Words: Violet
The Balsamand Lake Palace in Jodhpur, India
They say that the sense of smell is the most powerful sense that we have. A whiff of chamomile can take you back to that summer in the South of France. Sniff a Barbour and you’re immediately on the field. The smell of cigars might bring memories of your grandfather and roses can excite you even when your girlfriend is nowhere near.
The smart man knows how to harness this potency. If a sniff of freshly washed sheets can conjure up nights of wild abandon in a glamorous hotel, then the way a man smells has the power to summon him to mind even if he’s long-forgotten. And there can be few men smarter than His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh II of the Royal House of Marwar-Jodhpur in Rajasthan. He wanted to create a new scent to commemorate the birth of his granddaughter Vaara. Obviously this had to have a rich link with the smells of the family’s native India, and specifically Rajasthan, with its spices and deserts and palaces.
So the Master Perfumer Betrand Duchaufour was brought in and his expertise harnessed to create Vaara, the new Eau de Parfum from Penhaligon’s. This is the third collaboration between the maestro and the famous British brand. Launching on Monday, this exotic, seductive smell will whisk you away to far off lands. The top notes of coriander seeds, quince and saffron are inspired by the smells of Rajasthan markets while the heart of the scent comes from the gardens of the Maharaja’s summer palace – iris, freesia and magnolia. The dry-down is rich cedarwood with a resiny undertone. Vaara smells like nothing else out there at the moment – full of mysterious Eastern promise. It is a scent fit for a maharaja.
Vaara Eau de Parfum, £85 for 50ml, from Penhaligons boutiques and stockists. To find your nearest, go to penhaligons.com
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