Beige (2008)
by Chanel

I think the name is a complete misnomer. When I hear "beige" I think of a light suede leather, or maybe a light wood.
This is a sweet, floral scent. Cheerful, pretty, young. Perhaps the honey is what is meant by beige but that is a rather obscure reference. Sunny flowers in a meadow give way to further very pleasant light floral notes. But really, how many beige flowers can you name....
Points deducted for off-kilter name.

13rd January, 2012.

I feel after looking at the postings for Beige that I must respond. This is a beautiful fragrance and my fav of all the Chanel Exclusifs, if not of all the Chanel line. As its name implies, it is not an "in your face" scent. But Coco Chanel had good understated taste, and this was her favorite color, too, so the scent lives up to its name of being subtle. The reason I love this so much is because of the honey note. This isn't mentioned as one of the major notes on this site, but to me it's the predominant one. My only complaint is that it could last longer, and I wish there was a perfume of it in a more concentrated strength. But it is very unique, and as my boyfriend explains, extremely haunting and memorable. Even when I have ceased to smell it, he says he can smell it on my clothing. As stated by others, it is a good office scent, subtle and not overwhelming, but it can be worn in the evening as well. It is romantic enough for a night out; simply reapply to strengthen. It is a white floral, so if you prefer more Oriental exotic scents, this may not be your thing. To me it evokes honey being poured into tea or perhaps a spring day with honeysuckle wafting aloft. I have solved the problem of it not being long lasting enough by purchasing the smaller bottle at chanel.com so I can carry it with me always!

27th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 29th December, 2011.)

I am disappointed with this perfume mainly because of ZERO linger power. The perfume stays on for a couple hours the most, and it is unusual for my skin. It opens up with gardenia, and stays gardenia plus white flowers. I do not find any frangipani freesia, aldehyde, heliotrope, or amber, may be some honey or vanilla, but more vanilla flower.
It is soft and polite perfume, and would suit a person who likes perfumes to be quite and delicate.

20th November, 2011.

Beige is probably the only composition in the Les Exclusifs range that I dislike. It opens with a suffocating aldehydes and floral combo that's at the same time loud and cheap to then evolve into an overly sweet, clean floral drydown that's anything but exclusive.

Overall Beige coul be ok but next to masterpieces such as 31 Rue Cambon, 28 La Pausa, Bois Des Iles, No.22, Cuir De Russie and Sycomore it results weak, uninspired and unremarkable.

15th November, 2011. (Last Edited: 25th January, 2012.)

Beige, supposedly was Coco Chanel's favourite colour in which she used as her theme to decorate her apartments. This fragrance was created to reflect her style and elegance.

Like the colour, Chanel's Beige is simplistic yet classy. This fragrance is quite possibly the least offensive in the Exclusifs series.

I liked this fragrance straight away. It struck me as a pleasantly sweetened floral with a slight shampoo-type quality. It smelt expensive yet it wasn't particularly unique.

On my skin, Beige became me. It suited my chemistry well and the honey note really had its chance to shine. The frangipani note is what gives this fragrance that clean and slightly tropical smell, however the freesia and honey balances the scent out nicely.

The scent lasted on my skin right up until the wee hours of the morning, which was very impressive and certainly complimentary to the rather high price tag. While I certainly enjoyed wearing Beige I couldn't help feeling as if it was too subdued for my tastes.

Beige has an intimate feel, with the sillage being rather weak despite its lasting strength. This fragrance screams 'inoffensive office scent'. Seeming that I don't work in an office or a crowded environment, louder fragrance are more to my taste.

All in all, Chanel's Beige compliments the skin. It almost seeps into the pores creating a very natural, very 'you' type smell. Despite its basic nature, Beige is an extremely pretty and sophisticated fragrance.

27th August, 2011.

Today I received two of the five "Les Exculsifs" samples I had ordered from The Perfumed Court. Beige and Bois des Iles. I still have 28 La Pausa, 31 Rue Cambon and Sycomore to come.

So, today I tested Beige. First thing I get is freesia, and a pretty hefty dose of it. Then as it began to dry down I experienced a bubblegum and plastic accord. Now, this just might be me because white florals don't always seem to work well with my body chemistry.

As for the longevity, it gave off some sillage for the first three hours. I'm going on the seventh hour now and it's just the bare bones close to the skin.

It is a fine, well-crafted floral and would be a fine scent for someone who wears white florals well. It's just not for me.

11th June, 2011. (Last Edited: 12nd June, 2011.)