I would gladly say that Mahora is unremarkable but it wouldn't be true. It is indeed very remarkable. Like being hit with a tuberose scented brick and choked by roses and then drowned in coconut suntan lotion. It's overwhelming in the worst sense of the word. I had a sample of the eau de toilette concentration and it was all coconut - it's not listed in the fragrance notes but I do smell it there.
Now, I got rid of whatever of Mahora I had (I must say that I'm not sure at this point because a part of my collection sort of oscillates between me and my friend O. so that Mahora might have been hers or there were more specimens) and then I saw the extrait.
The 'normal' eau de parfum bottle, as seen on the advert featuring Elsa Benitez and Ayers Rock is a weird art deco-ish mess of shapes which was designed by Robert Granaï and, well I think it was a mistake.
I suspect that the extrait flacon was a way how Monsieur Granaï regained his reputation. The heavy golden pebble with a glass window that shows the golden liquid is utterly cool.
From the concave side, it looks like a model of some small universe, with a sun and a purple satellite.
Still, the fragrance didn't get any better in the extrait concentration. It is more rosey, sweet and sickening, and dries down to overwhelming coconut soap. I can barely bring myself to smell it from the blotter in fear that I may die of too much sweetness.
I bought it because of the flacon. I admit it. Apparently I'm not the only one who detests Mahora because nobody wants the decanted content so that I could use this lovely pebble bottle for something that actually smells nice.
Perfume notes for Mahora by Guerlain:
top notes: orange, aldehydes, almond blossom
middle notes: tuberose, jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang, frangipani
base notes: sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver
Mahora is discontinued and it was a good riddance. Widely available in the internetz, just look around. Or I can send you that extrait in a neat roll-on bottle.
