Bleu de Chanel by Chanel - New fragrance - Page 8

I feel that Bleu makes L'Homme a super rich niche fragrance,,,

to my nose, Bleu is no more than a supermarket after shave,
I just can't imagine how would be the next launches in future? at least in the near future at 2012 & 2015 ?
it would smell too dull I guess!

I wore it to work again today. Three compliments from women I work with. It's strong, and I wore only two short sprays. It was still going strong in the afternoon. Surprisingly complex in the long run. It was a good fit for a warm summer day. Strikes me as casual - not at all for boardroom wear, as suggested by Chandler Burr in the Sept issue of GQ (his assessment is something like "boardroom perfect.") It's a very good casual, OK for casual office wear. Not to be mistaken for business or formal wear.

To put it simply, this frag is nowhere near good enough to deserve 8 pages of discussion concerning it.

(and yes, I realize the irony of extending the discussion with this post )

This scent is so strange. I'm finally getting it. It is HUGELY ozonic and fresh. It is strong and it is complex, but not in any way I was prepared for. A few posters said it was loud, and I couldn't understand it - now I can. It is strong and has excellent longevity, but the strong notes are basically this high-pitched fresh thing that eluded me earlier because I wasn't looking for it. I think there is a huge olfactory fatigue factor for me as well. I'll take 3 sniffs and it's gone by the third. Come back a few minutes later and it's the same thing.

Different notes pop out all day, but only in little wisps. Woody, powdery, marine, citrus, floral, and often the signature Allure thing. In terms of overall scent projection, it is basically a "fresh" analog of the Timbuktu woody accord, which is pervasive and radiating, but extremely low-key.

I agree - it's not a formal scent in terms of elegance, but I think it's very versatile. In my world of "business casual", I think it would make a great office scent. Just like Hugo Boss, L'Homme, etc., etc. I will admit - this thing is mainstream to the max. But I have to admit that it's a rather enjoyable mainstream scent. The olfactory mix of Chanel and mainstream is oddly alluring - no pun intended. The advertising image is right - young guy in a blue jacket and no tie. We were hoping for no.5 Pour Homme, and they were delivering Allure Homme Fresh.

I think it's the pervasive strength of the woody base notes that bother me so much. They are subtle but insistent and unchanging. Not the comfortable drone of a didgeridoo or monks chanting, but instead a harsh and raspy drone of something mechanical.

I'm going to give it another wearing as I do admit that, besides the irksome note/chemical I find in the base, the rest of it seemed very very sleek. So precariously balanced, like a jaguar waiting to strike. Hmm, I've never thought of a scent in these terms before but it seems downright predatory. While it may give the wearer some pleasure, the guiding purpose of its development was solely to lure in prey; whether that be the person you've got your eye on across the room, or in the other sense, the unaware buyer picking up a snazzy blue bottle of "the new Chanel."

LOL

Yeah, you're right. Chanel has definitely done a number on us. It's like 8 pages on the awesomeness of layering Allure Homme with Hugo Boss.

I posted that in a moment of cynicism. I'm maybe a bit jealous and upset that some of my newfound faves from this sample batch either haven't or aren't getting much discussion while Bleu and Bang are. It sometimes perplexes me that the general BN attitude seems to desire the new and different, but then when the truly new and different come out they are barely talked about.

Bleu by Chanel though, I must admit, is different than anything I've smelled before and thank god is not another minimalist iso e super ethereal woody number; those are like the equivalent of a BN approved aquatic. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the twilight zone.

Anyhow, Bleu is so calculated that it's impressive. I plan to sample it again soon.. it'll have to be on one of those grey days where I'm feeling a bit misanthropic.

I think this pretty much sums it up. Well said. I didn't think I liked it at first smell either, but I have to admit something keeps drawing me back to it. I work near a Macy's and keep going in to hit the tester.

I'm still not settled on a purchase, so I've worked out a decant trade with a fellow Basenoter. It is on the way in the mail, and I can't wait to wear it some more to make up my mind.

AND SoS, I'm sorry I haven't tried any of your new samples, so I can't discuss them. I do see your point though, 8 pages is a bit mind blowing.

^ I'm trying to remember how much discussion Guerlain Homme had. I think that was similar in terms of surprise - a fresh green scent, which was rather unexpected for Guerlain. But I doubt that it got this much. Perhaps the surprise is greater here because there's no new perfumer.

Yeah, you're right about the discussion - I never thought of it, but it's quite true. If it's a bit too obscure or "out there", it's very hard to get any discussion, but if it's perceived as too popular or mainstream, ditto. What might be described as "obviously different but popularly agreeable" scents - like Terre d'Hermès and Dior Homme - seem to get lots of love and welcome. But Neil Morris Vapor and Rocawear whatever are out like chumps. Interestingly, Bleu has a lot in common with NM Vapor, but I wouldn't even bring that up except to make this point.

I agree that Bleu is calculated - but my hope is that the calculation includes making a crap load of money for Chanel, so that Polge gets to create the elegant masterpiece which goes along with no.5 on the men's side, and makes all BNers fall to their knees in perfumer worship.

Very well said, RP. I was really glad to read about your experience with Neil Morris. Red Sky sounds fantastic and I will be sampling that as soon as I finally get around (and scrounge up the money) to splurging on a bunch of NM samples.

Regarding an equivalent of No. 5 for the men's side. Who needs Chanel? Just look to Amouage. Gold Man fills that niche and then some. I had only sampled No. 5 on a card in a store a few times but finally got a spray sample to take home. I compared it to Gold Man and the similarities are striking, although Gold is quite a bit fuller and richer. Quite a similar aldehydic floral opening, however. If you haven't sniffed it, you really must.

And if you do, sample Opus II while you're at it if you like Rive Gauche PH at all. Opus II is so utterly fantastic I shudder to think it may be dismissed by the majority of BN after a few people found it 'generic' after a card test. It's only generic in the same sense that Rive Gauche is. I'd use the term classic, though. Classic structure. Opus II doesn't smell anything like it, but reminds me of AdP Colonia. Classic structure with excellent ingredients and a perfect, sublime balance.

Sorry for proselytizing like that but I haven't been so moved by a fragrance in a long long time. This scent reminded me that new scents still can evoke that feeling of magic, even after I've smelled so many.

Bought a brand new tester bottle (only bottle they had at the time) about 3 weeks ago and love it. 100ml for $60, cant complain

LOL.

I have to agree; my short sampling of this new fragrance left me uninterested in further wearings.
Perhaps I'll try it again someday. When you compare this against something like Pour Monsieur (1955),
I don't find any reason to get Bleu. The older fragrances are better, to my nose. I don't see the point,
other than to extend the train of new releases that the companies depend upon to get people to lay down
cash.

^^^ Yeah, Amouage is really picking up Chanel's fragrance game controller while it steps out for a smoke. I smelled Gold Men a while back (thanks to the Kevin formerly known as Ruggles ), and just bust out laughing when I did. I almost floated out the door on all the Chanel powder.

Let's just hope Amouage doesn't do a thick, rich, luxurious version of Hugo Boss. I've had enough unexpected but maddeningly good luxury mainstream for a while, thank you!!!!

1) Agree with above that this one keeps bringing me back. When I got the spray of Gucci by Gucci that I talked about in my thread yesterday I also got another quick spray of Bleu on a card. There is somethign that keeps bringign me back

2) I am reading the talk of how this scent fits situationally. I think it is perfect for work. I'm an attorney in a massive complex where dress is all businnes casual. So nice slacks and botton down Polos, short sleeved Polos, etc. I think this fits this area. It is versatile to be casual and a nighttime fragrances as well but when I smell it I think work scent easily.

And that has been my goal lately. I turned 40 this year. I have 2 little ones. I am in work mode. It is like I said pages earlier...I'm looking for that mature/work scent that is classy, still noticeable and fits my age. That would seem easy but with al the niche, designer, etc that I've tried it is hard to find the one that seems to fit what I'm looking for.

I'm still loving it. Very elegant and comforting.

There are many designer fragrances sitting on the shelves better than this one....it is just a Chanel, it is new, it has a pretty bottle, it smells ok.....but alas, for someone looking for something that smells different from the last 13 years of designer offerings....you won't find it with this one. Smell like the masses, get in step with the office clones and suburbia generica mall rats...go buy this one. It will be huge for Chanel.

^ I'm starting to see this one as stealing from not only Acqua di Gio, but also Armani Code and its summer flanker, which was a huge success, supposedly. The dark bottle and cool powdery fragrance - it's definitely shooting at the Code crowd, IMO.

Of course, I own both Acqua di Gio and Code, as well as that earlier powdery aquatic, Pi Neo, so it's not a surprise that it's getting my number....

A strange bit of info - I am wearing Aventus today and four sprays, at least initially, is way more potent than the same amount of Chanel Bleu that I wore yesterday. When I first tested these, I though Bleu was the stronger scent.

Bleu is a 6 spray scent on my skin. Unlike some, I like to smell my own scent.

You make that Code summer flanker sound tempting...

Yep. I smell Aventus on me throughout the day. With Bleu, I have to apply a lot. Perhaps others can smell it though, although I'm not sure I buy into that. As I say, I can definitely smell Aventus for hours after application.

I tried Bleu for the first time last night. Let me just say I was only impressed with the magnetic bottle cap.

The top is composed of an Allure-ish citrus accord that's not citrus, the body had the dreaded YSL L'Homme style ginger note I was worried about back on page one or two, and I don't know about the base since I didn't have the patience of waiting for it.

I can't wait for Christopher Sheldrake (he's still working with Chanel, right?) to release his interpretation of a mass-market mens Chanel fragrance. His collaboration with Polge on the near-flawless Les Exclusifs line is fantastic.

It's not bad. If I remember correctly, it was a bit lighter and more aquatic, matching the lighter bottle. I passed it up, since it was somewhere between my Code and my Pi Neo, and when I was back a week or so later, it was G-O-N-E gone. Both my SA and I were surprised at how well it did. I thought it was pretty enjoyable, as a Code lover. But to be perfectly honest, I would probably only recommend it to somebody who thinks Code is too strong and powdery, and wants a (don't laugh) more mainstream fragrance.

I think Bleu is actually different enough that I find it worth having. But looking at it from the point of view of this thread, the Code flanker has more of a hook note (love that concept - a real keeper), and I think that, in a head-to-head sniff test, the Code flanker would beat Bleu on BN. In the real world, it might be close. Bleu's lighter and higher-pitched thing is (IMO) meant to go up against AdG in the "make my boyfriend smell clean but not strong" sense. Or, put another way, Bleu does dryer sheets better than the summer Code.

*major chuckles*

Yeah, I love that. You turn it 90 degrees and it pops up, 180 and it goes back down. The CC lines up perfectly. The strength of the magnet is enough to pick up the full bottle. You have to actually shake it pretty hard to make the bottle separate from it. Such attention to detail! It is definitely one of the most fun caps I've ever had.

Now, as for the fragrance.....

Well, Blanche has a pretty nice cap, too, ya know!

Well, if you really want to be impressed with a magnetic bottle cap topping a not-so-hot fragrance, 212 Men is calling your name.

Except that Bleu de Chanel is actually a pretty good, high-quality rendition of fresh, whereas 212 Men is a horrific miscalculation of humans' ability to withstand chemical atrocities applied directly to the skin, or perhaps clothing, for purposes of olfactory consumption and enjoyment. 212 Men is an abomination.

But yeah, cool bottles.

^^^^ The base is worth waiting for. It's not reliable on skin - mine eats it up in 12-24 hours, and it doesn't get a good ride near the end. However on cloth or paper, it's most awesome. My shirt from yesterday's wear smelled so good this morning, I pulled it out of the hamper just to smell the base again later.

Bleu de Chanel, not 212 Men. Right?

^ LOL

212.....what?



Bleu most definitely!

It's not up to many other J. Polge drydowns that are rather fantastic on skin, but on cloth, it certainly is.

Bleu smells a lot better than Anateus or Allure(s), to me. The dry down is pretty amazing with this one. I get all kinds of exciting notes popping up on me later in the day. Perfect for office-everyday wear, imo.

I've got a birthday coming, so I threw Bleu into the "I'd like 50ml of this" bin...

I gave a brief test; it ain't Vintage Tabarome; but I think I'll wear it as one of my "modern- semi aquatic scents" and see what happens.

I can totally get many of the "HOW could they DO this?" comments, but it's wearable. And c'mon- it IS NOT Axe.

There are a few perfumers I would near blindly trust to know what they're doing and Chanel would be one of them. Plus, if MrCologneGuy likes it, it's worth a try for me.

My biggest fear is that with the sheer marketing muscle of Chanel, it's selling like crazy.

I suppose it's not exactly filling the same role, but I'd much rather wear something like Givenchy Play than Bleu. At least Play seems to have been composed with the spirit of, the actual idea of, play(ing) in mind. Just.. fun. Light hearted fun.

I guess I really don't need a 'predatory' fresh/aquatic/spice number, as I'm happily in a long term relationship. I guess the closest thing I have in my wardrobe is Antidote, which I also find more uplifting, bright, and cheery, despite it's darker facets.

Just watch.. I can just see it now: I sample Bleu again and end up falling for it and have to eat all kinds of crow.

I personally think that Bleu is a step up from the entire Allure line. Yes, it's far from being extraordinary, but what is these days?

Finally tried this one yesterday, the first impression from the opening was quite similar to CK-Eternity/A&F-Fierce, dare to say it's more like an alternative and refined grown up version perhaps. Not bad actually, especially for those who liked to wear Eternity/Fierce in their youth 10-15 years ago and now there will be an 'upgrade' a higher-end version from the house of Chanel.

Yeah, I hear you. I already hate myself for loving this fragrance. I've been carrying the bottle around like a wino. I feel like warning people against the danger.

Predatory.... calculating..... a gold-digger of fragrance! Get out of my wardrobe, Bleu, you conniving freshie!

*sprays more on*

lol

I've been contract working in a new building for the past few weeks, so I don't know many people in here. I work in a small standalone office beside the main open plan area. Yesterday, a woman who I don't know, walked into my office and said that she had to come in and ask what the beautiful smell was coming from the room.

I had sprayed on quite a bit of Bleu de Chanel in a store on my lunchbreak 3 hours earlier! She thought it was gorgeous and wanted to know the name of it, so she could get some for her husband!

I guess this one really does project, even though I wasn't particularly aware of it.

I wore 5 shots today and it's more perceptible. It just takes a lot. Nice office scent with a modern, pleasant vibe. It's really, to me, also comparable to a toned down CK Contradiction for Men.

Yes...LOL. "Predatory" indeed.

Oh, the tragedy! The lemmings were lining up at the Chanel counter for this 'eau' so tepid concoction today and I really wanted to say in passing, 'Is this the best you can do?'

I finally broke down and bought it. My initial impression was that this was another Nautica or AdG. Then I sprayed it on my skin. I liked it but thought, "not right know". Fast forward a week. Tonight I sprayed a few sprays on my arm & walked around for awhile. The drydown really gets better with age! The smell test for me is if I keep sniffing my arm periodicaly to get my fix, which I did. Jacques Polge proves why he is a master perfumer as he took a boring aquatic smell and made it "Cinderfella".

On longevity I think like some others have said you need to spray generously to get longevity, but what else is new with modern day cologne.

Um, Mr. Riverwide, this entry reads like the lead-in to a hot hot Penthouse Forum letter. If you're even remotely inclined, you should explore this woman's fascination with your fragrance. Sounds like there's potential for a lot more going on there. . .

What did I do tonight? I read the 'Anticipation of Blue', interpreted by basenoters. WOW~!

I can't even begin to quote anyone there is so much going on here!

Summary (imho):

Chanel needed to make a new male fragrance and it is terribly exciting to go to the archives and re-invent. It drives anticipation of all sorts and expectations are as high as they can be. (What can anyone expect when a great perfumist is re-inventing a new male scent for CHANEL!) It's totally exciting! My first problem was that it was called :'Bleu' and this had me worried that Chanel would be gearing this to the masses. It's a good cologne, and excellent make but it's a high quality sports cologne. Chandler Burr is 100% correct. It is safe fragrance. In a day and age when everything is topsy turvy, the last thing anyone is going to do is introduce a male-oriented fragrance by a world reknowned company, created by one of the best perfumist and sell something they call 'Bleu' to the capitalistic-working class folk and then have it smell 'anti-bleu'.

It isn't that it isn't a good fragrance and well formulated, it's just a safe bet and there's nothing really wrong with that if you like it. I believe in time it may become like an Aqua di Gio type and the young Aqua di Gio obsessives of our time will be the Chanel Bleu's of the next generation unless something dramatic happens to make the general population believe that perfume is not only for women and men too can wear something that isn't always so 'safe'.

It's like Luca Turin explains in The Perfume Guide, 'The new is greeted with raised eyebrows of Jeeves faced with Bertie Wooster's latest fad come up from London. Most great innovations in masculine fragrance, from Bel-Ami to Insensé, died a lingering death [and] when one succeeds, slavish imitation happily resume for decades.'

Imagine Chanel had named it : ' Mauve by Chanel ' and it smelled peculiar but amazing? I don't know many guys who would even dare to try or even attempt to go near a scent called 'purple' (but I am talking about your average male who wouldn't consider a fragrance as having a specific place or time of year to wear it. This is the guy who just wears one thing and it's always 'that' occasion. Sigh...

It's still a well fabricated fragrance sure enough, but I can only say that I feel that it's a bit of a 'sell out' being too safe imo - but my opinion is just one

Thanks for the wonderful feedback on the new Chanel - (I do have a sampler of it.)

Finally i tried today, i dont know what to write; im in some mixed sides, at first i think is strange that chanel tried to move their works to a more popular-easy linea aroma. Im a easy nose with an open mind to the new releases and mainstream fragances but i need to re-try Bleu, was totally a surprise that is so easy, comfortable, attractive, manly maybe magnetic but is a extremely "too easy" fragance for my taste..like many think is a perfume oriented to new buyers and the young market.

i agree, Bleu does project.. just one spray on my wrist and last like 5-6 hrs with an expansive sillage !

LOL! I never thought of it like that, but you're right! Hehe.

Did I mention that the woman in question is in her 60s and a grandmother? :-S

I tried this at Selfridges/London and it was very unremarkable!
Nothing stood out for me - maybe that's who they're aiming at for this release.
Big let down

2 words: Big letdown.

Smelled it, nothing new or original. I have never been more uninterested.

good but kind of boring fragrance...to my nose this goes from Cerruti Tsi to Boss orange to Chanel Allure. Nothing to write home about

Well my expectations were very low but I really liked it.

Maybe the fact that Chanel has released a scent like this marks the transition of aqautics into the classic catagory. It is a "blue" scent, an aquatic and it is EXTREMELY well done. The begamot note is really lovely and integrated exceptionally well into the "fresh/blue/aquatic" accord. The projection is just right for a masculine (i.e. quite restrained), the longevity is superb and it is super smooth. There are other aquatics which seem to have a similar smell but have you compared their rough chemicalness to this? Here the whole thing is moulded into a seamless slow evolution from fresh-citrus-melon-water to super smooth cedar, balsam and other wood.
They have managed to blend some natural smelling (and I pretty sure natural derived) notes into the fresh notes in a way which gives them a roundness and natural quality which is unmatched.
The king of the Blues (sorry B.B.)

I completely agree. I think it's really rather beautiful. I'm addicted to it.

First encounter today: Chanel Bleu is the new Polo Black! Darker than I expected, pleasant but quite pricey for what it offers.

Can we get this tread to 9 pages!?

Seriously though, my decant arrived in the mail this week, and I've decided that I really do love Bleu too.

I sampled it several times from the tester at Macy's. It smelled really good to me, but I could certainly understand the "ordinary, boring, etc." comments from most Basenoters.

Let me tell you though, Bleu is so much more beautiful when you actually wear it. The sum of the parts (the aura of all the notes combined) is so much better than the individual notes you smell up close when sniffing your arm.

It's a keeper for me for sure, and already going in my personal top 5. I'll be making a purchase when I get close to finishing my decant.

Woohoo!! Another Blue fan!

Precisely. I got mine from Macy's also btw. People need to try this on their skin before passing judgement. On a card, I thought it was lame. On me, I loved it. I normally would pass on an aquatic because of the nauseating popularity of that scent. This one distinguishes itself as the "Rolls Royce" of that line if you will. IMO anything Chanel puts out is good stuff anyway.

I can't believe that this thread raked in 22000 hits, 500 posts and almost 8 pages of discussion.
I got to try this today as I was just passing through the Chanel counter. I spotted a tester bottle and even though I was wearing Creed Aventus today, I did sneak in a spray on my wrist.

Chanel Bleu is so boring and to my nose, just another run of the mill fragrance. I mean ofcourse, the perception is totally subjective but I can't believe that there are heaps of basenoters who actually like this. I couldn't help but notice how similar this one is to the Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche, particularly the dry down.

I am so not tempted to even retry it.

I don't think it's similar to Edition Blanche at all. They're very, very different beasts in my opinion.

I don't care if its similiar to million other aquatics IF IT IS BETTER than them. Looking forward to sample it.

Well, if you look at their note pyramids, you'd be surprised to see that they share a lot of common notes.

Chanel Bleu -notes from Chanel website
ACT 1 -
Citrus accord, Vetiver, Pink pepper.

ACT 2 -
Grapefruit, Dry Cedar notes, Labdanum.

ACT 3 -
Frankincense, Ginger, Sandalwood.


Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche - notes from Fragrantica
The first level brings spicy aromas of black pepper united with pink pepper from Madagascar. The second level brings in fresh aromas with the scent of leather, Sicilian lemon, Calabrian bergamot, and sandalwood which gives it a depth.

The third level introduces oriental accords with Brazilian Tonka, white musk, Haiti vetiver and sandal wood. This level also reveals aromas of gingerand velvety vanilla wrapped in amber. The fourth level brings woodsy accords of cedar wood which add to the masculine character of this fragrance.

Hmm, Gupts might be on to something...

I was reading a Canadian Fashion Magazine last night and saw the advert for it. It says to 'expect the unexpected'! It made me giggle. I am sorry. I don't mean to offend anyone's taste. I am just not fond of 'sports' fragrances because I smell something I usually 'expect' and not that it smells bad (not at all the case), it just doesn't stand out in a special manner imo which is what I look for in frangrances and the reason in which I like a lot of off the map scents...

I am sure there are plenty of fragrances I still really like that are not appealing to others! It's just the ad really seemed off par (?)