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Advice for a Blind Purchase

post #1 of 18
5/10/07 at 8:51pm
Thread Starter 
I'm seriously thinking about picking up a bottle of Bois des Iles online before it winds its way back into non-existence. The problem is, I've never smelled it. I've read the previous posts about it, and I'm just not sure. With decants phasing themselves out, I'm not sure where I can sniff it. The idea of a holy grail woody oriental appeals to me greatly, and I love sandalwood. I am 27, married, interested in a variety of arts, love spicy food, etc.

My wardrobe is accessible for those of you who would like to help me out here. For those of you who would prefer not to wade through my wardrobe, some of my top fragrances (not in any particular order) are:

-Mitsouko
-Shalimar
-L'Instant
-AA Pamplelune
-Dune by Dior
-Poivre Piquant by L'Artisan
-Flower by Kenzo

Of the Chanels, I most enjoy Cristalle and No.5, although neither seem particularly at home on my skin.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 18
5/11/07 at 5:20am
Sieze the Day!!

If you don't like it, you can always offer de***** (privately, of course) or swap or sell it here at BN. It's a big favorite!! You go girl!!
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post #3 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:07am
It is definitely worth a try but if Chanels do not usually work on your skin then you may still end up very disappointed.

Like yourself I adore sandalwood especially in smooth woody orientals and I also have a irritating problem with Chanel aldehydes / formulations. I happen to have a bottle of Chanel Bois des Iles parfum which I do wear occasionaly (usually in spring) but find that it has little of the presence and sillage that a good woody oriental should have. it sits very close to the skin except in warmer weather.

Definitely try it, by all means, but may I recommend you also sample the following in your search for a Holy Grail, sandalwood dominated, woody oriental:

Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles
Coty Wild Woods
Ava Luxe Royal Parvati
Yardley Sandalwood
TBS Woody Sandalwood
Gucci pour homme
Ava Luxe Biba
10 Corso Como
L'Artisan Passage D'Enfer
Ava Luxe Chaotic / Chaos type
Donna Karan Black Cashmere
Diptyque Tam Dao - actually more cedar than sandal but renowned for its smooth woodiness
Ava Luxe Red Tara
Gucci Eau de Parfum
Chanel Egoiste
Ava Luxe Moksha

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post #4 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:28am
I bought a bottle of Un Lys blind and whilst I don't mind it it's not something I reach for in the morning. I have to remember to wear it. So my motto is try before I buy. Recently I bought a decant of Bois des Iles (lovely but again not a fave for me) from fragrant fripperies who is on your side of the pond. So you could sample it before you parted with too many dollars for something you may not enjoy.
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post #5 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:35am
hi kotori
i am not one to dissuade from blind buys since i've had pretty good luck. bois de iles didn't really work for me even though i like woody/oriental fragrances.

also, do you mind sharing where you were planning to buy from? i want to purchase cuir de russie but i can't find it anywhere online
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post #6 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:42am
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post #7 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:46am
So has the Rue de Cambon collection vanished from Chanel boutiques? I thought I might visit one during our mini-honeymoon, but if Cuir de Russie won't be there then neither will I.
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post #8 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:52am
hmmm I'm another one who was disappointed in Bois de Iles ... I think it might be that Chanel and I don't get along too well

There are still ways to buy decants, that might be the way to go if you are nervous about buying a full bottle blind.
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post #9 of 18
5/11/07 at 7:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abigail View Post

So has the Rue de Cambon collection vanished from Chanel boutiques? I thought I might visit one during our mini-honeymoon, but if Cuir de Russie won't be there then neither will I.


The Chanel boutique in Bal Harbour still has Cuir de Russie. I just bought a bottle a almost two weeks ago now, partly as indulgence, partly as a graduation gift to myself (now, i don't know what to do with myself, as all i do now is work part-time until the fall when hopefully i'll start teaching).


So, they are still out there!
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post #10 of 18
5/11/07 at 8:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taolady View Post

Sieze the Day!!

Since I found out Kotori is an English teacher, I can't resist throwing this in:

"i" before "e," except after "c"
or when sounded like "a," as in neighbor or weigh
EXCEPTIONS:
Neither had leisure to seize the weird thing.

A small homage (pronounce the "h" please) to CZ, my 8th grade English teacher.
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post #11 of 18
5/11/07 at 8:21am
Blind buys are really my downfall.

I get so excited by descriptions of fragrances that I can't resist when I see them on a discount site or an ebay seller.

Some have fared better than others, the MPGs I love, I bought the Montana suggestion series that way and that was a success too.

Some have been traded away and others have been given away. A few sit as collectibles.
One, I believe, was kidnapped

I am wary of Chanels, and would never blind buy one...but I have a realtive who loves them and I suspect she was the kidnapper of the unlabeled Chanel I bought on ebay ...I think she saw it as payback for my borrowing her things when we were teens!
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post #12 of 18
5/11/07 at 9:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xdattax View Post

The Chanel boutique in Bal Harbour still has Cuir de Russie. I just bought a bottle a almost two weeks ago now, partly as indulgence, partly as a graduation gift to myself (now, i don't know what to do with myself, as all i do now is work part-time until the fall when hopefully i'll start teaching).


So, they are still out there!


Hurray! Well, the boutique I'd be most likely to go to is in Toronto, but there remains some hope... Thank you, and congratulations on your graduation.

And I fell in love with Cuir de Russie because of the listed decanters, so that might be better then a blind purchase. I, personally, have never ever ever had a fragrance smell the way I thought it would from the listed notes.
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post #13 of 18
5/11/07 at 9:30am
CdR parfum is still available on Gloss.com (no affiliation):

http://www.gloss.com/product/index.j...1305&sidenav=f

That's where I bought mine last month. I wish they still had the EDT as well.
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post #14 of 18
5/11/07 at 9:31am
MMMMMM!!!!!!

Which are you thinking of edt or parfum?

The edt starts with a blast of aldehydes and I do mean a BLAST. I was sent a card sprayed with edt Bois des Iles from the Chanel boutique in London. And I swear it took a day before the aldehyde settled, sort of paint stripper!!! Infact I put it in a book and I can still smell BdI clearly in the pages years later. It still smells wonderful.

The parfum is wonderous very dry and rich golden sandalwood.

To be honest it is nothing like any in your wardrobe.

Bois is not really a oriental but an aldehydic floral.
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post #15 of 18
5/11/07 at 11:16am
The wonderful thing about BdI is the gingerbread note you may have read about. It really is different from everything else. Woody, but something like a snickerdoodle cookie mixed in. The sweetness is not overwhelming though, it's balanced by the sparkling aldehydes & woods. I liked the EDT sample from Fraggrant Fripperies (Peppermint Patty on Perfume Posse). So much so I bought a Parfum from the New York Chanel Boutique while on a trip. It is mellower and a bit deeper. I don't know how you could go wrong and if you didn't like it you'd have no trouble selling it.
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post #16 of 18
5/11/07 at 3:07pm
I am on the fence about Bois des Iles. On the one hand I can smell that it really is a most wonderful, soft, spicy sandalwood, but on the other hand I cannot put my nose too close to the skin where I have sprayed it because the aldehydes smell like a rank, mouldy floor cloth (I get this from several frags, not just other Chanels). Sometimes I even get the sour fizzing note that also ruins Baghari for me. So I can wear it most of the time as long as I only smell the sillage, that is, if I don't get too close to myself... I have always harboured a secret hope that the parfum (I have the EDT) is not so aldehydic, but Moondeva has just shot that one down in flames!

If you are not bothered by this particular aldehyde/mix of aldehydes/mix of aldehydes and other unknown aromachemicals, then I would say it is actually worth a blind buy.
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post #17 of 18
5/11/07 at 5:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarry View Post

"i" before "e," except after "c"
or when sounded like "a," as in neighbor or weigh
EXCEPTIONS:
Neither had leisure to seize the weird thing.

So humiliating. And me a writer. I also misspelled Birkin Bag earlier this week - now that's a real sin!!
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post #18 of 18
5/11/07 at 6:26pm
Thread Starter 
Hey, all!

What a helpful group you are!

Thanks for all your fabulous descriptions and advice.

Q, thanks for the English teacher homage. I've actually taught students that little ditty as recently as last year.

Tao, no one cares about spelling here!

Moon, thanks for the excellent to-try list!

Luyuan, Shades, Mocha-- thanks for the input.

Donna, have you also checked my "owned" list? I used to own quite a bit more orientals than I do now, since my husband is a huge floral and fresh fan, and has bought me quite a few lovely additions, expanding my tastes widely. I'm thinking of Bois as being in the family of Dune, Rush, Savannah Gardens, No.5, Coco, and some others that I've either worn or admired. Any comment?

Abi, you can order Cuir de Russie from the Chanel US national #. 1.800.550.0005.

To all:

I did a bit of legwork today and found out that the Les Exclusifs can be found at select Chanel boutiques, including the boutique adjoined to the Drake Hotel in Chicago, so I might not have to buy blind after all! I talked to Yara at the Drake Chanel, and she said they have product in stock, including Cuir de Russie to all you CDR lovers. Hooray, May 26th! Can't wait! Would anyone like me to pick them up something?
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