Om: inspire… and smile is the latest fragrance from Miller et Bertaux; Om aims to evoke Bali and the perfume is named for the sacred Sanskrit syllable “om” (or “aum”). In Hinduism, om, the sound, is the music of the universe; om, the "idea," represents Brahma (Creation), Vishnu (Protection) and Shiva (Destruction).

Spiritual om fits nicely with perfume Om’s trajectory. I can certainly imagine the percolating forces of Creation, the head notes, smelling of hot peppers and peppercorns, the strong arms (and heart notes) of Protection scented with myrrh, clove and flowers, and the sturdy base of Destruction (remember, destruction can be good, it can obliterate suffering, blindness and evil in the world) redolent of incense, smoke, and charred wood. And the moment of release from all worldly pain and the phases of birth, life and death? That would smell of amber – full of patchouli and vanilla. Yummmmmmmmmmmm...

Miller et Bertaux have launched Om: inspire... and smile, a new fragrance dedicated to Bali and named for the sacred syllable Aum or Om...

The Miller et Bertaux shop in Paris is in the Jewish quarter of the Marais district, in a delightful area of small alleys and exquisite boutiques; you’ll simply melt with desire for the clothes and handbags in all the windows.

The shop is small, mainly selling clothes and lovely objets...

A handful of rose scents, although not all of them are really "about" rose...

Zafferano, by the new-ish men's niche line Odori, opens on an expansive, shimmery-metallic saffron note. It seems to bubble and dance on the skin for a time, slowly taking on raspberry jam undertones as it calms. It's fun — I kept reapplying to do it all over again. The dry down is a more standard-issue rose-saffron combination, very nicely done but nothing terribly unusual, with plenty of cedar. I hardly even notice high prices these days, but at $210 for 100 ml Eau de Toilette, this is a spendy little number. I've yet to top $200 on a single perfume myself, and while I like Zafferano, there's nothing here to tempt me to set a new record. If you like saffron and don't mind the price, do try it (and if you love iris, the Odori version is worth a shot as well). The notes: cedar, saffron, raspberry flowers, wild rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, oriental amber and rosewood.

Miller et Bertaux's new Shanti Shanti is a warmer, drier take on rose...

Find inner peace with Miller et Bertaux's latest release Shanti Shanti. Bulgarian rose petals awaken your senses in this sparkling Eau de Parfum. The soft note of iris extract is juxtaposed with warm spices of cardamom, patchouli and Indian sandalwood...

Close Your Eyes And.... (aka Bois de Gaïac et Poire, aka Ref. 015 813) is the latest fragrance from Miller et Bertaux. The notes include lemon, mandarin, jasmine, roses, gaiac wood, pear, cinnamon, heliotrope and almond.

Miller et Bertaux is a French niche line, and their first three fragrances were all unusual and very much in the niche tradition. No. 3, Green, green, green and green happens to be one of my very favorite (you guessed it) green fragrances. I also like gaiac wood (a few examples of fragrances with gaiac wood: Le Labo Vetiver, L'Artisan Bois Farine, Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir, Serge Lutens Miel de Bois), so I was excited about Close Your Eyes, or Bois de Gaïac et Poire, or whatever its official name is...

The bottle is "encrusted with over 3,000 Swarovski crystals and encased in a deluxe gift coffret". It comes with two refills and runs an even $2,000...

Today I am testing the third fragrance release from Parisian designers Miller et Bertaux, this one titled Green, green, green and green. I have not been able to find an official list of notes, but according to a post on a fragrance forum, the notes are laurel, bay leaves, verbena, sap, coriander (possibly the leaves, i.e., cilantro), jasmine, cedar, vetiver, and musk. That may or may not be an accurate list, but it smells about right.

Miller et Bertaux Green starts somewhat similar to Nanadebary Green: a slightly sharp verbena with green notes, and possibly some bergamot as well. As it calms, it takes off in another direction — where Nanadebary gets milder and fresher as it develops, the Miller et Bertaux takes on a deeper, very nearly bitter green.

It smells like grass, sap, fresh herbs and leaves, with a twist of lemon. For a short time, I can make out some faint, indistinct floral notes, but as it continues to dry down, those are replaced by cedary woods, and it starts to smell more like shrubbery. It is fresh in the sense that green things smell fresh, but it does not have a "fresh" note...

Parisian designers Miller et Bertaux have been in business since 1985. They currently have several stores in Paris that carry clothing, home decor items, and cosmetics. I am not sure what year they introduced the 2 scents in their fragrance line, but there is a mention in Women’s Wear Daily about the scents being available at Bendels back in 1998.

I tried No. 2 briefly on a paper test strip at Takashimaya last fall, and was a little overwhelmed by the ginger. Today I am trying it on skin for the first time. The notes include incense, woods, pepper, cardamom, ginger, tobacco and rose...