Miracle

A Litchi-Pepper-Ginger Dewdrop... To me this is first & foremost a litchi scent, but overall a litchi-pepper-shampoo scent. I've loved it since it was released in 2000. All the notes are there, however, and I can smell the pepper-ginger-mandarin in the heart, and jasmine-musk in the base, but everything seems to be working together to support the litchi theme with its dewy, tropical & fresh facets. There's also something near "pink" shampoo in the background, and pencil shavings on the skin. Into the drydown, everything starts to evolve into a magnolia & pink peony bouquet. When I first had this back in 2000, I wished it was stronger, but when I test it today it seems just right for this type of scent. The musk here is a bit forward until it macerates, but then everything comes together beautifully. I could imagine this being worn by Chloe Sevigny in the film American Psycho (2000), as a glowy veil of protection that keeps her from being fodder for her evil serial-killer boss, played by Christian Bale. This was one of the first in this genre, and the high-water mark imo for this type of dewdrop-pink-shampoo scent - hats off to master perfumers Alberto Morillas, Christian Dussoulier & Harry Fremont. It's a longtime love for me. 10/10. Enjoy! Contrast to Just Me Paris Hilton: These are different, although Just Me is inspired by Miracle. Just Me has a more forward woody accord, and to me it has something near suede-leather in the mix. Roughly equivalent performance. Contrast to Bright Crystal Versace: These are different, but again have similarities with the fruity pink shampoo vibe. Bright Crystal leans more raspberry-peony with a hint more tartness, while Miracle is spicier & leans more litchi. Roughly equivalent performance. Contrast to Cool Water Sea Rose Davidoff: These are different, but again have similarities with the fruity pink shampoo vibe, and there's something similar in the musk. Cool Water Sea Rose leans more peony-pear, while Miracle is spicier and leans more litchi. Roughly equivalent performance, or slightly better for Miracle. Update 05/27/25: Sprayed this on today, and I'm really enjoying it. A classic. Litchi is there in the opening with its pepper accent. Some subtle waxiness from the magnolia wafting up. Transition to the magnolia heart with ginger accent, and wow I'm floored once again by the artistry. When your nose is tired from all the heavy hitters, this really hits the spot. In this moment I feel I may never go back. Love it.

I'm not too sure I can do this perfume justice and explain it's beauty and complexity in words... Miracle is one that takes some time to appreciate, I truly think you need to live with it through seasons to see it's technical brilliance and see that it's more than just a crowd-pleaser fruity-floral. Maybe it's the simple bottle, the strawberry pink juice, or it's 2000's birth that make people talk it down but this is a true classic. No single note overpowers this composition and yet all of the notes are totally perceptible in perfect equilibrium. You lift your arm to your nose and you get a juicy tart litchi and at the same time freesia, and oh! jasmine and some orange and the kick of pepper and the warmth of ginger. All at once, impeccably blended, smooth, soft but there. I spray on skin, on clothes and through my hair and breathe in that bubble of scent in a moment of bliss. It manages to be both fresh and invigorating and uplifting, conjuring up the feeling of fresh starts, spring mornings and optimism and yet it's warm, cozy and comforting, like an embrace from someone you love or being curled up in a blanket on a crisp day- no small feat for any perfume to simultaneously elicit both responses - what mastery! Every day I wear this I'm surprised by it because in some weather the notes shine differently - not better or worse, just different, it develops differently, I perceive it differently. It's like taking the same route to work everyday but really opening your eyes and noticing something new each time. It has a versatility that should be applauded because whilst being elegant, it's also FUN. It's composed and yet somehow feels free spirited. It's approachable and still unique, it's likeable but has heaps of personality. It could suit so many tastes, fashions and moods. You could wear this to work, to dinner, a fresh spring day or a cozy autumn morning. Wear it for special occasions, wear it everyday religiously or wear it when you don't know what to wear. You will smell gorgeous. You will get your moneys worth and more! I don't find this generic at all and I don't understand the hate for it. Look past it's 2000's aesthetic, looks past a market oversaturated at times with fruity florals and see that this is something that has stood the test of time. Something that manages to evoke simultaneous transient feelings of coolness and warmth, newness and familiarity, memories almost forgotten and memories not yet created. Timeless.

I'm gonna start with the people here who seem to "hate" this or any other perfume....why do you feel the need to trash something so bad, just because you personally do not like it!? Just say it wasn't for you and leave it at that. Why do you want to ruin it for others who actually enjoy it or someone who might be thinking of trying it? It's just weird for me that people do that. If I don't like I perfume, I'll say it isn't for me and leave it at that. I won't compare it to bug spray or air freshener or whatnot. Geez, people, just be mature. OK, rant over. Miracle is my 20s in a bottle. I had and still have a huge collection of perfumes and I wore them according to my mood rather than occasion. Lancome Miracle was my girls day out fragrance. It made me feel girly, pretty and fresh. I didn't know I gravitate towards ginger notes until I saw the notes of this and Ralph Lauren Romance and a few of my other favorites and realized they all have ginger listed in their notes. I guess I like a spicy, zesty kick to my fragrances. I worked for Estee Lauder in my 20s and I had access to the entire range of EL fragrances and I still wore a lot of Lancome Miracle during my time there. Goes to show how lovely it felt to me. I feel the name could easily be Lovely and would suit the fragrance. Although SJP Lovely is another one of my signature scents along with Narciso Rodriguez Her EDT. These perfumes have in common their perfect blend of floral and sweet. They are neither too sickly syrupy sweet not just floral bombs. A perfect balance of flowers with some spice and sugar. Good times with Miracle...

2019 formulation. Still smells like Miracle, but like they added in some if the horrendous sweetness of LVEB to it in an attempt to keep the brand as uniform and mass appealing (for fans of LVEB) as possible. They have effectively poo-pooed this scent by over sweetening it as a way of keeping it modern. The style of this scent was not previously one of sugar sweetness. I owned this when it was first released and the scent was not wrapped in a dense coating of sugar like it is now. It's a real shame that the existence of LVEB (along with a million other similar scents) has equated to the brand's desire to make everything equally as sickeningly sweet. Yadda yadda... Still smells like Miracle. Miracle still hangs on in there, to some degree. The orangey (sweet satsuma, tangerine?) note is far stronger (and sweeter) than it was previously. Perhaps that is also a contributing factor to the overall elevation of sweetness. Still pleasant, still nice, but the added sweetness is really too much for me. Smells better from a distance, but as the wearer of the scent this is no consolation. Nice. But it was nicer before they sweetened it up so much.

Miracle is sparkly, fruity, floral, slightly sweet and tart, and clean as in a bit shampoo-y. It reminds me of Versace’s Bright Crystal, but it smells much nicer, fruitier, and better balanced in my opinion. Chanel’s Chance Eau Tendre and Ralph Lauren’s Romance are other scents I associate with it. In fact, now that I think of it, Miracle could be a nice, cheaper alternative to Eau Tendre. They could be sisters. Miracle smells very bright, happy, optimistic, and girly, while also being somewhat sophisticated for this type of scent (prob, because it’s not super sweet). Very charming and lovely in my opinion, perfectly suited for cheerful young women and for work/school. It’s crowdpleasing without being necessarily trendy. The only reason I can imagine someone disliking it is because it can smell a bit sharp like hairspray when worn in very cold weather. Shampoo-y scents aren’t by any means my favorite category, in fact I often find them quite boring, but something about Miracle sets it apart in my mind and I think it’s very pretty! I wear it now and then when I get the shampoo scent itch, lol.