Launched 2012 by British indie perfume house Miller Harris, La Fumée Arabie is part of their La Fumée Collection, which is built around La Fumée. La Fumée Arabie opens with labdanum, fresh at the start, then morphing into a warm, leathery richness. It’s flanked by spices: sweet-tinged cardamom, woody coriander and earthy cumin. It’s pungent, aromatic and woody. That labdanum moves to the heart and links with a note of incense. Together they give this EDP a deep, dark richness that defines the fragrance for me. Cedarwood, spicy and resinous, boosts the woodiness of La Fumée Arabie, and then there’s the birch tar – its burnt rubber aspect is held in check so that it’s smoky more than tarry. At the base, oud keeps it resinous and thick with its stickiness. I was pretty happy getting lost in La Fumée Arabie at this stage, and then, it got better – yes, better! - with a note of rose – floral, fruity and feminine it adds a note of rich beauty that complements the resinous/smoky/spicy/woodiness of the fragrance. A touch of sweetness from vanilla seals the deal. La Fumée Arabie is so well-blended, there’s no harshness or sharpness. The woodiness here is dry and rich with a strand of labdanum that goes right to the drydown. Notes: Labdanum, cardamom, coriander seed, cumin, incense, cedarwood, birch tar, oud, rose absolute and vanilla.
