Basenotes - Reviews by Agatha Runcible

Australia

Showing 1 to 3 of 3.

No. 5 by Chanel

This is for the EDT formulation, circa 2009:

At first spritz I get fantastic aldehydes infused seamlessly with neroli and bergamot. A peach note is there as well. The peach is peachy-fruit, not peachy-sweet/predictable. This is infused with a pleasurable iris note. Beautiful rich Grasse jasmine comes to the fore and lingers and permeates into the woods below.

Much later in the dry down I get a friendly and beautifully warm creaminess of sandalwood, vetiver, amber, oak moss, patchouli and nicely done vanilla. There are other things as well but I cannot quite tease them out. I can still detect that beautiful Grasse jasmine. I am really enjoying the character of the base, with the longevity enduring well into the next day.

This abstract scent is thoroughly enchanting and never tires.

If you are a fan of the Parfum formulation but until now, never understood how the two could smell of such different eras (Parfum 1920s, EDT 1950s/1960s), I strongly recommend a revisit. It’s clear that the EDT has been faithfully restored to the spirit of the original Parfum. I now consider this a long-term keeper.

This is for the Parfum formulation:

Sharper, richer aldehydes and neroli are immediate and engaging. The heady neroli and aldehyes are infused with a bergamot note. Rich Grasse jasmine begins to gain your attention and increases in richness. The neroli and aldehydes are seeping seamlessly through the jasmine and rose below it. The neroli and iris are still linking throughout.

In the dry down I get a similar experience to the current formulation of No 5 EDT (see above) but more tightly structured and richer. There is also a hint of the rich neroli experienced earlier. One difference though is that the longevity of the Parfum formulation on me is fleeting and am left wondering where this enchanting scent has gone.

I am grateful that this masterpiece has endured time and fad to be enjoyed today as it was intended.

24th October, 2009.

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Emporio Armani Diamonds by Giorgio Armani

This review is for the EDP formulation.

After the initial burst of synthetic over sweetness (which seems typical of Armani perfumes) has calmed down, I begin to detect an interesting and unpredictable fruit note that has an alluring sour edge to it.

I can detect some soft focus florals underscored by a smooth and soft vetiver note, which makes for a nice balance to the sweet yet sour fruity raspberry smell that is in the fore ground. I am enjoying this interesting raspberry note. However, the scent seems to stay fixed, with no suggestion of a progression beyond this.

I am pleasantly surprised by this perfume because I have not warmed to Armani’s previously.

15th October, 2009. (Last Edited: 16th October, 2009.)

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Bois des Îles by Chanel

This review is for the Parfum formulation.

Wow. Beaux never ceases to impress. What I smell is a scent that is integrated and very engaging.

I am first hit with a rich and voluptuous mix of notes that are deftly blurred through the lens of a Beaux Aldehyde.

I detect a slight boozy note. I smell richly woven ylang, bitter almond, Grasse jasmine and sandalwood through woods and florals that make up this rich yet abstract image which this smell evokes. I think I can also detect a hint of incense?

Having experienced the EDT reformulation shortly after the original Parfum (as the Parfum now seems hard to source) I am only left wondering one thing. Why such an amazing and captivating scent, which could only show the house of Chanel in the best light, be given such severe treatment. The current formulation is pedestrian and pale in comparison.

Where the original Parfum is voluptuous and elegant, the current EDT formulation is just another face in the crowd, it just happens to be wearing a 2.55 as it is trying to blend in and not say anything of any particular value.

15th October, 2009.

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