On my left arm, Fig Amere by Miller Harris. This is a unisex fragrance, with notes of bergamot, mandarin, narcissus, rose, fig, green violet leaves, angelica, cedar, sweet moss and amber. It starts very heady, but calms into an interesting mix of fig, florals (I am mostly smelling rose with a touch of violet), and an earthy-woody base with just a tiny bit of powder.
The Miller Harris line is interesting, and I love the bottle design, but so far none of the scents have inspired a purchase. Figue Amere is another close-but-no-cigar. It is just too sweet and rich for my taste — no surprise given the name — and I find the effect almost claustrophobic.
On my right arm, Marc Jacobs for Men by Marc Jacobs. Although it is for men, to my nose it is no more masculine than many unisex fragrances on the market. The notes are bergamot, cypress, cumin, cardamom, ginger, fig leaves, rose de mai, cyclamen, tonka Bean, cedarwood, nirvanolide musk, fig, and patchouli.
This fragrance has a strong note of fig over a woody base, and definite green notes. The cumin and patchouli, which are often deal-breakers for me, are thankfully subdued here. It is, however, considerably sweeter and more powdery than I expected, and as I am discovering, powdery fig is not my thing.
A little postscript: a quick google search on nirvanolide musk reveals that it is a synthetic powdery musk created by Givaudan. Am I alone in preferring NOT to know the trade name of the synthetic used, or to even be reminded that the fragrance contains synthetics?
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this should be the first fig fragrance i like (miller harris), because it is less figue and more… perfume?! i tried it on my dad *lol* he loved it, and i think it is too male and green and flowery to be a real fig scent. i definitely agree with you that it is too flowery and too much, but with that it is just the perfume for elder persons who do not smell that good anymore or for people who love strong perfumes. but it is not sweet i think. compared to your beloved philosophykos (spelled right?!) it is not sweet…
I have not tried the Miller Harris in a long time now, but my memory is that it was much sweeter than Philosykos, wasn't it? Will have to try it again if you thought it was drier…
I have seen Marc Jacobs for men like EVERYWHERE recently, but for some reason, I've never picked it up to smell it. After reading this, and now realizing it is a Fig scent, I will totally give it a try next time I see it (which, of course, now that I'm looking for it, I won't see it again for a while, lol).
Weird coincidence…just saw the box yesterday, and it has fig leaves on it. Either they've re-done the box, or I've never seen it before.
I just recently tried the MH Figue Amere and I definitely had a more positive experience than you did. It is my favorite fig so far. Loved it. Thinking about FB…
Yeah, I think that as a general rule the MH just doesn’t agree with me…there are only a few I like at all, I’m afraid.