Suzanna reviews two India inspired fragrances
Neela Vermeire is an Indian perfume lover living in Paris whose “creative partner” is none other than perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, king of the travel-themed fragrance. The Neela Vermeire Creations line consists of four fragrances themed around different periods of Indian history: Mohur, Trayee, Bombay Bling, and Ashoka. I’ve already reviewed Mohur, and today I will talk about Trayee and Bombay Bling.
After Mohur, my favorite was Trayee, a fragrance inspired by the Vedic era that uses notes of Ayurvedic medicine and religious rituals. Trayee is a smoky perfume featuring a stunning incense note. Also in there is a “ganja accord” that I will call “green bud” for those who might recognize it, and a sense-awakening jolt of ginger, cinnamon, and clove at the top. Here and there, Trayee reminded me of black tea leaves (this is not listed) steeped plain, without sugar.
The oud note is mild enough to keep me happy (I’m generally not a fan), while the myrrh, vetiver, and oakmoss provide enough friction to start a small fire near the base, and one that kept burning at a low smolder throughout. As a fan of incense fragrances I can only add the word “swoon” to this description. The spice notes at the top are a sure hook. Trayee was both energizing and contemplative and I felt positively detoxified while wearing it. Yes, that’s a big thumbs-up.
Bombay Bling, meant to encapsulate all that is lively and colorful about modern-day India, is a giant sound wave of fruit and flowers. It’s a Bollywood dance in a bottle, swirling its notes around an insistent drumbeat of patchouli. Vermeire didn’t have to hunt far to make this modern perfume; after all, these notes are in constant rotation elsewhere, but it is what she does with them that is different. The mango, the black currant, the lemony cardamom, and the cumin are forces unleashed upon a bouquet of rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and gardenia. If this sounds explosive and sweet, it is.
Despite the long list of notes I smelled mostly frangipani and jasmine and that weirdly wonderful bitter mango note in the top. No whiff of the rotten occurs as it does with other, pulpier mango scents. This one is green and tart to offset the raucous bloom of the core. I didn’t even think about a base until much, much later, when a hint of vanilla showed up against one of those cedar notes that have in their constitution a hint of ripe cheese, a trait shared with the gardenia. It was everything I expected it to be and then some. It’s as audacious a scent as I’ve smelled recently, and, given what it celebrates, it makes perfect sense to have it cranked up to eleven.
Of the three I’ve tried, Trayee wore closest to the skin and is the one I would pick if I only had $260 to pay for 55 ml of scent. Let’s make no bones about that price: It’s eye-popping. On the other hand, the perfumes score highly on all points–luscious ingredients, memorable stories, and artful compositions.
Neela Vermeire Creations Trayee and Bombay Bling are available from Luckyscent or directly from neelavermeire.com.
Top image: Indian actress Aishwarya Rai in Umrao Jaan (2006).
Sample: Neela Vermeire
18 Comments
Cornelia Blimber: Being an incensefan, I suppose Trayee would be perfect for me, soft, meditative, high quality ingredients, interesting story, beautiful bottle, everything to seduce a perfumelover. But the price keeps me away.( How many is that in €?).
Sometimes I think: well, a gorgeous perfume is a good investment, and pay wiilingly €230 for Sous le Vent. (old favorite, 125 ml…). At other times I think: these prices are exaggerated, even for an excellent perfume. In this thrifty mood, I buy expensive perfumes only as a tester or in a sale. So, it was interesting to read about Trayee, thank you, Suzanne, but I will stick to my tester of Bois d’Encens.
Have nice travels! July 8, 2013 at 8:55am
Cornelia Blimber: Sorry, Suzanna! July 8, 2013 at 10:29am
rosarita: I love all three of these offerings (have samples) and Trayee is my favorite; as an incense and spice fan, it smells like it’s made for me. I would love to have that smell around all the time, scenting myself and my house. Bombay Bling is gorgeous too; it would be wonderful to be able to spray as much as you wanted and wallow in it. But yeah, the price – no possible way, I couldn’t even afford a split. But I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to smell them all. Neela is very talented. Have a nice trip! July 8, 2013 at 10:09am
rickyrebarco: I have just discovered these two beauties. Trayee is so amazing I ordered a full bottle. July 8, 2013 at 10:23am
Lucas: I love the combination of mango and lychee aromas trapped inside a bottle of Bombay Bling. It’s definitely my favorite perfume done by Neela Vermeire.
I recently tried Ashoka, which will launch in a couple of months and my positive feelings for it are growing really fast. July 8, 2013 at 10:34am
Nicola: I love Bombay Bling with its spicy fruity floral exuberance resting on a woody, tobacco-y base. That green mango opening reminds me of another Duchafour great, Nuit de Tubereuse. But I agree, it’s not quiet! I have a small decant but am eyeing the sample set (10mls of each for something like 90 euros?) July 8, 2013 at 11:58am
Jillie: Just delicious, and I want to try these! But I’m finding everything so expensive now (not just perfumes), so I think I will have to pretend that I didn’t read this……. July 8, 2013 at 12:10pm
Annikky: Suzanna, thank you for covering the reminder of Neela’s trio – your original Mohur review made me order the sample set and I’m so glad I did. If I had a perfume top 10, Trayee would be on it. I am unable to describe it, especially as I’m out of it at the moment (see above for the price issue), but its wonderful and complex and unique.
Bombay Bling! is the one I didn’t expect to like, but it’s such a happy perfume and more interesting than it seems. The mango note is perfect, the dry-down is a surprise and I enjoyed my sample a lot.
As Mohur is one of my absolute favourite roses, this collection is a clear winner for me and very thoughtfully put together, I think. I appreciate that there aren’t too many perfumes and the ones that are there, are original and distinct. The 3x10ml discovery set is at the very top of my wish list (if one likes all three scents, it’s almost a reasonable proposition, right?) and I’m very excited about Ashoka. July 8, 2013 at 2:19pm
Emma M: Anniky, I was just about to ask if there was a sample set available – you’ve just answered my question – thanks!
And thanks also to Suzanna for the inspiring review; Neela’s perfumes are now definitely on my radar July 8, 2013 at 3:14pm
Annikky: Emma, I seriously recommend the sample set – 2ml is enough to test thorougly and while 21€ is not cheap, it’s doable and shipping is included. The only problem is that you might fall in love with all three 🙂 July 8, 2013 at 4:20pm
Lila: I ordered samples of all three expecting Trayee to be my favorite and BB my least. Well, BB turned out to be my favorite! I couldn’t believe how elegant mango could be. I love all of them and I’m anxious to see how each one works in different seasons. July 8, 2013 at 3:37pm
annemariec: Many thanks for the reviews – and for being so frank about the prices for these. The cost has kept me firmly away. I have sometimes wondered though, if Bombay Bling is similar in character, if not in notes, to Patricia de Nicolai’s Maharanih. Maharanih certainly makes me feel almost bewildered, it is so busy and colourful. Its fruit is citrus, not mango, but there are a lot of ‘hot’ spice going in in there, as well as patchouli, sandalwood and civet. Big sillage too, very sexy. Anyway, worth thinking about, and it comes at a fraction of the price! July 8, 2013 at 5:25pm
OperaFan: Annemariec – This response is coming a bit late, but I just read your question and wanted to provide a little perspective as someone who has tried Maharanih Intense and run off to a quick scrubbing. They are completely different. I got sour sweat from Maharanih (the orange peel and patchouli combination did little for me) that never showed in BB. Whereas I found Maharanih to be dark and brooding, BB is (as Suzanna described) “lively and colorful.” I liked BB very much, but it’s my least favorite of the 3 initial releases. Being a rose HO, Mohur walked away with the prize though I find Trayee the most interesting and thoughtful. July 18, 2013 at 2:05pm
Figuier: Thanks for the review, Suzanne, and glad you enjoyed these. I was lucky enough to win the tester set draw on this blog a few weeks ago, and while I knew I loved Mohur already, the other two were new to me, and lovely surprises. Together with Mohur they make such a perfectly balanced trio – something for everyone, each beautifully executed. Of the two Bombay Bling sounded like the least appealing (I really don’t like the mango-y Artisan tuberose) but I’ve actually been wearing it lots in this summer heat, I love the pulpy sweetness of the mango, and the base has that raspy, musky depth that remind me of mango stones (pits?) – I don’t actually get patchouli per se.
Hopefully at a later date I’ll get round to exploring Trayee some more – at the moment I’m plotting to get DH to wear it, as I think it would be brilliant on a guy. July 8, 2013 at 6:09pm
Ilia: I loved Trayee most of the three I got – and I do get some tea and dry grass or leaves in there. I have samples only and I would buy Trayee first (as soon as I have free funds). They’re all very well made though, so it’s doesn’t feel like throwing money away. I do have all of Vero Profumo’s full bottles, and they’re not much cheaper! And can’t wait for Ashoka to come out to try it… July 9, 2013 at 8:14am
AnnieA: Please, please try samples before buying. This line has gotten talked up so much that people might be tempted to buy unsniffed.
I will be the possibly lone exception, but these perfumes did nothing for me: one was a complete scrubber, one disappeared after a few dull minutes, and one smelled like tobacco candy. Not for everyone. July 9, 2013 at 3:22pm
Victoria: Thank you for another perspective, it’s always helpful to hear the opposite views. Yes, testing before buying is a must in pretty much all cases. July 9, 2013 at 3:26pm
Jeannine: I love both Trayee and Mohur. I am saving up for full bottles. They are beautiful. July 11, 2013 at 7:12pm