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syav4eg – :
Tuberose, ylang, green notes, almond blossom, vetiver and sandalwood. A bit odd at first. It grew on me. In the drydown, it sort of reminds me of fermented rose petals.
steatscythisa – :
A big and bold bouquet of tuberose and ylang-ylang is blooming. Vanilla and an exotic coconut aroma complete this intoxicating blend which is creamy and refined. Mahora is rich and vintage feeling, a tropical-floral seductive and haunting.
8/10
pasha50 – :
could it be… i’ve met my Guerlain?
I was sent a sample by a fellow Fragrantican and was smitten from the moment I dabbed it on the back of my hand. Heady, rich, tuberose-y, almondy.
I bought a vintage bottle on eBay almost immediately… the price was right. The sample I have & the spray bottle I have are different but both lovely. At first sniff the tuberose is sharp and mentholated, but it dries down to a tropical-feeling, rich, sensual floral. I reaaaaaally love it. So glad I sprang for a bottle. Some of the other classic Guerlains don’t do it for me (I’m looking at you, L’Heure Bleue) but this one I find truly gorgeous. Honestly so pretty I could cry.
par2009Valik – :
I cannot fathom as to why this was discontinued. Seriously, Guerlain!?
Mahora smells of postcoital human flesh thanks to the abundance of overripe, almost rotting tropical flowers soaking in almond liqueur and an exquisitely opulent sandalwood— an intoxicating elixir of unabashed sex appeal and debauchery that is so very unlike anything Guerlain has released before.
3archangel3 – :
I am not sure what I can say about this masterpiece that has not already been said….long discontinued, way ahead of it’s time….the big, bold Mahora.
In addition to the buttery, creamy GIANT tuberose note and the rich banana-like tropical ylang, the jasmine pulls strongly on my skin and gives it a bit of an indolic, vintage feel. Like naked sweaty skin on a tropical island. This is not a ‘nice’ fragrance by any means, but she is definitely beautiful. This review is for the EDP alone–I find that the parfum performs slightly differently and will post a separate review there.
My only complaint is the bottle is awkward as hell to hold and spray, but I do love the odd, alien shape of the bottle and the bright green box.
56__lex – :
It’s been more than a year that I have a 1oz bottle of mahora in my collection.we had a lot of ups and downs and my feelings toward it has changed several times.couple of months ago I reached to the point of hating it.it smelled like rotten flowers,like a bouquet of tuberose left in a glass of water for a very long time,and rotten,sourish fruits and with zero sillage.I even wanted to give it away but finally decided to keep it for the sake of it’s lovely bottle(however it’s automizer stopped working properly after a fews sprays)..but things started to change when giving it another chance in warmer weather
I have a spray of it on back of my hand right now that I’m writing and I have to confess that I love it! It acts so wierd on my skin on the dead of winter but in a sunny spring day like today,it’s amazing.I’m so glad that I kept it.
Now I can smell buttery tuberose and some ylangylang,lots of almond,sandalwood,a little vanilla and a hint of coconut.
It’s so creamy and lush.delicious in a refined way.it’s happy and a little tropical and smells so good that I wish I had a bigger bottle.there’s absolutely nothing sour in it anymore.it’s sweet,but not sickly and yummy and has good sillage unlike my previous tests but not too strong to the point of getting cloying.I highly believe that if it was produced nowadays,it wouod sell like hot cakes and they’d never discontinue it
I highly recommend you to not give up on it easily.the amazing gourgeous powdery,creamy heaven that I’m smelling right now worthes all those struggles
Dmitri_75 – :
I’ve been on a hunt for a full unopened bottle of this fabulous creature for a long time after owning and using up several minis along the summer nights.
This perfume is a must try for any ylang ylang tuberose combo fan, those who enjoy beachy perfumes should also give it an opportunity while bearing in mind it was released 18 years ago. It is bloomy, creamy, slightly powdery, luminous, dense and still an extremely radiant happy blend that never falls into the annoying sort of heaviness you can detect in some big floral oriental perfumes, especially when they are too sweet and loud. Mahora is sweet but not tooth-aching, a bit spicy and the fact that a beautiful sandalwood in the long lasting drydown predominates over the vanilla note, makes me enjoy it even more.
I tried Mayotte due to the members indications about its close character to Mahora. I find Mayotte less radiant and special, it is sweeter, heavier in vanilla and with a neroli note that gives it a neater effect. I clearly prefer Mahora though I can see how maybe most of younger people will prefer Mayotte to it. Mayotte is also short-lived by comparison with Mahora.
freedi_990 – :
I was really surprise to like Mahora because I read so many bab comments about it. Mahora is a real underrated beauty. An ode to ylang ylang (one of Jean-Paul Guerlain’s favorite flower) and tubereuse. Compare to others Guerlain, Mahora can be consider loud by Guerlain’s lovers. But compare to other tubereuse scent, Mahora is a very refined one. I love it.
seosoftware – :
This has very strange combination that I have never smelled before: tuberose and almond blossom. Initially sprayed and close smelling from skin it is very strong and almost irritating, but I like it when it settles down and waft beautifully from the back of my hand. It’s interesting, very creamy like others have mention, heavy and rich composition.
I have read that this has frangipani, albeit(?) there isn’t mentioned it anywhere.Frangipani said to be smelling among other things like coconut, and it makes sense, because there is that coconut note.
I’m glad I have this in my Guerlain collection.
den-is – :
I only love the gourmand dry down with that almond,vanilla, neroli & orange combination.
It’s hard for me to get passed that loud tuberose opening. This is the type of loud tuberose that hits my nose the wrong way causing me to be nauseated each time I’m surrounded by it. Others describe it to be buttery while I find it to be green, meaty and indolic. If you have a hard time with tuberose like I do, I would strongly suggest against a blind buy.
For the true tuberose lover, this is a good choice.
I wish I could get past that tuberose opening that makes me sick to my stomach.
wche – :
A tropical creamy white floral scent layered with almonds. I feel lucky to have accidentally discovered this Guerlain gem. I imagine a beautiful woman wearing this in Polynesia or Southeast Asia.
Myself, I look forward to wearing Mahora in warmer weather. The bottle is unique and fun to have in a collection. Longevity is very good, projects for the first couple of hours and then turns to a skin scent around the 4/5 hr. mark.
shwec2011 – :
I love the bottle!
sanek 047 – :
I really love Mahora is has replaced Boucheron as my favorite vintage white floral. The almond-tuberose is a really unique combo, at times I get a cotton candy vibe. It’s really sweet so if you don’t like sweet tuberose this probably won’t be your thing. It is very creamy and warm and lovely. Also has some pretty massive silage. Another beautiful Guerlain classic, I don’t know how this was discontinued.
insatf6371 – :
I found a vintage bottle of Mahora. Beautiful, warm, creamy, heavy whitefloral but not in your face. Longlived and with a nice projection. Ultra feminine – for a shedevil on a hunt =).
Jag hittade en vintage flaska av Mahora. Underbar, varm, krämig, tung vitblommig men ändå inte en rumsdödare. Hållbar och med skön utstrålning. Otroligt feminin. För en liten hondjävul på jakt =).
aleks261979 – :
Woohoo! I got this as a treat in a trade from this community and I’m so happy!
I love powerhouse frags, and I love a good potent summer scent. I totally get the coconut/suntan/summer comments about this scent. I don’t find it 1-2 spray HEAVY, but it was pretty heavy after 4-5 sprays. 😉
I think it would have been more potent/better sillage if I actually did something… like moved around, went places, let my body heat affect it… but to be honest I put this on after a day at work and was lazy around the house. Haha.
I did find the scent a little “too much” tuberose after awhile. That plastic, buttery tuberose. But overall, this is really nice, and I’m stoked to have it! It IS sweet and heavy. I’ll have to pay attention with my wearings because I don’t remember almond blossom– which is a fave note. It also reminded me of Samsara– just much sweeter and more tuberose. I’ve only smelled the EDT of Samsara- and it really didn’t impress me (it’s all sandalwood and jasmine- no depth/incense/spice sadly). I’m tempted to get the EDP of Samsara tho…. haha…
pld266JeomiWogkig – :
Thanks to a generous Fragrantica member I have been able to sample this amazing perfume. Upon first sniff it transported me back to the heady unapologetically feminine perfumes of my childhood in the early 1970’s. This is a floral powerhouse with some quirkiness, especially in the opening where I’m smelling something fruity, something slightly green and even a hint of coconut. Yet I wouldn’t consider it to be a tropical scent, at least not by current definitions. As Mahora dries down it becomes smoother and more of the Guerlain vanilla becomes apparent.
Mahora is heavy, dense and powerful, yet incredibly beautiful perfume that I think suffered an early demise because it was out of sync with the times in which it was released. Had it been released 15 years earlier or later I think it would have been much more successful. Regardless, this is still a beauty that transports me to a more innocent time and place every time I wear it.
rovshan71 – :
I feel like a tropical flower in full bloom near a hot, humid beach when I wear this. It is one of those “summer in a bottle” fragrances for me.
vovan-ivansov – :
I got this as a present from a unique lady who is gone now. The fragrance per se is wonderful, bold and strong and still, gets too heavy on one’s skin, on mine at least. It is as if otherwise nice ingredients were mixed in too much amount so as to, on purpose or accidentaly, spoil any delicacy. I am sure there are ladies who would and do like or even love it. I passed it to my mum who avoids it I’m sure…
Gudzik – :
Something about this 80s style white floral reminds me too closely of gas station bathroom smell: the pink, industrial soap+ urinal cake+ air freshener(and I can definitely see the connection to Cacharel LouLou which I have and probably like more). It doesn’t smell bad to me, necessarily, but the association keeps me from being able to fully enjoy it. The softer vanillic/almondish drydown is more enjoyable to me.
Tayri – :
Oh Mahora. I wanted to love you so much. But you are *so weird* on my skin, just like your older distant cousin Shalimar.
So on my skin Mahora is not sweet *at all.* It opens very strongly sour, yes there is some creamy florals, but they’re drowning in sour so they aren’t really pretty just sort of… odd.
After a while it calms down and the baby powder shows up. Yup, baby powder. This is actually an improvement over Shalimar that is straight up stale face powder on my skin. At least here it’s perfectly clean baby powder. Almond usually behaves well on my skin but here, not so much.
Finally, at the VERY END, as in by the end of the day it begins to sweeten slightly and leaves behind on my skin a warm, soft, vanilla and floral hint that is really pleasant. But that’s 8 to 10 hours in and you have to actually sniff the skin to smell it.
I’ve worn her three times now and same exact development each time, so I’d say this is one that does not work for my poor skin, I’ve got a brand new 1.0oz bottle to find a new home for.
mayster – :
This was my First Guerlian Fragrance. I still have an empty bottle of it. You can smell the creamy sweet frangrance from the nozzle. I sprayed it the other day and it still fabulous.
I didn’t really realize at the time of purchase how iconic the house of Guerlain was. Yet I know with the shape of the bottle and the fragrant scent. I use to love how this smell on me. It was very nutty but sweet –like a flavored coffee. I didn’t realize it was the almond I was attract to. I knew it had amber and vanilla somewhere in it. I though how exotic to have tiare flower and frangpani(whatever these were) and what a well done tuberose/ gardenia scent this was( I didn’t and still don’t realize how much I like gardenia/ vanilla scent–Tom Ford Orchid Soliel, anyone). I was just happy to have a Guerlain .
I always wanted Shalimar , but never thought I was mature enough( Like fine wine) . I plan to finally own it next year. So Mahora was something I could feel comfortable and get my hands on at the time ( I was 22 ) .
I bought it at a nice boutique that carried all the Guerlain fragrance and I spent almost an hour talking with the owner in my Texas hometown( about fragrance). I felt like I wanted or needed to by it from him than from a Luxury department store.
This should have been successful –it was a very definitive Guerlain fragrance. It did have some steam to be relaunch as Mayotte -but it wasn’t the same, it didn’t even have the same unique bottle, and the name was worthy of Guerlain. So glad I still have the bottle! Aw , Mahora!
PS; In actuality, this smell more line Tom Ford Discontinued Violet Blonde than Orchid Soliel .O.K …well… somewhere in between.
STOR – :
I know I recently just wrote a review about mahora but I have to just talk about it again!! This quickly became my top 5. I don’t understand how it could be considered a failure it’s so much better than a lot of perfumes that are made now. It definitely has the Guerlain- aid smell. It’s classy smells a little vintage. I do not find it overly loud obtrusive or fleshy. I love the minty tuberose with the Yang Yang and the bitter almond, it’s so unique it’s a compliment getter with me. When I wear it people always ask what that beautiful smell is, what are you wearing it smells so good. Mahora is so long lasting has great sillage and it also smells amazing layered with Michael Kors. I wish I could have a thousand bottles of this stuff. It seems like everything I love is discontinued. Don’t be afraid to try this if you love white Florals tuberose or a vintage feel, you won’t regret it;)
Beifeboifiero – :
I cannot even describe how much I love this scent. I usually do not like heady white florals, or so I thought, but this one is absolutely beautiful. I find it almost narcotic, or addictive. Most of the time, white florals smell like hairspray on my skin, but not this one. It is a heady, creamy, sweet and intoxicating scent which make me feel like the most elegant woman known to man. My only sorrow is that I only own a 5ml decant, not a full bottle.
1LION1 – :
Parfum review. Mahora was launched in 2000 but was so poorly received that it was discontinued two years later. Their loss is my gain as I got 2 bottles deeply discounted.
It is as “indolic” as you can get with over the top tuberose, ylang ylang, frangipani and jasmine. Then it is REALLY sweetened (at least to me) by vanilla, coconut and almond notes. There is a hint of peach that is not mentioned in the note pyramid. A perfect tropical scent that is meant to be worn in hot humid weather.
blifynisy – :
Oh my goodness! Why did i just now discover this perfume!! Im a tuberose addict and i was gifted a vintage bottle of Mahora. Im in love. This opens with that distinct minty, camphorous smell that i find so mesmerizing and unique. It’s similar to the menthol opening in Tubereuse Criminelle (not as intense or mothball though). The same menthol as in Tom Ford Orchid Soleil. After the minty opening the ylang ylang and tuberose mingle together making a very heady banana type floral! It has a slight vintage vibe and is very rich and classy smelling. Sandlewood comes out in the end and gives mahora a slight powdery feel, it’s warm and inviting. It’s long lasting with moderate sillage. One of my favorite tuberose!
DANC – :
Guerlain mahora was a blindbuy for me,I doubted I would like it,cause classic white florals often tend to be cloying and boring for me,but I assumed this classic guerlain as a work of art,I love to buy classics,whether they are wearable or not,I appreciate their history,their art,their complexity,just as we enjoy an artistic painting
Initial spray seemed like a great failure..I could smell a mishmash of white florals with a watery,green undertone which turned sourish on my skin,ughhh,maybe it was a blend of tuberose with citrus notes..I moved on and let it to settle down on my skin,as it’s heart started to open,I started to love it,it wasn’t sour anymore,I could smell a heady white floral bouquet,creamy indolic tuberose,some jasmine and neroli,some oily ylang-ylang with lots of almond blossom…almond,gave a lovely powdery edge to buttery florals,it’s delicious bitterness doesn’t let tuberose to become sweet in a flat boring way
Unfortunately middle notes which I really love,don’t last long and mahora dries down to a creamy tuberose,vanilla,sandalwood,soft and gorgeous,but not unique
My overall feelings towards mahora is that I really like it,but I don’t love it,if middle notes lasted longer it may become a love for me,it’s a bright and very well balanced tuberose scent,there is a freshness in it that prevents it from becoming cloying.. So it’s not cloying,too sweet or too oily as most tuberose scents,I don’t find it a fragrance for older ages,indeed it’s wearable for all age groups in the case that you like a tropical summery tuberose scent
I expected mahora to be much more heady and strong,a sillage monster,but it’s not..on my skin it’s a soft,fresh tuberose scent that lingers for couple of hours as a skinscent,albeit sillage is really strong in first hour,when it’s almondy and powdery but then sillage lowers
I don’t know of there was a reformulation to change a he sillage monster classic mahora to this soft,modern lotion like one
I should mention that I love it’s bottle,it’s very vintage like and interesting,I expected to see such bottle in museum!
❤❤❤❤
Vokbirg – :
It’s a full thunder moon tonight. And this fragrance is the perfect compliment to its glow. Mahora is full, complex, warm, a bit strange and very beautiful.
My first and only Guerlain. All of these years, and I had no idea. If I had only known. Oh well, water under the bridge – Mahora reveals a new path for me and I look forward to my travels along it.
Neroli is the first to present himself to me. It’s hollow, green and short lived. It acts as herald to announce the entrance of a young but voluptuous and intense tuberose. She is demanding, as is her nature. But she’s also endearing. She wears her celadon spear shaped leaves for the sake of modesty. The gesture adds to her allure. There’s almost an olfactory opiate effect here.
Jasmine and ylang-ylang step in but do not vie for attention. They know this is the Tuberose show and support her with warmth and practical sense. The show would be a mess without them. I’m grateful they are here. They bring temperance. Without them, tuberose would implode.
The dry down is my absolute everything! I always new Sandalwood was regal, but I didn’t know His Majesty was also so serenely gentle and . . . fun. Paternal, too. For the finale, he calls for what must be his grand-niece, plops her on his knee and presents her with a vanilla ice cream cone! From there it’s all giggles, comfort and delight. Who would have thought?
I think Mahora is something that every fragrance enthusiast should experience in its entirety at least once. I have it and adore it, but won’t wear it often. It’s an epic and circuitous tale that I will reserve for very special evening occasions.
maikllll – :
I’m glad I recently had the chance to buy a sealed 30ml bottle for a reasonable price. This is a very nice fragrance.
It’s a strong and delicious tropical creamy yellow floral/ woody scent. I can hardly smell any white flowers. Sometimes I get a whiff of Tubereuse but on me it’s mainly the Ylang-Ylang I smell. The Ylang-Ylang combined with the almond blossom almost give a coconutty smell to the perfume. I definitely understand why some people smell coconut. It’s very sweet and strong so one spray will do the trick just fine. It’s not something I want to wear every day because I really have to be in the mood for this beauty. But it’s a nice addition to my collection.
jsc457JeomiWogkig – :
What a big creamy buttery yellow floral explosion! There’s a hint of spice here too, and I get whiffs of a heavy face-powder/lipstick and ocassionally the coconutty tuberose. I’ll enjoy my mini on rare occasions but won’t go seeking a FB.
meier-link – :
There is so much sweet almond and spice in this. I feel like I am eating spice cake in a field of overripe tuberose. I enjoy wearing my mini occasionally because it is unlike anything I have but Mahora will never be a special favorite of mine.
spine – :
Fragrance Review For Mahora Guerlain
Top Notes Orange Green Notes Almond Blossom
Middle Notes Neroli Ylang Ylang Tuberose Jasmine
Base Notes Sandalwood Vanilla Vetiver
Mahora is a polarizing perfume. Some hate it some love it. I love it. It’s very fragrant and by that I mean super sweet and strong. I love it! It’s a throwback to perfumes that threw out that sillage and left a trail from here to Indonesia. It’s really not bad. The trick is to dab on not spray too much just a dab in the pulse points. I scent my collarbone with this and spritz some on my wrists. This starts off with green notes and citrus something out of Houbigant’s Quelques Fleurs. Fresh citrus and green leaves as it begins it’s performance. Then it turns floral with a creamy rich decadent tuberose and jasmine. This is a big white floral fragrance. Smells opulent, brassy and spicy. The base consists of vetiver and sandalwood. These two notes are often very strong on their own so pairing them together is aromatic and powerful. This is really a beautiful Oriental fragrance but I was hoping to get those other more standard Oriental notes of patchouli incense musk and oak moss or more woods. It’s really more subdued and simple than you think. Nevertheless it’s exotic. It’s a heavy perfume because of that big tuberose and sandalwood but those are notes I’m mad about. At least it’s long lasting. It lasts all of 2 days. This perfume should come with a warning: handle with care. And spritz lightly. But I do love it. I presented this gift to my mother on Mother’s Day. This also smells very expensive luxurious and vintage. They don’t make them like this anymore. I love Mahora.
Анастасия1994 – :
I haven’t tried this – just read some reviews. Everyone seems to smell coconut, but that’s not listed on the ingredients. Could it be the almond?
BOXS – :
Just got my mini order in the mail. First of all..the mini looks gorgeous, it has this gold metal decoration, oh Guerlain, la classe, even in the humble mini. Its tropical, coconutty, milky, a tiny bit of something menthol (my nose still not very well educated but usually tuberose i can detect correctly). That sounds absurd now that i read it but i assure you, this isnt something to be scared of. Its just original, that’s all. Im gonna wear it a lot and i’m going to enjoy when people ask oh dear what is that?Cause they will, i can tell ˆˆ.
PAlqonioI – :
This is the grand dame of tropical perfumes. A big, buttery tuberose opening, and a decidedly delicious drydown. Slightly reminiscent of Lys Soleia. Overall, besides the tuberose, I smell frangipani and sandalwood, with a hint of vanilla. Yum!
silovikxxx – :
Buttery tuberose, banana-like ylang-ylang (which adds a tropical feel), and creamy sandalwood come together to create a fun, sweet fragrance that I think would work nicely in the summer. I definitely like it more than Terracotta Voile d’Ete and Wasser’s Terracotta (gasp!) Underrated, unusual, and unique.
bumbIebee – :
I remember smelling this when it was first released, back when I would never have splurged on a scent from Guerlain. I remember it being a beautiful, creamy coconut scent. Recently I acquired a miniature bottle. I don’t know if the juice has changed over time, but I get a real pungent spiciness from this that I just don’t enjoy. I can still pick up on some of the coconutty, tropical goodness from far away, but up close this is just too spicy for me.
NekitOC – :
Very beautiful and classy Guerlain. I was putt off at first smell, but settled down within 30 minutes. I don’t really smell any coconut like others have mentioned. This is a sweeter Guerlain and I would have to say that it has c a note that reminds me of Mitsouko. Maybe peach? Maybe just the way it interacts with my body chemistry, or perhaps just the Guerlinade? I love it and don’t understand the negative reviews. Glad I took a chance and blind bought this gem.
sergey35reg – :
I would love to be able to test it one more time, as I only tested it once, 10 years ago and back then it killed me. Probably because of the aldehydes and ylang-ylang. Recently I got a knock-off of Mahora and it raised my curiosity, as after 30minutes of ylang and aldehydes, some beautiful vanilla and woods came out! I can only imagine how amazing this effect in the authentic Mahora must be… or must have been:'(
dimanason – :
I really want to love this. The bottle is so beautiful, the name so evocative, it’s unusual and classical in style (which I love), I actually love both tuberose and ylang ylang in most compositions, though they are challenging to many people.
This is mostly what I was expecting, a well-balanced, somewhat earthy (from vetiver and green notes) tropical floral. Perfect for summer dreaming for those of us who frequent northern rocky beaches, not white sandy ones where the more straight-forward sweet, floaty coconutty fragrances would make sense.
What I didn’t expect was the intensity and style of the almond. So so much almond, and it’s bitter like cyanide.
I’m going to keep trying, but it feels a little poisonous to my nose.
AKrava – :
Thanks @nero77 for your informative review, I somehow agree with a lot of what you said here. I can add a little. All this mixture of notes you was talking about is translated to my nose as a coconut note, you know the one in sun tan lotions. My version is pure Parfam from the first year of launching 1999,the date is written on the luxurious gift box that I have,comes with a big jar of body cream, and the date was printed by Guirlain so that makes me sure about that. But are you sure it’s the last one created by Jean Paul Guirlain? here on our website some perfumes created afterwards carry his name as the nose behind them! Anyway, after you reminded me about how a real masterpiece Mahora is,I would not pass it to someone els, and I also will try the body cream too(Lool) . I don’t find it loud, I don’t know maybe because it is in Parfam so it is less evaporated and more settled to the skin as most of this concentration are! The obvious aspect is that it is definitely gourmandy/sweet/and sugary like a dessert dish. I’m not crazy about it nor am I hating it, but it is some how classy and well orchestrated.
negodyae4ka – :
Sweet forest nectar…
This is a fragrance with a controversial past (and really… aren’t all good fragrances controversial in some way? Fracas, Poison etc?). This was Jean-Paul Guerlain’s last major fragrance release before he retired, and it’s one he didn’t make for the market at the time. It’s loud, it’s full, it’s heavy and sensual… and for these reasons it was a flop, people at the millennium did not want so loud and sensual a fragrance, a “throwback” to other heavy florals of the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s etc. Mahora suffered a terrible fate of having a large portion of the stock destroyed once it was pulled off the market. However, with time, people can see this fragrance in a kinder, more loving light.
Part of it’s notoriety is that Mahora seems to be a fragrance that elicits strong reactions. It’s one of those “love/hate” fragrances that people either swoon over or can’t stand. I think I’m in the “love” crowd here and find it quite intoxicating, in a tropical, floral kind of way…
And Mahora is a tropical floral, without a doubt. It’s named after the island in the indian ocean where Guerlain keep plantations of ylang-ylang and jasmine (called “Mayotte” in French but “Mahora” in the local language). I don’t find this one as loud as people say (I have the Eau de Parfum), to me it’s a sweet, honeyed floral, with a host of white flowers. You name it this fragrance has it, Jasmine, Tuberose, Frangipani, Gardenia, Magnolia (or at least that’s what it feels like to me) there’s also orange and almond blossom in there, which I enjoy smelling. Still, I don’t find this fragrance particularly cloying, although I’m sampling it in cool weather and I think this would be too much if over-sprayed. There’s a ylang-ylang and sandalwood combination (much like Samsara) but there’s also a wonderful, green-on-the-verge-of-ripe tuberose, and although I haven’t smelled Fracas, I actually enjoy the use of tuberose in fragrances.
Mahora can be a very evocative fragrance, like a “vacation in a bottle” type thing. With me the scent of this transports me to places I haven’t been… like an island in the indian ocean, or south pacific. I get a real connection with somewhere in south america, maybe Brazil, I think of exotic events, like the Rio de Janiero carnival (of course in my mind’s imagination!). I see women with dark skin, and garlands of white flowers around their neck, or a flower in her hair (like a woman from Tahiti… another place I’ve never been to).
I think this is one worth testing out if only for these kinds of experiences. It’s very sensual in a tropical, voluptuous kind of way. I think that loving or hating this comes down to whether you are intimidated by white florals. Fortunately, I love the slightly green, yet borderline ripe & creamy tuberose, which is rich and buttery, especially when joined by jasmine, ylang-ylang and gorgeous sandalwood.
One to try, just because of the wide range of reactions it provokes in people. For me it’s one I love, and again, as with all “heavy” or borderline cloying fragrances, less sprays, and cooler weather, but on the right person it could be worn any time of year. Again, for me… this is an example of pure escapism in a bottle! R.I.P. Mahora…
Aleksandria – :
This was introduced 1999 not 2000.
komtex333 – :
Tuberose has been the heart and soul of a lot of perfumes, by a lot of perfumers, for a long time. There’s Fracas (Piguet, 1948), Giorgio (Giorgio Beverly Hills, 1981), Amarige (Givenchy, 1991), Poison (Dior, 1985), Dune (Dior, 1991), and a number of more recent offerings by such diverse houses as Frederic Malle, Serge Lutens, Killian…It’s a tricky ingredient. To a lot of people it smells like liquid hell, with aspects of rubber, menthol, and even rotting meat; to others, it is a paradise of smooth, creamy, deep sweetness. What makes it so hard to handle is that it can go from one to the other, for even the most forgiving of noses, in a heartbeat. Thus the Tuberose Question: how do you make a good perfume out of an ingredient that is so willing to bite the hand that feeds it?
Guerlain answers by tempering the highly malleable gorgeousness of tuberose with the creamy woodiness of sandalwood, and with the cool and lily-like sweetness of ylang-ylang, and with the mellowness of vanilla (vanilla and the Guerlain aesthetic going together like a hand in a glove).
I’ve found that the tuberose in Mahora behaves differently on my skin on different days. Usually I just get the creamy deeps that make me love tuberose so dearly, but sometimes I get intimations of camphor and other scents yet more disquieting. In the end, in the dry down, I’m always rewarded for my patience with something lovely.
Mahora was a good answer. I wish it had gotten more
love. A six year run wasn’t enough.
marselcom – :
What a wonderful opening, deli