Description
This joyful creation embodies every aspect of the very modern, colourful, eclectic, esoteric, ecstatic, liberal, happy side of buzzing India, a world economic power, where nothing is to be taken for granted, where the underbelly of the big city combines with the glitter of Bollywood on the vast sandy stretches of Juhu beach and the Queen’s necklace. Fortunes are made and lost on the Bombay stock exchange and gambling dens of Mumbai. Abandon yourself to the nightlife as dawn breaks over the city. There is nothing like it and there will be nothing like it. Welcome to a vibrant new India!
Bombay Bling! was created in 2011. It was launched in the USA in January 2012. The nose behind this fragrance is Bertrand Duchaufour.
ArtyemMV – :
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.
vlad13112000 – :
Radha and the Gopis celebrating Holi, with accompaniment of music instruments
Holi Festival
Ваким – :
This reminds me not of India but of THAILAND.
Its juicy and plump tropical fruit and heady tropical florals with a fizzy undertone to it that makes it radiant and happy.
This is not something you wear so that other people go “wow, what are you wearing” – its for days when you want to be transported to a tropical destination. It’s not avante garde or tricky or modern. It’s just happy.
I’d probably get a decent sized decant of this (if anyone has and willing to post to Australia??) but not a full bottle.
adamesin – :
This opens something sharp and fake-fruity that my childhood dentist used to use. Then it starts to smell humid, vanillic, mellow — like a hot night in the city with people smoking cigarettes on their stoops. I’m not sure I’d wear it but I like it.
IllesyWep – :
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.
gid86 – :
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.
askakyyb – :
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!
Raziel2010 – :
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.
kompositor1 – :
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.
PuzZzoL – :
This reminds me in the middle notes on Laguna/Laguna Maravilla from Salvador Dali, even if the way from the perfumers to approach this smell was probably different than Lagunas way. I prefer Dalis Lagunas.
brodaga – :
A fruity-floral-gourmand perfume for the mass market – circa 2004 – but with high quality ingredients. If Neela Vermeire launched this in 1991, bloggers, reviewers and consumers would all be clamouring for this. It is certainly executed well. But now this genre is done to death, and Bombay Bling doesn’t push any boundaries within this heavily saturated market. Bombay Bling reminds me a lot of Madonna’s Naked, except without so much overdose of patchouli. Very nice, easy to please fragrance for a teenager.
Starskijune – :
Bombay Bling, a funky perfume, perfect for when you want to make a statement ! Even if Trayee is my favorite I switch without remorse to this seductive and sensual scent. Wearing Bombay Bling always triggers compliments !
rezan80 – :
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.
Аслан – :
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.
claintect – :
OPEN LIKE 1 MILLION I GET A BUBLEGUM VIBE BUT CLEANER AND SOPHISTICATED JUST AMAZING A BIT TO SWEAT HOT HOT WEATHER MUST TRY!!
vonebloomma – :
Still searching for the Bling !! Found it in Trayee !
natali24 – :
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.
ras393Negeltzex – :
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.
alex-strelec – :
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.
kirill1906 – :
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)
elarieDaubake – :
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!
rlv077speagoessenda – :
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.
torvald – :
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!
GTF – :
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.
gladiator – :
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.
Doomklouse – :
Lots of tropical fruitiness and some grapefruit on first spray. I like this part! Then it dries down to something so very sweet that I can hardly bare it. It’s a combination of jasmine, sandalwood and vanilla and it’s translating on my skin as cotton candy. Later I get tobacco and vanilla combined. This is a very long lasting scent and if these notes are your favorites I would highly recommend. On me, it’s too sweet and makes me feel like I need to open the windows and air out the house.
mix1916 – :
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.
Orieniaerople – :
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.
сивка бурка – :
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.