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Post by Erica Golding
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Hello all of you gorgeous fragrance lovers!
Let’s just jump in and get personal. Pull up a velvet floor pillow, and please enjoy this glass of wine. My question today is:
Do you believe in love at first sight?
For me, I will say that my own sunlit optimism always battled with my analytical realism. This made me enjoy the idea of instantaneous true love, but I was never capable of believing in it. Of course, perfume truly possesses a force of enchantment, and all it took was a breath of this precious fragrance to make me believe (in love at first sniff, anyhow):
Pichola by Neela Vermeire Créations 2015
Pichola by Bertrand Duchafour
Photo Donated Neela Vermeire Creations
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Saffron, Juniper, Magnolia, Neroli, Clementine, Bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom absolute, Rose absolute, Tuberose absolute, Jasmine sambac, Ylang-ylang
Base: Benzoin absolute, Sandalwood, Driftwood, Haitian vetiver
I received a generous decant of Pichola as a gifted sample from a friend. Uncharacteristically, I decided to just go for it and spray it on my skin – no checking the notes, no sniffing from the vial first, no tiny skin test with just a drop. I don’t know why I chose to be so reckless that day, but let me tell you – it was a fabulous decision!
My first inhale shocked me. My instinctual reaction was overwhelmingly joyous bliss: visions of glittering light, giggling childlike innocence, warm tender breezes. This was soon tempered by my protective, cynical pessimism. The aroma was so intensely delightful that my fear of being let down soon took over, and I convinced myself that the beauty I beheld was only fleeting top notes, soon to disappear. So, I left my house for work, and huffed and huffed the magic of Pichola all day long. Slowly, I allowed myself to accept the exquisite truth – the blissful charm of that first sniff had lasted all day!!
I wore Pichola the next day. And then again for a third. I NEVER wear the same perfume twice in a row, and to wear it for three days – I mean, it just doesn’t happen. But when it comes to true love, it seems I’ve broken all my rules. J
On my skin, the aroma features a fresh tropical bouquet of dewy blossoms, balanced beautifully by sweet golden ice wine and precious woods. The accent notes make the composition shimmer with touches of saffron, vetiver, and bergamot. It is clean yet lush to me, a very difficult effect to execute in perfumery. I will say that jotting down my impressions of the notes is entirely insufficient and practically a useless exercise. Pichola is more than a swirl of perfumery materials. It is an emotion, it is a memory, it is a dream. It is unabashedly saturated with love, light, innocence, positivity, and joy. It is love at first sight.
Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and What Men Should Smell Like
Neela Vermeire Creations has €205/60ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/.5ml
Have you ever felt this way about a new perfume? Do you have a favorite from Neela Vermiere Creations? Get comfy on that pillow, and let’s dish!
Stay sensationally scented,
-Erica
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Hi Erica,
I have fallen in love at first sniff with many perfumes over the years. Some of these loves have endured the test of time, others have been forgotten and sleep undisturbed somewhere in the chaos of my perfume storage. Thank you for another lovely review! Re Neela Vermiere Creations: My favorite is still Bombay Bling with Mohur Extrait running a close second.
Azar xx
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Ah yes! I haven’t tried Mohur Extrait but the EdP is magical. And I have a sample of Bombay Bling that I still need to skin test!
You make a great point about forgotten loves. I should dedicate a week to wearing those deeply beloved fragrances that have been patiently sitting ignored for far too long.
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Wow, what a lovely description! I am smitten! For me a perfume is also an emotion and not the sum of the ingredients so I understand you perfectly well. And the picture of the blissful woman is amazing. I want to feel like that and I want it NOW 🙂
I remember that I felt so sure of my first impressions of a perfume back then in the eighties. I bought perfume literally after the first sniff in the shop and I never regretted it. I remember I did so with the first Kenzo in the flower shaped bottle, with the first Shiseido Zen in the white bottle, and most of all – Wrappings by Clinique which even today fills me with joy whenever I’m wearing it. It was utter bliss in a bottle. Maybe perfume back then was simply more original, or the ingredients were magical, or I was young enough to rely only on my instincts, but I used to wear only one perfume at a time and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Nowadays this feeling almost never occurs and I miss it actually very much. Right now I have high hopes for Pichola although I am not familiar with any of Neela Vermeire’s perfumes.
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I remember falling insanely in love with Kenzo Parfum d’Ete from a scent strip in a magazine, I was a teenager at the orthodontist’s office with a face full of braces. The botanical leaf shaped bottle, the imagery in the advertisement, and the incredible fragrance enchanted me. I also used to wear just one scent for months at a time when I was younger, slowly evolving with a growing collection until wearing the same perfume 2 days in a row almost never happens. The evolution of a fragrance lover!
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Lovely post! My Neela Vermeire favourite is Trayee and I received a bottle for my birthday. The perfume I fell in love with and wore for weeks on end, thinking why ever wear an other fragrance again is Heure Exquise. I still love it and can have a moment of ‘this is the one’. I received a sample of Pichola with my Trayee and I will try it again.
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What a wonderful birthday gift!! Makes me want to get older fast. Haha! I have not tried Heure Exquise. Intrigued, since you fell for it like I fell for Pichola. xo!
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Hey Erica,
I liked Pichola very much originally and could see how beautifully refined it is but it was not a great burning love until recently. I have just bought a bottle while in Vienna. Sometimes you just have to…. or you’ll explode with desire
Portia xx
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It is a scent that demands a bit of an overspray to fully saturate every neuron with sunshine! I am thrilled that you got a bottle, I will be getting one soon myself! Love youuuuu!
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I’ve had a few perfumes that were love at first sniff. It really is as wonderful as you describe it when it happens too. I fell for Trayee when I first sniffed it but have yet to get a bottle. I want it to be a special purchase to commemorate something and I just haven’t had an occasion worthy of it.
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I know that feeling, waiting for a splurge worthy moment. Trayee is gorgeous, I hope you have a celebration of some sort coming soon!
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Just hearing someone mention Pichola makes me smile! I do like Pichola and its happy glow, though Mohur EDP is my favorite NV (if one was forced to pick just one). Thank you for sharing!!
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I am thrilled that I could bring a little smile to your day. Mohur is magnificent, a worthy favorite!
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