Geranium Bourbon

I like the idea of a rose and geranium perfume: sweet rose and peppery geranium really bring out the best in each other, at least when the combination is done right. Unfortunately, that seems to be a hard thing to do, and most of the fragrances in this category I've tried seem to be just a little unbalanced to me. A little geranium goes a long way - when it's too dominant, the scent becomes sharp and botanical in a way that does nothing for my personal taste. On the other hand, when there's not too much of it, there's often so little it's hardly noticeable at all. So I had high hopes for this Geranium Bourbon, which from the bottle smells just right, an intoxicating garden scent of real roses and geraniums blooming together in the heat. And Eureka, it keeps it promise on the skin as well! It is quite botanical, sure, and very green in the opening - I agree with fragrancefriend: the opening is very much like crushed lemon geranium leaves. But all the way through, a wonderful rose shines through, bringing the crucial balance to the scent. As a whole, it's just very natural and very special. It dries down sweeter and richer, which I guess is what the Bourbon part of the name refers to, and I like that part as well; but the enchanted summer garden vibe of the opening and early heart are what's earned this one a high spot on my wishlist.

This is my favourite out of the Miller Harris range, closely followed by Coeur de Fleur. It was described to me in the London boutique (I was lost in Covent Garden) as a marriage between Rose Geranium and the Bourbon Rose. It's pungent of both, and I can really tell that the materials are natural - it stands out amongst my other perfumes. It's heavenly! In fact, it is different to all other perfumes I know. It is called a women's fragrance, I believe, because of the tonne of rose absolue. However, the aromatic herbs and spices push it over to unisex. A strong floral: bold and elegantly seductive.

I really like this scent. There is just something about it. The smell of geranium agrees with me. The geranium and rose play well together, with the patchouli and vanilla bringing up the rear. It is a bit unisex, and please don't be alarmed, but I think I have a freaky side to me. I smell a bit of blood in this fragrance (maybe bloody rose) and the smell of the blood is relaxing, yet intoxicating to me. Fresh, invigorating and sultry with a bit of blood on the side. Yeah I am a bit freaky I guess. I love the smell of it.

As someone heavily into orientals, I'm not a huge fan of rose but thought I should have one example in my wardrobe. Geranium Bourbon is the winner and I am now in possession of a hefty decant. The infusion of lemon and geranium cuts through the girly- girl sweetness of many of its cousins and gives it a delicate spicy accord. This is rose with a bit of a kick. A little more attitude than the polite Stella, with great staying power. This one is for me!

This is my signature scent and only just discovered it before it was discontinued. I bought 5 bottles to not run out for many years. I can detect many of the ingredients on the journey and feel powerful and a bit sexy wearing this. It lasts 7+ hours on me. Perfection in a bottle.

Every time I wear Miller Harris GERANIUM BOURBON, I remark that it leans toward the masculine end of the scent spectrum. It is somewhat bitter and quite aromatic, a bit woody, and not at all sweet. Often geranium is mixed with rose and sometimes red fruits in more feminine perfumes such as Annick Goutal QUEL AMOUR! Here, the geranium is at least unisex if not masculine, and I am bit surprised that it is marketed to women but not men. Probably the pepper and the patchouli are conspiring to make this seem slightly masculine. This is definitely not a "flowers and candy" perfume. The composition strikes a balance between refreshing aromaticity and lush florality. It's quite complex and smells completely natural with a greenish, somewhat herbal edge. Vanilla and violet are listed among the notes, but to me GERANIUM BOURBON is a huge pile of freshly cut bright red geranium flowers. I definitely recommend this splendid creation to both guys and gals for testing, as it offers a unique blend and the superlative quality typical of the house of Miller Harris.

The bourbon rose is a lovely highly scented double-cup rose not commonly seen in the United States. This is the bourbon that the perfume name refers to. Not the liquor, not Four Roses Whiskey. This scent opens with an almost sole fleur lemon geranium that warms to add an excellent rose note. After about half an hour it settles to an extremely accurate pleasant geranium that has the odd bloody note softened by the sweet lemon and rose. A sophisticated and extremely well done floral and a pleasant surprise. Sillage: reasonable: 2-4 ft Persistence: 4-5 hours, lovely drydown Fabulosity: spring garden Value to price ratio: reasonable 7/10

Ah its so lovely. Lyn Harris has made some delicious perfumes and this is one. I am not a huge fan of geranium on its own, it has kind of a harsh facet that I have never particularly enjoyed. I am, however, fan of palmarosa and amber which both show up here. This is a lovely, full, ambery fragrance that just gets rounder and fuller and more honeyed as the day goes on. There is true warmth to this scent and the same kind of comfort you get after getting in from the cold of a winters day outdoors and having an Irish coffee. It almost warms you up from the inside.

An interesting fragrance, very tart, almost sour with lots of geranium and very little rose. Musky with a touch of spice. There is a fair amount of powdery violet, and amber adds a very slight sweetness. Moderate sillage, good lasting power. I blind-bought this for my birthday last year, as I was having a major Miller Harris fan phase, but have always found it somewhat confusing and finally decided to sell it on. Still looking for my perfect vintage-feeling, non-potpourri rose; maybe I’ll have better luck with Rose en Noir?

On my skin, the scent smells straight up cardboardy. Maybe that's because I only have the scented balm (which, ladies, don't bother - it's the size of a pot of L'oreal eyeshadow and it was $55 - FIFTY FIVE - dollars). I'm going to write more later when the scent develops more on my skin. ok..I'm guessing that it's the balm that just stinks, because no one wants to smell like cardboard. And that's still all I get. :( Sad.

A little definitely goes a long way, I was slightly nervous, it sounds very, well, elderly by the notes and I was pleasantly surprised. Not so excited that I'll be buying another bottle, but it will be a nice change from my usual scents.

I purchased Geranium Bourbon because I love the smell of the leaves on my potted geraniums in the summer months. I will often pull off a leaf and hold it up to nose just to inhale it's scent. However for me, GB has a slightly bitter herbal edge and barbershop quality that I just can't get past.

I wore this last night as I wrote a paper. I had to keep stopping to jot down notes about what this fragrance conjured in me. From the bottle, I got the scent of old style, waxy lipstick. I was instantly 4 years old, sitting in between my parents in the front seat of the car, having my first taste of the sticky red stuff and not wanting to move my lips for the next hour for fear of messing it up. When I sprayed some on, things got much more intense. Suddenly I'm being hugged, tightly, by a great aunt or uncle, probably the one we were on our way to visit in my lipstick memory. The perfume is dry, dense, and aromatic to the fullest. Very reminiscent of old school colognes, without the cloud effect. It sits more lightly, with more modernity. About a half hour later I had to wash it off. I couldn't handle the flood of associations anymore, all of them so far removed from who I am and so connected to people much older than myself. I'll have to try it again, though. I need to know how long it takes to turn into the lipstick. I would wear that.

Despite having only three notes in common with Tweed by Lentheric, Lyn Harris has created a marvelous modern interpretation of my memories of the wonderfully retro 1970's Tweed. Geranium Bourbon leaves a magical trail on clothing taking me back to my childhood, the smell of my Great Aunts' silk scarves when playing dress-ups; an olfactive embrace from four inspiring women long gone but never forgotten. The geranium features prominently, flowers, leaves and stems, as does a soulful lemon with a handful of black peppercorns. Subtle rosy-patchouli wrapped up in a gentlewhispering of vanilla and violet working with ambery undertones constitute a trustworthy classic. It has been a few years now since I received GB directly from a Miller Harris Teahouse/Boutique in London, a surprise Mother's Day gift from my daughter when she lived in London. It is my hope that one day my daughter will catch a random whiff of Geranium Bourbon when I have crossed over and remember me with the same veneration as I do Aunts: Eden, Olga, Milly and Melba.

Geranium Bourbon from Miller Harris Perfumes is what I imagine Jo from Little Women smells like; it's willful and smart, and it's somehow both no-nonsense and very creative. It's got a very upfront "take me as I am vibe" which seems appropriate, as even though geranium is listed in the notes and it's the name of the perfume, it doesn't exactly smell like geranium...so you've got to judge it on its own merits... for what it is, rather than what it is not. And as for what it is, well. It's a sort of dry, sunny lemon grassy palmarosa, a sour green rose, bitter, musty black pepper, and some sort of aromatic woods. It's classified as a floral, but it's certainly not your typical offering from this category of scent; it's not at all sweet or spring or even summery, and the rose is a strange one. I guess I might say this is an herbal, woody autumn floral, and much like our girl Jo, one of a kind.

What a fresh, delightful yet perfumey scent this is. The opening notes to me are pure palmarosa ( similar to lemon grass) and geranium. Still, the lemony trace dominates. It's haunting! The silage at this point is quite strong, but after the first hour it subsides considerably. It's a joyous and energetic scent, but cold and elegant. A tiny little sweetness, not much, comes after the top notes calm down. The scent becomes woody, rosy, with just a dash an amber to give it depth. Very unique, I haven't smelled anything quite like it! I think this is a great daytime scent, as it is rather beautiful but not seductive enough to be worn at nighttime. Silage and lasting power are good, the bottle is nice, typical Miller Harris. Lovely!

If you are expecting to smell the velvety , earthy yet flowery smell of real geranium, don't buy this perfume. Having had a craving for geranium since using Kiehl's geranium extract serum - which *does* smell of geranium - and knowing geranium smell very well (I have many varieties in my Italian garden) I bought Miller Harris' Geranium Bourbon, from a review by another perfume lover who suggested it as the ultimate geranium soliflore. I'm afraid she couldn't have been more wrong. MHGB is a heavy floral, with green-ish elements similar somewhat to Terre d'Hermes, but it does NOT smell of true geranium. Instead, its palmarosa element is overpowering, its geranium inexistent, its rose cloying. Disappointed, I gave it away.

While it's true that this isn't another sweet flowery conglomeration, to my nose it smells of both geranium flower and the leaves. Childhood scent memory - Mom grew geraniums and the scent of the crushed leaves is unforgettable and spicy. I'm seldom concerned about what gender assignment is given to perfumes for any reason other than scent strength and how my skin seems to shed colognes and edts (non-gender specific reaction). On my skin it isn't sweetly feminine and that is absolutely no problem! Brisk, floral but not flowery, refreshing without bringing out any butch aspects. (hehehe)

This is a lovely, bright and powdery rose scent..... for going to bed in. It smells EXACTLY like a rose dusting powder. Everything is transparent, the cassis is a faint whisper supporting the composition and the rose is a very very powdery one. I don't smell any green or peppery notes in here. I can't say anything bad about the fragrance except that as a twenty something gal, I cannot be caught dead wearing this scent out and about lol. I would definitely get one for bedtime though if it were on a huge discount.

Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon starts out as an herbal lemony scent, like you would smell if you crushed a lemon geranium leave between your fingers. After a bit, it begins to smell less fresh and more boozy and rich like good bourbon or cognac (but less grape). I was pleasantly surprised at the lasting power and depth. I was expecting a soapy smell and instead this is a full blown adult fragrance.

Really love this. Yes I smell lots of geranium but also violets and roses in a wonderful powder puff way the vanilla adds a velvety softness. Didn't think I would love it this much from just looking at the notes. Positively transporting just magic in a bottle. Old fashioned in a good way five stars.

I recently received a sample of GB and I think I'm in love, or at least an intense crush. fragrancefiend's description is perfect... fresh, herbal, lemony at first, and then it warms up to a nice fresh, bourbon/liquor scent. Amazing job as always, which is standard for Miller Harris fragrances.

Dry, dusty, vegetal- the very evident rose is old and musty, and adds neither sweetness nor freshness. The overall effect is heavy, soapy and rather harsh. However, unlike some other Miller Harris scents it has both projection and longevity, so it scores in this respect at least!

Very natural, botanical or plant-like geranium and harsh vanilla scent. I can detect some greenish-pale, small and barely blooming rose too. I find it old-fashioned but not in a sexy and exciting way, it evokes associations of gardening. I like it more on a male, than on a lady.

I loved this one so much. Really well rounded, well blended, interesting and balanced. It conjures an intellectual but fun-loving woman with a red lip and a neat chignon. It’s how I imagine MFK Fisher would smell. My bottle went off quickly and I haven’t been able to replace it.

Just tried a sample of this. Fragrantica has this listed as a woman's fragrance but it is a man's fragrance to me. It's just not for me but I would like it on my husband.

Basic soapy, powdery scent which lasted 20 minutes max. Not worth the effort.