Saturday, September 1, 2012

NEELA VERMEIRE - NICH BRAND

What happens when a lawyer decides to leave what it is called a promising noble career, to pursuit her dreams? In my case, a lot of anger and indignation from friends and relatives. In Neela Vermeire's case, a new niche perfumery brand that is already a success among the perfume passionates' community.
Fact is that this year we have the great joy to celebrate not one, but two niche perfumery brands, rising from inside the perfume community. Kerosene Fragrances, by John Pegg, and Neela Vermeire Créations. The good news is, since they have been around us, they know exactly how to please us. Not only that, they have been in the other end of the table. Avid perfume buyers and passionates that they both are, they know niche pretty well. They know what it takes to stand out in a crowd of 1000s of other brands popping out like mushrooms after the rain.
And Neela Vermeire has it all: the heritage, the beauty, the kindness, the brains, the nose. And it is all reflecting in her creations. 
Besides the true love for perfumes, Neela took the wise decision to choose the famous nose Bertrand Duchafour to bring her dreams to life, materializing her passions, her memories, and her way to experience India history. 

Photo credit: Neela Vermeire

Neela Vermeire Créations offers us journey inside the history of India with 03 debut fragrances, which could be in my opinion, one more amazing route for the traveler perfumer. We all know that he has already navigated the Spice Route in the past with L'Artisan's Piment Brulant, Poivre Piquant, Navegar, Dzongkha, Timbuktu and Vanille Absolument. He has also travelled to Turkey, Seville, Paris, Arabia and Panama creating fragrances inspired by them. So Neela will be Bertrand's guide into this amazing exotic trip to India, and we will be offered 03 perfumes translating the three different Hindu concepts: Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling, and I will be delighted to review them for you.



Photo credit: Neela Vermeire

I start with BOMBAY BLING (the Chori Chori fragrance!), which is an explosion of colors and flowers. It represents the modern India and its Bolywood glitter. With fruity/juicy notes of mango, lichee, black currant, spicied by cardamom and cumin, receiving bombastic full blooms of white flowers such as gardenias, jasmines, tuberoses, combined with roses, frangipanis and ylang-ylangs, it brings us a voluptuous aura in a tobacco,wood base of sandalwood, cedar, white woods and notes of patchouli, and vanilla. Cistus notes are also included in this composition.


The first time I applied on my skin I felt like I have seen this before a long time ago. Something I smelled in the 80's or 90's. I was not sure. It contained an aura of Quartz by Molineaux I guess - but it is different. Grain de Musc described it as Giorgio does Bolywood. It could also have the bombastic power of Giorgio, but I dare to imagine that Duchafour, Neela and Molineaux travelled to India one day. Not in the 70's, but in the late 80's. She took them to the spice markets where they encountered many of the richness of this exotic land. They went totally wild with all the flowers, sandalwoods  and juicy fruits she already knew since she was little. They sipped teas and drank mango Lassi. They ate curries and chutneys. Inspired by all that and the colorful and loud India, they went to the lab later on and created a new version of the perfume, while singing "Chori Chori Hun Gori Se"...(remember that Bollywood-style movie with Marisa Tomei & Heather Graham?)

I must say that I don't see myself wearing golden bangles or saris...but a pair of high heels, a dress to kill, and a huge sexy smile on my face. And if I am damn lucky, I will transpire some of Marisa Tomei's sensuality. Fact is that this is THE ONLY bombastic flower perfume that I can say I really loved, and would wear without having the sensation of asking desperately for attention. It is loud, don't get me wrong, but in a nice way.

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