Vaara

Vaara is a really really interesting fragrance. It is more like a bottle full of surprises (All of them good ones of course!) It is a very complex fragrance with so many exotic and beautiful notes and each of them compete for your attention and that is the secret to its surprising nature, because each time a different note wins the competition. It is like every time that you spray it on yourself you are getting a slightly different perfume than other days. This chameleon like aspect of it makes it very dear to me. Every time I spray it I ask myself: "Who is going to win today? The spicy saffron and coriander? Or will Vaara be a floral scent today and give me the luscious rose and magnolia? Or will the winners of today be the incense-like notes like sandal wood? Or maybe Vaara would be sweet and creamy like honey today?" You never know! The most interesting and original note in this concoction in my opinion is the carrot seed which is its wild card. Every time it appears it gives a devious twist to the whole composition. It is very interesting. I love it. I was a bit surprised at first that Vaara was listed as unisex. But after wearing it for a while I realised there are some days that it smells really salty believe it or not and on those days specially when the musk and carrot seeds are louder I can see a man wearing this perfume. But most of the time it is really feminine. This fragrance is really a masterpiece. It is really well crafted. It changes all the time and all its notes be it on the top or heart or base remain and play with each other a most interesting game till the last molecule is evaporated. Every sniff is a surprise and takes you to a different place. My only complaint is that it is rather fleeting and sadly on me it lasts no more than 3 hours usually. After that every so often after I have already given up and forgotten all about it I see a note jump out at me and flee again into oblivion. But the scent as a whole evaporates too quickly. That makes it not such a good value for the money. The sillage is quite modest too.That's a pity since even though I am not a fan of too loud and in your face fragrances, but on this occasion I would have wanted others to enjoy this olfactory symphony along with me. It is fancy and sophisticated enough to be worn in any evening occasion but its light touch makes it also suitable for daytime wear. I would say it is also suitable for all four seasons since it is so versatile . Light and floral enough for summer, but spicy and warm enough for winter. All in all a great fragrance and something truly original at last!

WOW! I have the privilege to write the first review (for once)! Just being launched in London recently and this fragrance has truly taken the city by storm. Obviously it is inspired by Indian culture (both product colours and name give it away). The ingredients are truly unusual and extremely well blended (despite their wonderful weirdness). Bertrand Duchaufour who I see as the Heston Blumenthal of perfumery (in other words what Heston is for the world of palates, Bertrand is for the olfactory world) created a truly wonderful concoction of florals, fruits & seeds, woods, et al without creating a heavy, cloying oriental monster. No, he mastered a truly delightful, fruity, wet and juicy, interesting and compelling new age world scent (I can literally see the Bollywood belly dancers in a promotional video in front of me). It is truly a pleasure to sniff this over and over again. True that the quince note "makes" the fragrance (and I love everything about the quince for my father planted and made jam and jelly from it when I was a child) but it is the whole vision and concept that turned this brief into a truly modern contemporary masterpiece, I dare to say. Best season for this is the "Indian Summer" for the scent breathes melancholy to me and funnily enough, despite being a "floriental" it is somewhat on the cool side. For me it represents the beauty of Indian fabrics, fruit/ flower markets and that cool morning/ evening breeze on a perfect Indian summer day in late August. I would wear this on my Wedding Day (in India)! 10/10 from concept to selection of ingredients to quality of ingredients to finished product to packaging (to customer service in one of London's most prestigious Arcades).

Missk's comment is on point. All I can add is: 1. Rose scents are very volatile. I recommend applying an oil prior to spraying; this helps with the issue of longevity. It's even better if I can use also as a base some rose scented lotion after the oil. 2. Sometimes a girl (or, why not a guy) just wants to smell like roses. I own many rose fragrances, I love to wear them as a comfort scent, something easy, warm and light for the weekends mostly. Here's the difference between Vaara and Vera Wang's Truly Pink or Cartier's Goutte de Rose: While simple rose scents are linear, Vaara takes you on a journey. It is an easy journey, one in which someone else is carrying your suitcases. Bertrand Duchaufour is a genius at giving you a tour. He presents the magnolia and freesia, the quince, the carrot seeds and coriander, while carrying a 3 dozen roses bouquet, as he takes you on this voyage, that begins with a very rosy "feminine" vibe and ends in a more "masculine" cedar and clean musk spectrum. I treasure Vaara, and only wear it when I can take the time, to just sit down and enjoy the journey

My first impression of the perfume is floral spicy and it doesn't change even after smelling it for so many times. It is one of my spring and daytime favourites as it is unique and elegant. The floral part seems like a combination of white flowers that I can hardly distinguish one from each other, not even the rose as suggested by many others, let alone other flowers. In the very beginning, I don't like it very much because of the spiciness. I love floral scents and I like the floral vibe of this perfume from first smell, however I found the spiciness totally destroys the floral. About 2 years later, I did a fragrance test in one of the Penhaligon's branches to see what fragrances do I prefer and the staff recommended Vaara according to my result from the test. Surprisingly, I found it super amazing and bautiful, especially with the spicy vibe probably provided by quince. I immediate bought a bottle and sprayed it every day for some time. Until now, it is still my top favourites.

Based upon the reviews, I was not sure what this fragrance would be like. I wonder if some have received a knock off, because my opinion is that is is BEAUTIFUL! There is a great deal of rose in it, that's true but there is also an exquisitely feminine complexity to this fragrance from the beginning. As time passes, the full on rose of Vaara is enhanced by an almost spicy woody musk which does not so much as take over as it does emerge and transform. I percieve a beautiful palace garden from the Arabian Nights as the warmth of the afternoon turns to darkness and the fragrances of the flowers change from the heat of day to the cool of night. From the clear precision of rose to a soft and almost smokey combination of cool aquatic rose and blooming night jasmine. I think this might be what Turkish Delight tasted like before it became mass produced and besmirched by Westernisation. Purest rosewater instilled with exotic splendor.

Not what I expected at all. I expected something sweet and musky but this is very green and dewy. I don't get India at all, more English country gardens. It has a delicate sweetness which is very pleasant. Edit, I ended up buying a full bottle of this as it was such a grower and unlike anything else in my collection. I agree with Gaz, I find it quite a unique fragrance, and nothing like Coco Mademoiselle, which I find far too sweet and heavy. It's certainly very floral to begin with, but the citrus stops the floral notes from becoming cloying. Quince was an original idea, where it could have been lemon or bergamot. As this dries down the deep spices come into play, leaving a delicate musky undertone on the skin. Smooth, rounded and sophisticated, as I would expect from Penhaligon's.

To me Vaara is a very pretty scent. The delicious quince top note lingers throughout the whole scent journey without being cloyingly sweet as it is well supported by its floral and woodsy frame. Not a complicated scent either that would change over the day on my skin but I just like its linear performance as this beautiful quince note is what I would die for a full bottle and then an upcoming back up one, and this perhaps my most beloved from Penhaligon's. Definitely a feminine scent but if for guys or who wants a more unisex comparable, try Byredo Mojave Ghost where the Sapodilla note is so well countered by its pencil shavings. I have no idea why Fragrantica names both Vaara and Mojave Ghost as Amber fragrances, which obviously these 2 are fruity floral spicy combination.

I can smell a hint of spiciness along with the floral scent but I don't know what makes it like that. Maybe it's the smell of quince? I'm not sure as I am not familiar with the smell of quince. The white flowers are obvious as I can always smell them throughout the day. Rose, peony, freesia, I can smell all of them. As for the spiciness, I have to admit that it is what makes it a succeed in terms of formulation and composition. However, personally I don't quite like it. I would absolutely love it more if there is merely floral scent but after all there are so many floral scents in the market and it would not be so special without the hint of spiciness. Now it is not a mediocre one but not one of my favourite. Anyway not a bad choice as it was a bling buy.

I still have an old bottle with me which I used yesterday! Oh my word! Stunningly beautiful! A fragrance fit for a Princess! Incidentally it was named after Princess Vaara of Jodhpur,Rajasthan,India. The blurb on Penhaligon website says “ The Maharaja’s granddaughter is born into luxury. Succulent quince, fragrant roses, and wood warmed by the midday sun. Vibrant Rajasthan, captured in an eau de parfum. Tempered by stately elegance.” Years ago I went to India & visited this region of India & the Palace, a magical place! Wearing this scent yesterday took me back! Scent notes on my skin are a beautiful creamy rose with hints of sandalwood & saffron. It is a rose but not like other rose perfumes. Soft,creamy,fresh with hints of spice! Utterly divine!

Juicy with delicious quince and floral happiness right on first spritz, like an abundant spring bouquet of dewy freesias and peonies. Then a clean and luminous rose takes center stage with the velvety feel of magnolia petals, warm honey and soft musk. Unfortunately, I don't get any obvious carrot seed or coriander, but there is a cleanness and depth to Vaara that could be attributed to these spice notes. The wood base of cedar and sandalwood is well balanced and does well in making the flowers radiate. Benzoin and tonka, along with the honey give a roundness suggestive of full, sweet petals. Vaara is beautifully and simply a bright, full-bodied floral fragrance that will make your heart swell with delight when you wear it.

Unmistakable as a Bertrand Duchaufour creation; as multifaceted as Sartorial, as sticky as Traversée du Bosphore, and as evocative as Avignon. Vaara's top notes shimmer over rich, deep powerhouse florals. I agree with originaldeftom (first!) that quince is the distinguishing note and, I would add, what distinguishes Vaara from anything else on the market. Indeed, the only comparison I can make between Vaara and another fragrance is with one of my all time favourites, Poison by Christian Dior (the original 1985 edit). Here the honeyed plum has been replaced by quince but I would not be surprised to learn Duchaufour has made use of the same lush alpha- and beta-damascone combination of the Dior masterpiece.

I know it is super subjective, but for me this perfume means Springtime, Easter, April sunshine. There is something very sunny, innocent and joyful in this perfume. I do not mean sickening silliness. There is nothing artificially sweet in Vaara - on the contrary, there is something bittersweet, and i mean this more emotionally than olfactory. I think about movies based on Jane Austen's novels, childhood days in the garden, about saffron flowers covering the meadows in Tatra mountains. I love the unique smell of quince fruit - Penhaligon's did an excellent job, again, in interpreting Nature's best perfumes. It is certainly not like any other perfume I know.

Vaara is something else... It is a ball of happiness 🧡 Many comments below already nailed the review what can I say :)) This is the only citrusy fragrance that I own (for now) and LOVE as it is so exotic, spicy, zesty, effervescent, and special. I would bathe in it. Some might think Vaara is just rose/saffron water, but there is definitely more to it. The perfume nose is very detail-oriented, in my opinion. It is uplifting yet does not feel bubbly. Airy but not light. Cheerful yet elegant & sophisticated enough. Seems suitable for summer/spring but can definitely be worn all year round. Dear Penhaligon's, please do not discontinue this princess...

If you have not had the opportunity to sample this but want to know what it smells like: Hermes Un Jardin Sur le Nil + rose = Vaara That's the first thing that came to mind when I tried this, before looking up the notes. I suspect the carrot seed is largely responsible for that. Very fresh and clean, and 100% unisex to my nose. The rose is most prominent, with some subtle fruitiness added by quince. This is not a strong fragrance, but wafts gently as you move. This would be great in warm weather, but right now it it cold in my part of the universe and I don't feel like I'm doing Vaara justice. Will wait a few months.

Dear Vaara, You are my sun, my moon, and all of my perfume stars. My HOLY GRAIL. You can really smell the quince and rose. If you're not familiar with what a quince fruit smells like I'm not sure how you'll perceive this...but it's a rose water and quince bomb. Lasts through my entire 8 hour office workday with moderate to low sillage. Perfect for spring or summer but can be worn all year round. I mostly get indirect compliments when I wear this such as; "something smells really great over here..." but who needs compliments when you KNOW you smell amazing. Forever and always, XOXO

This is beautiful! I get ok longevity out of this,first hour is very loud,followed by two hours of a cloud of fragrance around you then a skin scent. Starts off very floral with sour fruit and an almost oud note. Then it becomes very floral and sparkling, in the dry down the floral continues but a ginger/cinnamon starts to eminate under the florals. Contrary to what others say I find this very unique,it morphs from one fragrance to another,just when you think it smells one way it then changes.

Beautiful fresh and slightly spicy rose with lots of clean and bright citruses. The heart of the composition is more soft, musky and sweet, but still quite spicy and refreshing. The most dominant spice is cold coriander, but I can also smell tons of earthy and vaxy carrots seeds. Such a complex and brilliant fragrance. But white floral notes could be a bit cloying, so be aware. Follow me on IG: scent.guide

I fell in love with this perfume at a Penhaligon's shop; it was truly created for an arabian princess (according to the shop owner!) Magnificently complex, sweet, with exotic oriental notes which I later identified as quince and saffron. One of my favorites. Lasts 4-6 hours. I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe - updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile, get in touch!

I blind bought this and am so glad I did. It doesn't smell like anything else I own, and to me, while it is very unique, somehow reminds me of something forgotten, maybe from childhood - although I can never pinpoint what. The bitterness of the opening I love, and the florals are light. It feels strong, yet inviting. Love, love, love this. Don't regret buying at all.

It's really the scent of rosewater.... The one that's usually sold in Turkey... It's sweet, a bit aquatic for me though there's no marine accord here. It conjures up the image of pink roses petals that float in the water. The dry down is smooth and gentle. Project moderately, but the longevity is good.