Neela Vermeire Créations - Pichola

Picture: Panorama of Udaipur's Jag Mandir Island
 at Lake Pichola, Rajasthan, India
Photo: Sballal (cc) some rights reserved,
Wikimedia commons

Pichola is the latest release of the Parisbased perfumehouse Neela Vermeire Créations which has released some beautiful deep, multifacetted cntemporary orental styled perfumes in the later years. Pichola, as also the earlier perfumes from Neela, is created by masterperfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. Pichola is inspired by Lake Pichola which is situated in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Pichola starts sunny, lush, juicy, lemony fruity with hints of spices. It's as I imagine it would be resting in a palace garden on the shore of Lake Pichola, sipping a refreshing, cardamon flavoured tea on a sunny day, occasionally cooled with gusts of wind from the lake. The fruity notes and the cardamon is recognized from another of the Neelas  Bombay Bling. Soon the great white flowers tubereuse and orangeflowers joins the blend mixed with a velvet, smooth magnolia who amps up the lemony impression. The magnolia is very well balanced, it has no sharp edges or chemical hints as in for example the higher octave, cologneinspired Editions Parfums Frederic Malle Eau de Magnolia. The middlenotes forms a classical floral accord dominated by the tubereuse and orangeblossom which smells wonderful and very natural as also the supporting jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose. The floral accord is watery-airy, reminding of the smell and texure of the air just above the surface of the lake. Pichola is not at all dense or cloying and the light spices perfectly contrasts the heavy flowers. In the basenotes smooth woods appears, one of the wooden notes is driftwood which probably creates some of the airy and watery impression. 


Picture: The spirit of Pichola
Photo: PR Neela Vermeire Créations (c)

When enjoying Pichola classics as the soapy, tubereuse-spicy Balenciaga Michelle comes to my mind. Michelle is aldehydic, soapier and with just a hint of  fruity notes. Also a modern, highend, less cloying and garish Versace Blonde comes forward. In the basenotes I come to think of Dior Poison also a spicy, fruity and much darker tubereuse. Overall Pichola is not "picco", it's grand but not in the bomastic way as the 1980s floral orientals, It's a wellmade contemporary interpretation of this cathegory, with juicy and lush fruits paired with the right, light dose of spicecs, replaceing some of the almost cloying, heady flowery "old school" accords of the old ones.

Pichola is the perfect summer fragrance to those who likes some "body" in their warm weather frags. Of course also great for winter when loning for the sun. Could be worn in any occasions, except for sport. Longevity for a day with traces on skin the morning after, sillage medium.

Picture: The beautiful bottle of Pichola
Photo: PR Neela Vermeire Créations (c)

Of the Neela Vermeire Créations released so far, I think Pichola is the easiest to like for a wider audience. Therefore I predict it will be the bestseller of the line :-)
Those who likes fragrances such as Ramon Monegal Moonblom and Robert Piguet Mademoiselle Piguet will probably like the more complex Pichola too.

Rating: 5

Notes: Cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroli oil, clementine, bergamot, orange blossom absolute, rose absolute, tuberose absolute, sambac jasmine, ylang-ylang, benzoin absolute, sandalwood , driftwood, Haiti vetiver