Description
The famous Chanel N°5 is a symbol of good taste and is currently one of the best selling perfumes in the world. Coco Chanel asked the perfume designer Ernest Beaux to create a perfume “which smells like a woman“. Chanel N°5 is a very complex fragrance which does not allow any of the fragrant components to be isolated out of the composition, what was exactly a request of the great Chanel – the perfume should not smell like a rose, or a lily of the valley, but as a composition.
The perfume became famous thanks to many celebrities who wore it, among which Marilyn Monroe. Chanel N°5 is often connected to her name because during an interview in 1954 she said that in bed she wore only ‘some drops of Chanel N°5′. That statement became a superb advertising slogan and a reason for millions of women around the world to choose this perfume.
Ernest Beaux created two series of perfume samples numbered 1-5 and 20-24 and asked Coco Chanel to choose one of them. Madame Chanel chose the sample no. 5 and thus the perfume got its name. Superstitious, Chanel presented her new perfume on the fifth day of the fifth month of 1921.
Working on creation of this perfume, Ernest Beaux created and for the first time used the synthetic component – aldehydes. In his formula the aldehydes are accompanied by fragrances of rose and jasmine. The fragrance of aldehydes is pure and fresh, reminds of the odor of clean linen just brought in the house form the fresh frosty air. It is said that the famous creator drew his inspiration for creation of this fragrance from one of his visits to the Arctic Circle and the smell of water in midnight. The unique smell of frozen lakes and rivers fascinated him so much that he decided to replicate it in his creation.
Chanel N°5 is the first perfume in the floral-aldehyde group and the first by the quantity of aldehydes in its composition (another legend says that the Ernest Beaux‘s assistant overdosed the aldehydes in the composition by mistake). The top notes are composed of aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, neroli and ylang-ylang, the heart of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and iris, while the base is created of vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber and patchouli.
The first Chanel N°5 was captured in a simple rectangular bottle with the top which resembled Place Vendome in Paris. The first bottle was designed by Chanel herself and represents her classical principle – less is more.
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aloha777 – :
Review for late 40s/early 50s bottle.
This is the only iteration of No. 5 that I’ve tried where I can detect amber in the base. That helped me warm up to it (and all the No 5s) a bit, as I’m not always keen on cold florals such as No. 5. Incidentally it’s still the hardest for me to take on a regular basis, but I think that may be due to the age of the bottle and a few kinks you have to work through in the progression. There’s simply a lot of iris and ylang-ylang on a foundation of aldehydes. As usual with Chanels I’m not even going to try to describe what I’m smelling too much. It’s abstract, intimidating, aloof, sophisticated, and enigmatic.
As for whether it’s beautiful…that’s in the eye of the beholder. I wouldn’t call it beautiful, but in a way I love wearing it. Even though it’s not a loud fragrance (even less so because it’s dabbed from the bottle and not sprayed), it’s not for regular wear by any means; for that I pull out the EDP or Eau Premiere for a veil of comforting fragrance appropriate for everything from errands to church. There’s something just too antiquated about the vintage that doesn’t feel right except when I’m home watching a black-and-white movie. Not that it’s a civet bomb or anything, it just seems out of place and it’s clear that formulations have changed over the years. To be blunt and honest, I prefer the modern No. 5s. They work better with my skin chemistry.
One thing that is evident, this is a luxury item. As old as it is, the sheer perfection of the bottle’s glass, attention to detail, and dignity of the scent attest to the legacy of No. 5 as an accessory to the understatedly high-class lifestyle.
kliem – :
Just received a vintage sample ca late 1930s from a kind friend whose bottle belonged to her grandmother. Sadly, the scent is quite fractured due to age, especially in the topnotes. But wow that base lingers forever in all of its ambery animalic goodness! This led me to considering how all of the recent variations attempt to brighten 5 up and how much I would love a darker, muskier, spicier version instead!
sla19801989 – :
Received my vintage No5 eau de parfum and parfum recently. Surprised to find for EDP is 80 vol. and parfum’s is… 88 vol., both were written on boxes.
I knew they’re from different periods, but isn’t it the case that the percentage of alcohol for EDP should be more than parfum? And for a parfum it’s 88 vol. really made me confusing… The parfum is truly heavier, very moderate and close to the skin, lasting a bit longer.
2,301E+12 – :
I know this is such a classic and everybody should like it (at least those with good taste) My mom loves No. 5! But I don’t particularly enjoy this perfume. It’s very powdery to my nose. The jasmine is very prominent and there’s a citrus soap-like smell (maybe the aldehydes?). This is what I imagine “Vintage” to smell like. I prefer the dry down to the opening.
However, describing it as a “baby powder” or “granny perfume” is rude! Although I don’t like it, I can appreciate its sophistication. This is not your grandma at the family reunion wearing pearls. This is a rich mature lady wearing diamonds at the casino playing poker.
It sits very close to the skin. On me, lasts about 3 hours. I prefer to spray it on clothes when they should be washed but I want to get one more wear out of them, haha! I’ve noticed enhanced longevity and projection when I do that.
It’s definitely a reference point in the perfume world and whether you like it or not, it will forever reserve its spot.
Nalkallerry – :
Very similar to Clair de Musc, or rather, Clair de Musc is similar to Chanel no. 5. This is the OG buttery soap fragrance, and smelling it now, it’s clear no. 5 set a precedence for soap fragrances that many have attempted to surpass since then.
First I get clean, Dove soap aldehydes, smooth, creamy ylang ylang, and a gorgeous silky powder from iris and orris root, in that order. Musk, amber, and sandalwood linger in the background, providing a solid but light base to the soapy overtones. It’s utterly beautiful.
I’m unable to perceive this as old fashioned or granny-like, especially compared to other vintages. Maybe that’s from smelling other, heavier vintages ala Salvador Dali and Quadrille, but Chanel no 5. is far, far from smelling musty or old, so I find the comparison strange.
vital1974 – :
This is the definition of ‘perfume’ but I can’t get myself to ever like these kinds of scents, it’s so synthetic, typically vintage and in your face. Don’t get deterred by my opinion to consider trying it though if classic is your thing.
well2012 – :
What a nice surprise this perfume suddenly is! To start with, I have never been a big Chanel fan, I never bought into the Chanel hype, I am not particularly a fan of the person of Coco Chanel because of her implications in the historical situation of her time, but I recognize her innovative thinking in terms of fashion and women emancipation. I also have to say that none in my family or circle of relatives used to wear N5, so I have no “old lady” association with this scent.
This to say that I’m not biased, for me it has always been a question of I like it or I don’t. First I didn’t. When I was a girl, and then a young woman, I came across some samples that I tried on myself. I didn’t like it – I guess it was the aldehydes, to me it smelled like Elnett hairspray, something that I still despise. I didn’t understand it. But back then I also didn’t appreciate good wines or double malt whiskey, which I started doing in my thirties.
When I was about thirty, sitting on the motorbike behind a girl friend and holding tight on her while she drove, I smelled the most heavenly, feminine, mesmerizing scent. Once arrived the first thing I asked was what perfume was she wearing, and with my greatest surprise she replied Chanel N5. This revelation made me understand that N5 was that kind of perfumes that depend a lot on your chemistry and chemistry changes among people and it changes along the years, sometimes of days.
The second step to appreciation was ten years ago when the first Eau Premiere came out. I sprayed it on my wrists and it was nice but still not irresistible enough to splurge on that. Fast forward, I don’t know why I tried it again recently, first the new Eau Premiere and a week later the EDP, both times on the nape of my neck and on my wrists and so it happened. I’ve fallen in love and had to have it.
Yes, it still has that vintage vibe, this is undeniable, but it really is extremely feminine, elegant and abstract at the same time. It is hard to describe as I really can’t pick single flower notes, only the aldehydes in the beginning and then something really beautiful, warm and alluring in the following hours. In the dry down I can smell the woods, the amber and a hint of vanilla.
The secret is in the dosage. Less is more. It has to be a skin scent, something that only people very close to you can perceive, other than that it can be obnoxious and repel people, especially men.
My first complain is the longevity: the Eau Premiere is a bit too weak, beautiful and soft, less spicy and more vanilla, it is great in the warm weather. The Hair Mist is also very very nice, with less aldehydes but still that alluring je ne sais quoi. The bottle is also cute and it costs much less, so it is worth buying this if you are not sure yet. The EDT is sparkly and I wanted more the caress effect than the sparkle. At the end I bought the EDP for the longevity and because I wanted the original iconic bottle, although I have to say that even if the design is timeless and classy, in the hand it feels flimsy and a bit cheap, especially compared to some of my Bvulgari bottles with their heavy metallic caps.
I have also tried the Parfum and although it seemed to last longer, it is really expensive.
And this is my major complain, yes, the very inflated prices, and I guess that what you pay for is the image and the prestige.
To conclude, I don’t know if it is my taste that has developed and I have started appreciating aldehydes, or if it is something hormonal that changed with the years, or if it is that through the many reformulations the scent has been adapted to a more contemporary taste, or a little bit of everything, anyway I like it now and I very much enjoy wearing it when I feel like.
But out there there are some other masterpieces that I love, older or more recent and maybe less famous, so I don’t want to give N5 alone that kind of iconographical value which, in my opinion, is in big part the result of a legend, extremely good brand marketing and PR.
karan79 – :
I have just read reviews of Chanel No5 on the Russian Fragrantica. What a contrast! 90% of Russian women rave about it, despite recognising that it needs “growing up to” if you are a beginner perfumista. Also, it is hailed as ‘long-lasting’ by my Russian pals.
Our mothers and grandmothers lived behind the Iron Curtain and few of them had the chance to even test it. This has saved us from unwanted childhood assiciations and allowed to enjoy this scent without prejudice. There definitely is a vintage/classic feel to No5, but it scarcely reads as “my grandmother’s perfume”.
I am sorry to read negative reviews here, but can see where they come from.
Reargatasog – :
Happy Birthday Norma Jeane
AKA
Marilyn Monroe
I Wanna Be Loved By You
No. 5 opens like a bubbly champagne at the Ritz in Paris in the 1920’s. A lounge singer in a champagne colored sequined evening gown and diamond jewelry is singing by the piano. It opens as glamorous as can be.
Those fizzy aldehydes go straight to your head. Neroli or orange blossom, citruses or sweet lemon juice. Delicious orange drink.
There is also a brilliant golden lustre, like beads, sparkling little sequins. No wonder this was Marilyn Monroe’s perfume. It suits her. The orange flower embraces a very feminine pink rose and French jasmine.
That’s as far as the flowers go but then the iris in a powder comes through. Now it smells exactly like talc dusting powder in Marilyn Monroe’s dressing room!
The kind of dressing room with her name in a star on the door, adorned with roses and where she keeps her toiletries, hand soaps powder make-up (rouge) and perfume.
A floral juice for sure, but not too floral or excessive. It’s elegance owes to it’s simplicity. Soap does come to mind. It’s a flowery soap with a sweetness and a sexiness which develops in the green and musky dry notes. As it concludes the fragrance is a bit darker with civet musk, (fear not, this is a faux fur) and an Evernia prunastri AKA oak moss.
This is an herbal green dry down, soothing, soft, subtle. The perfect finale to a classic fragrance. So ultimately I will say that this is a sophisticated floral woodsy musk with soapy and powdery ‘boudoir’ nuances.
This has been called ‘mature’ and your ‘grandmother’s’ perfume but this is so classy, so beautiful, so timeless that it just has no age. You can’t label this baby. To call it old means nothing. The Mona Lisa is old and it’s still an icon and the most loved painting of a woman ever. She gets more visitors at the Louvre than anyone would ever want to visit you! This is the same with No. 5 it is the definition of a perfume. If you are a perfume lover especially of vintages, you cannot pass up the opportunity of at least smelling this perfume.
Wearing it is like nothing else. It is a high priced Chanel fragrance so this means that as it always has been, it’s an upscale, high-end well-composed perfume. This is perfection. This perfume is millions of dollars in it’s aura. You made it. You’re in the big leagues. You are a wealthy Cinderella, a princess, with the most beautiful gowns and jewelry. It does feel like a perfume made just for a movie star like Marilyn Monroe. It contains notes that I like and don’t like but for the most part I like it.
The new formula has less of the patchouli green moss stuff and the musky civet, and recreates the orignal in smaller doses. The rose and iris are the star here with a soft and very womanly embrace of flowers. I am wearing the new formula because the old one my mother used to wear was too musky and too green for me. Too strong. They have made No. 5 more of a modernized updated scent to wear as often as you like without it being too excessive. Available at every Macy’s store too.
It is said that Marilyn Monroe made this perfume famous although to be fair it was already well-known before she even wore it. This was a fragrance that WW 2 soldiers brought back to the US with them from Paris where it had been selling at the Chanel boutique since 1921. When Marilyn Monroe did an interview and was asked what she wore to bed, she cleverly insinuated that she went to bed in the nude but she wore a splash of perfume Chanel No. 5. This was no lie. It was confirmed when she was photographed splashing No. 5 into her bosom in front of her mirror.
The perfume, like Marilyn Monroe, is an icon. As a professional Marilyn Monroe impersonator in Florida, I am proud to wear her perfume today and I will honor her as I pay tribute to her on her birthday today through song in my “Happy Birthday Mr President” flesh colored gown and lovely jewelry. My audience appreciates that I bring Marilyn Monroe back.
We love you Norma and we love your perfume.
myncboonymn – :
This EDP has been reformulated from the original, and though I don’t have any vintage No 5, I remember distinctly my mother wearing it. I actually like this one better – it’s basically the same – just as beautiful, but a little softer, doesn’t stay in the room 5 minutes after you’ve left it, and I don’t sense as strong of a powdery dry down which I wasn’t crazy about in the original. Give it a try, you just might like. She is the queen, after all. I have tried other scents from this era, some lovely, but it was obvious that they were from a by-gone era – like appreciating the beauty of vintage clothing but having no desire to wear it. This one is timeless for me, which is why it is the ultimate classic – it never goes out of style.
moxamed-92 – :
I remember over 20 years ago, I found a half used bottle of this in the house of a guy I was dating and moved into. It was tucked back in a closet that he said was in the house when he bought it. I was 22 at the time and said, hmmm, this is an old classic. My mom was a Youth Dew fan and I asked and she said, “It’s an old lady perfume.” Being an antique fan, I tried it one day after putting on St Ives Vanilla lotion (that and cinnamon oil was my scent as I used to try to be simple). Every where I went, men and women would compliment me. Terms like “Exquisite”, “Divine”, “Lovely”, “Delicious” were used. I ended up dumping the guy and keeping the perfume. I horded it not yet able to buy.
After that, I used it for special occasions and got into perfumes like Creme Bouquet, Hanoi Morie, etc. A few years later, I had a boyfriend for a few years that indulged me and bought the parfumfor me. After six years, dumped the guy, kept the scent.
After that, I became good friends with a gay guy who was into classics. He and his partner purchased me a bottle on a Paris trip. Kept the scent and the guys.
Years later, in my 30s, I started a 3 year relationship with a guy who didn’t really like this scent so we went on these rounds to find a new scent. In hindsight, I should have known. We checked out Creed scents, Bond, etc. I hit up Sephora and my favorite sales associate, this divine gay guy who I used to lunch with. I explained my predicament. I told him of my scent history and he introduced me to Coco. I didn’t like Coco Madamoiselle. I loved the richness of Coco like I did No. 5. It’s comical because I ended up in the same house. I told this idiot I found it! This was around Christmas time and he wanted to buy the perfume to make it something between us.
Christmastime, I opened my first gift which I knew would be the perfume. It was Coco Madamoiselle. Ugh. I explained I didn’t like it. He told me the sales lady said it was more popular and that his 22 year old liked it better! This is the same guy who bought me Fantasy the year before! Then I get to the watch I wanted from Movado and it was a cheaper version. The final blow, a hot pink robe! I don’t wear pink, his ex did though. To risk sounding like a snob, I spent a lot of money on this guy and his girls. That Christmas I spent over $4K on him and $500 on each of his two girls. I exchanged the perfume for Coco, he gave me $300 after returning the watch and went to Movado and spent an extra $600 on the watch I wanted. Also, I bought myself a cute ring on sale there. I wear it now stacked with the ring my hubby bought me when courting. Six months later, he gave me a necklace. Before opening, he told me he had it made and personalized. It was personalized alright…it was a name plate…with another woman’s name. He tried to blame the jeweler but the woman who got my necklace contacted me. Interestingly enough, she was upset he gave her Coco instead of Coco Madamoiselle. She was the sales associate. Dumped the guy, kept the perfume.
My now husband had entered the picture as a friend. He was the boy next door when I was in my early teens. When we met up, I wore No 5 on some days and Coco on the others. He loved both. He said No 5 smelled classy and said he always wants me to have both. A new description was “Intoxicating”. I have the parfum, the EdP, the Eau, vintage versions, the cologne. He doesn’t buy the whole daytime/nighttime/season thing either. I’m in my forties now. My nieces always tell me I smell wonderful. My stepdaughter who graduated college recently says when she gets a job, she’s going to make this her signature scent. I think I’m going to get her the eau premiere this Christmas and the original next Christmas. The guy kept me and my sisters!
It is a rich, deep, timeless scent. Every time I wear it, I think of my journey and how I came out on top. I feel powerful, sexy, and constant. I feel hugged by a warmth. I still get crazy compliments and love to let her play with Coco. These are my girls who stood by me through the thick and thin. I take her and Coco, scent up a paper towel and stick under my fitted sheets. Depending on which side I sleep on, she frames my dreams. I literally have the best “How do you like me now” dreams.
She’ll forever be in my life and my dreams.
xrumerar – :
A strong, empowering scent for confident ladies. A classic heady scent that is at once clean and strong with indescribable aldehyde notes. It is similar to the vintage Miss Dior, however Chanel is definitely deeper and more suitable for the nighttime.
sskazzka – :
I wish I could smell a vintage parfum from the 60s or earlier. It’s supposed to be very animalic and nothing like the powdery polite mess we have today.
most1122 – :
I’ve noticed such variations in scents for the same concentration. In particular, with the eau de parfum sometimes the scent varies in sweetness and musk – this can make or break your decision. The same is true regardless of the similar year of production. Enough for me to have sold a couple of bottles as the muskiness was too much for me. I never forget the one i had a few years ago which was cakey powdery and recently managed to get hold of the similar scent but its weaker (due to the reformulations).
The eau de toilette has also variations bearing in mind that this applies with batches of the past 5 years. I have an amazing smelling bottle from 2013 versus the same year of another bottle. The latter is colder and lacks the golden warmth of the former one.
The parfum has never worked for me – i only tried in the department stores about 9yrs, 5yrs and 2 yrs ago. One of them were amazing but the other two were cold and just didnt appeal nor work magic on my skin.
The scent of the eau de parfum and if its that lovely sweeter batch, is my holy grail of all powder scents. Just wish it had mega sillage and am curious to compare with all versions in the vintage formulation.
Would love to hear your thoughts which vintage version is the sweetest powder scent.
VimeLiaismgaw – :
This should be the ultimate classic,vintage perfume of all time. I don’t understand the term ”old-lady” that many of you characterize this perfume. Well… If ”old-lady”means something old,tacky,gross,banal this perfume is no way old-lady. But… If when you say”old-lady” you think of a woman in her 50’s,elegant,feminine,sophisticated,classy,well- educated,with refined jewlerry,red lipstick,medium blonde hair, pencil black skirt and tight white shirt with black heels, hell yes, this could mean ”old-lady”!!
Although I am not a lover or hater of this scent, I recognize its value and uniqueness. It’s timeless, sophisticated,feminine, clean,unique and aristocratic. You should not be in a specific age to love this. I have a friend who is 19 and dies for Chanel 5. As the time goes by, this is not going to lose its value. It is different from the modern gourmands, that’s the reason that many young women finds this dated and old-fashioned. But the fact that it’s old- fashioned makes it outstanding and different. There is no way for you to wear this and not get compliments or feel invisible. This perfume makes a statement and makes you appear serious to the others,yet feminine and charming.
The smell: I basically smell soap. Pure soap. A soap which can be found at the bathroom of a luxurious hotel. The aldheydes play a big role for this smell. Flowers are also recongnizable. It’s undoubtedly well -blended and refined. Of course it has been reformulated and lost a little of its longevity but it still has a very godd projection. The bottle is simple yet aristocatic. The price however,it’s hight but I think it deserves every penny.Do not blindbuy cause it reacts differently to each skin. The aldheydes are amplified at specific skin types.
The season/occassion: I find it more appropriate for fall and winter wear,especially for nightime. But I would still rock it daytime sprayed always with moderation. It would be perfect for special occassions,nights out, dates,e.t.c.
To conclude… Personally, I think this scent it’s not for me(yet!). I am 24 and I think this would not fit my style, I can’t support the magnificent which this perfumes gives. Also, the scent is too soapy for me(I mostly prefer sweet gourmands or vanilla orientals). But I do love Coco Mademoiselle as it’s a crowd pleaser and more wearable for most women. However, I do appreciate this classic masterpiece and I recommend everywoman-if not buy- at least smell this masterpiece!!!I now understand why the legendary lady Marilyn Monroe wore this!!!That’s how the scent of a real lady should be 🙂
wowanw – :
I hated it smelled on tester, but when applied on skin it transformes incredibly. I like the most that it changes from hour to hour, and I think this perfume is very much about ph, thats why some hate it.
It smells sweet but mature, mysterious and dark vintage but so innocent to, classy and like literature to me. The perfume once applied became a part of you and its not liek you applied a perfume just to smell good.
scoonnoge – :
No. 5
CHANEL
GROUP: ALDEHYDIC FLORAL MUSK
NOTES: aldehydes bergamot lemon ylang ylang orange blossom iris jasmine orris root rose lily of the valley vetiver sandalwood patchouli oak moss civet musk
SILLAGE: MODERATE Radiates Within Arm’s Length
LONGEVITY: VERY LONG LASTING: 7 to 12 Hours
REMINDS ME OF: ARPEGE LANVIN JOY PATOU L’INTERDIT GIVENCHY BAL A VERSAILLES JEAN DESPREZ FIRST VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
NO. 5 in it’s purest vintage form is selling as the Eau de Cologne. This was the first aldehyde fragrance. Before aldehydes were introduced as notes in fragrances, the freshness owed to ingredients such as natural bergamot, lemon, neroli and other citruses. Another “fresh” ingredient was anise or aniseed. Aldehydes revolutionized the industry. No. 5 was created for Chanel by Ernest Beaux and launched in 1921. Coco Chanel was shown a number of vials with different scents that Beaux had created in his lab in Paris. Each vial was numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Chanel chose No. 5 because she was struck by the oak moss the sandalwood and the musky accords, the civet. She was not into floral perfumes and preferred chypres. She never wore No. 5 herself. No. 5 became the most famous and well known fragrance in perfume history just after World War 2. Allied British and American soldiers who were in Paris during it’s liberation from the Nazis discovered Chanel’s boutique on the Rue Cambon and No. 5. Every French girl was wearing it and so the men brought it back home with them to the US and offered it as gifts to their girlfriends, fiances and wives. And No. 5 became part of American households ever since. No. 5 has also remained a popular classic because famed Hollywood movie star and 1950’s sex symbol Marilyn Monroe openly stated that she wore No. 5. First Lady Jackie Kennedy was also known to wear No. 5. It begins with sparkling, fresh aldehydes. They are like magic sparks, bubbly and refreshing, celebratory like champagne or the touch of a fairy god mother’s magic wand. The aldehydes lead into the citrus out of which the lemon and bergamot are most dominant. After the aldehydes and citric notes fade away the fragrance reveals its floral nature. I smelled rose, iris, jasmine ylang ylang and lily of the valley. It’s a beautiful bouquet of flowers. It’s romantic. The strongest floral accord is the rose. But even the rose appears to disappear as the ylang ylang mysteriously appears and leaves a fragrant yellow floral scent. The fragrance then develops into a musky scent of civet. Lots of civet. It’s muskiness is similar to the musk in Bal A Versailles by Jean Desprez. If you wear the cologne the civet and musk will be there. Then there’s plenty of chypre aspects namely oak moss. It’s mossy and nocturnal. It has woodsy notes. I enjoy the fragrant sandalwood. If you wear the Parfum and Toilette the musk is not as pronounced. No. 5 exists in many different forms but if you want to experience all the original ingredients and the true scent it’s the cologne you want to get. This fragrance is elegant, womanly, mature, and while it can be old lady ish it’s warm and comforting like a hug from your mother. An evening cologne for fall and winter. A beauty that shall live forever. This timeless fragrance, whether you like it or not, is the very definition of modern perfume. It has a lot of history, a lot of love and a lot of life. It’s the Mona Lisa of perfume. It’s an iconic fragrance that just like we don’t mind looking at the Mona Lisa over and over again we don’t mind smelling No. 5 over and over again.
Dimka_XBK – :
Many reviews that say you need to wait for the dry down to get the real beauty of this and I agree. That being said, I personally have never really been bothered by it, and after wearing it for so long, I have actually come to really enjoy that smell, but most other people aren’t into the initial blast of aldehydes, so if you can, I’d recommend waiting till people aren’t around to spritz yourself. When I’m home alone I practically bath myself in it just so I can get a super strong dry down faze (totally unnecessary since 1 spray blasts people away :p but it’s just for me). My clothes will smell like No5 until I get around to washing them, even if it’s a garment that has gotten lost under the bed for months. The dry down is exactly like what people say it is: Old fashion Victorian era soap, but the best one imaginable, like that, but seriously at least 3X as good. The best way I can describe it is talcy, musky, floral, classy, elegant, clean skin. The first time I smelled No5 was from a vintage soap bar I had found, when I was in High School, at my boyfriend’s grandma’s house that we were cleaning out after she had died. I loved collecting floral European bar soaps and putting them in my clothing drawers to scent my clothing, and this was by far the best one I’d ever smelled, so I asked if I could have it, and soon after, I went out and bought a full bottle of it. It’s in a tie for my favorite perfume of all time with Portrait of a Lady.
cever – :
I tried Chanel no5 when I was in my 20s thinking I’d be sophisticated wearing it. It did not agree with me back then and I had to stop wearing it. Its very temperamental. Some people can never wear 5, and thats ok.. go try First from Van Cleef and Arpels for a lithe better refined version,
I recently obtained a vintage parfum and tried it again 20 years later. It loves me now. It is such a feminine floral that is just beautiful. Very classy scent.
The new 5 is similar to the older 5 but it just isnt as rich, but she hasnt been reformulated beyond recognition. The new doesnt last very long tho.
DragDrago – :
I wasn’t ever going to review this because there are already tons of reviews, lots of contention, and really what hasn’t already been said? But whatever, I’ve been wearing this alot lately and here’s my take.
I wish Fragrantica would change the write up for this, because, the classic bottle withstanding, Chanel No 5 EDP was created in 1986 by Jacques Polge. It is a super faithful rendition, respectful formulation of No 5 for sure (the whole–‘smells like a woman thing’–indeed I have smelled the extrait, not vintage though) but to me it is still a child of the 80s, if perhaps Coco Chanel had lived that long.
No 5 in EDP to me reminds me of the smell of every grooming product a woman could possibly use. I remember watching my friends cousins beauty rituals in askance, back in 1984, when I was 6 or 7 years old, thinking…Oh my is this what I’m going to have to do every day when I turn 18? The hair curling irons, the hair spray, the scented lotions, the skin toners, the tons of makeup, the copious sprays of perfume, and when they were finally done with it all (it seemed to take forever) they would go out on the back deck and smoke a Parliament cigarette.
So that’s what it smells like…hairspray, soaps, floral lotions, jasmine face creams, lipstick and face powder, musk, the intense, excited scent of 3 people getting ready in a small bathroom, a hint of skank and musk (hence why you need to smoke a cigarette when you’ve finished with your coiffure & makeup.) On my skin the base notes are a beautiful sandalwood, musk, and a kind of soapy amber…
I like this a lot. My bottle is from the early 90’s, I think, and it is a lot richer, denser, and has a much better drydown than what is on the shelf today.
plutveirtiere – :
If you’re looking for the No. 5 that Marilyn Monroe wore you need to look for the EAU DE COLOGNE vintage original formula which was big on civet. This new version has been reformulated for today’s crowd of soft inoffensive fragrances with – yes you guessed it, either a lot of amber or vanilla. The original was very musky. Its flowers were faint and mostly had iris jasmine and rose but it never became a floral fragrance. This new one wears more like a floral-amber and they at least kept the strong aldehyde opening. It’s the aldehydes that make you feel like you’re wearing a Chanel perfume, but don’t think that for one moment that means you’re classy or you know something about perfume because all fragrances ranging from cheap to expensive have alcohol in it. The Chanel aldehydes s aren’t really any different from the Avon aldehydes. The difference is in the heart to base notes as it starts to dry down. Usually a very expensive Chanel has a woodsy amber dry down. But the original No. 5 was an animal that you found in the forest and took home with you. It’s a sexy little creature that takes over your bedroom. I find this new version as more of a lingerie fragrance or even a foreplay fragrance. A lot of guys don’t know anything about fragrances so they assume that because you’re wearing No. 5 you’re classy and smell great and so they’ll want to have sex with you? LOL..This isn’t even romantic to me. The new version is not a gourmand either but it is one of these