Neela Vermeire Creations | The Scented Hound

February 6, 2017
by The Scented Hound 13 Comments

New Release: Neela Vermeire Creations Rahele

“Rahele (traveller) is the newest fragrance, an ode to exotic travel, an olfactory journey in the company of 17th Century French visitors to the East.”

WHAT I SMELL: Rahele quietly opens soft but very luxurious, with a dewy green and velvety violet, tinged with the lightest of citrus and spice. There’s an incredible warmth that immediately draws you in. Soon after opening, a cinnamon note moves forward making a nice balance between the florals and the lightly exotic spice. After a few more minutes, a demure, but noticeable osmanthus comes forward. At this point the perfume feels like a still life painting filled with the most delicate of flowers and fruit. As the perfume continues to develop it begins to powder and dry. Even with a projecting powder, Rahele remains incredibly subdued and meticulously blended, where no particular note stands out, but is perfection in the sum of its parts. In the end, the lightest of leather topped by a layer of oakmoss makes this a sublime ode to French perfumery.

Notes from the Neele Vermeire Creations website:

Top Notes: Green Mandarine, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Violet Leaf Absolute

Heart Notes: Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Absolute, Magnolia, Jasmine Absolute, Iris, Violet

Base Notes: Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Leather

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What I envision a 17th Century powdered wig to smell like.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RAHELE: powdery, proper, engaging

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RAHELE: Megan in Sainte Maxime, AustralianPerfumeJunkies, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: Rahele strays from the exotic flourishes of the other Neela Vermeire Creation perfumes in the collection, although not completely. Rahele is all about classic french perfume and as I am a huge fan of the classics…I have to say that this might be my favorite in the collection. But that’s like stating which of your children is your favorite…it can’t be done.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: $235 for 60 ml eau de parfum.

April 13, 2015
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur Extrait

WHAT I SMELL: Mohur Extrait opens with this deep and dreamy lightly peppered and spice haze. The notes dance and swirl in an incredible kinetic motion, but in the most mysterious way. It’s as the perfume want to make itself hidden until it decides it’s time to reveal its true self. In other words, the perfume is incredibly quiet in its opening and it’s impossible to pick out individual notes. The dancing notes bring forward ambered floral and exotic spices all the while remaining dreamy and enticing you with subtle whisps of temptation. The warm florals mixed with the subtle spices are as intoxicating as I have ever experienced. After some time, the mysteriously quiet kinetics begin to open. But this box of jewels will not open quickly; a case of jewels might blind one if opened without care. After some more time, a light creaminess is added to the mix of the spiced florals. And soon enough, a lovely spiced rose quietly moves to the center of the mix. It’s creamy, warm and dreamily enrapturing. In the end, Mohur Extrait wraps you in this warm embrace of lightly powdered radiating spiced rose wrapped up in the most exquisite sandalwood. How come the perfumes that I love so much are so hard to describe? Maybe it’s because their beauty defies words.

Mohur Extrait Notes: Cardamom, coriander, ambrette, carrot seeds, pepper, elemi, iris, jasmine, rose, violet, almond, leather, sandalwood, amber, woody notes, patchouli, agarwood (oud), benzoin, vanilla, and tonka bean.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The loveliest pearl; majestic, luminescent and a beauty to behold.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MOHUR EXTRAIT: quiet, thoughtful, cultured

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MOHUR EXTRAIT: Perfume Shrine, CaFleureBon, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: The original Mohur Eau de Parfum is incredible; but this limited edition Mohur Extrait is utterly divine and a testament to the incredible art of creating a great perfume. Neela and Bertrand once again have created magic. If only this came in a smaller size so more people could experience it.

Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Unisex towards feminine
Expense: $445 for 50 ml parfum extrait

Sample courtesy of Neela Vermeire Creations.

March 30, 2015
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

New Release: Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola

WHAT I SMELL: Pichola opens with a light, soft combination of magnolia and tempered spice. It’s like a whisper that meets the back of your neck with a breath of tenderness. In a couple of minutes that whisper opens to what feels like dawn, or the rising of the sun. You can feel the perfume becoming brighter, more radiant and alive. The blending of the notes makes it difficult to distinguish individual notes, but that’s a good thing because together they paint such a beautiful picture. The florals are front and center of the perfume, but they are subdued, rather gentle and oh so pretty and graceful. After 15 minutes or so, the florals begin to grow, becoming more lush and slightly sweeter with the jasmine most pronounced along with a creamy ylang-ylang. The sandalwood provides a touch of dimension under the budding florals. As the perfume continues to grow, the creaminess expands to create a milky wrap around the florals as if it’s trying to contain the uncontainable burgeoning blossoms. I keep waiting for the florals to explode, but instead they blossom and grow large without shouting. The perfume culminates in this creamy haze of floral and lightly woody and sweet delightfulness.

From the Neela Vermeire Creations website:

Lake Pichola is the crown jewel and central focus of the princely city of Udaipur. A myriad of colourful historic, architectural and spiritual re!ections fall on this splendid water body – the sunlight and moonlight of each season bringing out the eternal and timeless beauty of Lake Pichola. Our latest fragrance captures such countless re!ections on the lake from the past to the present – showcasing the splendour of opulent and vibrant flowers, princely spices and precious woods taking us on an unforgettable and hypnotic fragrant journey. Once you have experienced the diverse and stunning beauty of these indescribable re!ections you will understand the true meaning of timeless luxury and e”ortless beauty….

TOP NOTES Cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroli oil, clementine, bergamot

HEART NOTES Orange blossom absolute, rose absolute, tuberose absolute, Jasmine sambac, ylangylang

BASE NOTES Benzoin absolute, sandalwood, driftwood, vetiver from Haiti

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Daybreak. The sun, warmth and quietness opening up to a new and glorious day.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PICHOLA: reflective, jeweled, comforting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PICHOLA: Kafkaesque, The Goodsmellas, Persolaise

BOTTOM LINE: Pichola is the quiet cousin of the fantastic Bombay Bling. Both are incredibly uplifting floral beauties and there is an unmistakable connection in their composition. But, Pichola is more restrained and subdued. It’s as if the Bombay Bling party has ended and it’s time for some down time to reflect on the excitement of the day.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Launching in April 2015 in the US. EU residents can place orders via the Neela Vermeire website for 205 Euros for 60ml.

Sample courtesy of Neela Vermeire Creations.