Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations

Hey Perfume Posse. Yes, I’m still rifling through Jin’s cupboard and came across one of the scents that I identify with him. It’s his alone. I’ve smelt it on others but no-one wears Bombay Bling with the same easy panache as Jin. There’s something about his personal scent that makes the perfumes that suit him even more spectacular. Jin fell madly in love with it, maybe from my first sample set. It suited hime so well and since then it’s been a staple in his fragrant wardrobe. He even wore it on our wedding day. The fact that he loves Neela definitely has something to do with it but Bombay Bling won him on its own merits long before we met her.

I think it’s particularly timely to remember Neela’s earliest works with the rush of love happening for the brand new Neith. While I await its arrival in Australia I’m finding great FOMO calming in the OGs.

Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations 2012

Neela Vermeire Creations gives these featured accords:
Top: Mango, lychee, blackcurrant, cardamom, cumin
Heart: Turkish rose, jasmine sambac absolute, Madagascar ylang-ylang, tuberose, frangipani, gardenia
Base: Patchouli, tobacco, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla

That sizzling screech of super ripe fruits sings strong and uplifting like a Hallelujah chorus. It relaxes after a minute or two with the entrance of the bouquet and calming spices. As we head into the heart Bombay Bling stops being about what makes it happen but about what it is. Like a pine-lime ice cream in the marketplace, it is everything including the surrounding scents and humanity. It’s women with strings of jasmine, rose and marigold in their hair. It’s the clear air after monsoonal rain and the smell of wet earth. It’s that complete air change from walking from the marketplace into your ridiculously lavish hotel which was once a palace. It is the sparkle of gold and jewels in the entry way store and your yearning for just one more pair of earrings.

Bombay Bling is an ode to India, as are all of Neela and Bertrand Duchaufour’s works. If you want to know what India smells like in dreams then this is your best and surest portal.

Often quoted as the Drag Queen of scent Bombay Bling goes for those gloriously screeching fresh cut fruits, through florally and out the other end into an earthy, creamy woods. It’s quite the fragrant ride and one you can rarely expect to be the same over any two wears. OR on any two people. This perfume needs to be experienced on your skin to really understand how it is.

I wrote about the original three Neela Vermeire Creations on Posse a few years ago.

Did you ever smell Bombay Bling?
Portia xx