Misia Chanel

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

Violet scents were what led me into the world of fragrances. I was obsessed with smelling everything with violet flowers and leaves from dewy life-like violets to dark, moody violets. As a result I don't just have a violet corner in my wardrobe but a full section with violets to suit my every need. Even then, I still keep adding new discoveries but at a much less feverish pace.

If like me, you adore the smell of Guerlain lipsticks with their waxy floral scent, you have to try Misia. Violets, roses, powdery iris and lots of buttery orris abound in Misia which shares some vintage make-up elements with Lipstick Rose but on me, Misia is more powdery and green (at the beginning) whereas Lipstick Rose is rather sensual and musky all the way. I don't find them similar at all actually.

It starts off with aldehydes and fresh flowers, the powder quickly presenting itself and at this stage Misia is very feminine and delicate. It gradually deepens and feels more tangible with the entrance of orris, resins and vanilla. The drydown is a heavenly affair between the flowers, powder and balmy base notes with most of the green-ness gone by now. Lipstick Rose feels more solidly reassuring whereas Misia seems more flighty- I mean I know Lipstick Rose is there all the way whereas the illusion of diaphaneity lets Misia play hide and seek with my olfactory nerve.

I'm very much in the camp of "wear what you like" but I find it hard to categorize Misia as anything but female. Or should I say feminine. Where Lipstick Rose reminded me of knockout cheesecake models, Misia brings images of Art Deco fashion to mind- simple outlines using gorgeous top quality materials. The scent has soft to average projection but stays on me for quite a number of hours.

Spending time with both Misia and Lipstick Rose put me in the mood for classics and I shall share this precious song that came to mind.

Jo Stafford. You Belong To Me

Cristalle Eau Verte Chanel

Cristalle Eau Verte, Chanel

I find Cristalle Eau Verte friendlier than her older sibling Cristalle. Perhaps due to her youthful nature, she comes across as a breath of fresh air, sweet and relaxing. A perfect scent for a humid, tropical Sunday morning before heading off to yoga (I can't resist sneaking in a spray or two under my yoga top but not when I'm going for hot yoga classes). My "yoga scent" is usually a choice from: Cristalle Eau Verte, the Vagabond Prince's Enchanted Forest, Annick Goutal's La Violette, Calvin Klein's Truth, Annick Goutal's Nuit Etoilee, Guerlain's Apres L'Ondee or Penhaligon's Violetta.

It starts off as a green citrus burst, slowly evolving into a florally sweet perfume, more floral than verte to my nose, whereas Cristalle has always been a more bitter herbal green on me. It's a skin scent pretty much for its short-lived duration on me (spraying on clothes liberally appears to prolong it a little more than the couple of hours it stayed on my skin). 

The "green" DNA affirms that Cristalle and Cristalle Eau Verte are siblings, but where it is amped up in Cristalle, it plays a much smaller role in Eau Verte, allowing the translucent florals and sweet citrus to come forth instead. 

A straightforward and cheerful scent that's elegant and disarming, without any underlying dark complexities to ruffle one's feathers. 

Namaste. 

Coromandel Chanel Les Exclusifs

I love all things patchouli. Headshop, gourmand, earthy, dirty, skanky, whatever else. The dirtier/skankier/headshop the better actually.

My favourite patchouli dominant scents in no particular order would include:

• Psychedelique by Jovoy Paris
• Noir Patchouli by Histoires de Parfums
• C'est la Fete Patchouli by Christian Lacroix
• Lumiere Noire Pour Femme by Francis Kurkdjian
• Patchouli by Reminiscence
• Patchouli 24 by Le Labo
• Calypso Ambre by Calypso Christiane Celle

The unicorn of patchouli scents that I would love to get my hands on is Luten's Borneo 1834. I will update if this ever falls into my lap.

Coromandel gets so much love on the perfume forums, I had to get it. While I don't regret it per se, I could have lived without this blind buy quite happily. Actually point to note here, avoid blind buying if you can, sample, sample, SAMPLE! 

Coco Chanel and coromandel screen, taken from habituallychic

Coromandel is a classy patchouli. Too classy for me. Any visits to headshops in her history have been carefully erased and she is now a very proper and conservative lady. The patchouli here is of the creamy and smooth kind, well-behaved and non-dominating. I smell the orris root very clearly, a note I became familiar with in Tauer's Pentachord White. The incense like the patchouli is muted here, none of firework displays seen in Amouages or Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain or Serge Luten's Ambre Sultan. 

Albert von Keller Chopin 1873

Coromandel screens are darkly lacquered wooden screens with vivid characters and landscapes carved out of ivory or mother-of-pearl, or painstakingly pieced with tiny precious gems, or painted in rich reds and golds. They are rich, passionate pieces of art depicting Asian culture, history and folklore. 

Coromandel the scent is beautiful but it lacks character for me and does not do justice to its name. The sillage and longevity however are excellent.