Olfactory Infatution

les Exclusifs de Chanel no 22

 

I received a sample of this Exclusifs de Chanel N° 22 eau de parfum over the weekend and I am In Love.

I’d first tried N°22 in its original iteration probably about 25 years ago. At the time I didn’t care for it; it seemed a bit…fusty. But this current version is elegant, lively and not at all your Great Aunt’s Perfume.

Have you tried any new fragrances lately?

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29 Comments

  1. Susan, you have touched on my favourite subject here.
    I adore fragrance. I feel naked if I don’t wear it every day.
    Some favourites would include: No 19 Chanel, Bal a Versailles, Givenchy 111, Dioressence & Diorissimo. I could go on & on.
    The world would be poorer without fragrance. I have nearly 40 bottles and wear whatever depending on my mood. Isn’t that what fragrance is about?

  2. Susan, I’m Jo Malone girl. I love her fragrances and the fragrance combing option she promotes. i always have several to mix and match depending on my mood.

  3. I love fragrance, too. I live in a rural area so few people seem to wear fragrance but I always put some on in the morning when I do my makeup. With the changes in my 50-something body I’ve struggled to find a new scent or two. I’m currently wearing Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt. I tend to wear different fragrances, depending on the season.

  4. A woman next to me in Ulta had on a fragrance that I found intriguing. It was Dioressence and I intend to try it. I wear Euphoria daily, but need something new and special.

  5. I recently received a sample of Versace’s Bright Crystal. Lovely, clean fragrance. It will be on my wish list for the holidays:)

  6. I’m finding that body lotions with scent incorporated in them last longer than some fragrances. I think it’s the oils. I’m currently loving Chanel no.5, after years of avoidance. Maybe I’ve matured into it. Definitely channeling my lovely and elegant grandmother.

  7. My current fav (for the last couple of years) has been See by Chloe. But I’m due for a change up. I’ll spend an hour of sniffing and spritzing, and then bring home a pile of samples to try. But I hate florals, don’t like anything too strong yadda, yadda. So I often don’t find anything new that I like…and I end up going back to a fragrance I used a couple of years ago if I want a change.

  8. So many favorites, but the one that probably feels most “me” is the landmark Guerlain scent from 1913, “L’heure Bleue”. Also like “Calandre” by Paco Rabanne. Let’s see, “Je Reviens” by Worth, “Rive Gauche” by Yves Saint Laurent”. I don’t necessarily discriminate– there’s actually a “facsimile” company that makes a “reproduction” of Chanel No. 5 that is very good, and a real money saver.

    George Balanchine used to choose the scents for each of his ballerinas, and one of them wore L’Origan by Coty. I read that, wore it, and fell in love with it too. Another Coty scent I really like is “Ici” which has complex notes of cocoa. I must admit to being drawn to scents that evoke both chocolate and vanilla…

  9. I have spent a small fortune looking for my signature scent. I’m not quite there yet. Looking for one that will last through the day but not knock me out. My latest is Annick Goutals Ce Soir Ou Jamais. But I’ve gotten the most compliments from Amarige from Givenchy and Back to Black by Killan. One I like is Boucheron, Carven Le Parfum and the list goes on and on. I think I have an addiction. My problem is I live in a rural area so I must order most to try them.

  10. I was pretty stuck on Hermès for a few years (Terre d’Hermès, Kelly Calèche and Eau de Merveilles) but I’ve been trying some Le Labo fragrances lately — Rose 31 at home, and I’ve been trying out some sample vials while traveling. Just came in from the Profumo Santa Maria Novella here in Florence, and oh, the temptation. Sticking to soap for now, as I’m at my liquids limit for flying back carry-on, but some yummy possibilities there, for sure!

  11. I just discovered a scent called Flower Bomb by Viktor&Rolf. First got it as a sample from Sephora and totally fell in love with it. It’s a blend of jasmine, rose and orchid, and is very light and playful. It’s now my everyday, go-to perfume!

  12. My wise mother told me that the hallmark of a truly beautiful perfume is when someone walks by you once and then stops because he/she wants to go back and have that heavenly experience again.
    She of the ‘Je Reviens’ taught me that part of getting dressed is wearing an appropriate scent for the day or evening ahead.
    My fragrance wardrobe includes Sisley #3, Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise, (sadly no longer available which makes each use special), layered with a few of J.M’s other scents, Dior’s ‘Portifino’, (also discontinued!) and my new scent, byredo’s “Sunday Cologne”.
    A shopkeeper in Sienna took my scarf from me and lightly sprayed this intriguing, addictive scent on the cashmere..(yikes!!), and after, re-wrapping my scarf in an ‘oh so Italian’ look, she told me to come back in an hour. This I did, with my husband who told me “you really have to get that perfume!” I, actually he, bought my first bottle.
    They all have in common an underlying note that grounds me and top notes that lift my spirits!

  13. I love the original No. 22 — to my mind, it’s the perfect incense fragrance. Haven’t tried the reformulated version. Great to see some of my other favorites here in the comments — Ce Soir ou Jamais, and the original Lauren which DocP rightly laments.

  14. I am very picky about perfume. Maybe I am just in a rut….lol. I have been wearing Clinique Happy for years. I guess that is my favorite. Sometimes I also wear Coach Signature.

  15. I love fragrance as well. Living in Canada many,many venues and buildings request that you be fragrance free,a tough choice as I to feel naked without fragrance. Clinique ‘s Aromatics Elixir a favourite. Lauren original I agree lovely. Karl Laugerfeld used to make KL a wonderful fragrance. Many fond memories evoked with Chanel 5 and 19, Chance and Madamoiselle.

  16. I have worn Chloe Narcisse for about a million years now, sometimes Miss Dior, Coco for evenings … Feeling I need a new one.

  17. I had been wearing a straight rose scent from Crabtree and Evelyn,but was testing perfumes at,of all places,Disneyland and ended up buying Acqua di Parma Blu Mandorla di Sicilia.I really wanted to buy the Aambra,but it was too expensive that day. 🙁

  18. I so miss perfume. Alas, I am less and less tolerant of it. Spending an entire concert or play sitting behind someone with discernible perfume turns my sinuses to hamburger. Back when I used to wear it, 30 or so years ago, I used to enjoy Lauren, and my grandmother always wore Chanel no. 5.

    1. I too cannot wear scent anymore–it started with choral singing where scent is a big no-no. Now I am too sensitive. But back in the day Chanel No. 19 was all I wore and I loved it–and I recommend it if you can still wear scent.

  19. Eclat D’arpege by Lanvin is my signature scent. I get compliments all the time. I also love Coco Mademoiselle body lotion in cooler weather.

  20. I adore No. 22. I really don’t remember it clearly enough from my teens and 20s to compare, but it was one that I wore then, too. If anyone here is looking for a slightly different, woody fragrance, try Chanel Sycamore. It starts off like a cedar closet (a bit), then dries down to a softer woody/warm scent that I love in winter.

  21. I used to think (and I have no idea where the imprint came from) that a woman had to have one scent that was hers. Perhaps it is because I identified with my aunts when I was little and I hugged them and caught a perfumey scent. Variety is enjoyable, as it is tough to pick just one, and presently I am enjoying Jo Malone’s Peony and Blush Suede and Wood Sage and Sea Salt, Gucci Premiere, Bvlgari Jasmin Noir, Hermes 24 Fauborg. I find that the ones I like most contain similar ingredients in common (musk, sandalwood, amber). I find that interesting. Have you ever tried Thierry Mugler’s Angel? I was mesmerized by it for a time and when somebody else is wearing it, it fills up a room. I wonder what makes it so bold. A very interesting subject, and I enjoy reading what people like.

  22. I have Angel and wore it a long time. Then I went to Alien which I loved but was worried it was too strong. That’s my problem. I like the musky jasmine vanilla but love the florals too. Help!

  23. I am wearing Chanel Mademoiselle right now, but am lusting over anything Tom Ford! My first “adult” perfume was Opium when I was 17 – I worked at Bullocks Wilshire (anyone remember that store?) and we carried it when it was first released. LOVED IT but too heavy for me now.

  24. For my 19th birthday my boyfriend ( then fiancé and now husband of forty years:) surprised me with a bottle of Chanel 19 parfum. In the iconic square bottle. Ever since I have let him choose any parfum I wear. That and jewelry are the only areas where he has free reign to ‘surprise’ me! I have worn 19 ever since but dabbled with Christalle which my mother said smelled like gin and tonic…Chloe Capucine ( no longer available but I did find two bottles at a discount place.) various Bulgari scents and a very pretty scent I just discovered, Marc Jacobs Eau so fresh….also Versace Eros pour femme…but a little goes a long way! My husband is French and has always told me that no body beyond one foot should smell your perfume ….in other words one wears scent for those we hold close…wear it were you want to be kissed, I think Chanel said that!! I fear as woman grow older they tend to ‘bathe in it’ as my husband says…but it’s true, apparently our sense of smell is not as good as we get older.

  25. I have a fragrance that every time I wear it, people ask me what it is. And my hubby says, ” you smell really good!” so I think it just clicks with my own body chemistry- it’s Guerlain’s Chypre Fatal. Not a widely sold perfume, but you can find it in Saks and Guerlain boutiques.
    I must have about 20 other perfumes that I enjoy wearing but nothing gets the same reaction as the Chypre Fatal. I love the Chanels #5 and 19, I enjoy Le Labo Rose 31, L’Occitane Neroli et Orchidee. I also have a fun little scent from Penhaligon’s called “artemisia” which is very nice and light.

    My First Love perfume was Tabac Blonde from Caron, but they have tinkered with it and it ‘s now more Cinnabon than Tabac.