Chanel colognes

[DrRichMD]

I've been cologne shopping again since im growing out of my acqua di gio and l'eau d isseys and whatnot. After looking around the site I'm interested in the chanel colonges, yet I can't find any when I go to a department store. I was told platinum egoiste and pour monsieur are good places to start. I need a little help because I can't get a hold of a sample! I hold your opinions in the highest esteem.

[Xen]

Platinum Egoiste smells like plant sap, a little similar to Mugler Cologne. Has a sharp note which some people might find irritating though.

Chanel pour Monsieur is one of the best chypres around. Starts with a citric top. After the topnotes are gone, it smells like an aged, yellow piece of paper.(not a bad thing!) There's a wonderful petitgrain note in there which gives it a sweet-bitter leathery scent. One of my favourites

You'll probably like Platinum Egoiste since it's a fresh fragrance, like the ones you already have. But if you want to try something different, Chanel pour Monsieur is your ticket.

[Gerald]

Platinum Egoiste is very popular and a "safe" scent, you can't get really too wrong with it. It starts quite fresh and citrusy with lavender and rosemary, then dries down to a soft, slightly sweet mossy scent. It's nice, but not too exciting.

Pour Monsieur is a true classic, starting with citrus, too, and then turning into an ambery, musky fragrance. I like this much more than Platinum Egoiste, although it doesn't last too long.

Perfect for evenings is the original Egoiste, which is a real masterpiece IMO. A heavy fragrance with rosewood, coriander, sandalwood and vanilla notes. Not everyone likes it, so you should sample it; and as you're looking for something fresh and light, you should start with Pour Monsieur or Platinum.

Good luck!

[Magnifiscent]

First of all compliments to all basenoters for the good descriptions of Egoiste platinum and Pour Monsieur!
Indeed these two scents could be a good start with Chanel; both are very fresh and personally I prefer the old school (1955) masterpiece Pour Monsieur. I also suggest you to give the original Egoiste and Pour Monsieur Concentré a sniff being them both veri classy.
Egoiste has a fresh start that turns quickly in a warm spicy, woody & vanillic scent with a very unique sillage.
Pour Monsieur Concentré is more deep in cedarwood and oakmoss compared to Pour Monsieur but has more staying power and is a good scent for autumn/winter time.

[SmellsLike]

I recently went out testing Chanel fragrances and my favorite by far was Antaeus. Unfortunately, Antaeus is not carried by many stores. I found it to test at Bloomingdales.

I like all the Chanel scents I've tried, although Allure is a little too sweet for me, but Antaeus is the one that stands out as a must have. My other favorites were Platinum Egoiste (fresh and versatile, but with depth, class and personality) and Egoiste (nice woody oriental, good for evening, formal or romantic occasions).

--Steve

[minilomaniac]

I tried Platinum Egoiste yesterday and on me it has incredible staying power. I put it on my hand around 17... Today I had a shower and when I left home around 13 I could still smell it! That's 20 hours including a shower. It's a nice fragrance but I won't be buying it as it reminded me of... old people, somehow. Most likely that is very subjective and I think my uncle or grandfather or something like that might be using it. I haven't tried the other Chanels yet but just wanted to mention the incredible lasting power that I've never experienced before.

[ChuckW]

Platinum is very good. I wore it yesterday. My wife always compliments me on it, and yesterday was no exception.

[magnnum]

Antaeus is the most refined of the Chanel lot IMHO, i'm a sucker for clary sage! it's blend with Patchouli & sandalwood, beeswax is quite exquisite. Give it a try...

[innamoramento]

Start with Egoiste Platinum or Allure Sport but remember....there is Antaeus!!! And Chanel Pour Monsieur, too!!!

[Prof_S]

I wanted to inject a cautionary note regarding Platinum Egoiste. I read a good many highly favorable reviews of the stuff on Basenotes before buying a bottle blind, and lived to regret the purchase. Tastes differ markedly on this widely loved, but occasionally detested, fragrance. At least it is not as horrendous as Allure pH.

In contrast, I find Chanel pour Monsieur to be utterly delightful and would certainly buy a bottle if the notes that I like best in CpM were not more richly available in Patricia de Nicolai's New York, which I already own. Doubtless, tastes differ regarding these two scents, as well.

The message is clear: Be careful; try first.

[teflondog]

Ahhhhhh. Platinum Egoiste...my signature scent. I should know a thing or two about this one. Although it has been known to be cloying, I've noticed that the recent bottles I've bought were relatively lighter compared to the ones that I've bought years ago. It may be my nose getting accustomed to the scent but I personally believe that Chanel addressed the cloying issue by making this scent lighter. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't last as long as it used to. When I bought my first bottle of Egoiste five years ago, I could spray it in the morning and it would still be going strong at the end of the day. Nowadays, it's strong for the first couple of hours and then begins to soften after about 3-4 hours and stays close to the skin. Regardless, I still love it and I place a lot of sentimental value on it. If you like L'eau D'issey then more than likely you will appreciate Platinum. It starts off with a strong blast of citrus and floral notes. Later it softens to a clean fresh spice with hints of wood. ONE WORD OF WARNING: Test this one on your wrist because it smells completely different than it does on a paper test strip. When I first smelled it on a test strip, I detected a sharp woody note that I didn't like at all. The original Egoiste is very good as well but it is more of an evening scent IMO so it's not as versatile. Hope this helps.

[Piedroso]

1. Antaeus:
-Top Notes
Clary Sage, Myrtle
-Middle Notes
Patchouli, Sandalwood
-Base Notes
Labdanum, Beeswax Absolute
...a blast of wood and smoke, very 80's, very powerful, very dark

2. Platinum:
-Top Notes
Lavender, Rosemary, Petitgrain
-Middle Notes
Clary Sage, Geranium, Galbanum
-Base Notes
Vetiver, Cedarwood, Labdanum, Treemoss
...lavender at the beginning, light but long lasting

3. Egoïste:
-Top Notes
Sicilian Tangerine, Brazilian Rosewood.
-Middle Notes
Coriander, Damask Rose
-Base Notes
Sandalwood, Vanilla, Ambrette seed
...a very bright masterpiece, not for the timid

4. Allure:
-Top Notes
Bergamot, Mandarin, Citron Zest
-Middle Notes
Jamaican Pepper
-Base Notes
Vetiver, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Tonka Bean, Labdanum
...a real balance of the first three plus an extraordinary patchouli basenote

5. Allure Sport:
-Top Notes
Aldehydes, Mandarin, Orange, Aquatic Note
-Middle Notes
Black Pepper, Neroli, Cedar
-Base Notes
Tonka, Vetiver, Amber, White Musk
...same Allure with a long and refreshing start

5. Pour Homme Concentrée: (IMHO) the best one!
-Top Notes
Mandarine, Lavender, Petitgrain
-Middle Notes
Cardamom, Nutmeg
-Base Notes
Oakmoss, Vetiver, Opoponax, Vanilla
...ELEGANT, MATURE AND LONG LASTING á la Polo Black, Baldessarini from Hugo Boss, Jaïpur de Boucheron, Black Code, Dior Homme, Heritage de Guerlain, Davidoff's Silver Shadow, Azzaro's Onyx and many more.

[sables]

Cuir de Russie (deep brown leather) and Pour Monsieur (1955, a true classic) are my favorites!

[ikkitosennomusha]

My very favorite and perhaps the only chanel that I like is................Antaeus!