Uplifting Cult Favourites from the Chanel No.5 Perfume Range
I have been a late bloomer with the Chanel No.5 range. My only exposure to No.5 until earlier this year had been the Eau de Parfum and that just didn’t gel with me. Ever.
Chanel No.5 Eau Premiere
Then in February this year, I found myself in Narita airport (little did I know it would likely be the last time I found myself in an airport for the rest of 2020) and happened upon (ok…I deliberately made a beeline for) the Chanel boutique. I was actually seeking a bottle of Coromandel, but they had sold out, so I kept sniffing and I recalled some favourable reviews of No.5 Eau Premiere and decided to give it a go. It was an immediate love for me. A stark contrast from the much heavier EDP.
I tried the L’eau but that seemed a little more citrusy and though it was pleasant, it wasn’t “calling” to me.
In Eau Premiere the aldehydes and citruses are softened, the florals more prominent and there is a slight hint of powderiness. It is delicate but has decent sillage.
I don’t find this one overly citrusy but rather more floral and woody. It really is an anytime fragrance for me, although I mostly reach for it in the daytime. Generally, with jeans and white shirt. What can I say? I am a casual kinda gal, but it doesn’t matter if I am wearing a cute boho dress and sandals, this fragrance is the perfect complement. A stunning addition to the No.5 range by Jaques Polge.
Chanel No.5 Eau De Toilette
A few weeks later I found myself in the Chanel counter of my local department store. I am on a mission…I need to revisit the Chanel No.5 range. Surely, if I can love Eau Premiere that much there must be something different with my nose? The Eau de Parfum and Eau De Toilette are always on display so I tentatively pick up a bottle of the EDP and spritz it onto a blotter (this was pre-lockdown..obviously!). It still isn’t working for me though, but I note that it doesn’t seem as repulsive to me as it has in the past…
Enter: the EDT.
The EDT is a different character altogether, and it is said to remain very close to the original formulation that Ernest Beaux created for Madame Chanel back in the early ’20s. It is clean and soapy, but where Eau Premiere is a little powdery and slightly sweet, this is more of an aldehyde bomb and much crisper. The florals are transparent and subtle, perhaps a little green and they are beautifully supported by those effervescent aldehydes.
Parfum
The Parfum smells quite different from the EDP, and shares more similarity with the EDT. The sparkle, the crispness and the soapy nuances are still there, but here the florals are much more noticeable. However, these florals do not develop the denseness of the florals that are present in the EDP. There are woody notes in here too, which give it a dryness and a rich maturity that contrasts with the carefree youthfulness of the EDT.
Everything about this is everything I love from both Eau Premiere and the EDT, but….more.
So I now am the proud owner of all three of these, and I enjoy them all so much that I can now see myself one day possibly even owning the EDP. Something I would never have considered a couple of years ago.
I wear these everywhere and anywhere, out at night (when we used to go out at night), to work, to the supermarket, walking the dog, to the gym. They are so versatile and classy. I always feel put together and stylish with No.5.
