By Sandra from Australian Perfume Junkies
Silk Road…
Hey there ABR! How are you all doing?
As many of you know, I am a huge Neela Vermeire fan. She has been working with perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour for all of her creations and the latest perfume has been in the works for over two years.
Neela pours her heart and soul into each of her creations and her vision is clear and determined until she is satisfied with the final outcome.
Niral, an eau de parfum, is her newest release. I stalked the website for days waiting to be able to purchase Niral. I received my brand new bottle last week and have been wearing it every day since.
Niral means calm, serene and unique in Hindi and it suits the perfume beautifully as we will see further on. Niral is an olfactory ballad in honour of Sir Thomas Wardle (1831-1909) who received a knighthood for his work towards the silk business.
Before I continue I have to let you know that the packaging has changed from the box to the bottle. The box is a beautiful purple with silver embossed logo and lettering. The bottle shape remains the same, however Niral is a gorgeous gradient purple flacon. What I love most is that it has a thin silver cord with the name Niral on a small pendant.
The notes listed on the NVC website are: Angelica, Champagne Accord, Iris, Tea, Rose, Magnolia, Cedar, Sandalwood and Leather.
When I first spray the perfume, I am greeted with a vibrant champagne accord. It has a slight liqueur undertone which quickly fades into the background. There is a lot of iris in the opening as well. It starts out muted and as the perfume warms up it becomes alive. Together with iris is the delicate floral bouquet of a black tea leaning towards Darjeeling.
For a few moments, Niral’s tea note has the muscatel grape note sometimes found in second flush Darjeeling teas. I find the subtle shift from the champagne accord to the iris and tea phase so fitting since Darjeeling is considered by many as the champagne of teas. There are times when I can imagine getting a whiff of magnolia. It is fleeting but I do not detect it every time I am wearing it.
As the perfumes shifts it moves into a more rounded phase where cedar and sandalwood are mixed in and bring the whole composition to the next level. The sandalwood is smooth and the cedar lends it a slightly woodier side. The elegant finale comes when the drydown is a chorus of iris, tea and soft, almost suede-like, leather with a smooth woody finish. It has an almost tactile quality about it bringing a sense of calm into my life.
Niral is a complex perfume with sublime notes. One word describes it – exquisite.
I adore it and hope that you all will as well. I would like to send my sample to one lucky reader. Please leave a comment telling me what your favourite spring time flower is and why. On a side note, I would like to state that Niral truly does need to be sprayed to experience the full beauty with all the nuances.
Entries for the Giveaway close at midnight on Thursday 3rd May and the winner will be announced here on Saturday 5th May. Good luck!
Raw Silk: Neela Vermeire Creations
A Bottled Rose 
Thanks for this enticing review, Sandra!
You had me at “tea and iris”. I just need to find the bit Val gave me now 🙂
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Thank you for letting me post this on ABR Tara. Niral is really special. I do hope you find your sample soon. Sandra xo
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Funnily, opinions about Niral are either ecstatic, or very negative – nothing really inbetween. So after all, I will have to try it, although non of the NV parfues worked out for me yet.
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Hi Lady Jane Grey, You never know – this may the ONE for you… I hope you can give it a try soon. Sandra xo
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For me it would have to be the Magnolia. The colors and the smell and are just incredible.
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Hi Ar Kay, My favorite magnolias are the purple ones. They are so short lived though. Sandra xo
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This sounds amazing would love to enter the competition thank you! I love all spring flowers and am lucky I work in a florist so it’s hard to pick one. If forced to though I would say a tulip as there are so many colours and shapes, they are just joyous 🌷🌷
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Hi Hayley, what a wonderful job! I never fully appreciated the tulip until I moved to the Netherlands. Now I cannot get enough. Sandra xo
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My favorite flowers in spring are tulips. Outside they come late in spring, but the imported flowers are not too expensive. Red, yellow or white standard tulips fit so well into my minimalist interior (at least that’s the style I’m aiming for!),
Good to know the perfume really has a tea note and that the leather is soft.
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Hi Ingeborg, Tulips are wonderful for your style. Red tulips are some of my favorite as well. Niral will hopefully be to your liking as well. Sandra xo
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Sneaking my name into the hat if I may, please. Would love to try this, as I’ve barely even had a passing sniff of NV’s perfumes.
I have a big love for the look of bluebells–proper wild ones en masse, ideally in a beech wood because it’s just an incredible mix of colours, with broken sunlight through the trees and the coppery mulch of old leaves against the early greens. And the smell of hyacinths, because it’s beautifully overwhelming.
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Hi Crikey, OMG – seeing the bluebells in the wild on forest floors is on my bucket list. Hyacinths are beautiful. Sandra xo
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