Powdered Veil

oh my goodness does this smell exactly like what i didn't know i needed. it is the only perfume with the, in this case, literally bourbon vanilla note that isn't overpowering. i started reading the descriptive passages of perfumes on here about 2 weeks ago or so, and i'm glad i started paying attention to what the makers of these works of art wanted to convey with their potions although of course, i draw from the creations what i genuinely smell, not so much relying on their direction as more than a way to know if a perfume is for me ... and also out of respect (and curiosity... mostly) to understand the perfumer and their vision for each fragrance. usually it aligns pretty well but more often than not, we tend to filter everything with our own perception which makes perfume so personal. i think it's one of the most intimate and meaningful forms of expression without having to say a word. the impact a fragrance can have on those who are keen on interpreting personas using olfactory lenses. anyways, 'powdered veil' is my kinda perfume. i knew at once that i wouldn't be disappointed with the notes and accords, but i didn't think it would become one of my absolute favorites. there's a vintage feel to this... it's a vintage powder puff with those little ribbons attached to the side you hold. the bourbon vanilla really amplifies how timeless and also dated this is and i love it so much. it's a compact powder from another era. it's powdery yet smooth, musky, vanillic, a tad bit animalic, and it stays very close to the skin and doesn't project much but it stays on all day. i'm so pleased with this 😍✨️♥️ note: don't be put off by the peppery first few minutes! 😅 i almost returned my bottle for a replacement because it smelled a bit like alcohol so i thought maybe because of the opaque bottle, they sent me a previously sprayed and oxidized perfume and just didn't realize it. it's the pink pepper or one of the top notes that's creating the sharp initial experience, mellowing down to the perfect powder scent within minutes. well....perfect for me, i should specify. it's not a carnal scent to most, i would assume.. but the warm notes here make for a sensual powdery experience and quite an addictive one for me.

Now that Powder Veil is officially discontinued, I appreciate this beauty even more, the scarcity mindset makes me value things that can’t be replaced ir replenished even more. I remember about three years ago purchasing a 100 ml bottle after hearing Jus de Rose talking about how cozy and comforting she found Powder Veil. So I‘ve ordered a Miller Harris discovery set containing this scent to try it for myself and shortly after I secured a big, dusty pink bottle of Powder Veil! That pink shade is gorgeous let me tell you that, the perfect muted, classic pink... And it’s not your typical woody, musky, spicy floral fragrance with a creamy, sweet vanilla base, even though the flowers, together with pink pepper, cashmeran, amber, sandalwood and vanilla are very noticeable. The addition of rhubarb, hedione and patchouli are the “spice” that make Powdered Veil stand out from the mass of sandalwood, cashmeran, amber floral fragrances! It’s a twist that offers uniqueness, distinctiveness and makes it feel so addictive. I love rhubarb and patchouli in most fragrances. Hedione is a molecule similar to jasmine that makes us addictive to scents apparently. And here is working magic for me! The performance of Powdered Veil is on the moderate level, as is its sillage, but it’s so alluring and cozy that in this case it doesn’t bother me. I use some fragrances when I want to unwind after a long day or week and I don’t want something so intense to bother me. Powdered Veil is that, a cashmere veil that wraps around you and gives you comfort and warmth. It’s one of a kind...

Having already fallen in love with Blousy, I moved onto this before trying Violet Ida as I suspect it will be similar to a lot I already have. I can best describe this as a full bodied and powdery amber patchouli, with sandalwood to spare - the opening has stayed true on me and the dry down kept on giving. Strangely, I get none of the top or middle notes aside from a slight peppery overtone on the base notes; they come into play after an hour on me. I've had this on for 8 hours, and it's still there, but only a vanillary musk remains. I love it.

I tried a few sprays of this in a department store, and fell in love. It's soft, feminine and every whiff I get of it, which isn't enough, is heaven. It really is "powdery", which are the kind of scents I usually favour. I then bough the ONLY 2ml sample on Ebay. Now I'm running out of that, I'm looking at getting a 50ml bottle at £75, which is a lot for me, but I love it that much! Only down-side is that it really doesn't have good projection, and I would love everyone around me to know I'm wearing it!

I adore this Fragrance. I’m on my second bottle after once getting a sample with an order for scherzo. I wouldn’t have chosen it from the notes, but I do like powdery fragrances and the bottle is lovely. I wear this to bed but also for times I seek comfort and familiarity. It’s like if a soft cuddly blanket has a smell. I’m shocked this is so unpopular. I find it does last on me and has good projection contrary to what others say. I would always want this in my collection.

I used to like this very much, but now sadly it has lost its glamour for me, as it just seems like a mixture of Violet Ida and Blousy: less dusty than Violet Ida and less sweet than Blousy.

I absolutely LOVE this one and hope they bring it back. It is in my top 5 evening after shower fragrances. Crisp and powdery with a hint of finely milled soap. It is regal.

Looking to sell my bottle. Few sprays missing, comes full presentation. UK shipping only.

A very aptly named perfume. It has an unusual opening that I confess I didn't greatly like (but may appeal to those looking for a more masculine scent!). After this, it changes to a very soft, slightly sweet musky scent on the skin. Very little projection but I could still smell it at close range over 6 hours later so (on me) a respectable level of longevity. It is quite literally a faint veil over the skin, such that if you would detect it at very close range to someone. For that reason, I can see why it would not be an all occasions choice. But - what it is designed to do (I assume!), it does very well. I gather that it has now been discontinued - for those in the UK, I've spotted it in lots of TK Maxx stores and for £30 for 50ml, a pretty good deal.

I saw this is on tk maxx in 100mL for just £34.99, blind bought it becuz the price is nice and it was a pleasant surprise. Normally I hate cashmeran and amber, but those two notes in this is actually mild and gentle, I think other people who don’t like those two notes may actually find them okay as well. Powdered Veil to me is a skin scent, I like using it for layering. I’m layering this with Les Nereides Pas de Velours, it smells soooo good. You cannot test this out at a Miller Harris store as this is discontinued unfortunately, if you want this you’d have to get it from tk maxx.

This is surprisingly very oriental on my skin. It doesn’t quite match up with the soft boudoir powderiness I was expecting. It has a lot more punch than it’s name would suggest. Very spicy and with a bit of tang. Reminds me of the strong oriental perfumes the older women used to wear when I was young. However it is not old-lady-like. Although not my jam it is a beautiful amber that is more unisex, and more amber and spice than powder. I seemed to get moderate sillage and wear out of it compared to many other reviews.

The ultimate powder scent. Not old fashioned - it is youthful, vibrant and very wearable. Powder done right 👍🏻💕

This fragrance is getting discontinued.

I'm not what I was expecting but I have to be frank and say I'm not keen. I must state that I eat spicy vegetarian fusion food so test it yourself. The most prominent note is the pepper on me followed shortly by the tart rhubarb. Its a curious beast. It is a shape shifter. I was curious about the Ambre Sultan comparison. It is vaguely there. There is this weird cashmere fluffy animal musk background to some synthetic floral notes. I fear MH is more about making money. Disappointing. Less than average longevity or sillage in this warm, humid environment.

Had high hopes for this excellent fragrance. Unfortunately, as other reviewers have mentioned, when using, this rather pleasant powdery unisex fragrance rapidly fades into oblivion as well on my skin. Very disappointing, all told & not worth the money I spent on a 100ml bottle.

Powdered Veil has an opening similar to Violet Ida, but then it just disappears. I'm very jealous of those who can smell it, I must be anosmic to it 😐

Well, I wasn't expecting this! The pink packaging and the name made me think this would be a vanilla or maybe clean powdery scent - baby powder with flowers and maybe a little green. I had been wearing Penhaligon's Artemisia, so I suppose I was imagining something more like that. Nope. This is a vintage oriental. Amber, patchouli, musk - resinous, earthy and not at all sweet - and with a powdery texture to be sure but I don't detect any vanilla, rhubarb, orchid, or hedione. I didn't get any topnotes at all really - just patchouli and amber. I love patchouli and amber, and I don't need my perfume to be sweet, but I'm not sure this is my bag. On my skin there's a sour note (maybe the geranium) that clashes with the resins and smells vintage but not in a good way. Like a perfume that's been sitting on a thrift store shelf for too long. Maybe it's a skin chemistry thing because some people seem to love it. Luckily sillage and longevity are poor - this is very much a skin scent - so it wasn't too offensive. I'm a super tolerant perfume buyer of all varieties of scents from department store to ultra-niche, who hardly ever scrubs - but this one was a big no for me. I bought a sealed full bottle, but maybe I got a bad batch?

This is one that I should have liked, going by notes, of course, but sadly it just smelled like base alcohol and chemicals. This is something that happens a lot to me, I bumped my head pretty badly and all of the lovely perfumes I used to adore (top of my list: Kenzo Amour circa 2008) have this awful stink now. How much use this comment will be to anyone I am not sure, however; I find this (alcohol synthetic yak fest) to be prevalent in the less expensive perfumes of mass production. My boyfriend said that it was unisex and a bit ‘aftershavy’ but that didn’t/doesn’t put me off, it was just too chemical like for my tastes, it never softened either it was just chemical brew and then nothing. My nose/brain prefers uncomplicated scents, some may describe as linear. I have the Miller Harris Violet Ida and that is really quite lovely, if fairly strong, but; this, Powdered Veil, was a massive fail for me.

Powdered Veil really reminds me of Nishane Nanshe a perfume I dislike. It has the same spicy geranium scent as that one did for me. They are so identical they could be twins. This is not a safe blind buy. If you are expecting a real powdered veil, something extremely feminine and delicate this is not that type of vibe at all. Very spicy, very woody as well w/ a cheap cashmeran dry down that smells like laundry products. Edit: I get the same vibe from this perfume as I do w/ another Miller Harris, one that I bought in a blind buy 2 years ago and that is Rose en Noir. Between Rose en Noir, Powdered Veil and Nishane Nanshe the best of the lot is Rose en Noir. I go back and forth on Rose en Noir, some days I like it other days I want to get rid of my bottle. With Powdered Veil and Nishane Nanshe no matter how many times I test I can't find any charm in either perfume.

It’s very unisex and maybe more masculine than feminine in my oppinion. It’s very strong and spicy and not powdered or soft as I imagined. It’s not a pink scent at all!

Oh how I love this! and Oh what I wouldn't give for more projection! It's like a half-heard favourite piece of music - if only I could turn up the volume! But I'm being greedy - this misses the point of "Powdered Veil" entirely. It's a quiet, calm skin scent, for one's private comfort or another's intimate enjoyment, or maybe a perfume to wear around a new baby: it's that gentle and close to the skin. The opening offers a brief burst of fragrant pepper and aldehydes before disapating to settle at the main body of the scent: a light dusting of vanilla-laced amber, soft clear resin and light, dry sandalwood. It is indeed a "Powdered Veil", but the powderiness is not of the iris, violet, lipstick or baby-powder nature. (Miller Harris' new offering, Violet Ida, explores these notes to gorgeous, more potent, effect). I sometimes layer it with that other whispering lovely, Rose Silence, to give it a gentle lift as, according to one's mood, it can feel a little aged and melancholy. Layering with Peau Santal doesn't work for me as the sandalwood dominates and it really doesn't take much to overwhelm this butterfly-wing of a perfume! If, like me, you love Powdered Veil, push the boat out and try and get a big bottle because you're going to be reapplying frequently!

I don't often blind buy fragrances, but I think that I will stop after this one. The original pink-bottled Powdered Veil is officially discontinued, but the clear bottles sold at TK Maxx in the UK recently appeared for just £39.99 for a 100 ml of EDP and I was attracted. I could barely smell it. I know that it's been described as a skin scent, but this was too weak and faint, so much that I thought it was a fake and I gave it away. The batch code check says it was made in Aug 2025. It seems to me that Miller Harris are selling watered-down leftovers of this perfume and not bothering with the original bottles, just using what's in stock. Downgrading a formerly popular scent like this just doesn't make sense to me.

Basically Violet Ida with a lightly spiced incense. The bed of Violet Ida is so gently beautiful. Unfortunately, for reasons I cannot fathom, the rest of the composition steals Powdered Veil's longevity and projection away. My nose is very sensitive to the rhubarb note, and finds it distressingly invasive and sour. I was tempted, then I realized, that I have incenses in my collection which I can layer with Violet Ida and produce just this scent, and I'd be shelling out for the lovely pastel bottle. I'm quite turned on by the thought of a line of those lovely matte pastel bottles on my dresser. Not in today's economic climate. Bit of a shame really, It's not to be.

I am a huge fan of Miller Harris and this does not disappoint. I was given a sample with another purchase some time back but have only got around to trying it. I thought from the name and packaging it would be very feminine but its totally unisex. It is heavenly, cosy and comforting. Amber is the dominant note here. Its modern but somehow conjures up the past too. Check out their website for offers. They often have 100 ml for the price of 50 ml. Its is currently £75 for 100 ml. UPDATE!! I’ve just realised what this reminds me of, “Basala” by Shiseido. It takes me back almost 30 years!! Oh Heaven!!

More of a classic amber vibe than powdery for sure - after some contemplation I realized it is like Ambre sultan / mitzah / 114 in some aspects (the ambery ones.) Much more fluffy and musky, with some soft spice. But it leaves me wanting more, which is fine in itself but I feel like it needs more of a kick of amber, or sandalwood, or anything. I appreciate musks and powdery scents aim for a cloud and a light aura but, often they veer into barely there category. Notes watered down to oblivion and repackaged as a musk. I do enjoy the opening which is a bit more fiercly peppery.

Powdered Veil by Miller Harris 2/5 First impression is that the perfume is very light and delicate. Becomes a skin scent after ten minutes. It's clean and your skin but better. Would be good if you are looking for something to wear when you aren't supposed to wear perfume. Only the amber, cashmeran, and musk come through from the notes. Powdered Veil Vanilla Bourbon Absolute, Orchid, Vanilla Purchased six samples from Miller Harris and working my way through reviewing them. Wore at home. Would not purchase.

Warm and slightly powdered amber, very gentle and polite. While sharing the amber/greenery vibe, it's not even half as bold as Ambre Sultan. And it lacks complexity, but when layered with Eau du Sud, the scent turns unexpectedly delicious.

Such low ratings for this dreamy tuft of fragrance. Mathieu Nardin's creations are some of my most beloved. Doesn't project much, but stays with me all day. This delight is strictly for my own enjoyment.

Vintage like iris, powdery, and ambery. It dissipated on me, it is very beautiful but it goes away so quickly on me. I can't really describe the dry down, it was gone in an hour.

Beautiful powdery amber scent. So cozy and comforting. It reminds me a little bit of Estee Lauder Sensous mixed with Guerlain L'instant Magic. Wow. I need back up bottles ASAP!

I absolutely quote @Broc: base alcohol and chemicals. Amber? Where? Very similar to Air de Rien, less stinky anyway. In 20 minutes fades away. Vile

I smell Castorum in this fragrance - it reminds me of Absolute Aphrodisiac.

It’s a lovely scent but I can’t see the point if it doesn’t last or project

Powdered hay. Barely noticeable after a few minutes.

This is peppery I dont like it Not my kind of scent