Bombay Bling!

Oh Bombay Bling...How can I even begin to honor you as you deserve be honored? When Neela released her first three, of now five epic India-themed fragrances I sent off right away for the sampler set. I just KNEW that I would love Trayee, because I'm an incense fiend (and I was right, AND even more pleasantly suprised!) Mohur was an immediate love affair for me. I LOVE FRESH ROSES, Bertrand and Neela captured that aliveness so brilliantly. That being said, I was afraid that I would hate Bombay Bling simply based on it's name. The concept of "Bling" to me had grandiose ideas attatched thereupon. I soon learned that my intolerance of an "idea" would be unfounded. Reluctantly I sprayed some on my wrist. It's opening. Simply sublime. See? I was wrong! Rather than my notions of "Bling" and all it's connotations, it took me to a mango grove, ripe with fruit and greenery. The white flowers were so delicately done that I could smell the jasmine vines wafting their fragrance in from fence rows and lattice work. It's ripe fruity sweetness, blends so naturally with those perfectly selected flowers. The sandalwood begins it's journey in after about an hour or so, and really rounds out the fragrance and makes it wearable for the long run. Such a fun creation! I really reserve this for fun times, colorful clothing and good friends. It's a Bling I can definitely get into, and should be worn with pride! Love it!

What a pretty perfume this is. Complex, subtle, yes reminiscent of the plethora of exotic/tropical/floral feminine leaning perfumes out there but if you can't smell the inherent quality and craftsmanship of Bombay bling, I can't help you. I love the opening, it's big but not brash, you get that smooth Indian spice, and cardamom AGAIN! (This line is full of cardamom but used to different effects) Then there's a tropic fruit and frangipani accord but it's not like some cheesy shampoo bullshit, smells really natural to me as does the frangipani. Then the unrelentling vanillic sandalwood and amber base which is very tenacious. I get it. If you are well versed in feminine leaning trop/exotic floral/heavy creamy vanilla woods/amber perfumes then I don't doubt you can pick something up which approximates this, hell it might even be made by Dachaufour, but I think this is some fine perfumery right here. However, for all my praise it's a little too vanillic and sickly with the santal at the finish there for me, after the fresher fruits, florals and spices have retreated. Basically I feel it's a feminine perfume and I wear Coco and all sorts of stuff like that, so this says something. Bombay Bling! just has that energy for me, nothing wrong, I enjoyed it immensely and I have to say it's yet another fantastic perfume in this line, I've tried four others at this point and they've all been really good.

I love it and am moderately obsessed. Bombay Bling manages to be bright, fruity, floral, and clean, yet evolves into a glorious, slightly powdery, amber, skin-scent dry down. It’s magical and perfect for the heat. It’s definitely a fun, brightly colored - pink, yellow, and orange- yet perfectly balanced affair. It’s intoxicating and addictive. It is a bit sweet, but from the perspective of someone who does not enjoy sweet fragrances at all, I don’t find the sweetness central or juvenile. Something in the composition that is slightly bitter, crisp, and dry, perhaps the labdanum, grounds the sweetness of the fruits and heady florals rendering the whole an elegant and sophisticated feminine leaning fragrance, not a cloying, mango girlie-pop. It’s as sweet and sophisticated as Amouage Sunshine Woman, but less dense. Though these juices are in completely different categories, the slightly sweet, amber dry down of BB reminds me of the dry down of MFK Grand Soir every time I wear it. Douchafour is a genius with fruity fragrances. If you like this, you may also enjoy his La Belle Helene, a stunning pear chypre composition. Douchafour is one of my favorite perfumers.

A vibrantly coloured blend of fruits, florals and spice, BOMBAY BLING is the perfect carefree summer scent ☀️ The fragrance opens with a burst of ripe mango and blackcurrant with just the slightest hint of cardamom and cumin. As the fragrance develops a melange of rich florals including Turkish rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, frangipani and gardenia add an exotic touch to the fragrance. Despite the excess of florals used here a strong base of tobacco, sandalwood, cedar and patchouli firmly ground the fragrance in unisex territory. Simply, BOMBAY BLING is hedonistic and addictive. I find myself craving it’s electric buzz on warm sunny days, and when I do reach for it I cannot get enough 👏🏻 BOMBAY BLING is undoubtedly the best mango-centric fragrance I have come across (yes, it’s better than CRUZ DEL SUR II). So, if you are looking for a beautifully rich, complex and balanced fruity fragrance do yourself a favour and get your nose on this ASAP and thank me later 😉 Performance on BOMBAY BLING is also fantastic. On my skin, I get around 8 hour longevity and a moderate sillage which drop’s down to a skin scent around the 6 hour mark. IG @Nathan__Jamesj

I always find floral ambers challenging... there's something about having two high-femme, heavily rich accords vying for your admiration that feels rather like watching fearfully as two 8-foot tall Amazonians glare at you from above. Duchaufour attempt to solve this problem by adding a third warrioress to the mix - in this case a fruity note of mango - and so Bombay Bling arrives at a quite cluttered final composition which is floral, fruity, ambery and above all very very SWEET. It smells extremely "golden", a tiny bit of spice works in the background to lend some texture, but I think the quality of the ingredients is what saves this from becoming too much. It is a rare frag I find too femme to wear myself, but I do genuinely like the way it smells - it has the same "bigness" as such classic sweets as Arabie by Lutens - it's one of those huge frags which dominates and takes no prisoners. It's really beautiful, and quite different from other tuberoses I've smelled, but like I say it's a challenging composition and you must have a high tolerance for (masterfully done) feminine sweetness to get one of these.

Bombay Bling is like the spirit of Mardi Gras or Carnival captured in a bottle. Ebullient fruits, a decadent mixture of both tropical and white flowers and a generous dose of spices make for an olfactory celebration. This is one of the most non-linear, kaleidoscopic fragrances I've ever tested. Wearing it is like being inside a soap bubble and watching the iridescent colors swirl by. BB opens with Duchaufour's signature sourish black currant, tempered with the sweetness of lychee and mango. The presence of caraway and cardomom adds zest and depth to the fruity opening. The heart of BB is comprised of gardenia, tuberose and jasmine, rendered exotic by the addition of lush ylang ylang and sultry frangipani. Just when you begin to think BB is a femme fatale of a fragrance, she drops the mask and morphs into a somewhat masculine, robust blend of patchouli, tobacco and woods in the dry down. BB has great sillage and longevity. It is brilliant and adventurous without being at all weird, and would be a great choice for a party or celebration, especially in hot weather, which suits this fragrance perfectly.

Wow, so fruity and luscious! I do get the grapefruit, mango, blackcurrant! Then the flowers come gently wafting through. This is definitely a keeper for me. The dry-down is warm, gentle and thoroughly sniffable! I don't get the labdanum or cardamom or even caraway in the opening - usually scents with cardamom can be heavy - but this has been crafted so well that all the notes mingle perfectly. The middle notes are made in exactly the same way - not a blast of jasminy white flowers - just a gentle, almost perfect, floral. And the warmth of the drydown is quite something! I have to agree with Jeca in that there is definitely an animalistic, slightly sweaty stage but it is not unpleasant! Initally, I thought spring and summer but as it dried down I thought, no, this is something for all year - day and evening. Quite unique and worth buying. Keeps me smelling my wrist with joy! I also liked the personal note from Neela enclosed with the perfumes! Very nice touch. Thank you Neela.

Bombay Bling opens with a pleasantly dry, sharp aldehydic floral; a little golden sandalwood, a little civet, a little butteriness. Then it blooms out into tropical flowers and bright fruits. There’s still a sharp green bite to it from the green mango, and a zingy, aldehydic kick. Far more elegant than your typical fruity floral. It settles into a glowing vanillic sandalwood, a bit sweeter than Trayee’s sandalwood and more “golden” or “blond” rather than ruddy, but similarly “lit from within.” Flashes of tropical color still pop up now and then in the periphery, but we’re basically in vanilla sandalwood land for the rest of the day – which is a good thing. Think of Bombay Bling as something like “what if Guerlain Vega but tropical and modern.” It’s a very classical, high-glamor scent, with a sleek golden glow...and a rainbow of fruity-floral flavors on top. It’s fun and timelessly beautiful. A hell of a balancing act.

I never thought I’d love a fragrance like this. Ashoka alone has taken me out of my usual fragrance territory, but when I received a free 15ml of Bombay Bling with my Ashoka purchase, Neela ended up taking me even further away from my normal dark, oriental fragrances. Bombay Bling is so incredibly well blended. I do get white/yellow florals (which I can either massively hate or love) and the fruitiness of litchi and mango, along with creamy vanilla, it ends up being very exotic but at the same time delicious. Definitely a year round fragrance and the season meter surprises me, because while well-balanced, there’s heavy hitting notes in here that would make it good even in colder weather. I don’t have much to say since I have sprayed it exactly once, and if I somehow manage to go through the whole 15ml then I guess I’d have to buy it.

Damn. This is a masterpiece, no joke. A bright, colorful, fresh, sweet, spicy, fruity, creamy, cheeky trickster of a perfume. Mango is the star, but this ain't an Escada situation. This is a complex, grown-up mango with layer-upon-layer of complementing notes giving it depth and intensity. I'm not good with notes but I can sense cardamom, ylang ylang, tuberose, cumin, vanilla and whatnot supporting the mango. It's a delightful cornucopia of flavors, colors and textures, but the end result is perfectly balanced and wearable, somehow! It's creamy, fruity and spicy in equal measures and it's so well-blended that I can confidently wear it in the law office I work in without offending anyone. It even got me a few compliments from colleagues! The price stings but it's totally worth it. Great performance too.

What a beautiful perfume. The opening is a blast of fresh, green mango. Imagine Charo! in a fruit hat right when the music begins. Black currant fruits for the red hair, cardamom pods for the green lamé top and matching short salsa skirt, with caraway hippie hippie fruit shake. The heart and base notes make up the body of this gorgeous scent. Something that can only be described as a new Gumby doll. A waxy, fragrant bouquet of subtle rose, tuberose, and some tropical ylang ylang. These are in the pools adorned with stage dancers as Gumby steps into Charo!'s fruity hat center stage and performs plasticky wobble moves to a salsa. A wonderously intriguing scent that will never leave you with a soliflore slump! It smells so romantic and fresh at all times. Very uplifting.

I love Bombay Bling! It’s so joyful and sunny, perfect for summer. I didn’t always love it though, when I tried the tester I wasn’t prepared for the intense complexity of the opening. But I couldn’t forget it and kept going back until I’d used the tester and needed a full bottle. On my skin it lasts forever, 8+ hours with good projection. It’s neither cloying or too sweet but zingy and fresh. It’s not a linear fragrance, starting fruity with the fresh green mango and spicy cardamon. Then mellowing with the vanilla and woody notes. My go to summer fragrance. Definitely not a blind buy but prepare to be enchanted.

Bombay Bling initially leaps out as excessively fruity, but within a few seconds it starts humming along beautifully: jasmine, tuberose, and orange blossom accented with a green, almost airy fruit accord ( guava comes to mind, but it's not a very literal: it might be any member of a tropical fruit salad ). The drydown has a dusting of sandalwood and some vanilla, but otherwise this is a linear scent. While nothing makes Bombay Bling stand out as unique ( tropical fruity florals are plentiful at all quality levels ), there is a certain tender, living quality to this scent that raises it above most others.

What a great mix of fruits, tart green notes and white flowers! I've just sprayed it on my hand, I got mango and black currant at first sniff, then delicious greenness and now I am smelling white flowers... but I can't say it's a very feminine fragrance. It's unusual very interesting perfume, fresh, very fresh. 20 min later: now it turns animalic, warm and even slightly sweaty (magical black currant, it has something that it shares with grapefruit, urine-like note, but not explicit), but I like it! Amazing scent! I smell now tobacco. It now smells like a warm skin, but not clean, very-very sensual.

The party-girl of the Neela Vermeire Creations line. It’s a fun and colourful, but not at all in-your-face mango scent with a creamy, woody feel that comes from judicious use of tropical floral notes, ambery-woody aromachemicals and the lovely mysore sandalwood present in pretty much all the NVC perfumes. This dominating creamy-woody-fruitiness is also delightfully contrasted by a warming dry cumin/caraway-like note (possibly also combining with the tobacco facet that is present within the scent though I can’t say I personally detect it in its own right).

I love this, and it's my new favorite mango fragrance! It does not have the weird plastic note that most other mango perfumes, even the pricey Manguier Metisse by Huitieme Art, seem to have, and it's much more dimensional and interesting than Escada's Taj Sunset, which starts to fizzle out after just a few minutes. The florals are beautiful and the spices and base notes all work together perfectly. Bombay Bling is delicious, sexy and so juicy I want to lick my arm! The drydown is warm and friendly and lasts well. This is a winner!

Well this is a fun one! Fresh, fruity, long lasting and so different from mainstream. It takes me to a happy place! Thankfully in this one, the fruit never reaches that "too ripe fruit" stage that a lot of perfumes do. It's not cloying and not too sweet. I still might splurge on a bottle, even though I am not getting any labdanum, tobacco or patchouli coming through, which is what I really wanted!

This is a recent discovery for me. I love the burst of green mango and the headiness of the sweet fruits and florals in the opening. On my skin that settles after an hour or so into a creamy, softly spicy and still sweet phase that lasts through the dry-down. To me it’s a perfect evocation of Bombay/Mumbai in party mode - a city dear to my heart. I’m now the happy owner of a full bottle.

Really amazing fresh fruity/floral perfume that projects just right as to not to be too loud or too soft. After spraying in the morning I could still detect this courgeous aroma eight hours later, still the same scent throughout. Started off more fruity and then settled within 30mins to the most amazing fruity floral mix that's perfect for both sexes.

Bright, tropical, fruity at first settling into a warm pineapple sandlewood (to me). It's sophisticated but youthful and everything is blended so smoothly. For what it's worth, my mid-60s dad hated it and had to sit about 10 feet away from me for the first hour or so. Maybe I'll treat myself to a FB on a special occasion. It's truly special.

I love the fun fizzy opening which is both deliciously mouth watering and over the top silly fruit punch that wears its way down through a tropical floral bouquet to deep resinous woods and patchouli. Killer fragrance and it lasts all day. Bombay Bling is my partners signature evening scent. So many wonderful and happy memories tied to it.

My signature. I absolutely love this perfume. It always makes me happy as it reminds me of exotic travel, holiday and party mood. All my best memories are encased in a spritz of this perfume. A very, very big love of mine - going through my third bottle.

13 years has passed and this perfume still remain a legendary. I do agree on the part of not sensing all the mentioned notes, yet there is still something unique about it, I restocked as its going to be of the records very soon. I just love it.

Mango lovers, rejoice! This is delectable. A masterfully mixed, joyful and juicy fragrance. Worth every red cent and definitely goes on the MUST HAVE list!

Absolutely amazing - a feat of perfumery. So many different vibes combine harmoniously to create something both intimate and adventurous.

OPEN LIKE 1 MILLION I GET A BUBLEGUM VIBE BUT CLEANER AND SOPHISTICATED JUST AMAZING A BIT TO SWEAT HOT HOT WEATHER MUST TRY!!

Well, it definitely has bling, that’s for sure. But its bling is not the type of bling associated with American entertainers, which is to say huge yet lacking in color - all diamonds, white gold, platinum, etc. This perfume’s bling is just as colorful as India; emeralds, rubies, sapphires, opals, diamonds of all colors, golds, saris so vibrant and saturated you can’t believe your eyes, the full rainbow essentially. How Duchaufour managed to pack so much into this perfume to evoke all of these colors and textures makes it a really stunning piece of work. But it also makes it pretty complicated, and, when you factor in some other attributes, complicated sort of takes a turn towards difficult. Mango. Holy mango, there’s a lot of it. Some green and underripe, many have just ripened, and several more are overripe and bursting at the seams with fleshy density and sticky juices. The mango is punctuated with other fruit that don’t have quite as obvious of an identity, but there seems to be a lot of tree fruit with some taking-on a slightly sweet watery character like gently flavored apples (or, for reference think of cucumber and how watery cucumber is, but note that I’m not smelling cucumber here). These background characters are quickly overwhelmed by a tuberose centric floral heart. To the sides of tuberose are facets of gardenia, on another side is some ylang-ylang and frangipani, all the while that pervasive mango accord keeps pushing on. Focus intently and you can pull some spices quietly sitting in the background, a bit of cumin and maybe coriander and/or cardamom, like very fine contrast threads running through a silk sari that aren’t noticeable until you press your face up against the fabric. Before going further, now is a good time to circle back to a previous point: difficulty. Bombay Bling! is sweet... very sweet. And it doesn’t care if you think so. It revels in it. The fruit notes at the top: very juicy, sticky, sugary sweet. The floral heart: extremely heady, dense, rich, and sweet. If you can imagine a cloud of cake cream frosting hovering over your skin, you’ve got the idea. The florals are dripping with nectar, their biological mandate is no longer to attract life to them with some pleasant smells but to launch their aromas into the air with the tenacity of a nuclear explosion - contaminating everything in their vicinity. I should clarify that I am not speaking of the perfume’s projection or sillage; despite the extremity of the metaphors I have been using, Bombay Bling! is not going to fill the room or leave a wake wave behind you, but it will be noticed, especially up close. Don’t expect the final dry down to give you a break from this sweet and rich headiness either. The vanilla sandalwood base is lactone heavy - in the way that Neela loves - and very creamy. It smells like dahi given some spices, a heaping cup of sugar or syrup, and vanilla extract. Like dahi, there is a touch of something sour too - or maybe piquant is a better word - from some cedar accents in the base. In addition to the woods and vanilla, the brand says patchouli and tobacco as well. Sure, fine. Cured pipe tobacco is vanillic and spicy, a bit earthy floral, and patchouli is also spicy earthy - so I’m going to with my spiced dahi reference because you won’t think “earth” and “wood” when smelling the base of Bombay Bling!, you’re going to think food. This perfume is actually a gourmand perfume more than it is anything else thanks to all of the fruit, cream and lactones, spices, vanilla, etc. It isn’t until the perfume is breathing its last breaths at the final skin scent, many hours later, do the sandalwood and cedar finally give you a break. Final thoughts: Bombay Bling! is very well done. Superbly composed with excellent materials, no details or corners overlooked, and delivering a truly vivid and memorable experience. But, I can’t wear it, not at all. Testing this on skin, as I do with all perfumes, was a significant challenge for me. It is too much for my taste, but I wholly respect it.

As so often with Neela Vermeire : not what I expected - but arguably better. The name, scent story & note list might suggest a loud, super-spicy, punchy technicolour whirl of concentrated musky-mango extravagance - an alpha femme ultra-pink treatment. The reality, as with Ashoka, is quite different: a much calmer, almost pastel-toned beast altogether, done with far more restraint, intelligence and balance. So yes indeed: a truly upscale fruity floral, wearable for those (like me) who often balk at fruity florals - because everything here is impeccable. I'd nervously hoped for, yet feared, a bit more brute-force mango, much sweeter and stronger than the version BB serves up - maybe closer to House of Sillage's Hauts Bijoux with more spice. But no; this one is milder, lighter, more citric - very clearly a mango note plucked from the earlier crop, just blushing into early, firm ripeness rather than the true vivid-orange funk of a more mature one. (Might be a wise choice, as while overripe mango can be interestingly turpentiney, it often teeters into sickly-syrup territory, which the Bling NEVER does.) Weirdly, even the often-nearly-acrid blackcurrant is tamed here too - no sweatiness or rankness but just a powdery tang of something slightly darker to add shade. The flowers are unctuous and creamy - as they should be, with ylang AND gardenia AND tuberose in the lineup - but never allowed to yell at you. In fact, the first half-hour here is so unctuous it's juuuuust verging on something almost soapy-lotiony - not my kind of (mango) jam at all, yet all so delicately poised between the extremes that it still works. Cardamom bringing its cleaner, brighter side rather than anything bitter or clashy. Caraway barely perceptible - no more than a whisper of interest. Once that nearly-lotion open dissipates and the base notes kick in, things get a little more low-key and adult, but the same discretion applies. Patchouli, cedar, sandalwood AND 'woody notes' might suggest a thudding, much darker effect than this one produces; instead it morphs to a nearly delicate clean-musky-skin sort of vibe which is still really classy and grown-up, rather than generic or coarse. Variable lifespan: on some days it seems to die away within 3-4h on me, while on others, this lovely drydown can survive up to 7. Overall, a little too femme for my comfort, but no doubts - this is clever luxury and perfume art for grown women, not a kiddie fruit-shake for teens. Still, not the real exotica overdose I sought - no spangles or sequins or whirling silks, or the mad spice-overload of something like Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant - but a beautiful bejeweled miniature all the same.

Mumbai is a city full of life and this perfume is able to encapsulate the zesty energy of such a city in a bottle! Bombay Bling opens with a veritable BOOM BOOM of mango! It is not the overly suit and synthetic mango of today's creation It’s an explosion of the freshness and brightness of its ripen juice: yellow, red and orange are the colours that shine before my eyes. Seconds later, there is tart black currant carrying a hefty punch of zesty tanginess, and sweet, light lychee. Right after that, the floral heart followes: it is more like a bouquet than rivlets of singular notes, but more prominent on my skin are the unctuosness of the ylang and the creamyness of the frangipani. This perfume really shouts TROPICAL TROPICAL. Perhaps the impression of creaminess comes from the emerging sandalwood. All this could have been overly sweet for my taste, but fortunately some tobacco leaves will emerge. Here tobacco feels honeyed, dry, and a little woody, as well as a little nutty. It adds a lovely depth and contrast to the perfume’s sweetness. It’s never masculine, heavy, or coarse; on the other city, it is not a “fruity” sweet scent because the sudden spiciness, subtle dryness, and smokiness are a noted contrast to zesty mango and the tart cassis fruits, as well as to the sweetness of the slightly tropical florals. During the latest dry down it's the sandalwood, with some cedar, whichdominates the final hours of Bombay Bling’s development. Sillage is not overwhelming and duration above average, safe office scent unisex, but just leaning a little bit more on the femenine side of the spectrum. I am thinking to buy the travel spray (2X15ml). Follow me on IG @alexolympia6 Thx.

As I sample a bunch from this line, so far I’m struck with how specifically 1970s/1980s French these perfumes feel. They’re lovely but not what I expected. There is a certain perfumey-ness to them, a lack of concern for literal, lifelike renderings of flowers and fruit. And yet still joyous, sunny, emotional, with a mature chic to them. The dominant notes to my nose are mango (like a mango cordial, not the fresh fruit) along with ylang ylang (waxy, oriental, feminine). There is a sharpness, slightly soapy and green that persists throughout but I don’t know its’ origin. Sillage is demure, lifespan solid at 6-8hrs. As it evolves it becomes an earthy skin scent, like the base of an old chypre, made of tobacco, sandal and patchouli. All blurred and faint, still mixed with the bright mango tones, mystery green bitterness, and ylang’s fattiness. This one could be from 1978 and for me that’s a plus. 3.5 out of 5.

A light fun floral gourmand scent intended to showcase the feminine vibrancy of modern India, this is a pleasant but lesser offering from Neela Vermiere. The perfume opens with fruity light spicy notes including mango, litchi, cardamom, black currant and caraway. The heart is all floral highlighted by jasmine, rose and frangipani. The perfume settles into a powdery woody base of sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, tobacco and vanilla. The feminine leaning scent has moderate projection and sillage and good longevity. Not hugely innovative but a fun, pleasant and versatile scent to wear and be happy. Enjoy!

I have tried this a number of times on my skin and I just cannot love it as much as others. I like it at first in the top notes- the mango smells fresh then, but as it dries down it becomes too sweet and indolic and then animalic. Not how I want to smell. It becomes like a decaying mango on my skin. I am sticking to the tart green mango of Le Jardin sur le Nil, that is much more my style. Anything with a lot of litchi in it is a turn-off for me and the currant becomes cloying, rather than the tart currant I like in other perfumes. I'm passing on this one.

This is amazing, very unique, fruity, sexy stuff! Great performance on my skin. I cannot say it's fresh summer scent, because not citrusy or aquatic etc, but it is still definitely summer spring scent, but also if you like to feel like summer hot, you can spray this in colder days, then it will warm, not cool you. To my taste it is unisex little bit leaning towards feminine side, I love to wear it anyway, it is strangely erotic like making love pouring mango juice on your partner haha :)

The main accord pyramid says it all - this is a sweet tropical fruity-floral perfume with a vanillic dry down. It's not bad and no doubt it's well executed, but for me not interesting and easily forgettable although I can see fans of PdM's Delina or BDK's Pas Ce Soir liking it. Clearly the most mainstream one from the NV discovery set samples.

Way too sweet for my liking. It's girlishly pretty and overwhelmingly glucos-y, goes right to my head. Do I dislike it? Not at all Do I need a bottle of it in my collection: NO Is it unique: NO Siliage and longevity: Poor -Pass

I did not enjoy BOMBAY BLING at all. In it's defence I have to admit that I usually am not a fan of mango in perfume as it has so many similarities with fruit shampoo I used to use in my teens. Nevertheless the case with BOMBAY BLING is not entirely with mango, I did actually enjoy the fruity opening. I did not enjoy the heart par the most. I am not sure which notes are the ones to blame, but it turned to be very cloying, too much of everything and the beloved fruit from the start turned to a mash of rotten fruits on top of something moldy. The dry down though is yet again pretty - easy, calm fruity vanilla with just a hint of tobacco. Lasted good 9 hours on me.

Embodies every aspect of India? Fruit juice and shampoo? When I first smelled Bombay Bling it smelled like a sweet fruit of some sort mixed with synthetic vanilla. I had high hopes for this. It is nice but very dull. With thousands of notes to choose from, I can't understand how anyone could come up with something so uninspired. Has decent tenacity for being a light and fruity perfume, but it is simply not worth the price, not even close. If it is bling you seek, you won't find any here.

If I’m being honest, I did not pick up on any of the notes listed. I was disappointed when I tried this, especially because of all the amazing reviews. While I expected bright, juicy fruits and colorful florals and spices, it actually reminded me of generic perfume samples in magazines. This perfume made me VERY afraid to blind buy anything ever again.

There’s something a bit sharp and “perfumey” here that really gets in my nostrils. I think the culprit is a very typical French perfumery style rendition of tuberose. The fruits overlaid don’t do that much to alter that very fundamental identity, imo.

The cedar and other woods in Bombay Bling completely took over on me. I'm shocked to see these notes rated as relatively subtle by the fragrance community. I think this fragrance would be better on a man.

i received a sample, put it on the inside of both wrists and immediately got a rash. so i don't know what that's about. the scent is ok, but obviously i'm not reacting well to it.

Smells fruity and like an old woman. Quite strong. No soapiness, like maybe just flower and the nectaries soaked in sweet hard liquor? Probably a good smell for some but not to me.

Bombay Bling is meant to describe, in fragrant form, modern-day India, and indeed it is an olfactory portrait busied as is its city namesake with a rush of sensations: fruits, spices, smokes, leathers, flowers, and even a hint of ganja. Traveling through this fragrance is a act of pleasure; it's like stepping off a plane into a faraway world rich with sound, scent, and color. Mango and blackcurrant are featured fruit notes and each possesses its own electric qualities. Mango turns out to have a slight green edge while blackcurrant is fleshier than expected. They are both favorite notes of mine and their wild rush from the top of the perfume is thrilling. This is unabashed, heightened fruit such as one might encounter at an outdoor market, ripening in the sun. This type of fruit accord has a nearly human edge, especially when combined as it is here with teasing notes of cardamom and cumin (also favorites of mine) that add to the fleshy qualities of the opening. It's alive where so many other fragrances are not--this is the big difference between Neela Vermeire Creations and commercial creations with commerce as the bottom line. Bombay Bling rushes out of the bottle, surrounding one with all manner of exquisite pleasures. At heart, rich jasmine adds to the visceral appeal of the opening. Jasmine has its own fruitiness and sweetness that is allowed full play here, along with an evident plumeria and ylang-ylang note. These are floral garlands decorating the heart notes of Bombay Bling in multiple--this is as rich a modern fragrance as one is likely to encounter and one that is happily built upon classic French perfume constructs that all but demand from a perfume that it reveal its elements in layers and begin and end on certain families and successions of notes. A smudge of smoke rises from the fragrance, along with earthy tobacco and patchouli notes in the base, grounding that riotous mix of fruit and florals that should make a believer out of anyone who ever dismissed a fruity-floral fragrance. Bombay Bling brings you India on demand and transcends the notion of a fragrance being merely a personal accessory. Here, it's a ticket to imagination and fantasy. I simply cannot get enough of it, from the giant mango opening note to the woodsy drydown. It smells like nothing else out there and it not only celebrates Vermeire's modern India but to my mind modern perfumery that can still, despite innumerable ho-hom releases, be innovative and artistic, true works of art in a bottle. I'm a huge fan of the entire line.

Bombay Bling is a nice, well-blended, balanced, creamy Fruity Floral melange. But I left the exclamation mark off the name intentionally, because the scent is too reserved in projection, with the notes just sitting there on the skin. If it's going to be named not only "Bling", but "Bling!", then it should really reach out and demand attention. Particularly the litchi and frangipani notes, which should scream "tropical!". Typically, in the Fragrances with those tropical notes I've tried (Falling into the Sea by Imaginary Authors and No. 88 Cologne by Czech & Speake come to mind), the litchi or frangipani notes were jacked up to 11 O'clock. If Bertrand Duchaufour's intent was to blend and balance all notes evenly, maybe he could have at least amped up the overall projection, without resorting to Amber-woody or other synthetics to jack up the performance. But I'd rather have at least the tropical accord jacked up. Instead, the notes just sit there. Reading the comments, I get "It's really just bland", but also "subtle", and "a much calmer, almost pastel-toned beast altogether, done with far more restraint, intelligence and balance." I can see both interpretations, but I'd rather have well-done screaming bling! It certainly is NOT "quite strong". So I assume Duchaufour's intent was the reserved pastel-toned profile, and I suspect he used the caraway note to keep the notes under wraps. I've read that cumin/caraway (noticeable in the opening) is often used to tone down florals and fruits. I detect DNA similarities to Trayee, so I suppose that's the Neela Vermeire Creations house, and Bertrand Duchaufour, DNA. It's far less feminine than expected. Litchi and frangipani, like peach, are used mostly in feminine profiles, but they and the florals are so toned down, and the woody accord strong enough to orient this mostly unisex. Scent profile is king, but value is a factor. And to get satisfactory performance, I'd need to chase it with many sprays. But it's expensive, so I'd wear it if given to me, but probably won't buy it. Love the bottle design though.

Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations is bright and young and full of glittering pizzazz. It has a personality that is big, charismatic and cinematic. It is all about being in the joy of the moment. One glorious over the top musical number after another rolls out from the bottle as you spay it on. It is a big bold Bollywood star of a perfume. The opening is frenetic and brightly colored blending of Labdanum, succulent Mango, cardamom, litchi, caraway seeds and black currant. Sweet is the theme here and the litchi and mango mixed with the black current create an effect that verges on the pink spun sugar of cotton candy. Not my favorite scent at all but thankfully short lived. With the fireworks out of the way we now enter the heart of the perfume. The garden of unearthly delights in fact for here we have a beautiful Jasmine full of dark twilight richness blooming on a warm night in Mumbai. Not to be outdone by this favorite white of the perfume world the air is enriched by a stunning gardenia with support from tuberose, ylang-ylang, a rocking rose and saffron like silky frangipani. Yes it is stunning, the kind of exquisiteness you find in women who grew into great swan like beauty from a pond of full of ducks. The dry down carried echoes of the jasmine and gardenia as more earthbound notes of woods, patchouli, tobacco and cedar move up the keep them company. Here the scent is becomes one with the skin and lingers in lovely wafts of memory and light. Sandalwood and vanilla flicker in and out like shadows on a wall on a late afternoon in the tropics. I was very impressed with Bombay Bling for the very fact that it is a sweet perfume that manages to move past the sugar and find its heart in the most beautiful arrangements of floral notes. It sings and entices us to explore the wonders of the gorgeous complex music and stunning intricate dance that lives in the heart of India. BOMBAY BLING ~ FIVE GOLD STARS ***** (FOR THE STORY THAT GOES WITH THIS REVIEW CHECK OUT MY BLOG SCENTS MEMORY)

Bombay Bling! represents the depth of Bertrand's work on Flowers and Fruits. To me, it is the little sister of Trayee, but is easier to digest, and almost pure. In this case, Mango and Jasmine are dominant; it is fluffy, sweet, and very feminine-leaning. It has all the elements of a great, sweet, fruity, beautiful skin scent. I imagine a joyfull mix of colors that reaches a peach, almost pink color. It has all the characteristics to be at the top of the most easy-to-wear fragrances from the Neela lineup. This particular work is really the definition of a unison perfume; there are no notes that stand out prominently. It smells like all the sweet chords are connected masterfully with the citrus and the spices, leading them next to the vanilla and placing them in a candy-like tone. Obviously, all these extremely sweet but natural notes are securing a feminine smell; I would even say juvenile, and suited for young girls. It has the aurea of a pure, sweet candy made of flowers and fruits. - Note: Doesn't last very long on me, i would refrain if you thought this is a "tropical" scent, is more sweet than anything, and has a specific baby powder tone to it, don't blind buy this.

I chose a sample of this based on the name alone and because the perfumes were getting a lot of hype on forums and blogs alike, I tried to ignore the hype for a long time but as they say curiosity killed the cat. I have to say that ordinarily I would not have tried any of these perfumes as Bombay Bling has Cumin listed, Trayee has Incense and Mohur is a Rose perfume, all of these it would be fair to say that I usually dislike. The opening is divine, a fruity lushness that just makes me smile, then the florals start to waft their way in, the cumin in Bombay bling is there but it is not the usual curry smell that I normally get on my skin, instead it is so well blended with the florals that I get a lovely sweet cumin that I really love, the dry down is also amazing, the sweetness of the florals and cumin is still there but it is somehow dryer with the faint smell of the tobacco, woods and vanilla. Happiness and sunshine in a bottle, this makes me see the perfume in rainbow of colours. Full bottle worthy???? Every last penny of it to me.

I own already 5 Neela Vermeire fragrances (Ashoka, Niral, Trayee, Pichola and Bombay Bling). And this one is my least favorite of the lot. I find the opening notes too screechy as the florals (rose + jasmine) have that air freshener quality that I do not like. The litchi also add to that screechiness. However, once that stage vanishes the fragrance becomes much more pleasant. The drydown of Bombay Bling is like a love child of Pichola (white floral scent) and Trayee (spices) from the same house but more toned down. Bombay Bling is the most mainstream of the Neela Vermeire fragrances due to its fruity and gourmand aspects. It took me a few wears to actually enjoy this fragrance as I am not usually a fruity / gourmand type of girl. However, if I were not trying to collect the entire the Neela Vermeire Creations collection, I would probably not have purchased a bottle of this one.

This starts off horribly weird. Has Rabanne 1million taken over the World? The last 3 scent I have now reviewed are just like it! (This, comandante and acqua e Zucchero) I think it must be the lychee, which I was hoping I could 'swerve' in this mix since there are so many other (nice) notes sloshing around. I was hoping the blackcurrant which is usually a stronger note and a fave of mine would push it under. But nope. The lychee is big here, in fact I get it far far, far bigger than the blackcurrant and the mango(!) Together, I get a sensation of of a powdery orange tossed into a vat of warmed plasticy rubber that would not go away. Alarmed, confused and much nauseated, I quickly stuffed the Luckscent sample vial back in the bubbly bag- no more of that ever again please! My rating: 3/10.

Mango, black currant, litchi water with slight frangipani. Peaches and slight apricots shows for a while and vanishes within the above mix. As it calms down, the tuberose & ylang ylang show up slowly but remains under the mangoes & litchi waters. Roses & sandalwood here plays a small part but the fruits here plays the sharp part using the sharpness of the roses for granted and struck the whole smell into one direction. This might be too fruitti, like cloying fruitti as the mangoes always are sharp and very strong comparing to other fruits so as the litchi. It is quality at max but to me this one is a bit sharp fruits & nearly cloying to me nose.