Trayee by Neela Vermeire
Image Credit: neelavermeire.com
Trayee is the first and one of the 12 perfumes released by Neela Vermeire. Neela’s creations are generally inspired by India’s history, traditions, art, and spirituality. She is known for creating sophisticated and complex perfumes that blend Eastern and Western sensibilities. Trayee according to her own description includes a high percentage of natural ingredients — the published notes are -
Top — Blue Ginger, Elemi, Cinnamon, Ganja, Blackcurrant Absolut, and Basil
Heart — Jasmine Sambac, Egyptian Jasmine, Cardamom, Clove, Saffron, and Sandalwood
Base — Javanese Vetiver, Haitian Vetiver, Incense, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Myrrh, Vanilla, Cedar, Amber, Laos Oud, Oakmoss.
I bought this perfume based on one recommendation, from a reviewer I highly respect, but also because I realized that in my stage in the perfume journey, my library lacked a single perfume created by Duchaufour, and that is heresy. I was also intrigued by the idea of blending Indian and French sensibilities. So, what did I experience with Trayee? My first impression of the juice was that of a cardamom and ginger bomb. Cardamom is considered ‘cold-spicy’, as opposed to cinnamon (which is considered warm-spicy); and Ginger has this effervescent/ uplifting quality to it. At my stage in the frag journey, getting all the notes is a far-fetched dream — if I get 3–5 notes right, I will consider that a success. So at this point, this juice reminded me of something else I had. What could it be? It was Nishane’s Ani. Ani, created by Cecile Zarokian, is also a cardamom and ginger bomb. Ani itself reminded/ reminds me of an unnamed (and probably cheap) perfume I used when I was in my early adulthood. As it happens, this was one of the perfumes I took with me on my first international trip ever, going to Sydney. The scent of Ani, to me, is the scent of Mumbai airport (Mumbai was my stopover going into Australia). So, as it turned out, Ani and Trayee share several characteristics, and several notes as well — Blue Ginger, Cardamom, Blackcurrant, Sandalwood, and Patchouli. At this point, I could also see some interesting contrasts — Ani uses Rose, while Trayee uses Jasmine. Ani used Ambergris and Musk, while Trayee uses Oud. Ani uses Benzoin, while Trayee uses Elemi and Myrrh. At the end, I would prefer Trayee to Ani in a bakeoff, because Ani is too sweet and cloying, while there is an aspect of mystery and seriousness to Trayee, ostensibly from the base notes (could be Oud, Vetiver, Incense, or Oakmoss) or even Saffron, which sometimes has animalic qualities. I do wish Ani was a bit toned down on the Vanilla, that could have been more to my preference. Neela Vermeire is a promising house and has 11 more creations I haven’t gotten my nose on. Someday! If you find yourself liking this style of fragrances, the review community tells me about these additional fragrances you may want to try — Jovoy Remember Me (Cardamom and Ginger, in a base of milk and tea — it is like having a spiced chai (I have a sample of this, and it is a good chai experience, but for me, this is not what I look for in a perfume); L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two (I would love to get this, but alas, this is not in production)