Fragrance Reviews by Lizzie

Stop the presses! I think we may have a case of mistaken identity. I cannot speak of the EDT, but I do not recognize Molinard's classic and eternally lovely Nirmala parfum from the descriptions above. Incense? No such note (read below). Heavy? Pepper? Cotton candy? Heaven forfend!

Created in 1955, it's a gorgeous, classy, light-hearted, still-current floral & fruit fragrance from the respected 150+ year-old French house of Molinard. It is somewhat similar to Creed's Spring Flowers, also a floral-fruit medly based on jasmine (but with rose instead of fleur-des-isles as its second floral note.) Spring Flowers was orignally a bespoke fragrance created expressly for Audrey Hepburn and was her signature scent for years. (It was finally launched commercially in the mid-90's and is not to be confused with the 60's aldehylic floral unleashed by Givenchy and named for her). Can one imagine Miss Hepburn scenting herself to resemble cotton candy or with anything reminiscent of body odor?

From its website, with permission, here is Aedes's description for Normala parfum with which I wholeheartedly concur: "Nirmala was first created as a modern fantasy for royal women who understand the secrets and mystery of feminity. Nirmala is an ideal blend of the purest beauty of the fleurs-des-isles and the passion of scented fruits from fragant gardens: A note of mystery taken from an exotic vanilla found only in orchids. A scent appealing to artistic and mystical women. Top notes of mango, passion fruit, grapefruit and mandarine. Middle notes of jasmine and fleur-des-iles. Base notes of tonka bean, sandalwood, vanilla and blue cedarwood."


The sambac jasmine is of the refreshing and tantalizingly green variety.

Nirmala parfum is, in fact, what the more synthetic and perhaps a little too obvious (so slightly vulgar) Angel aspires to be. Again, I cannot speak for the EDT, but the parfum is a totally delightful and delicately rounded, well balanced and sophisticted floral redolent of piquant Levantine fruit (both bright & fresh and nostalgically candied).

I find absolutely no trace of what some complain of in its poor relation, Angel, or apparently, possibly even the EDT versions of Nirmala (but perhaps that's unconscious guilt-by-association because of its passing resemblence to its sometimes annoying little kid-sister Angel?) The Tonka bean and sandalwood give the barest hint of a tender and all together feminine aura of warm skin and this lends an appealing groundedness, character and an almost nurturing quality to the composition. But it never approaches anything rudely animalic or *body*. This was created for royalty, remember?

Nirmala is polite, it stays pretty close to the skin. While it has presence, I could never call this heavy or even intense. Royalty do not shout.

One might be tired of fruited florals and that would be fair enough. But Nirmala preceded the fruity floral craze by almost 50 years and should not suffer from the whims of fashion. After all, there is fashion and there is style.

When I wear Nirmala, I imagine this to be what Scheherazade would have worn as she courageously beguiled her Sultan with her tales of 1001 Arabian nights.

If Aedes bothers to carry it in their carefully edited product lines, can the parfum really be the horrid smelling concoction as other unfortunate reviews might have it? But maybe personal chemistry really can play that large a role. Anyway, I love it on me. I find it feminine without any uptight formality or sainted sweetness, quite like the spirited and classy-sexy Miss Hepburn.

A chic, cosmopolitan gardenia. Fresh, well composed and evolving, not cloying or heady as one sometimes expects a gardenia fragrance to be. It opens with a provocatively spiced (Brazilian spice says Calypso East Hampton) Gardenia zested by touch of fresh citrus, warms to a heart of narcissus, jasmine and luscious peach blossom sweetened and rounded by vanilla and soft musk and revved up by Coriander, grounded and simultaneously given an aura of mystery by an elegant Vetiver. Quite nice.

Composed and released in 1905. (Apres L'Ondee was 1906). There is a reason Muguet is still around 101 years later. Guerlain is absolutely exquisite, eternally fresh and complete. Very feminine but never faint hearted -- a poised, light, dewey and green lily of the valley, subtly spicy and just sweet enough to create pure joy.

These notes sound like they are for a cream pie, not for the rich and freshly sensual Fragonard Miranda I know -- which was accurately described to me at Takashimaya by an alluring young SA as her favorite "boyfriend catcher." The same has been true for me. It is a sexy and sophisticated scent that men (and I, a woman) adore, especially in fall and winter when florientals seem most appropriate.

The vanilla is orchid-like, tropical, not foody and blends beautifully with a sweet round amber and a lovely honeyed-licorice tinted myrrh which is highlighted by a spicy-fresh bergamot and supported by a very subtle and again faintly tropical coconut. If you were not told Miranda contained coconut, you might not notice it as a distinct element.

here's the description from a Sub-page of Perfumeworld.net - Encyclopedia of world perfumes

Miranda (Women) : Fragonard France. Olfactive family:Oriental ... Olfactive description:Citrus Floral(Jasmin, Rose, Ylang Ylang) Ambery Vanillic

From the Fragonard website:

Miranda is an oriental eau de toilette marrying vanilla, sweet myrrh, amber, flowers and coconut, highlighted with a pinch of bergamot.

http://www.fragonard.com/@en-us/shop/product.asp?pf_id=F1+025