Today is Mother’s Day and we have tales, legends and true stories to delight your day. Mothers, Sons, Princesses, Perfumers, a side trip to Kafka’s salon, and even an Empress make appearances today on The Fragrant Man. In the statue above the Mother’s hand is in a position called a mudra in Hindu and Buddhist art. Lets see where this mudra leads us…
Mum’s most loved perfumes are Red Roses by Jo Malone and Chanel No. 5. She tries many perfumes via The Fragrant Man but these two remain her preferred choices by a long way.
Photo: Dad
This year I wanted to find her a new rose that would become beloved. Via a Neela Vermeire Discovery set I came across Mohur and knew immediately that this was Full-Bottle-Gift-Worthy. More high-end niche houses should offer smaller bottles so one can decide whether to commit to the high-end niche price.
My parents live an hour’s drive from the city. Do you find that your Mum is always busy? Not too busy for you but always busy with doing things. Before arriving home I had plotted with my Dad so Mum would be sitting waiting for me to read her a story. A story about a princess called A Princess’ Wistful Rose. We sat at the dining room table and as I started to read I anointed her inner and outer wrists as well as her inner elbows with Mohur which she had just unwrapped. (“You shouldn’t have Son” – “Mum, I wanted to”) The story was illustrated so Mum could also follow the visuals, in the modern way, on her Ipad while I read the story from another device.
Mohur
The room was filled with a scent that I can only describe as gracious and loving once the initial dentist-chair oud was calmed down by the clarity of elemi which cleared the air for the rise of the roses; Turkish Rose oil and Moroccan Rose Absolute. A composition of harmony and delight with a multitude of ingredients that while smelling expensive also smells like a shower of slow-falling rose petals and feels like… yes, a kiss from a rose on Mother’s Day.
Near the end of the story I asked Mum to look at the last picture then close her eyes so she could smell while listening to the accompanying music. You can share some of this experience at Kafka’s while contemplating whether to embark on your own discovery of Neela Vermeire Creations.
Click on the photo for a side trip to read Kafka’s Princess story;
a story inspired by Mohur called A Princess’ Wistful Rose.
Photo: Kafka.
Mohur has several meanings, one of which is ‘valuable’, making this a perfect Mother’s Day gift and for other occasions where scent and sentiment come together. The original Sanskrit is mudra, the hand movements or positions that you see in Indian dance and statuary. It came to mean ring and then seal as rings were used to seal important documents. Later in history this word became mohur and it is the name of a gold coin in India.
Warning: This scent is suitable for young women and male rose-lovers as well as Mothers. The spicy edge of cardamom and the sensuality of jasmine mean that this rose has strength in its relative quietness. I say relative because next week I am reviewing the sassy classy Bombay Bling which is such a riot of scent it is almost colorful.
News Flash: Following the success of Mohur there is to be another perfume called Mohur Esprit de Parfum which will launch in the French autumn; beyond EDP, this is a stronger pure perfume concentration that I also hope to delight my Mum with.
There is also another tale, not of a Princess but of an Empress.
Known as Mehrunissa, the most powerful Empress of the Mughal dynasty, Noor Jahan was the favorite wife of Emperor Jehangir. She was the true power behind the throne while her husband lived, so much so that after his death her male relatives had her sequestered (in comfort!) for the rest of her life. In her confinement, she devoted herself to the art of perfumery as it had been passed down from her mother.
-Neela Vermeire
This legend was part of the inspiration for Mohur.
Mohur – Neela Vermeire Creations
Classification: beyond me, any thoughts out there? Floral Oriental?
Perfumer: Bertrand Duchaufour
Launched: 2011
Notes
Top Cardamom, Coriander, Ambrette, Carrot, Black pepper, Elemi
Heart Turkish rose oil, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Jasmine, Iris, Hawthorn, Violet, Almond Milk, Leather
Drydown Mysore Sandalwood, Amber, White woods, Patchouli, Oud Laos, Benzoin, Vanilla, Tonka bean
Mysore Sandalwood is rare. Oud from Laos even rarer, in fact I thought that there was none left. The pairing of rose and oud means that as the oud swirls around the rose notes these notes then variegate and delight. This is indeed a discovery which is what you would hope from a discovery set.
Neela either has vats of rare ingredients in a vault or Bertrand has the world’s remaining supply of Laotian Oud and aged Mysore Sandalwood.
The price of Mohur at $US250 for 55ml is a true reflection of the ingredients and Bertrand’s artistry.
Start with the discovery set at $US117 for Mohur, Trayee and Bombay Bling (10ml of each)
or the even less expensive trial vials $US27 (2ml of each) and enjoy this journey into scent.
On the left, in the bottle of awesome hue is the yet to be released Mohur Esprit de Parfum.
Reviews
Mohur
Chemist In The Bottle review by Lucas
Australian Perfume Junkies review by Portia Turbo
All I Am – A Redhead review by Ines
Scents Memory review by Lanier
Mohur Esprit de Parfum review by Kafka
Perfumes inspired by the history, culture, nature and modern life of India.
Discover Your India…
The Fragrant Man 
beautiful…
I think I will wear my sample of JM Red Roses to day in tribute and honor to all mothers…past, present and future!
Mother Love! I am wearing Mohur and can’t stop sniffing my wrists.
aren’t the whole set delicious Jordan? Ah May Zing!!
Portia xx
I was Ah Mazed. So sharing that bottle!
My mom was never one to wear perfume oddly enough. If she was it would have made gift buying much easier for me. Mohur is a lovely perfume to give your mom. I love how you gave her the full experience of it with the story as well. Very nice.
A scented experience and a new scent memory. I love The Princess’ Wistful Rose and was saving it for today as it inspired the gift.
Dear Jordan
What a splendid story and gorgeous gift.
This is a day I am sure will be committed to memory.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
A Good Good Morning Upon you Dandy,
Yes it is nice to choreograph our own scent memories.
Let’s dance,
Jordan River-Dancing
What a wonderful gift! I hope your mother will enjoy it – both for the perfume itself and for your nice gesture.
We are both still enjoying this. A sleep scent for me. Off to waft at a wedding for her.
Thank you for the link love, Jordan. I’m so honoured that you decided to share my Mohur story with your mother, but to read it to her while scenting her wrists… that’s so incredibly sweet, as a whole. Men who adore their mothers are extra special, in my opinion. 🙂
As for Mohur, do you think it will have a chance of competing with your mother’s longstanding favorites? What did she think of the oud component?
Yes, instantly into the Top 3. This category did not exist before. ‘Dentist-chair’ was Mum’s description for the the initial blast of Oud. This passes quickly and then it is the effects of the Oud that make this so special.
And Kafka, I was thrilled to request formal permission for your photo usage and delighted with your Yes in such a timely fashion. The yellow in your photo entrances me as do your words.
You’re very sweet. I’m so glad you liked the photo. I wish you had been there with me, that sunset night near the Arctic Circle. The light was so spellbinding in its effect on the night sky, I was utterly speechless! (And you know how that is well nigh impossible most of the time.) I’ve never quite seen anything like that Arctic light. One day, you have to go up there! With your appreciation for nature and beauty, you’d be awed.
Heh at the “Dentist-chair” comparison. My own mother has concluded she doesn’t like oud at all. She just wrinkles her nose and frowns a little when she smells it. And yet, she ADORES Mohur! I think it’s probably because the oud is very well swirled in there, and that Mohur is not really a true Oud fragrance or, to put it better, not oud-centric. I recall when I made her smell the new Tom Ford Sahara Noir that I was testing/review, she actually shuddered. LOL.
What a beautiful Mother’s Day gift, Jordan! Thank you for sharing.
Btw, your Dad takes a killer photo 🙂
Dad will be thrilled with your comment. Mum arranged the flowers and Dad took the photo. Thank you Daisy for zoomin’ in.
Reblogged this on neelavermeirecreations and commented:
A fragrant tribute NVC Mohur on Mother’s day by The Fragrant Man. Thank you for your impressions and the story.
I presented a Pakistani friend with a big bouquet of wonderfully fragrant, red roses from my garden. The plant they were taken from reaches far above our roof, and must have been planted when the house was new – it is massive! I wish I could tell her what kind of rose it is – her reaction to the bouquet was as intensely emotional as only scents can provoke. She said she hadn’t smelled its like since she had been in her homeland, and she had never been able to find its like here! The next day, she brought us a pastry she had baked, using the rose petals. Reading about Mohur and seeing the photo of the rose on the tray made me wonder… My rose looks exactly like that. Thank you for the story!
That is quite a description of a rose bush/tree. Welcome Annamadeit. Was that gulab jamun that your friend made? Thank you for sharing this story of rose petals, ecological conscience and baking. I would be happy to receive a photo of your giant rose tree!
I couldn’t figure out how to post a photo as a comment – if it’s even possible – so I wrote another post. You will find lots of photos of it there! 🙂
The Magical Mystery Rose
http://thecreativeflux.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/the-magical-mystery-rose/
Haha, I meant via the Contact Me tab. Wow, just say your post. High Roses indeed. Great way to send a photo too so everyone can see.
Hmm.. sorry, not very proficient at this. Didn’t even know there WAS a Contact Me tab… Go figure! Anyway, wish you could bottle this scent – it is heavenly!
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