Review - Back to Black & Feuilles de Tabac

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 17, 2010.

Feuilles de Tabac - Miller Harris
Top
Cuban Cascarilla, Pimento

Heart
Sage, Pine Tree Needles

Base
Tonka Bean
Patchouli
Tobacco leaves

Back to Black By Kilian

Official notes: bergamot, saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, raspberry, chamomile, olibanum, honey, cedar, oak, tobacco, patchouli, almond, vanilla and labdanum.


In the past I have told you just how much I love Back to Black By Kilian, and promised to write a review at some point. And I kept making notes and sniffing my wrist and never actually writing the damn review, mainly because I seemed to be so utterly fangrrly about the scent I couldn't get another much more than "guh! this is gorgeous" onto paper.


But then last week something happened. Something terrifying and amazing, I came across Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac, another scent with strong tobacco basenotes. I loved it more than Back to Black, it was more subtle, more interesting and lasted nearly 24 hours on my skin.

But surely that makes me some kind of perfume ho-bag. How could I fall so deeply in love with Back to Black and then discard it for Feuilles de Tabac?

The Feuilles de Tabac hits with an almost citrus note on my skin, drying down to a wonderful herbal, sweet, tobacco-y musk,

The Back to Black hits with tobacco first with cardomom and cedar drying down to lots of vanilla and patchouli. The tobacco is stronger and sweeter on the Feuilles de Tabac with a hit of fruit at the start before the sage and pine needles take up the tune. It's more subtle than it sounds, never risking smelling like Pine-Sol.

The fruit in Back to Black never really surfaces on my skin, so it seems more one dimensional.

Don't get me wrong, Back to Black is a fantastic scent, the tobacco is still string enough to be noticeable and it's deliciously warm. It's just that the Feuilles de Tabac is even more delicious.

On price points, the Miller Harris wins, as long as you refrain from buying it from Liberty, and I've already bought a 5ml decant from The Perfumed Court of this, as I know I will wear this on a regular basis.

As for the Kilian, it loses out on price and staying power. However I do recommend both, either as masculines or feminines for they both stand out a little from the crowd without being too shouty.