Fragrance Review Chanel No. 5: The epitome of elegance and sophistication

One sniff of Chanel No 5  extrait and you are instantly transported back in time where  flapper girls with bob styled hair and dropped waisted dresses danced the Clarleston in smoked filled dance halls. It was also a time where it was taboo for women to smoke cigarettes. Little did we know, the world of perfume was about to be turned on its head.

Introduced in 1921, Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume to utilize aldehydes, a man made material that gives Chanel No 5 its characteristic sparkle. They are often added give lift to lighten floral or sweet notes in a composition. In Chanel No. 5 the aldehydes are reminiscent of the fizz of an orange flavored soda. Very invigorating. Some people dislike Chanel No. 5 for this reason.

Coco Chanel asked Ernest Beaux to create a scent that smells like a woman. Given the success of the fragrance, he was very successful in this task. Chanel No. 5 remains the best selling woman’s fragrance in the world today.

Top Notes: aldehydes, neroli,  ylang-ylang, bergamot,and amalfi lemon

Heart Notes: iris, jasmine, orris root, rose and lily-of-the-valley

Bottom Notes: civet, amber vetiver, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, oak moss and vanilla

Chanel No. 5 extrait

The sample I tried for this review is from an older vintage bottle so the aldehydes are less pronounced and are pretty much gone. However, even though the aldehydes have vanished, the beauty of Chanel No. 5 endures. The jasmine, orris root, rose and lily of the valley all collide into one single beautiful floral  accord that is mesmerizing. The best part of the extrait is the base which is so animalic and sensual.  The dark amber , musk , sandalwood and vanilla is so resinous, almost having a dusky quality that is so remarkable. It is a smothering composition that intoxicates anyone who smells it.

Chanel No 5 edp

This is my least favorite and is the most floral and sweetest version of No. 5. The aldehydes are loud and very prolific announcing their presence to the world as they gently waft from your skin upon application. I can smell a very sweet floral before the middle notes come into play. After which, the rich base of musk , vanilla and sandalwood join the party. Longer lasting than the edt. You are left with a lightly musky base that is so much better than the top.

Chanel No 5 edt

To me this one that is most resembles the extrait parfum minus the musky vanilla base. It is light airy and very easy to wear. Besides the extrait, I think this is the one that men can pull off as well. Upon first application, you get a rush of aldehydes that are effervescent and sparkles with the full fury of Chanel sophistication. After a few minutes, you get the smooth and ionic woody base of vetiver and sandalwood which is very refreshing.  After the freshness fades, you are left with a light skin scent that is barely noticeable. On my skin, it lasts an average of 2-3 hours. A very short lived scent.

All concentrations of Chanel No 5 are beautiful in its own way, and I encourage everyone who is a fragarance connoisseur to sample all of them. Vintage is hard to get, but if you can score a half bottle at an estate sale or ebay, it would be worth your wild. Chanel No.5 can be purchased at Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom’s. Samples can be obtained from http://www.surrendertochance.com and http://www.theperfumedcourt.com  Both sites have vintage and modern versions available starting at 3.99/1 ml.

Perfume Giveaway

Hello Fragrance Lovers!!

Today up for grabs is a 100 ml bottle of White Musk Sport Pour Homme edt. I have tried this scent for a while now and its just not my thing. I loved the original, but this one didn’t mix well at all on me. Furthermore, I am not into ultra fresh smelling perfumes unless it has a good dirty base with spices i.e. patchouli, sandalwood, cumin, oud.

I had the impression from the Body Shop website’s description, the perfume would be more aromatic with a bright citrus, maybe some lavender for embellishment and a woody rich base to round it off.

Unfortunately, the actual scent was much too sharp and I am unable to wear it.
This perfume needs a new home and new owner who will love and treasure it. If you are interested in having this, please comment below with your favorite perfume note and why you love it.

I will pick a winner via random.org in one week. Winner will have 3 days to get in contact with me via the contact button on my blog with their contact information including address

Please Do not post your address information in the comments.

This giveaway is open to US only. The bottle is full minus a 10 ml decant I gave away.

Also note that I am not responsible for items lost, stolen in the mail system.

Encre Noire Pour Homme Fragrance Review: Dark & Lovely

Vetiver is one of those perfume ingredients that I am naturally drawn to for some reason. I especially love the dark, earthy and vegetal aspects of the plant that are emphasized in fragrances. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the freshly scrubbed and very clean versions of vetiver perfumes, but I must admit, I prefer my vetiver, dark and dirty.

Lalique has one such fragrance that meets all the qualifications of a great vetiver fragrance and it is the lovely Encre Noire Pour Homme. It is all that I love about vetiver. It’s dark, earthy and it’s not cleaned up with a bunch of florals and such.

Encre Noire Pour Homme was launched in 2006 and the perfumer was Nathalie Lorson. It primarily consists of five ingredients: cypress, Haitian vetiver, Bourbon vetiver, cashmere woods and musk. In my eyes it could not be more perfect in highlighting the facets of this wonderful perfume ingredient. If you ever wanted to smell vetiver in its most natural state, Encre Noire Pour Homme has captured the essence beautifully.

On another note, compared to some of the other niche and designer perfumes that have vetiver fragrances in their catalog, Encre Noire Pour Homme is at a much lower price point; which makes it more accessible to everyone.

At the start, you are greeted with a powerful blast of vetiver and cypress which comes off very dark and inky and continues through the life of the fragrance. Encre Noire Pour Homme is pretty linear and I don’t detect any cashmere woods or musk in the base. It could be that I am anosmic to these notes or that the vetiver overpowers them, which isn’t a bad thing.

If you are new to vetiver fragrances and want to dip your toes into the virtual vetiver waters, I highly recommend you check out Encre Noire Pour Homme. It smells beautiful and the price is excellent.

So are you a vetiver fan? Do you love Encre Noire Pour Homme? What are some of your favorite vetiver perfumes? Let me know in the comments.

Encre Noire Pour Homme can be purchased online at various online retailers for about $35 USD.

Fragrance Review: Cepes & Tuberose by Aftelier Perfumes: A Grounded and Lovely Tuberose

Source http://www.aftelier.com

Cepes & Tuberose Review
Perfumer: Mandy Aftel
Year: 2006

Top: bois de rose

Middle: tuberose, Moroccan rose.

Base: cepes absolute, benzoin

Oh Tuberose, Oh Tuberose. How much do I love thee? Tuberose is a hard note to like, not to mention love. It can be very polarizing, green, camphorous and just weird and funky smelling to put it mildly. But there is one fragrance that has made Tuberose for mild at heart. I have never smelled a better tuberose fragrance.

Tuberose in bloom Source http://www.havenessence.com

In nature, tuberose has two aspects to its nature. First it is creamy rich and sweet. It can take on sweaty skin, some people  liken it to sweaty skin after coitus. Second, it has a green mentholated aroma reminiscent of hot petrol fumes. Very different scent profiles. Some people may even say rotting flowers or sour water that the flowers been setting in with the massive amount of indoles.

Mandy has put her spin on this polarizing flower and has made it accessible to the masses. Smooth and very grounded fragrance that is easy to wear. One doesn’t have to worry if they smell like sweaty skin after coitus.

The tuberose used is grounded by the addition of cepes mushroom. Who would have thought to add such an ingredient to a tuberose fragrance? This is absolutely brilliant. It goes to show that Mandy Aftel is a true professional at composing fragrances.

Porcini mushroom on the forest floor Source http://edinformatics.com

Cepes & Tuberose is not heavily floral and wears more amber like and earthy so guys can definitely wear it. It is truly unisex in every sense of the word.

The fragrance wears close to the skin and has
average longevity, which is great for a natural perfume.

Longevity: 4-6 hours (may vary on your skin)

Sometimes, different is good, and in the case of Cepes & Tuberose, this has put it on top. A grounded tuberose, with a lot of flair. Easy to wear and easy on the nose.

Cepes & Tuberose can be purchased at Aftelier.com. Both the extrait ¼ oz and the 30ml edp are $170. Samples(1ml) are also available for $6.

The focus of this review was for the edp concentration

Sample provided by Mandy Aftel

Anniversary Winner Is…….

And the winner of the e-gift certificate is…. (DRUM ROLL PLEASE)……..

Meganinstmaxine

Megan, please contact me using the contact form by February 10, 2014 9 pm MST with your choice of prize (online fragrance/decant store you want your gift certificate to come from). Thanks everyone for participating!

Fragrance Review: Creed Green Irish Tweed- Distinguished Gentleman

Green Irish Tweed Source: http://www.fragrancenet.com

If there is one fragrance that epitomizes the well dressed man, it would be none other than the notorious Green Irish Tweed from Creed. It has stood the test of time and has always remained at the top of its game. It is both timeless and classic and is in a class all it’s own. Sure there have been many imitators, but one one has even close to topping the original. It is truly one of a kind.

GIT was launched in 1985 and created by Oliver Creed (6th generation). This scent was purportedly created for Actor Cary Grant. Whether or not that’s true, I cannot say, but what I can say is that it is a fantastic fragrance, that I have come to love immensely.

Lemon Verbena Source: http://www.bhg.com

Top: lemon verbena, iris

Middle: violet leaves

Base: myosere sandalwood, ambergris

Violet Leaves Source: http://www.maydreamsgardens.com

ambergris specimen found on beach Source: http://www.ryot.org

Sandalwood heartwood Source: http://www.sandalwoodcompany.com

GIT starts off very fresh and green with the lemon verbena and iris. Stays this way for a few hours. 3hours at least or longer. The dry down is pretty amazing with the signature ambergris and sandalwood combination. The scent is is pretty linear and that’s what I enjoy about it. Ambergris comes to the forefront in the end. Even still, the top and middle notes are still evident on your skin and never completely disappear which is great, and the tale tale signs of a great fragrance and quality ingredients used to create it.

Longevity: over 12 hours
Projection: 2-3 hours

Pertaining to the occasions to wear,Green Irish Tweed is a fragrance that a man can wear all year round and never seem out of season. It goes well with jeans and T-shirt as well as a suit and tie. it is also a fragrance that any man wouldn’t mind receiving as a gift. It is masculine, sophisticated and stands heads over heels above other fragrances that are in the marketplace today.

GIT is classified as a Woody/Fresh fragrance and some may even say it is an aquatic given then lemon verbena and iris. It is clean and crisp and very classy.

Green Irish Tweed is often compared to two other scents: Davidoff’s Cool Water and Bond No 9’s Chez Bond. But to me there is no comparison.

First, Cool Water is a marine, aquatic batch of chemicals that is very loud and smells like bathroom cleanser. The top is very unpleasant, but the dry down is much better. Over spraying this one is instant headache and may trigger a sneeze reflex if you walk by.

Second, Chez Bond is much better, and that is starts off similar to GIT, but takes a sweeter turn. Chez Bond is supported by herbal tea accord and vanilla, while GIT stays green and fresh. Both are good fragrances depending upon what you want.

Fresh type fragrances aren’t my usual thing, but when one comes along, you can’t deny how great it is. Green Irish Tweed was stood the test of time and continues to be a trendsetter for others to follow. Green Irish Tweed is definitely one fragrance, every gentleman should have in his scent arsenal. A true classic.

Rating: 4 stars

In The Nose Turns One- Anniversary & Giveaway!! Winner

Champagne bottle popping its cork

One year ago today (give or take 5 days since I’ll be travelling during that time and unable to post) I started on my quest to seek out fragrances and explore the olfactory realm of designer and niche. Encountering things I both love and despise, each a different and unique experience.

I asked you, my dear readers to join me in this journey and you have enthusiastically followed me along this scented path.

I had to take a break from writing and doing reviews because I was inundated with an extremely heavy workload and it was impossible to balance the two, so something had to give.

However, even though I was not writing or doing my usual reviews I was busy smelling around, ordering samples like crazy, and with smelly roommates, I was training my nose further still.

I plan on doing even more this year. With my reduced workload I am able to devote more time and energy to my blog and my readership. There will be some top 10 lists, fragrances every Perfumista should smell, Gag Reflex Fragrance List ( fragrances that literally make you gag) and many others. So stay tuned!

As a thank you to you all, I will be offering a $35 gift certificate to one lucky reader of my blog to one of the following stores
http://www.beautyencounter.com
http://www.fragrancenet.com
http://www.theposhpeasant.com
http://www.theperfumedcourt.com
http://www.surrendertochance.com

This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide as I wanted to make it fair to everyone regardless of what country you are in. I know the postal regulations in some countries are very Nazique ie England and any perfume is confiscated and used to scent the Post Master’s offices and bathrooms. Ahhhhhh.. the life of a Post Master!LOL. The e-gift certificate will eliminate any unnecessary turmoil.

Here are the rules to enter the giveaway.
1)You must be a follower of the blog
2) you must leave a comment on how you follow
3) Answer the following question:What do you plan on purchasing (or putting towards since it isn’t enough obviously, to buy a full bottle of niche i.e. Creed, Annick Goutal)with your $35 gift certificate?

For an extra chance to win Tweet: @DKchocoman In The Nose Anniversary & GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p30Xsk-3a #InTheNose #Anniversary #Giveaway

Contest will run until Jan 5 2014 @ 9 pm MST. After which I will pick a winner via random.org and will be announced in a separate post. The winner will then have FIVE (5) days, after said announcement, to contact me to claim their prize, otherwise an alternate winner will be selected.

And the winner of the e-gift certificate is ………………………………….(DRUM ROLL PLEASE)………..

Meganinstmaxine

Please contact me using the contact form by February 10, 2014 by 9pm MST with your choice of prize (what online  fragrance/decant store you want your e gift certificate from). Thank you everyone for participating!

Once again I want to thank you all for joining and supporting me in this very fragrant adventure!

Fragrance review: Songes by Annick Goutal

Songes is a beautiful white floral that is fit for a queen or a king for that matter. It is sumptuous , luxurious and full of tropical vigor.

The inspiration for Songes allegedly stems from Camille Goutal’s honeymoon in Tahiti/Hawaii and it truly showcases this facet perfectly.

The tiare flower and frangipani combine to give a banana-like and coconut aroma that is heavenly; Giving you the feel of being on a tropical island beach catching wifts of that magnificent scent in the warm breeze. The scent remains this way for about 1-2 hours

As the fragrance progresses, the tiare flower and frangipani is joined by sambac jasmine absolute that smells slightly indolic which gives it some bite. The French vanilla absolute adds some weight to the composition and lends some creaminess which in turn adds more volume to the narcotic, heady florals.

The sandalwood and amber in the base does a good job in grounding this fragrance so it doesn’t disappear or vanish into thin air like a thief in the night. The sandalwood in this fragrance has a weird pencil shavings smell that I have not smelled before. Usually sandalwood is creamy and dreamy, however, it works with this scent because the florals used are so rich and indulgent.

Songes is a scent that doesn’t scream, but purrs in ecstasy after you’ve had your way with her. Soft whispers in your ear and kisses you on neck come to mind.

Scent of pure seduction, one you would scent yourself with when seducing a lover in your darkened candlelit boudoir. Soft music playing in the background and dressed only with five sprays of  Songes and nothing else. 

While the edt concentration is more transparent, light, and airy, the edp in dense, richer and sweeter. Both of these concentrations are excellent, although my preference is for  the eau de toilette.

House:   Annick Goutal

Year of introduction: 2005

Perfumers: Camille Goutal/ Isabelle Doyen

Notes: Tiare flower, frangapini, sambac jasmine absolute, ylang-ylang absolute, olibanum, French vanilla absolute, sandalwood, amber.

Longevity: Good 6 hours

Projection: Average, closer to the skin

Rating: 4 stars

 

Fragrance Review: Fleur du Male-Death By Orange Blossom Overdose

One spritz of Fleur du Male can either send you sniffing your wrists insanely or reeling to the nearest sink to scrub it off in the most speed efficient manner. This was my experience, with this heavy hitter of a fragrance. The verdict on this one is quite divisive. Many people hate and love this scent, so there is no clear consensus. When I first smelled Fleur du Male at a mall perfume shop near me, it revolted me. It was so acrid and obnoxious and literally stung the insides of my nose. The screeching, loud orange blossom assaulted my nose with such a vengeance, and traumatized me so much that I avoided all things with the strange smelling note from then on. Fleur du Male had a resemblance of bathroom cleanser and light metallic vibe that rubbed me the wrong way. I gladly walked out of the store, without a bottle in hand.

Year introduced: 2007
Nose: Francois Kurkdjian
House: Jean Paul Gaultier
Category: Aromatic fougere

Fast forward 2 years. I decided to blind buy this (don’t ask me why) given my previous terrible experience with the scent, I decided to give it another chance. As I know tastes can change over the years and you can come to appreciate notes that you disliked. So it is worthwhile to revisit scents you once dismissed at face value.

Upon first application, you get a blast of orange blossom, and it is quite the dose. Quantities this large should be considered lethal. So it is not for the faint of heart, and may repulse some given how strong it is. Some may even feel that this smell isn’t for a male fragrance at all and consider Fleur du Male a female perfume. I get from they are coming from, but to get the full effect, you must wait for the drydown. The drydown is where this fragrance truly shines and lets the world know it full glory .

After it dries down, I detect some green herbal element that must be the petit grain, along with some coumarin, which has a coconut and haylike sweetness that is quite enjoyable. And it is this ‘under the radar sweetness’ is what transforms the loud orange blossom into honeyed indolic flowers that is delectable on the skin.

This scent has great longevity and projection, averaging about 14 hours on the skin. Women can rock this scent as well. If you are an orange blossom aficionado, Fleur du Male is definitely worth a try. I assure you, you won’t die from an overdose of orange blossom, sometimes it is just what we need.

Sadly, Fleur du Male has been discontinued, but can be found at numerous online retailers such as Fragrancenet and Beautyencounter for a great price.Fleur du Male comes in two concentrations eau de toilette and eau de cologne.

Projection:3-4 hours
Longevity: 12-18 hours
Pros: excellent longevity,
Cons: very strong floral top notes

Fragrance obtained from: My own collection

Note:I was not compensated in any form for this review. My views and opinions are my own.

Perfume Review – Chanel Les Exclusifs Sycomore: Mighty Vetiver

I was never a fan of vetiver until I smelled this wonderful composition from Chanel. The vetiver in Sycomore is rendered so lovely and the grapefruit aspects are beautiful. Usually vetiver is very rootsy and wet. Sycomore is dark and smoky yet at the same time light and sparkly.

Kafkaesque

Close your eyes and imagine you are in the heart of a forest at Yosemite National Park.

Cypress trees and evergreens intermingle and stretch far before you. The dark, dry earth is sprinkled with pine needles, and a wild boar is rooting at the tall grasses at the base of a tree, his endeavors lifting the smell of the earthy, chocolate-y roots into the air. Icicles hang from the branches where, nestled deep within, are purple juniper berries. In the heart of the forest, campfires burn thick logs of pine and cypress, and there is a smell of peppery smoke intermingling with the burning woods. Someone is cooking caramel, and burning it. You huddle deeper into your coat as the hint of frost brings a chill, but you can’t help but take a deeper breath of the vetiver surrounding you.

Green and brown, smoky and earthy, with a heart of cypress and…

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