Surprise Love : Mia’s Blend – Be Layered

Mia’s Blend by the perfume house Be Layered was my “unexpected” love for 2019. I tried the brand out of curiosity (having never tried their predecessor sister House Alexandria fragrances). For those of you who aren’t as deeply entrenched in the fragrance community, or if you do slip under a rock from time to time, Be Layered is known in the community as a ‘clone’ House who create fragrances with a scent profile that is inspired by some popular high-end fragrances. From memory I saw them starting to get a lot of traction when they created First Kiss which smells similar to the uber popular ‘Delina’ by Pafums de Marly.

Of course I was curious about their “inspired by” fragrances but whilst I like many of the fragrances that they have replicated, these fragrances have either never been on my “buy” list (Delina, Good Girl), or I already own them (Oud Bouquet, Mon Guerlain) so, I really had no reason to make a beeline for them.

However, having heard several very positive reviews about the quality of their fragrances, I was interested to smell some of their original creations so, I purchased a sampler kit (I like the fact that they allow you to choose which ones you want, but they also have pre-selected kits for those who cant decide). Mia’s Blend was one of those samples I selected and though it is never a sure thing that a notes list quoting your favourites will mean you will like the actual fragrance, I still had high hopes for it (the website lists Myrrh, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Lavender and Almond). 2019 has been a bit of a Myrrh craze for me, although I was cautious about the presence of Lavender. Well, to my surprise not only did I like it but it has ended up being a big love for me and one of my go-to scents this year (as much as any scent is a “go-to” for me), it works in all weather and has the perfect balance of spice and moodiness (just like me, haha).

This fragrance has sweetness but it is not cloying or overly sweet. I think it is the perfect balance between subtle sweetness, spice and resin with a creamy base. When I first spray it on I get freshness from the lavender which gives is a crisp edge. The tonka and myrrh are immediately apparent providing the promise of depth but the lavender dominates for those first few minutes. As it dries down I get the slight smokiness and mineral-ly resin from the myrrh coming through and the scent takes a slightly darker turn but the lavender never lets it get too dark. I like to imagine that there are some other spices in there too maybe a bit of cinnamon, or possibly cardamom, but they aren’t listed so I can’t be sure. The scent remains fairly linear once it is dry and it has a soft almost fluffy feel which is very warming and comforting. It is not super heavy and syrupy so in the dead of winter you might want to layer it with other heavy hitters in order to get the punch cold climate dwellers might be looking for. However, as someone who lives in a largely warm climate all year ’round, I consider this to be something I can turn to about 10 out of 12 months of the year, with the exception of the hottest months where this might be a bit too much (although it wont stop me from trying – the height of our summer is not due for another month or so, yet!).

So, overall I am impressed with the quality of the fragrances from Be Layered. I think their original creations are my preferred options for reason already mentioned. Honourable mentions include: Enchanted Garden, Ancient Amber, Geneva Chocolate (especially as I don’t typically enjoy chocolate notes!) and Devilish. I am heartbroken that I wasn’t quick enough to snap up a bit of their limited edition “Christmas in Egypt” which sounded rather interesting, but next year I will be sure to monitor my email notifications more closely over the festive season.

For the record, I have no strong opinions either way regarding the whole “clone” fragrances debate – suffice to say, I feel sympathetic to creators who feel like their ideas are being copied …but I also feel that inspiration fragrances could very well put these brands and fragrances front an centre in the minds of those who ordinarily would never have thought to try them because of their price point. Many people who I know buy inspirations or clones still ultimately end up buying the original because they fall in love with a fragrance and aspire to one day own the “real thing”.

People on either side of the argument are very passionate about their viewpoints as they have every right to be, but to quote Austin Kleon – “Steal like an Artist”. These fragrances are not, as far as I can tell, meant to be exact copies but rather to have enough similarities so as to invoke a similar feel, or emotional response.

Regardless of whether that is the case or not, my view is that more expensive doesn’t always mean better so, wear what you enjoy, just make sure it is safe and good quality and not full of nasties like many infringing products out there being passed off as ‘the real thing’ under stolen trade marks at bargain basement prices (which by the way, IS damaging and legitimately unlawful).