Étui Noir Miller Harris for women and men

Beautiful scent. It is a sweet leathery iris with some amber and a tiny touch of incense. It feels smooth and refined. It reminds me of Iris de Syracuse and also the very first Donna by Valentino. I just have a sample but would love a full bottle of this beauty.

This is gorgeous and silky and smooth. Tangerine in the opening is felt but not in a tart or typically fruity direction, it’s quite hard to describe. The iris is very pronounced and is dusty in texture, paving the way for a beautiful, silky smooth, gently smoking incense (my favourite part)—the styrax brings forth a leathery nuance that begins to feel suede like as it meddles with the cashmere wood elements. It is ever so slightly reminiscent, for me; of the leather in Cuir Pampas by Frassaï. As it dries down it sweetens with the labdanum and other amber accords feeling quite similar to Craft & Glamour in the base but the buttery leather holds true into the final stages of Etui Noir’s evolution, albeit a little more distant and subtle. There is a slight raspiness from the vetiver which I really like. I personally still get powdery nuances coming through from the Iris but it certainly mellows out.

A superbly blended, graceful leather. I really enjoy this. Elegant and refined. Miller Harris is becoming a favourite house of mine.

I’ve never been a huge fan of iris dominant scents, and that’s how this one starts out on me, however, here, I enjoy it a lot. As with most Miller-Harris scents this one is aromatic. After the dry down, the soft leather and incense comes through and I love it. It’s soft spicy, very pretty, but unisex. This is so far my favorite from this brand.

I am kinda surprised that this didn't come off more masculine considering the note breakdown, this stuff is straight unisex, I could see myself wearing this in a business casual attire, but I could also see my girlfriend wearing this in a nice sweater, because It's perfectly balanced IMHO. It's also got great performance lasting 8 hrs and having mild to moderate projection which is perfect for this scent. I'm having a tough time with describing how it smells: Smooth and buttery it's backed by a just as smooth leather, with just a hint of Vetiver in the background to give a bit of a green tinge. As it begins to dry down the incense becomes more prominent, adding a nice smokiness to the leather. It's unique yet eerily familiar in smell, and I think it will be fairly mass appealing.

This stuff is honestly a masterpiece of niche perfumery, taking overtly masculine notes and blending them with iris to balance out the sexual orientation of the fragrance if such a thing exists lol.

It begins with a powdered, lipstick-like iris that works nicely with smokey leather. Compared to other leather notes found in leather perfumes, the leather smells more like suede. I get amber and dry incense in the background as well.

This leathery amber scent is a great choice for anyone looking for something solid but not overpowering; it is a unisex perfume with good performance and longevity.

This is a super-classy, elegant, unisex buttery suede-like leather. There's a perfect amount of incense in the background to "smoke-out" the perfume a little, and the iris comes through stronger on paper/clothes than it does on my skin. On my skin, it's a perfectly round incensey suede, somehow almost-gourmand in its butteriness and richness. Very sexy, perfectly unisex, very cool and effortless.

Scent: 10/10 - I bought it within fifteen minutes of smelling it on my skin - also, very linear on my skin (which I personally prefer)
Longevity: Full day
Projection: Moderate to strong
Polarity: Perfectly unisex - could imagine this equally sexy on a man or a woman

I don’t throw the word “masterpiece” around casually, but that’s exactly what this stuff is. Complex, intriguing, unique, and so well blended that every time I smell it I pick up something different - one of the most impressively constructed scents I’ve smelled in years. Considering the quality of this stuff and the price it can be found for, this is a ‘daylight-robbery’ level steal.

Mark my words - if this stuff was released by Amouage, people would be absolutely losing their minds over it. Don’t sleep on this one if you’re into resinous/incense fragrances. 🙌🏻

Delicious and very unique scent! It sillages beautifully and is perfect for the colder seasons. I love the sweetness it carries.. such a beautifully blended Incense Leather and Iris scent. My favourite Incense scent by far - all the good bits with none of the funk. Beautiful fragrance!

Smoke, leather, amber, vetiver, all very smooth. I could see this being worn by an elegant, educated gentleman, dressed with a bit of flair, with a twinkle in his eye. Can't help comparing to Timbuktu, which this sits behind because of that gorgeous, lingering mango note. A deeper, challenging, more impactful scent (if you like the notes) is Encre Noire A LExtreme. I enjoy this scent but would likely use it infrequently, my 10ml travel sample is enough.
3.5/5

Very well blended, elegant spicy amber, I am surprised black pepper is not listed in the notes. Difficult to pick out individual notes, this liquid is smooth black silk. Sexy and elegant. This reminds me of something I can’t just put my finger on..later. A very lovely fragrance indeed that somehow turns even richer and smoother over the next couple of hours as it develops.

Wow!! Love at first sniff. Such a beautiful, smooth creation, that is primarily about incense and amber on my skin, especially at the opening. Eventually, I notice the leather, but beyond that, I really can't identify any other notes. I attribute this to masterful blending. It brings to my mind some of the classic oriental fragrances of the 80s, though not any one in particular.
I'm debating a FB, but there are others ahead of it. This may end up being one of those perfumes that I purchase multiple samples. The sample size is generous, and you only need 2-4 spritzes to be in a nice scent bubble. Longevity is medium for me, but would likely improve with moisturizer or a primer.
I bet it would smell fantastic on my husband!

Watch out! Apply with caution. This is powerful juice. I am enjoying my second wearing MUCH more than my first. This time, one gentle spray to the inside of each wrist. The incense is strong in this one, and with a light application I find it approachable, warm, and more-ish.

This starts off very incensy, smoky and leathery, which I love as I gravitate towards those kinds of scents. However, within about 45 mins that settles down considerably, and it becomes quite woody and powdery - dominated by the iris, woods and vetiver. It is still nice (quite buttery and silky) but definitely more subdued. Personally I really dislike iris, so even though it’s not a powder bomb, it’s powdery enough to prevent me buying a FB. If it stayed like the initial spray the whole way though I think I’d like it more.

Read reviews before buying a fragrance, but take them with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own opinion regarding smells. Some people love it. Some people hate it. My advice is for you to get a sample of ANY fragrance before you ever buy it. That way, you can assess it yourself and have your thoughts, rather than strictly going off someone else's thoughts and opinions.

I LOVE Etui Noir. It’s a smooth, buttery leather fragrance that smells fantastic. It is a night scent that is great for spring or fall weather or a nighttime event. I would say that it is a unisex fragrance that leans a smidge on the feminine side (emphasis on smidge), but Etui Noir is NOT a unisex fragrance that is overly feminine. I truly do like it, and I recommend it to people who like smooth leathery, floral fragrances that men and women can enjoy. :-)

Very suave and well composed, but not very exciting or unique. Incense-y benzoin with a certain powdery leathery woody backbone, not identical by any means, but within the realm of Chergui but somewhat darker with more leather. Not what people would call a 'screamer' (which in my world is not something desirable) but the longevity seems very solid. It has a pleasant balance between, bright powder, spice, balsamic sweetness, and bitter vegetal woody leather.

As i have mentioned before, this whole line has obvious filler fixatives in the base, which render the drydown kind of dissonant and boring, but in this one the amberwood compound actually makes sense in the balsamic smoky context. If I were to buy one from the line it would probably be this one.

I bought the Miller Harris sampler from Anthropologie, and, IMO, Étui Noir stands out amongst the 8 featured. As soon as I sprayed it on myself this morning, I was transported to my childhood and the souqs of Saudi Arabia. I know that oud is not listed as one of the notes, but maybe it's the incense I'm smelling. Regardless, I am going to purchase the largest size available, since I love it That much. It doesn't give me a headache whatsoever, and after 8+ hrs., I can still smell it.

Étui Noir EdP by Miller Harris smells good but doesn't wow me. Iris and incense here are more dominant than other notes upon spraying on my skin. If I keep on sniffing my wrist, I know I will get a headache. But when iris starts to diminish, Étui Noir becomes more interesting and more enjoyable in the base than in the top. I am on the fence about this one - hate the headache-inducing iris but enjoy the dry-down.

What was meant to be a leather-incense-floral combo that fails to deliver what it set out to do. Incense takes over and dominates everything. I get almost no leather and a sort of floral-vegetable-spicy note that is kinda cheap. My main problem is the incense note itself, it is sour. Not sure how that is even possible, but if one compares to let's say the type of incense in a Lutens perfume (which is beautiful and seductive), then this is one is more like something that caught fire and stinks of smoke and ashes. Awful.

If you are going to make perfume for an utilitarian purpose (i.e. for office wear etc.) then make it so, put it on the label, and charge less (cause that’s fair). But if you are going to claim to create something that transcends mere utility and enters the sphere of art, then presumably it needs to do more, and transport its user to a higher plane. If you are going to do leather make it rich, incense make it seductive, florals make them sharp and uplifting. Otherwise there’s plenty of scents out there that do a much better job.

Another irritation about this house, if one half of the name goes off and sets up a new perfume brand, should they still maintain its existing name?

This is in my Top 3 favourite fragrances in my collection. I once walked into a MH boutique and it was the first one I smelled and that was it, no need to smell the others, I’d found the one!
It ticks all the right boxes for me. Smokey, leather, incense. Both gothic and grungy. I wore this on a cold winters day in Lille, France and it takes me back right there. Night and day. Unapologetically androgynous.

The first blast is a hoot — but once that striking first impression wears off, this stays too long at the (garden) party. I think I could get along famously with this scent if not for the iris, which makes it too feminine, gives that slightly queasy sensation of sitting too close to a days-old bouquet. An incensier version, without the iris (and bergamot?) could be smokier, bolder. (Then again, that would basically be Comme des Garçons 2 Male.) As it is, this is nearly likeable but too cacophonous. (I could be convinced this perfumer has something special in store for the future, though.)

همان وایب آیریش لدر ولی لطیف تر و کم جان تر
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Scent & Quality: 8/10
Longevity: 7/10
Sillage: 7/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 6/10
Affordability: 5/10
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Overall: 6.6/10

It’s a nice fragrance (didn’t have the wow effect for me yet, I’ll wait and come back to this).
It’s smells like jo malone myrrh and tonka beans to me, I don’t know why because those note aren’t not listed here.
Tonka beans and I : we are not friends.
Grapefruit, tonka beans, rhubarb, whiskey and strong violet note; kill me.
Maybe this will grow on me. I like the sillage, but getting nauseous if I get my nose closer to the spot I sprayed

This fragrance is fenomenal to my nose. Mysterious and signature smell-worthy, easily a unisex perfume. Fits a confident, slightly cold/distant type, so I would normally wear it on the days I feel either 100% on my "A-game" or when I'm maybe not quite on top but trying to "fake-it-till-Imake-it". Most questions I get about what I'm wearing, is when I have this on. A very, very successful blind buy. Definitely one I will keep repurchasing.

Elegant soft leather and iris with a touch of birch and resins. Smells similar to Irish Leather but sweeter. I used to love this one, but after a few wearings, I realized I just couldn’t handle the dry down anymore. It’s one of those fragrances that is ruined by the dry down. On me, the dry down begins to radiate heat, becoming a bit screechy, and too sweet for my liking. The opening and mid are exceptional, but a dry down is what matters most to me since it’s the overall scent I’ll be carrying with me, throughout the day. If you'd like a less sweet alternative, try Irish Leather.

The opening part of this is stunning. Right off the bat you get rewarded with a fantastic blast of iris, leather and incense. Its masterfully done. Towards the end it becomes a bit sweeter than i usually like due to added amber and labdanum but i still love this one. Very cozy and elegant.

This is wonderfully unisex, and a great way to round out an outfit; I imagine gives a little edge to whatever you are wearing. and it is very wearable! Smells soft, dry, and supple: this is a subtle, approachable suede leather. I think this is the kind of scent you might wear a lot more than you expect when you get a bottle - but haven't made up my mind if i'm interested in that yet. This is such a solid fragrance, well-blended, but it doesn't blow my mind. I'm enjoying my tester though.

I do have some issues with performance - on me this stays super super close to the skin. I don't need massive projection or sillage, but this I only smell when I put my nose to my arm. Maybe I need to try layering, as someone suggests below?

knowing there are leather and incense, but the more I smell the more it becomes the jujube fruit, the Chinese food red dates.

neither like nor dislike, Etui Noir is interesting, at least I like its name suggests. for this kind of herbal, for me it's herbal, I like my VINTAGE Comme des Garcons' the first perfume best.

This is staggeringly good.
Leather, incense, vetiver all finely blended producing a relatively subtle yet good projection and longevity aroma gradually becoming more smoky and woody over time.
This is the best leather incense fragrance I have tried bearing in mind I like something that is wearable and takes on the character of the wearer rather than owns the wearer. Signature scent territory. Leans masculine.

Fragrance: 8.5/10
Projection: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10

starts very woody something i really love but it evolves rather quicklyto something if not bad at least unpleasant.i was expecting more from this.glad to sample it first

A very pleasant leather fragrance. Opens very dark, with some tar and iris (giving an impression of a Fahrenheit-ish violet), and Givaudan's widely used rasperry/leather accord (TF Tuscan Leather & co.). That said, it is better rounded and way more refined than TL.
The drydown is a combo of smoky birch tar and generic amber accord, and at that stage, it is shares strong similarities with Memo Irish Leather and Trudon Bruma.
Happy with my purchase, even if I wished it performed better (but this is a criticism valid for most of MH's fragrances).

Fall evenings/Winter days, 25+, unisex leaning feminine.

It's the most beautiful, harmonious, wearable leather I know.
If animalic or rough leather perfumes are "too much" for you, while soft leathers like Cuir Cordoba or Cuir Velours are "not enough", that one is perfect compromise.

Longevity is great, I feel soft sophisticated leathery base even after 8 hours.
Need to note I'm not fan of incense, but here it's so masterfully mixed with other notes, it doesn't bother me.

I adore this scent. It's splendidly dark and unisex - mixing oud, leather, powdery notes and vanilla in a glorious cloud. The iris and vetiver keep it interesting, but everything is suspended in perfect equilibrium. A little sweet, a little spicy. It is the very best scent I've found to wear with a leather jacket.

Delicate, smoky and exquisite leathery smell. It can be rather owerwelming at times, thus not everyday perfume. Great work from Miller Harris.

Based on reviews here I decided to get a sample of Etui Noir. To my surprise it smells very similar to the overhyped Black Afgano. I have sprayed them both on each hand as we speak: in the opening they're not identical, I'd say 80%. BF's opening is warmer, sweeter and overal denser. I get heavy coumarin (tonka), altho not listed. (But hey, 90% of the fragrances in the world have coumarin to add body). BF remains pretty lineair on my skin, where Etui Noir slowly turns into a sweet leather scent. I even detect a tiny bit of Tuscan Leather kind of leather, but sweeter.

I personally don't like BF cause it reminds me of a specific type of (delicious) licorice and when a fragrance smells like food I'm turned off. With Etui Noire however, it's different somehow. Also it's very well blended as I don't get the single notes easily. It's a sweet, warm, incensy, resinous, woody scent. I don't get the smoke. I guess the incense can be interpreted as "smoky".

Not sure if I would buy a full bottle. But that has everything to do with the fact that it is a bit too sweet-resinous to my nose. Just not really my cup of tea. That said, it is a beautiful composition and I will enjoy my sample while it last.

To all Black Afgano (Nasomatto) lovers who don't want to harm their wallet: DO try Etui Noir as it is fairly priced and comes 80% close in the drydown. I believe all niche fragrances should be priced like this: €98 for 100ml on Notino.

Overall 8/10

This is like a sweet musky incense stick burning in a dimly lit room paired with a glass of a very fine whiskey.

Funnily enough I hate smokey perfumes and I hate the taste of whiskey, but this perfume is just gorgeous.

I agree with a reviewer below, this could easily be mistaken for an oud offering, and it is somehwhat reminiscent of guerlain santal royal. When I wore it on myself for the first time I mistakenly thought of oud, but definitely picking up all those warm spices, amber and vanilla. Must be the the wood, leather and smoke combo that causes the confusion. It's very well blended. I can smell the iris in it too.

The smoke quality is divine, sexy and mysterious.

The fragrance has just the right amount of sweetness. It's alluring and elegant and smells expensive. I would say it's definitely unisex, I love to wear it some days, but would ADORE to smell this on a man too.

Sillage is good, for me, arms length is good. Longevity isn't great however, it's amazing for the first hour then begins to wane, and drift in and out. I applied this morning at 7am and once more at 5pm and I can still smell it now, 12am in the evening. Worth it I say.

Beautiful and unique.

You’ve just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner. You wore stretchy pants to accommodate your fullness. There’s a lot of food smells in the air but your uncle’s pipe tobacco is dominating.

And that’s what this perfume reminds me of: a full deep scent that you can really only pull off a few times a year.... or else you might explode.

That said, I do like it. Of course it’s a Miller Harris, so it’s very natural, well blended and falls squarely into the niche bucket. If I hadn’t looked at the note breakdown here I would have said that tobacco is the star but I think that’s the combination of the suede and incense notes. There is a sweet, smoky element to Etui Noir. Opening is deep and mysterious, then it turns to birch, vetiver and styrax in the drydown.

Sometimes reviewers will say “interesting” for lack of a better word; but here that is the exact description I would use for Etui Noir.

With extreme performance, you’ll need a long hot shower to give this scent a reason to leave. Kind of like how I feel after the relatives have left: I love them but I only need to visit with them once or twice a year. Same with Etui Noir.

not sure... think it smells more birch & iris than leather&incense..quite dry too, maybe that's why it falls short...(also aware that the leather note is achieved sometimes using birch)

This fragrance personally smells like Bentley Intense for my nose but doesn’t contain the rum and whiskey notes but if I was to chose between these two fragrances I’d choose Bentley as it it cheaper, last longer and performs better

Aromachemical galore. Etui Noir is dominated by an overpowering cashmere wood/silvamber note or something of the likes. There is however a velvety suede note next to smoky woods reminiscent of Santal Royal and the typical subtle Miller Harris dustiness I enjoy so much. If it wasn't for the overly synthetic nose burning ambery wood, it wood be a lovely fragrance with enormous sillage and longevity.

This was an recent impulse buy, it was discounted and I chose it for no specific reason to be honest. But it was well worth it at least for the opening 30 minutes of wearing it : in my opinion it is the closest anything has ever smelled like DK Men. It soon develops into a lovely perfume as it has been wonderfully explained here already, but I really love it for the first 30 minutes, the olfactory memories are just too strong.

This could easily be mistaken for an Oud-based offering, because that’s what you get when this opens. The bergamot is obviously there the instant it hits your skin, with a suggestion of sweetness in the background (the tangerine, I assume). However, the incense and iris soon make their presence felt too and, for the first 30 minutes or so, combine with the top notes to create one of the most unique, heavy and addictive fragrances I’ve experienced in quite a while. Sadly, things get more predictable as this dries down to pleasant but fairly nondescript powdery-sweet, soft-leather, short-lived skin scent.

The problem with the dry-down is the absence of vetiver, which I know is one of the stated notes, but which is actually barely there. Vetiver would bind the base notes together and give them some much needed structure. It’d take the edge off the sweetness too. So, as an experiment I layered this with Guerlain Vetiver and the results were fantastic. It extended the longevity by at least a couple of hours, helped the top and heart notes to project a bit more (without changing their nature) and made the base notes worth waiting for.

So, without layering, the projection is moderate for a hour and the sillage is about the same. Overall longevity is disappointing at 3 hours. However, layer this as I did, and the projection is strong, for about 2 hours and the sillage picks up a little too. Longevity is about 5 hours, perhaps a touch more.

So, there you are. Not cheap, but worth getting one of their 7.5 mill sprays just to experience that unique opening. If you decide to invest more in a 50 or 100 mill bottle then consider layering to offset the relatively poor performance.

Magnific..9/10

Bel Ami's dirty little sister ... Glorious!

I wanted to like but for me the incense just was a bit too much and I just kept smelling what I cant bear in Tuscan leather. Shame because I love miller Harris. I will probably layer it.

Update: I’m now enjoying this a lot more. I think it needs a bit of time on me and then it becomes softer and rather honeyed. I’ve worn it today layered with L’air de rien and it worked for me!

Nice surprise. Very sofisticated and elegant leathery scent on it’s own terms. Not another Tuscan Leather clon or followers as Acqua di Parma Leather or some stuff from Atelier Cologne. Smart top notch leather box in wooden cabinet with cigars. No citrusy or raspberry notes with barely perceptible smoke. Very approachable but not banal at all. I’m waiting for my bottle.

Wow, this is a hidden gem indeed.Blind buy and I am very impressed. It has a sweet oudy smell that is utterly unique.I get a rosy smoky smell after 30 mins or so. Overall this is a must have.

It makes the difference not to put oud in the name. Most brands would call this oud and rose or something along those lines. Left alone notes can be judged for what they actually are or how they make one feel. Those who probably would not go for oud type fragrance may have a go at this by chance,which is good.
As with all Miller Harris colonias don't expect too much

I love Miller Harris perfumes and after my last visit in London bought this bottle at the airport. First trying was completely bewitching. Love this smell from very first moment. Maybe it´s because reminds me really much Margiela Untitled perfume. Of course I waited for hour to return back to airport store and buy it whole bottle. And I´m not dissappointed. Smell is so beautiful, really powdery. It´s like u enter in the cloud of heavenly light calming scent. I can´t smell a leather inside very much, but iris and vetiver are really strong parts in my nose. I have to say use it quite often and quite a lot. Like almost all of my perfumes. Altough I stop to smell it after on hour, all my friends can smell it much longer.

Bought it on first smelling at the airport. It starts out intriguingly, the citrus is not as out front as a top note, but is subtly undercutting this unique atmospheric note that reminds me of charcoal and suede. There is black shiny leather in there, too, but the Iris and incense are not something I detect. There is nothing lush or amber about this perfume; it's dry, clean, not cindery smoky but charcoal-like dark, and- here was the disappointment for me - ultimately masculine. The dry down does not live up to to the promise of the opening. IT seems to me that within fifteen minutes or so it just starts smelling like a generic men's "aftershave" splash kind of smell- a sort of soapy fougere. Once that tantalising charcoal atmospheric is gone, there is not much else to it. It really does not last on my skin. Gone in an hour or so, which isn't a bad thing, as I only like the first spray of it. Wish I had lived with it a bit more before forking out the money, but the opening is so unusual.