Thursday, February 9, 2012

Visiting India II : Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations

It took me quite a long time to get to know these perfumes, but now I have (not completely, mind you), in my mind, they each have a designation beside their name: the Cardamom one, the Tea one and the Mango one (I'm saving the mango for the end).

I admit, my knowledge of India is limited to what I heard from people who were there (and school), but mango and spices do feature highly on the list of mentionable India characteristics.

Mohur for me, is the Tea one, and  "embodies, and is a dedication to, the mix of all the best of Mogul and the Bristish Raj".

I realize this is a "rose-based perfume" (that's what its description calls it) with additional facets "that can only be imagined during a hight tea after a polo match".

Still, for me it's a tea based perfume, as that is the note I get most prominently and with the most endurance. Although, I have to admit, it's a rose tea in my mind. :) The first two notes I got out of smelling Mohur were tea and rose, followed quickly by almondy (lightly alcoholic and salty of all things) quality with a lightly botanical tinge.
Here again, we have a shape-shifter perfume.

Wear it once, and you think you know what's it all about. Wear it again, and you're wondering what happened to the flowers from the first time, a more violet powdery floweriness is coming through. Then, wear it for the third time, and I wonder what did they do to make those flowers behave in such a transparent manner. And all the time I'm having problems teasing out particular notes, the scent is wafting as if on a breeze and when you want to stop and smell it, it wafts out of your reach.

Eeven though I'm calling this a tea perfume in my head, it's a perfume with a floral heart.


Notes: Cardamom Absolute, Coriander Seed Oil, Ambrette Seed, Carrot, Black Pepper, Elemi Oil, Turkish Rose Oil, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Rose Accords (more or less 11%), Jasmine Accord, Orris, Aubepin Flower, Almond Milk Notes, Violet Flower and Orris Effects, Leather Vitessence, Sandalwood, Ambre, White Woods, Patchouli, Oudh Palao from Laos, Benjoin Siam, Vanilla and Tonka Bean

Pics and notes by: http://www.neelavermeire.com/

27 comments:

  1. Sounds fascinating. I'll have to give it a go.

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  2. I usualy do not fancy the smell of roses, but your description has intrigued me... I'd like to try it.

    -- Marian

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  3. So interesting that the tea is most prominent to you. Mohur is such a beautiful perfume, and it is right up there with Lyric and Ta'if for me.

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  4. Great review and loved the last line.


    I think I would like this one the best of the three because I love rose perfumes and I'm looking for a fragrance with a good tea note.

    All three perfumes sound wonderfully original though.

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  5. Beautiful things, it is rather beautiful in its execution. :)

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  6. Marian, I wonder how come I'm getting more tea than roses out of this, but I don't mind. If you have a chance, give it a go. :)

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  7. Olfactoria, I was wondering about that but I still can't help but smell tea first and rose as accompanying it.
    The connection to Lyric never occured to me I must say. :)

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  8. Thank you Tara! :)

    If you're looking for a rose-tea perfume, this should be quite good for you. I wonder how you'll like it once you try it. Would love to know. :)

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  9. Sounds good of course, but I'm not sure I can stomach ANOTHER Duchafour right now.

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  10. I am trying this for the second time as I type (thanks to newly arrived samples from Undina) and Mohur is the one that appealed to me most from the off - in that its opening and development were all pleasant - but Trayee got me on the drydown!

    Mohur is quite fleeting on me, however, and a mixture of realistic rose and powder more or less. Not feeling the tea, but that is quite a subtle note.

    Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY INES!! : - )

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  11. lol, LCDP. :)
    That seems to be true for many people. Although, I must say, I enjoy his work.

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  12. Vanessa, I seem to be the only one so far getting such a strong whiff of tea. I wonder how come...
    On me, Mohur isn't fleeting in terms of longevity, it's more in the line of, I can smell it as long as I'm not focusing on it. When I do, all notes flee before my nose. :)

    And thank you! :D

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  13. Ines, I often think I smell a kinship between tea and rose, so I can understand why you might perceive tea as being every bit or more prominent as rose in this scent (even though I haven't tried it myself and can't comment on in it that regard).

    Hey, did I miss your birthday?? Well, please let me correct that then and wish you a very happy belated one!! xxoo!

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  14. Suzanne, I never made the connection between tea and rose but now I'll keep this in mind, it's possible there is a kinship in my nose too. :)

    My birthday was on Friday (10) and thank you for the wishes, they are never late and always welcome. :) xoxo

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  15. Hi Ines! Happy belated birthday to you! I remembered but couldn't send a greeting in time since I'm traveling for my birthday (which is today - hi from one Aquarian to another ;) ) and Internet access is somewhat limited.
    Now I'm curious to to try Mohur again and see if I can smell a tea note. From your description one other thing stood out for me - because I think about this perfume exactly the same: I also characterized it as "transparent".

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  16. Thank you dear Undina! And a happy birthday to you too! :)

    I hope your travels prove successful and you return with a new Guerlain love.

    As to Mohur, I can't believe I'm the only one getting such a strong whiff of tea. I guess my nose homes in on it. ;)

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  17. Happy belated birthday!

    I think you've hit the nail on the head with "transparent." That is the word that strikes me with this perfume. I will be alert for a tea note the next time I wear.

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  18. Hmm. I want to like more rose perfumes. I love tea perfumes. So I ought to try this, right? Right.

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  19. Thank you Natalie!
    Ok, so you are one more on the "no tea" list? So far, I mean. :)
    Please let me know if next time you smell it, you find it.

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  20. Right CF! :)
    I hope you'll like it (although honestly, it's very easy to like).

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  21. I definitely smell tea. It's so strong that it's hard for me to smell anything else, at least in the beginning.
    I think this perfume is less interesting than Trayee. But after all, I dislike tea notes in perfumes...

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    1. Hi Rob, really, you dislike tea? Interesting. :) This one is the least to my liking, not that I don't like it, it's just not what I look for in my perfumes. It seems perfectly polite, made for lovely young women.

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    2. I agree, it seems somehow too clean, too plain. The other two are definitely more interesting.
      I love drinking tea, but I dislike gourmand notes in perfumes, of any kind. That reduces a lot the range of fragrances I can buy, I know :) but that's not all, unfortunately: no amber and no sweet perfumes for me, thanks. I can appreciate them but not wear them.
      My ideal perfume would be a cold, unsweetened floral (without the rose). I'm still looking for it.

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    3. You really did limit yourself with these choices. :) I'm an oriental girl myself so ambers fit right in in my collection.
      Cold, unsweetened floral? Nothing comes to mind I admit, although I'm wearing Palais Jamais by Etro today and it certainly works as unsweetened perfume. Not very floral though...
      POssibly some of the Ellenas? ALthough they are more wisps of perfume than actual perfume (as to longevity and depth).

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    4. I must admit that I'm difficult to please ;)
      Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look for Palais Jamais, but if it's not very floral probably won't be right for me.
      I know Ellena's perfumes, and my problem with them is what you nailed so precisely: too thin for my taste...

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  22. That's why I never fall for any of the Ellena perfumes (although Iris Ukiyoe is coming close).
    Have you tried the Puredistance range? I wonder if Puredistnace I or Antonia might be to your liking...

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    1. Never heard of it! I'll try it as soon as I can. Thanks a lot!

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