I've recently fallen for the bold, bestselling Scherzo fragrance from British perfume house Miller Harris. Inspired by the below passage of text from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1934 novel Tender is the Night, set in the heady, glamorous days of the 1930s French riviera, the eau de parfum is bursting with vibrant floral notes, including rose - but it's unlike any other rose fragrance I've tried.
"She walked on, between kaleidoscopic peonies massed in pink clouds, black and brown tulips and fragile mauve stemmed roses, transparent like sugar flowers in a confectioner’s window – until, as if the scherzo of colour could reach no further intensity, it broke off suddenly in mid-air."
Created by perfumer Mathieu Nardin in 2018, Scherzo opens with fruity, herbal top notes of tangerine, artemisia and davana for a hint of liquorice, moving onto dark red rose, peony, olibanum, narcissus and pittosporum heart notes, with lingering woody base notes of earthy patchouli, sweet vanilla and Agarwood (oudh) to make a lasting impression.
It's intense, intoxicating, unique, sweet but not too sweet (it's actually dubbed as unisex), and wears very well with a long-lasting finish. I'm about to finish my first bottle and buy another one - high praise, indeed - so I had to share.
It comes in 100ml and 50ml, plus a handy 14ml travel bottle and a 2ml sample.
