Bleu de Chanel Parfum (2018)
by Chanel

It's OK but to me, quite boring. Inoffensive citrus/fresh scent with an OK drydown. Not bad but quite forgettable

A really nice blue fragrance. Is it dull? Yes it is but it’s achieves its goals. An easy to wear fresh blue smelling fragrance which has some class and maturity to it also.

You know that confused and bewildered look on the face of the Bleu de Chanel fragrance model? That was my exact look after sampling this one - flanker part deux - Bleu de Chanel Parfum. 

First Impressions - 

Beautifully boring....Blank as the page left intentionally blank....Smooth as a #2 pencil....Empty as Jeremy's favorite tailored suit 

Final Thoughts - 

I actually enjoyed the first 10 minutes, hence the bewilderment, but in the end this frag remains in contrast with my taste. Ultimately, I'll wear the rest of my small sample and then bid this one farewell. Adieu. 

Update (March 2021) - My wife decided she likes this one so she bought me a 100ml bottle HA! I am still going with my neutral review, but will wear it around her with a big smile on my face ;)

2.5 stars. 

In a time where one new fragrance release leads to another four or five flankers - first the EdT, then the EdP and now the Parfum - Bleu de Chanel is a welcome addition.

Having tried the previous two iterations and being completely underwhelmed, Bleu de Chanel Parfum enters as the crowd-pleaser that Chanel is so good at putting together.

Inoffensive and totally versatile as anything I have ever put my nose to, the top notes of BdC Parfum mesmerise even to this day. Some list mint, others geranium and others just call it Blue (it's not! it's Bleu!!!). Whatever the top notes comprise, I get some very good synthetics combining freshly-squeezed citrus-grade freshness with luscious woods that I can't stop smelling. Some of the citrus is clearly dihydromyrcenol (DHM), but it is so tamed here and used very sensibly so as not to offend (I'm looking at you Dior!!).

The woods and indeed the classic Chanel tonka note in the base of BdC Parfum are what sets it apart from the EdT and EdP. Yes, there is amberwood here, but no harsh "incense" (if that's what you call it), just a classic men's scent - citrus/fresh top with a woody base. Admirers of classics like Chanel Pour Monsieur, YSL Pour Homme, Armani Eau Pour Homme should pay attention and sample this, as should anyone crazy enough to want to spend on Roja Dove's Elysium.

Rarely does a scent like BdC Parfum come to the market this side of the millennium. I bought a bottle the day it was released in 2018 and received a couple of compliments from work colleagues not long after from just 1-2 sprays. Given how versatile/easy to wear this is, I doubt I'll ever be without a bottle. If only I'd gone for the largest size bottle. Top marks, Chanel!

I've always enjoyed BDC but its never been a love or a full appreciation, I found the profile a little too safe and predictable, the EDP tho has some classy darker aspects I really enjoy. I recently picked up a bottle of the Parfum for a good price and entered into things with extremely low expectations, well this version has given me a huge suprise, this is absolutely top drawer Perfumery and probably the greatest blue themed fragrance I've ever tried. The bleu DNA is certainly still intact but it's much deeper and ambery, with a silky sandlewood that may be synthetic but it's a lesson in synthetics, the blending is incredibly smooth and Olivier Polge should feel very proud, the fragrance that arguably sparked a genre of fragrances has reached perfection here with depth, blending and likeability. In the mid there is a slight ambery sweetness that would help keep this suitable for any season and occasion, the base is all about a classy soapyness that will linger on a suit or shirt for many many hours, I get great projection and longivity which also adds to the satisfaction of the fragrance as a whole, well done Chanel.