and linear that I eventually found it quite boring. In addition, its sillage and longevity are below average.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

this is a love or hate scent and really depends on body chemistry. it is very sensual on me and i do not get the cat urine odour at all. It suits my chemistry I do not wear it any more because it smells exactly like my ex's body odour and breath during intimate moments. i loathe his memory , but still love the scent. 2 stars were taken away because memory and desire can quickly turn into anger and loathing, and spoil a fragrance

As a newbie at this fragrance reviewing lark, it's time for me to confess that my experience of perfume has been a love/hate affair. There are hardly any fragrances I can wear that don't make me feel physically nauseous - something to do with synthetic ingredients possibly. I was introduced to the world of Serge Lutens by in an amazing perfume 'pharmacy' in Devon called Woodfordes. After smelling lots of very traditional brands (the likes of Calvin Klein, DKNY, Chanel et al are off my list) I was introduced to Miel de Bois. I was intruiged. Previously I had loved Jo Malone's Ginger and Nutmeg, and Wild Fig and Cassis, so the sweet spicyness of Serge's MDB caught me in its grip.
Unlike many reviewers I can't smell the cat-pee/urinary quality, instead on my skin after about ten minutes it smells wonderfully of burnt honey.. a very 'rude' scent almost! I love it, but couldn't imagine wearing it on a hot day... so 'hot' itself! It's woody, slightly spicy, very treacle tart!

This is the first Lutens I loathe. Unfortunately this is not a "this is too weird to love" reaction many have to various Lutens' fragrances, this is the reaction of someone encountering a fragrance at once bland, loud, over-sweet and inaccurate.

Sugar, and something like sawdust. Mostly just pure, searing sweetness, though. This does not smell like honey to me, and if anything, puts me in mind of Nasomatto Duro's tinned-frosting effect.

Something nasty and complex and urine-smelling might have been better than what this fragrance IS.

Lasts an eternity, as I found from my repeated unsuccessful attempts to wash it off...

This must be one of the weirdest scents I've sampled. The best way to describe it is "honey and cooking grease." It is strangely appealing, but can also be nauseating -- the line is that thin between the two reactions, depending on the proportion of grease vs honey I can smell at any given time. It's an insidious scent with great staying power; the miasmas do not lose strengths for hours even after a light application. I can imagine someone wearing Miel De Bois strictly for kicks, but I don't see myself spending my hard earned money on this.

Honey to some smells like a certain liquid human-waste product which the debate upon which Kouros is famous. The honey in Miel de Bois leans towards the floral side. Unexpected from the Serge Lutens line, a light sweet woody fragrance... that goes no where expect to an abrasive splinter of wood. Not for me.