l'eau de parfum #2 Spiritus / land
by Miller et Bertaux

Miller Et Bertaux Spiritus Land #2: #2 embraces skin with sparkling notes of tender juicy herbs and a deft hand of spices. it's almost like Franceso Smalto Ph to an extent. only with #2, the quality and smell takes it 30 levels further interms of quality. The tranparency with which this scent exudes it's shimmering quality is purely remarkable. The way spices have been handled in this one is not a step shy from being a masterpiece. i dont detect any prominent notes of thyme or ginger..well, call it a unique blend. However, the image that it evokes for me is " light green" especially betel leaf blended with lovely notes of woods...the scent progresses to harmonize and blend with the skin in a way i have never (and i mean never) experienced before...the soothing quality, the serene nature...and the unique set of progressions makes it 3 different perfume in one. The Top Notes smells nothing like it's mids and the mids nothing like the base notes. just to give a hint, the basenote smells like a refined version of Costes by Hotel Costes. smooth notes of sandalwood treats you with deft touch of incense by mids to basenotes (the quality of incense? non parellel). i'm overwhelmed to say the least. This ones a must have or at least, must test.

Herbal and heady. Very, very herbal. Rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, ginger, they're all here in an irrational conglomerate. If you like to smell like a spice rack of green herbs then so be it.

A beautiful, rich opening: not really green and not really abstract – but a denial and an affirmation of the two. I don’t know what to make of it except that it is unique and special. It immediately has almost a narcotic effect – it has the ability to sooth and calm. After fifteen minutes of studying the opening, I still can’t confidently identify the notes, even though there is nothing strange or exotic in the accord. I believe Scentemetal said that the key note is laurel – bay: I think he’s right. I should have recognized it because I have used Bay Rhum for years, but this bay is beautifully modified into a wonderfully meditative accord… Its use presents an oxymoron: strange familiarity. The middle notes move to more familiar territory: a mild, gentle, just barely incense and a mild, gentle, just barely tobacco … surrounded by an amalgam of gentle spices and dirt. It works. The base provides an excellent sandalwood accord still tinged with the remnants of bay and incense, and gently hugging the skin. I can’t say that I have smelled a fragrance quite like this before, but its uniqueness and originality are only small parts of its attraction. #2 Spiritus / Land just plain smells great, is beautifully refined and balanced, has excellent longevity, is very wearable, and does wonderful things for my mindset and my relationship to the universe. This is a gotta have.

Miller Bertaux #2 Spiritus/land is a very rich fragrance that I think has a magical seducing quality that seems to envelop you and immerse you in its world. Very elevating and warming. Deep spices open the scent and lead to a hypnotic incense and earthy vetiver/tobacco finish. There is probably all kinds of warm spice and incense ingredients in this mix that all lead to a very nice, quite masculine and spicy fragrance. Very similar to Parfum Generale Coze 2 in the great mix of spices and ethereal elevating quality, but instead of chocolate/sativa oil basenote as in the Coze 2, the Spiritus/land ends with tobacco/frankincense base. It has become one of my favorites.

I would say this is very comforting and relaxing. However, the name to me implied more of an earthy dirty incense, not a clean soapy pretty one. Very soapy to my nose, and after reading of the pickled-ginger note, I agree with that as well. Not bad by any means, just not what I was expecting.

For the first three hours, this was sandalwood soap for me. The image was so strong that I could see the tappered bar of light beige sandalwood soap in a wooden dish. That was it. Then, after three hours or so the oriental incense and other herbal notes and a little citrus came in as the scent died down. Very nice, this has a interesting evolution. This stuff is etheral and calm. The words mild and unique also come to mind. A very nice unobtrusive, personal fragrance that is down an entirely different street than any of the currently popular fruits or sweets containing colognes.

Joe