Last week I covered a Meet the Perfumers event at Les Senteurs featuring Sylvaine Delacourte Paris and offered her Vanilla Collection sample set in a giveaway.
Random.org has declared the winner to be:
Congratulations Vanessa! Hope you enjoy discovering the set.
Filed under Giveaway, Perfume Reviews
Sandra reviewed Niral by Neela Vermeire Creations last week and generously offered to post a sample to one lucky commenter.
I did a draw via random.org and the winner is:
Congratulations Ingeborg!
Please email me at abotttledrose at gmail dot com with your postal address, which I will pass on to Sandra.
Filed under Giveaway
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
Filed under Giveaway, Perfume Reviews
Many thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway but most of all, for the many lovely comments. Knowing there are people out there reading and enjoying the blog is what it’s all about.
Now, the winner of the samples of Naja and Dryad is:-
Stephen, please get in touch via abottledrose at gmail dot com with your address.
Filed under Giveaway
This week marks two years of A Bottled Rose. To celebrate and to thank you for reading, I’d like to give away hefty spray samples (pictured) of two of my favourite launches of 2017 to one winner.
It’s probably not surprising that both come from indie perfumers, however an honourable mention should be made of Superstitious by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums, of which I own a travel spray. It’s glorious.
The first giveaway sample is from my bottle of Naja by Vero Profumo which is a captivating concoction of citrusy lime blossom dusted with pollen in the top, suede-like osmanthus in the heart and a base of golden blond tobacco. Of course, this is Vero Profumo so there’s a lot more to it than that, including wisps of smoke and a touch of spice. This is an uncommon tobacco perfume with the texture of suede and layer upon layer of contrast. Despite being full-bodied it never feels too much. Naja is a enthralling chiaroscuro. As is her way, Vero takes structure of classical perfumery and twists it in a new and entirely modern direction. You can read my full review of this bewitching shape-shifter by clicking here.
Second comes Dryad by Papillon Perfumes. This wood spirit starts with bright green galbanum, continuing to wend and wind its way through to the heart of the ancient forest. The best part is the vintage-esque drydown reminiscent of old-school oakmoss. If you do not normally favour green scents or are yet to find one that you really click with, then I recommend you try Dryad. Where many in this genre lack depth and interest, this is a sophisticated chypre fragrance with an oriental slant and no astringency. My full review is here.
To enter, please tell me in the comments what was your favourite new perfume (or fragrant discovery) of 2017. I was going to limit the draw to the UK because it’s so hard to smuggle perfume out of the country but if you’re based abroad and willing to take the risk your prize might not make it to you, please join in the fun.
The giveaway will close on Monday 15th January. The winner will be generated by Random.org and announced on Wednesday 17th January.
Good luck!
Filed under Giveaway
To celebrate my one year blogoversary on New Year’s Day, I held a giveaway for decants of two treasures from my perfume collection – Vega EDT and Vol de Nuit vintage parfum.
It was lovely to have so many people (22) enter the draw, a number of whom had been reading but not commented before. I hope you’ll join in again in the future.
I put the names into Random.org and the winner is bluefroggi.
Congratulations, bluefroggi! Please email me via abottledrose at gmail dot com with your postal address and I’ll keep everything crossed that your prize gets to you.
Many thanks to everyone who entered and/or sent well wishes. I really appreciated it.
Filed under Giveaway, Perfume Reviews
Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
May 2017 bring you everything you wish for, or at the very least, an improvement on 2016. Last year was a tough one for many so it’s quite likely you’re glad to see the back of it. I hope you had fun celebrating last night in whatever way you chose.
While global events troubled me deeply, on a personal level 2016 was resoundingly positive. I managed to go from Couch to 5K and not only raised over £300 for charity but finally felt motivated enough to change my diet for the better. I also ticked three destinations off my bucket list: Venice, Barcelona and Edinburgh and even began embracing red lipstick.
Starting A Bottled Rose on the 1st January made me start the year as I meant to go on. Like many bloggers, I’ve felt the pressure to post regularly but it’s been great. The blog has made me feel more connected to this brilliant community and there’s been so much great stuff to write about. Indie scents like Vanilla Smoke and Amber Tapestry by Aftelier Perfumes, Vanilla Hinoki by aroma M and a selection from April Aromatics have been particularly inspiring. It’s also been fun to continue reporting on the events run by Perfume Lovers London, which were kicked off magnificently this year by Portia’s extravaganza in January. It brought together many of dearest friends from near and far.
Other highlights were a visit to Papillon Perfumes HQ, finally meeting my pal Tina G of Australian Perfume Junkies and the exquisite Scented Supper in honour of Mandy Aftel’s visit to London.
Now for the giveaway! To celebrate my first blog anniversary and to thank you for reading, I’d like to send one of you lovely, intelligent, no doubt extremely attractive individuals, a a little of two of the most precious perfumes in my collection. The winner will receive a 4ml decant of Guerlain’s wondrous, rare and discontinued floral aldehyde perfume, Vega and 2ml of my beloved vintage oriental chypre Vol de Nuit parfum (also by Guerlain).
As you might be aware, stringent rules and regulations now mean it is extremely difficult to post perfume outside, or even inside, the UK. However, I’m willing to take a chance if you are, so while I won’t be able to guarantee your prize will reach you, I’ll try my best.
The draw is open to everyone from anywhere in the world until midnight on 9th January 2017. To enter, please tell me in the comments below which perfume/s you’ve enjoyed wearing the most in 2016, whether old or new. The winner will be chosen via Random.org on the 10th January and announced here.
Best of luck!
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A Bottled Rose 