The 7 Best Chanel Perfumes For Women
Chanel is one of the most iconic brands out there when it comes to women’s fashion and beauty and I’m sure 9/10 women out there would love to own a Chanel product whether it’s their exquisite perfume or one of their beautiful clothing pieces. This article won’t be focused on what the most affordable Chanel perfume is or how much much perfume you are getting for your dollar. Instead, it will be about the depth of character of each perfume and how it makes you feel as well as it’s sillage, longevity and where you can wear them.
1. Chanel No 5:
Chanel no 5 is one of the most Most iconic fragrances from the house of Chanel and it was in fact the first perfume launched by its founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. This iconic perfume was compounded by the famous perfumer Ernest Beaux and it definitely gives you a very 1920’s vibe. Also, Chanel allegedly had a special association with the number 5 from a young age as she considered it to be the pure embodiment of a thing, its spirit and allegedly when her master perfumer Ernest Beaux presented her a number of different vials of perfume, she chose the fifth one and named it as such Chanel No 5
Coming to the perfume itself, some people call this the grandma perfume but I think that is a little unfair as it is quite youthful with its powdery aldehydes and alluring ylang-ylang. The aldehydes are crisp with faint notes of citrus and neroli while in the heart notes you get the ylang-ylang and iris that do stand out with hints of rose and jasmine as well. As you wear the perfume through the day and it starts to dry down, you get this beautiful creamy musky mix of sandalwood, oakmoss and vetiver cocooned in a warm vanilla. Chanel No 5 is classy, has great sillage and is long lasting and is suitable for someone in their mid to late twenties and for older women as well.
Between the EDP and EDT, The EDT is brighter and more sparkly with more prominent aldehydes while the EDP is deeper, richer and has more vanilla in the base making it warmer. This is probably not the ideal perfume for office wear but it would be great to wear to parties and events or even on a date night. The pure parfum version of this fragrance though is probably one of the most beautiful feminine perfumes that have ever been made.
Top Notes: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Neroli.
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Iris
Base Notes: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss
2. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle:
Coco Mademoiselle is another stellar fragrance from Chanel. The opening of this fragrance is crisp and bright with a lot of grapefruit and the bergamot and orange coming through as well. The opening notes have a tartness which is almost sour candy-like but once the heart notes show up it turns sweeter and more floral from the litchi, rose and jasmine. Finally, the musky base with the patchouli and vanilla help to calm things down along while you get this earthy woodiness from the Vetiver. Even though the perfume becomes warmer in the dry-down, you still get this citrusy tartness allowing it to not lose its lively and sparkly qualities.
Coco Mademoiselle comes in three different versions, the EDT, the EDP, and parfum. The EDT tends to be more citrusy and lighter than the EDP while the EDP is more floral and is warmer, richer and heavier. The pure parfum is like a more sophisticated version of the EDP, as with the EDP the flower bouquet comes through quite quickly whereas with the parfum it is less aggressive and blooms like a flower unveiling its layers one by one and allowing you to be enthralled and suspended in each of its delectable notes before revealing the next one. The strength of the parfum is similar to the EDP but the experience is definitely richer and more fuller. This fragrance would suit anyone from their twenties well into their seventies.
Top Notes: Orange, Bergamot, Grapefruit.
Heart Notes: Lychee, Rose, Jasmine
Base Notes: Patchouli, Vanilla, Vetiver
3. Chanel Chance:
Chanel Chance is very much a patchouli fragrance with quite a bit of orange and grapefruit and a hint of pineapple as well and a wonderful floral mix of jasmine, orris and hyacinth. The pink pepper in this fragrance though can be a bit sharp for some people’s liking, so If you are not a fan of pink pepper and patchouli, this may not be the fragrance for you. Also, the vanilla is quite faint in this which helps keep it light and fresh and not on the heavier side but at the same time not being too fruity or floral. This fragrance is great for any woman of any age and would suit well for office wear with it’s bold and confidence boosting qualities although some people might find that the fact that it is light and bright makes it more suitable to parties and events. The EDT version of Chanel Chance is brighter and more citrusy than the EDP and would work well in spring and summer whereas the EDP is richer and you do get more of the vanilla undertones and would be better suited to winter and fall.
Top Notes: Citrus, Pink Pepper.
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Iris, Hyacinth.
Base Notes: Amber, Vetiver, Patchouli, Vanilla, White Musk.
4. Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel :
Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel is one of the most luxurious fragrances out there and has a nice wet patchouli smell with a benzoin base and a gourmandisque white chocolaty note. It’s invigorating frankincense and woody sweet amber just make it all the more luxurious. The Perfume itself is quite well blended and refined and it wouldn’t be easy to pick out the individual notes although some people seem to find either the Jasmine or chocolate to be more dominant. In the same way that Vanilla forms the heart of Shalimar, the same is true for Chanel Coromandel with patchouli taking center stage. It is an elegantly Complex scent with depth and character and multiple layers to it. The heart and base notes are very good but they don’t quite reach the kind of deep intensities that you get from the opening but still, the perfume does not smell cheap or lacking of substance at any stage. Sillage is pretty good and it has good longevity.
The Chanel Coromandel fragrance has a complexity that would appeal to connoisseurs and aficionados of perfumery but at the same time does not alienate people who have more mainstream tastes of high-end perfume. The EDT version of this perfume is more aggressive with a more pronounced note while the EDP Is smoother with more woodiness to it as well as more incense and benzoin. If you are looking for a perfume that conjures up images of exquisite luxury, you will probably want to get this or even the Bois des Iles.
Top Notes: Bitter orange, Neroli
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose, Iris
Base Notes: Musk, Woods, Benzoin, Amber, Incense
5. Chanel Bois des Iles
The Bois des isles is another one of their masterpieces and is quite complex with its different layers but it blends so well in spite of its complexity which is what makes it so good.
The EDP version of this fragrance opens up with a delectable mix of floral ylang ylang and creamy sandalwood with the peach then showing up giving it a thick sweetness which really blends well with the creaminess of the sandalwood. One whiff of this and you will be sent to places of rich opulence and extravagant luxury, of old castles with luxurious carpets and intricate decor, of amethyst chests fitted with precious stones, of old copper bathtubs glistening with a cocktail of delectable oils, of the finest of paintings of Picasso and Monet that you casually acknowledge as you know they are nothing that you don’t deserve. The Perfume does reveal different notes at different times being musky or more floral at certain times while more peachy at other times but there’s always a nice slightly subdued underlying woodiness to it
The original EDT version of the Bois des isles is more sparkly with better sillage and has a more gingerbread like note to it while the EDP is smoother with a rich dose of aldehydes and a distinct musky spiciness. Also, you won’t get that sweet peachiness from the EDP in the EDT. Longevity with this perfume is good but some people seem to find that it doesn’t last more than 10 to 12 hours.
Top Notes: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Neroli, Peach (EDP)
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Rose, Lily of the valley, Iris, Ylang ylang (EDP)
Base Notes: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Musk (EDP)
6. Chanel No 19:
The Chanel No 19 opens up with some big green notes of Galbanum and Hyacinth and kind of reminds you of the smell of a lush jungle after a rainstorm and it does manage to maintain this raw greenness even when the other notes start to appear. After the big green opening, the Jasmine and rose and other florals start to take over and help balance it out while in the dry-down, you get this smooth earthy woodiness from the oakmoss and Cedarwood and the iris also becomes more pronounced making it quite dry and powdery. As the day progresses though, it kind of transforms from a lush forest to a beautiful Monet garden. This is probably one of the greenest fragrances out there.
The EDT version of Chanel No 19 is crisper and greener and brighter while you will find that the EDP is richer and more full-bodied and subdued and overall feels more luxurious. The parfum is the most powdery of the three and feels more unisex and not as feminine as the EDP.
Top Notes: Galbanum, Bergamot, Neroli, Hyacinth
Heart Notes: Rose, Orris, Jasmine, Narcissus, Lily of the valley, Ylang-ylang
Base Notes: Musk, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Leather, Cedarwood
7. Chanel Coco Noir:
This is the scent for the woman who knows that she is the boss and wants to project it to everyone as well. Coco Noir opens up with a burst of citruses from the grapefruit and bergamot and then the heart notes come through with the rose and jasmine and eventually the patchouli surfaces, slowly but surely but still blends in well with the rest of the notes. As you wear the perfume through the day, a creamy musky sandalwood starts to take prominence and the perfume eventually settles down to a warm patchouli.
The rose in the Chanel Coco Noir deserves a special mention as it is absolutely heavenly and is kind of like sticking your nose into the middle of a beautiful wet rose garden and experiencing it in all its glory with its softness as well as its intense depth of character. Some people though seem to find that the Coco Noir is a bit heavy and cloying or that it is more unisex than feminine. The vanilla in this perfume is quite subtle but in the dry-down, it becomes more prominent. It is a very sophisticated fragrance but it does have an edginess to it and you could use it for office wear or even on a date night.
Top Notes: Grapefruit, Bergamot
Heart Notes: Rose, Jasmine, Patchouli
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Brazilian Tonka bean, White musk