Neela Vermeire Creations | The Scented Hound

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.

November 6, 2012
by The Scented Hound 24 Comments

Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations

I hope that all of my U.S. friends managed to get out and vote today. I don’t care who you voted for, but just that you did. Me, I can honestly say that I was the best smelling at my voting precinct thanks to Trayee.

WHAT I SMELL: Goes on like a sheet of incensed fruit and full bodied florals with just a hint of leather. The fruit is juicy and succulent and reminds me of pineapple; very edible and gourmand. The floral aspects of this are sweet, but not in an overpowering way. I admit that I’m not sophisticated enough to pull out the notes for identification. In other words, they are blended together so masterfully that they come together in a rapture of perfumed life. As Trayee develops, I get less of the fruit and a bit more of the floral sweetness. When you take a close sniff at this point, the sweet smell coats your nose and throat in a manner that embraces rather than repels. At the end of this olfactory journey, you are left with a light woody incense that floats off your skin in an airy and translucent layer. I did notice that there was a difference in spraying vs. dabbing. When I sprayed it on this morning, it started with a bit of incense unlike when I dabbed and it immediately went into the fruit and floral phase.

Trayee Notes: Blue ginger, elemi, cinnamon, ganja accord, blackcurrant absolute, basil, jasmine sambac, Egyptian jasmine, cardamom absolute, clove, saffron, Javanese and Haitian vetiver, incense, Mysore sandalwood oil, patchouli, myrrh, vanilla, cedar, amber notes, oud palao from Laos, oak moss.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Trayee is like a magical day in the heart of India. The day starts off with lingering temple incense from the night before. As the sun rises, the land comes to life with the color of the land and flowers which are blended in a fragrant symphony along with ripening fruit. This day is gloriously happy; a celebration of the world around us. As dusk approaches, the day begins to settle and once again, the incense in the temples begins to rise throughout the emptying streets.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE TRAYEE: luscious, joyous, fragrant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TRAYEE: Olfactoria’s Travels, Eyeliner on a Cat, The Scentualist

BOTTOM LINE: If you can’t tell already, I am in love with this fragrance; the quality and complexity is evident and incredible. Trayee in the final drydown, does remind me of one of my other loves, Kilian’s Incense Oud. However, Trayee’s incense is much lighter and more delicate than Kilians. In the end, this is one review where I am finding that it is difficult to put my thoughts into words. I can only recommend that everybody give this wonderful fragrance a try.

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Spicy
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $260 for 55ml EdP

Thanks to Neela Vermeire and for Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels for my sample of Trayee which was won in a random draw on Olfactoria’s Travels.