Nirmala (1955)
by Molinard

I've been on a bad run with cumin lately, and it's not stopped with Nirmala! Here's what it smells like:
Don't shower for 3 days, then stick a ripe mango under each armpit. That's pretty much it folks.

Lovely lovely scent. I should preface by saying that I have a tricky chemistry, my skin does *horrid* things with overly strong, glaring fruit notes. Many of the modern "fruity florals" turn to bug spray, cough syrup, or earwax on me. I avoid the entire f-f section generally but got a sample of Nirmala and tried it before reading the notes.

Happy accident, that! Otherwise I might never have discovered this. Nirmala is simply sublime, the fruits are so well blended that it is a golden, hushed resonance rather than an in-your-face ZOMG SWEET. Please do not confuse it with the modern concoctions that too often smell like perfume sprayed over kool-aid. If you think you hate fruity florals, give Nirmala a try anyway. The fruits and creamy florals are anchored with the wood which keeps Nirmala from getting sticky sweet or cloying. This is what most of today's fruity florals wish they could be.

I never thought I would like this one – a tropical fruity / vanilla fragrance created in 1955: Kind of my idea of a nightmare. It is humbling, enlightening, and a bit shocking to find how good it is. The tropicalness of Nirmala is real but it is accomplished without going over the top. The fruitiness is fresh, sweet, bright, and fulfilling while the vanilla is more of a firm, solid, near woody foundation: It restrains its exhuberance; it doesn't present itself as a super sweetened vanilla bomb. The restrained and mature vanilla is the secret of this fragrance, along with the reduced, skin-scent sillage. It’s unique, it’s refined, it’s creative, and it’s easy to wear: An excellent fragrance well ahead of its time.

Surprisingly modern for a fragrance launched in 1955, Nirmala is all sweet tropical fruit over a musk and vanilla base. Mangoes, ripe pineapple, and smooth citrus carry the top and middle, joined by some crisp white flower notes and just a touch of wood in the drydown. A luminous and transparent oriental that probably desrves more attention than it gets. If you like Ananas Fizz, give Nirmala a sniff, too!

At first it smells exactly like the blackberry chewing-gum (Hubba-Bubba).
Sweet, a little plastic. After 20 minutes becomes "sweaty" (!) - and it is not a feminine sweat, it's the cumin note, which I personally detest.

Nirmala is my new found love. Yes, there is a similarity to Angel, but so well put by Lizzie, "royalty does not shout," and Nirmala though unique and arresting, stays close to the skin and has more of a natural feel to it than Angel, imo.
Truly an exotic fragrance fit for a goddess. The mango and other fruits give it a succulent quality, the jasmine elevates, and the vanilla and sandalwood root one to the earth. Simply gorgeous. Make sure you are in your Goddess Mode when wearing.