Have you ever become obsessed about a perfume you wish you owned?  Well, for me that perfume was Bvlgari’s Noorah.  A few years back while wandering through Duty Free at the Bangkok airport, I came across a display for the Bvlgari La Gemme collection which I had heard of, but hadn’t experienced.  Many of the perfumes in the collection were incredible, but Noorah stood out and was love at first spritz.  But always cost conscious I found the price was just too high so I walked away from a purchase;  that is, after I drenched myself in the perfume.  Sitting atop my cloud of perfume on the plane was pure delight and thus began my obsession.

Of course, after spending a great deal of money on vacation, I put perfume purchases out of my mind.  I then found out a couple of years ago, that the perfume had been discontinued and that piqued my interest in Noorah once again.  I saw that there were some decent prices on eBay, but being in Mexico, shipping is impossible.  But luckily a year ago, I found the perfume on Amazon Mexico for a decent price.  I was thrilled that I had finally found my holy grail until I received the perfume and it was clear that it was a fake.  Thanks to Amazon, I got an immediate refund without any questions.

Then recently, I found Noorah on a fragrance website that actually ships to Mexico…and at a great price!  So one month later (yes, it takes that long for shipments to arrive in Mexico) I finally was re-introduced to my obsession.  Does it live up to my memories?

WHAT I SMELL:  Noorah has a strange opening that’s mildly chewy and a little waxy with what seems to be chocolate and sometimes leather combined with a Playdoh iris.  I have to say that this weird opening is not my favorite primarily because the chocolate note has a soured edge that is a bit off-putting.  But given all that, the initial wear is rather quiet and subdued.  As the perfume continues to develop, a light cardamom and pepper with just a hint of honey is added which gives an extra light bite.  However, overall the perfume remains soft and lightly creamy as the waxy wanes to just plain smooth.   After some time, Noorah begins to come out from under her creamy veil with a light powdery sweetened iris with hints of pepper.  It’s baby soft, lightly projected and incredibly pretty with the perfect mix of lightly sweet and lightly powdered.  As the perfume continues to develop, a lightly warmed wood slides in below the powdered haze.  In the end, Noorah leaves the wearer cocooned in a powdered iris cloud.  Heavenly.

Additional note:  Noorah’s DNA seems to change a great deal with the weather.  Warm and humid, the perfume has great projection and the woody note at the end is more prominent.  Cool and dry weather keeps the the perfume very powdery with light projection that’s close to the skin.  Either way, the perfume is fantastic.

From the Bvlgari website:

From Nishapur, the long journey from Orient to Occident. Turquoise takes us on a journey along the Silk and Spice Routes of yore. The most beautiful specimens come from the region of Nishapur, an exceedingly ancient city in Central Asia, and one of the crossroads of the mythical Silk Route. Caravans belonging to Turkish traders brought the turquoise to Europe, giving the gemstone its name. A stone of the bright blue sky, a nomad gem recalling open spaces. Noorah, an evocative name embodying the exuberance of the infinite heavens. Its rich, mysterious and sensual fragrance captures the magnificence of the Silk and Spice Routes. Narguile Vapors – Candied Dates – Laotian Benzoin.

Notes:  Iris, tobacco, oak, benzoin, honey, galbanum, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, patchouli.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Hues of pink and violet, scarves, makeup and powder…and oh so much glamour.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE NOORAH:  soft, elegant, powdery

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOORAH:  No reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  So is Noorah the perfume that I remember?  Yes, it is.  I was a bit worried when I first sprayed it on my skin, but after a short time, the beauty of the perfume and my memories of that first plane ride wearing it came rushing back.  In other words, I have no regrets with my purchase.  Mission accomplished…off to my next perfume obsession!

• Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent:  Chype Floral
• Nose:  Daniela Andrier
• Classification: Leans feminine
• Expense: Prices vary depending on purchase location.  Available in 100 ml eau de parfum.