Having a Chanel moment

[milla]

Someone was saying yesterday that there is a Chanel scent for every woman.
I have never liked the iconic no.5 on me, the only Chanel fragrance that I would consider is no.19.
Anyone else has a favourite Chanel scent ?

[anne]

I love Chanel no 19, too!

No 5 is very unpleasant to my nose.

Allure was not very pleasing, either.

Hmmm....wish I could buy some 19 right now....used to wear it for years.

[makinalist]

I have really been enjoying my Eau Premiere this year.  It is a No. 5 flanker, as they say, but I find it much softer to wear.  There are some new ones out now that sound lovely, especially Jersey.  One of Les Exclusifs, it has lavender, vanilla, and musk.

I think Chanel has something for everyone, truly.  There are Orientals, powdery florals, woody scents -- read the descriptions and some reviews and you'll see what I mean!

[milla]

Jersey... I haven't heard of that one.
Anne I think that very soon I too will succumb to no.19....

[Poppyfields]

Jersey is coming out next month, which is why you have not heard about it yet.

If I might have a *squee* moment -
I just received COCO Eau de Parfum as an anniversary present.  We picked it out together.   

[makinalist]

You squee all you want, sweetie.  My Eau Premiere was a Valentine's gift and he did it all by himself.  Sometimes they redeem themselves!

[carollu]

My favorite is Cristalle Eau Verte!

[makinalist]

Poppy - Is this the first time you have worn a Chanel?  Have you loved Coco for a long time?

[milla]

Poppy - Is this the first time you have worn a Chanel?  Have you loved Coco for a long time?

I am curious, too...
Coco is my son's fiancee favourite, it is beautiful on her but I have never tried it on myself... well not long enough to have an idea whether I can wear it or not.

[Poppyfields]

No, and yes.  How's that for an answer?  
This is the first time I have worn something more complex than Eau de Toilette.

I can remember having a tiny sample of No. 5 as a high school girl, and deciding it smelled like scented soap - no big deal.  When I was 30 I decided to revisit the world of Chanel perfume and found my tastes had fortunately matured and I liked its powdery scent.  DH bought me a Christmas packaged set of No. 5 EDT, bath oil and body powder.  Very indulgent!  I still have some powder and it still smells good.  I like No. 5 very much, its comforting; but its not fully me.

I bought an EDT of Coco Mademoiselle (when it came out in 2001) because I liked it, but after a year I fell out of love - it was OK.  A simple EDT probably did not improve with age, either.

My signature perfume was Karl Lagerfeld's KL which came out in 1983.  It was a powerful spicy scent beloved my DH and myself.  It became hard to find; eventually falling off internet sellers although I did snag 2 bottles over the years.

So I have been having a perfume adventure this past year or so to learn about scents and find a replacement.  This Coco (not Mademoiselle!) is also a spice scent, but a bit lighter and more complex than KL.  So in a way, Listy, I have loved it a long time because it is very much my esthetic.  

I also love Chanel's Cuir de Russe, thought I was getting that this time until Coco captured both our hearts.  

I found out during my scent journey that I love Iris Root.  I love my sample of Acqua di Parma's Iris Nobile  As I read through my notes, the continuing thread between all these perfumes is spice and orange blossom.  I seem to love these notes mixed in various ways - with iris, leather (cuir), tobacco, vanilla, moss, whatever.

Oops, as a friend use to say, "You asked for the time, I told you how to build a watch."
So Milla, what are your favorite scent notes?  That should help you narrow your search.

The new Jersey is a lighter scent; 'lavender infused' according to the ad copy.  The sales lady said if I loved spice, Jersey was not for me.


 

[makinalist]

Well, I just realized that I don't know what iris root smells like!  I really must get out more....

[Poppyfields]

No worries, Listy.  I had not identified Iris nor incense before my journey of discovery.

According to the gals at Perfume Posse (fantastic info there!) Iris is

— tricky for beginners due to metallic strangeness. Less challenging scents: Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile, Hermes Hiris (advanced beginner)

also like Iris Silver Mist and Dior Homme.

It is described as cold or chilly as a single note.  Its not sweet, and is usually used as an earthy basenote in blends.  I'm not a fan of huge white floral scents (sweetness headache) so I probably like Iris because it cools down the florals.  Like the difference between steamy Sophia Loren and the cold Hitchcock blonds, if you will.

Black Cat turned me on to Parfums DelRae's great delight: Mythique (a heavenly iris).   

[makinalist]

Now see, I didn't know there were skill levels involved in wearing perfume!  But then I jumped in with both feet when I first smelled Aromatics Elixir on my skin, and by all accounts it is as earthy and complicated as they come.  I absolutely love it.  I also think it could easily be a masculine scent.

Like you, I don't care for big white florals; nor do I care for the mainstream fruity or candy scents.  Give me something woody, earthy, or musky every time!  One of my early faves was Tabu, and I still love the bath powder.

I must be channeling Sophia.

[Styyna]

I confess I know next to nothing about perfume. I try it on (mostly thanks to oodles of samples with makeup orders over the years), one scent at most in a day, and then sniff it off and on to determine if I like it on me. Chanel has been a favorite since my late teens. I loved No. 22 into my early 20's.

When my first son was born my mother gave me a bottle of Chanel No. 5 EDP and I loved it. Soon after I discovered No. 19. Then I guess I just forgot to wear fragrance for many years.

Several years ago I decided it was time to wade in again and I first tried my old Chanel favorites. None of them made me happy. I tried other Chanel scents and none of them was me either until they released Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere and that has been my favorite for about 3 years.

Curiously, the original No. 5 hasn't even smelled familiar to me for the past decade or longer. Not in the bottle, on me, or on others. I don't know if my sniffer has changed or the fragrance.

[milla]

Sorry I did not respond to this post sooner, I have been awash with work and unable to look at the posts!

I confess that I am very ignorant about fragrance-and very particular too! I have mention before that I like Mitsouko a lot, but I can't always wear it: Winter seems the best time for me to wear it. Sometimes I leave it for a while, and when I go back to it, its beauty almost brings tears to my eyes. it is a scent that has been called 'melancholy' in numerous reviews and I can see what they mean.
I would love to be able to distinguish the different notes in a perfume, but mine an 'educated' nose...
i know what I dislike intensely: Anais Anais is one, Paris by YSL is another. What particular notes make me reject these scents, I am not sure...