Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations

*****

Year: 2015

Notes: bergamot, clementine, juniper berry, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, neroli, orange blossom, rose, magnolia, ylang-ylang, jasmine sambac, tuberose, benzoin, Haitian vetiver, driftwood, sandalwood

Named after Lake Pichola, located in the city of Udaipur, in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, Pichola tries to capture "countless reflections on the lake from the past to the present".

With a vibrant citrus opening, it's essentially a sweet and creamy floral-oriental, with an emphasis on the white florals (particularly the tuberose). The spices are generally discreet, there's a tangy citrus element that courses throughout the composition, and the eventual drydown is a soft vanilla and woods affair. Interestingly, apart from the odd green nuance in the opening, both the juniper berry and cardamom are sadly nondescript.

All in all, it's a pleasant offering that's reasonably executed but fails to stand out from the crowd. With Bertrand Duchaufour once again composing, one would have expected something more distinctive. Yet the tangy citrus element, which persists against a milky backdrop of tuberose, vanilla and woods, redeems Pichola from being awarded a lower rating.

Both projection and staying power are average.

Ashoka by Neela Vermeire Creations

*****

Year: 2013

Notes: blackcurrant, fig leaf, parsley leaf, geranium, water hyacinth, lotus, rose, mimosa, osmanthus, ylang-ylang, jasmine sambac, iris, heliotrope, fig milk, vanilla, myrrh, styrax, leather, birch, cedar, frankincense, fir balsam, Haitian vetiver, sandalwood, ambergris

Named after one of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka gets off to a very grating start.

Commencing with suggestive fig and watery notes, there's also a synthetic, plastic-like aura that accompanies them. Although this could be partly due to the parsley, it's not a great introduction by any means.

It soon transitions to a lactonic floral heart, with occasional salty accents. The floral mélange doesn't feature a particular accord that stands out but, instead, imparts a soft creaminess to support the fig milk. With a subtle powderiness from the iris and heliotrope, the resins and woods that duly follow are both mellow and restrained. Towards the end, the fir balsam adds a beautiful green balsamic tinge. As for any sweetness, it never crosses the line into syrupy territory.

Apart from the fleeting fig milk aspect, one didn't get much fig from the composition at all. And, in contrast to the opening, the drydown is a lot more pleasant but there's still a structural imbalance throughout its evolution. All things considered, it's a muddled fig rendition, with a drydown that could have been significantly better.

Sillage is moderate with below average longevity.

Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: lychee, mango, blackcurrant, cumin, cardamom, cistus, Turkish rose, frangipani, Madagascan ylang-ylang, jasmine sambac, tuberose, gardenia, vanilla, tobacco, patchouli, cedar, white woods, sandalwood

"This joyful creation embodies every aspect of the very modern, colourful, eclectic, esoteric, ecstatic, liberal, happy side of buzzing India..."

And joyful is how Bombay Bling starts off, with an exuberant and colourful array of fruity accords. The mango is ever so succulent and the blackcurrant adds a slightly green jamminess to the proceedings. With a distinctive creamy undertone being discernible, such an introduction is a mouth-watering olfactory feast.

As it evolves, the vanillic creaminess increases its depth, as white florals and a touch of spices accompany it. With remnants of the fruity top notes still discernible, the overall aroma is akin to that of a deliciously creamy dessert. But, much to its credit, the sweetness is never overwhelming and always manages to remain alluring rather than cloying.

A floral mélange slowly comes more to the fore, adding more complexity to the vanillic sweetness. With rose, jasmine and gardenia being the most identifiable, one can almost briefly detect the aroma of ripe mango skin amongst the dreamy floral creaminess, even though the mango flesh chord has now largely faded.

Resting on a soft base of woods, one doesn't find the woody drydown too intrusive, with possibly the cedar and sandalwood having more prominence. With a woody creaminess, the composition becomes dark and gritty, but still continues to showcase its creamy floral properties until the very end.

While Bombay Bling isn't groundbreaking, what makes it so special are the fruity notes and the luscious floral-vanilla coupling. It's well-composed, evolves seamlessly and leaves a positive lasting impression on the wearer. And although one didn't detect much tobacco in the mix, there was certainly a subtle golden warmth that could be attributed to this accord.

Providing modest projection, it could have been more tenacious. However, with such wonderful olfactory virtues on display, the rating truly reflects Bertrand Duchaufour's mastery when he really hits his stride.

Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: elemi, blackcurrant, basil, ganja accord, cardamom, Madagascan blue ginger, clove, cinnamon, saffron, Egyptian jasmine, jasmine sambac, vanilla, patchouli, amber, myrrh, frankincense, cedar, Laotian oud, Javanese vetiver, Haitian vetiver, oakmoss, Mysore sandalwood

"The divine origin of the first three Vedas, Rig, Yajur and Sama, suggested the name of the perfume: Trayee."

On paper, Trayee seems like a complex offering. Sadly, in reality, it's severely lacking in so many respects that not even the provocative ganja (or marijuana) accord can save it.

Throughout its duration, there's a noticeable gritty, powdery texture. Really, it's more of a chalky dustiness that one initially found irritating. At first, there are olfactory parallels to a sweet and creamy cardamom beverage, an exotic spicy rice pudding, and Indian kulfis (a traditional ice cream dessert made from sweetened evaporated milk). However, these suggestive aromas are mostly fleeting, while that grittiness continues to persist.

As the creaminess gradually subsides, what's left is a cedar and oud dominant drydown, with spicy undertones and resins. By this point, the dusty aspect is more at one with the woods, but the overall effect is both generic and tedious. Possessing soft suede-like nuances, it's never too sweet and the florals are ultra-discreet. And as it draws to a close, traces of vetiver accompany the sandalwood, with no clear evidence of any oakmoss.

Composed by Bertrand Duchaufour, Trayee leaves one underwhelmed. It also doesn't help that its performance is sorely lacking – staying very close to the skin and lasting under four hours.

Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: ambrette seed, carrot seed, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, elemi, violet, hawthorn, Turkish rose, Moroccan rose, jasmine, orris, almond milk, vanilla, patchouli, leather, Laotian oud, tonka bean, Siam benzoin, amber, white woods, sandalwood

Comment: Eau de Parfum review

When launching a new niche house, the easiest (or laziest) option is to employ the services of an established perfumer, instead of the founder composing the fragrances themselves. However, such an option becomes very clichéd when that very perfumer is Bertrand Duchaufour...

With the bottles designed by Pierre Dinand, the offerings serve as an olfactory exploration of Indian history and culture. And although a self-confessed perfume connoisseur, founder Neela Vermeire comes across more as a business opportunist, in a lucrative (and cut-throat) industry where anyone can claim to have been interested in fragrances, since childhood, and the general public would be gullible enough to believe them.

With Mohur (the name of a gold coin of British India), it's a spicy rose offering that tries too hard to be complex and profound, with a notably hefty serving of rose. There's also a generous serving of spices, which darken the rose accords a bit too much. When combined with the jasmine, the rose aspect is creamy and plum-like, with a powdery elegance accentuated by the accompanying orris.

Apart from the sandalwood, the woods are relatively subdued (even the oud) and the leather is closer to that of suede. With a creamy and resinous woody base, the final moments on the skin are both placid and comforting, while a faint rose jamminess still continues to smoulder.

Personally, one is conflicted. On the one hand, Mohur possesses a dreamy drydown that puts the drydown of Maria Candida Gentile's Cinabre to shame. However, at the same time, one finds Cinabre's exuberantly dusky and spicy rose opening better balanced and far more convincing. While both have their merits, if it was possible to take their best aspects and fuse them together, the end result would be heavenly.

Staying quite close to the skin, it prevails for at least six hours.