My Fragrance Journey with Chanel
This entry will be all about my recent Chanel fragrance discovery with Jean, Chanel's fragrance specialist. When I went to the Chanel store at MBS on a quiet Monday afternoon, I was not quite sure what to expect, after all, what can I say, or be spoken to, about fragrance for a whole hour? But you know what? The one hour turned into over two hours of an olfactory journey, in which my nose (and my mind) was taken on a challenging, enlightening and most of all, insightful experience together with Jean. We spoke about our personal tastes, what I like, memories, travelling, food, it was like having a chat with an old friend - I felt relaxed, yet reflective as I thought about the scents I tried and tried to articulate the nuances of what sets each of them apart.
Jean was approachable and most of all, knowledgeable about fragrances and Chanel history. I have watched enough Chanel documentaries and films to know the basis of the Chanel identity, but to have someone convey that to me in relation to the creation of the house's fragances was very enriching and educational. If you are a fan of Chanel in general, I think you will definitely walk away from this session with a newfound appreciation for the designs and history of the brand. And if you are a fan of good fragrances, you will enjoy learning about the various perfume ingredients and stories behind each Chanel perfume creation.
Chanel is possibly the only fragrance house that has its own perfumer. There are 3 so far, starting from Ernest Beaux (who created the iconic No.5), Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake. The amount of detail and thought that went into each creation is mind-boogling, and Jean was able to share with me in a way that's accessible and interesting.
She started by asking me what sort of fragrance notes appeal to me, and then we proceed to do a 'blind smell' of a series of scents - which turned out to be the various expressions of No19 (which was incidentally on my next fragrance to buy list but that is soon to change as I embarked on this discovery). I soon realised that the 'blind smell' led me to discover scents which I previously did not like, and also to really focus on the scents without any preconceptions - this is because I have once too often sniff at Chanel fragrances (esp the Les Exclusifs range) and I have fixed ideas of which ones I like. That 'blind' factor also allowed me to focus on the notes of each fragrance as Jean introduced them to me. And that sense of 'ah, so this is _____!' It was exciting and surprising at the same time.
After discovering No19, we went on to discover a few more scents... and she introduced No5 to me. It was a re-discovery for me, as I had purchased it myself last year. But it was not a scent I was drawn to (I admitted to Jean I bought it because Brad Pitt was the face of No5 then, haha.) We spoke about the history and the creation behind this scent that made it so enduring and such a classic even til today. When I smelled No5 again, it seemed to have taken on a new 'meaning', and I could discern the complex notes in this scent. After all, No5 was the revolutionary fragrance of its day, in its complexity and breaking all grounds of fragrance at that time which were of a main single note - and let's not even forget how Marilyn Monroe once very cheekily proclaimed that she only wears No5 to bed - which established its place in perfumery history and reincarnated from time to time (most recently with Baz Luhrman again, in his film featuring Gisele as the modern day woman who goes after her own fate and choices).
Next, we moved on to a couple of the scents from the Les Exclusifs range - and there are a couple of faves that I already own (namely Beige - an all time fave, and more recently, Jersey), and we explored Coralmandel, 31 Rue Cambon and I think 28 La Pausa. By now, I must say my nose was quite tired from all the sniffing and learning about the notes. It was time to narrow my choices (there are about 8 or 10 scents laid out in front of me). I had to narrow down to two scents - and all this was still done 'blind' at the moment. I shortlisted to two scents at last. Eliminating some were easier, but some really had me thinking and hesistating. Two or three of them made me go YES this is the one! Finally, I decided on two, and the suspence was killing me. Even though I knew what I smelled the whole session, I had forgotten which was which by the time I was picking.
So we went to the display area, and it turned out that the two scents I picked were from the Les Exclusifs collection - namely 31 Rue Cambon and La Pausa. But 31 Rue Cambon stole my heart that afternoon - it is one of those scents I had tried and spritzed on myself but never was drawn to previously. But this afternoon, I had somehow learnt to appreciate and enjoy it. 31 Rue Cambon is a sophisticated, womanly and very elegant scent. I can't remember exactly the fragrance notes of this beautiful fragrance - but here's an excerpt from 'Fragrantica' - "Warm Chypre accord is freed, made luminous and modern with inviting notes of bergamot, patchouli and citrus oil. 31 Rue Cambon is a rich woody-floral fragrance, powerful, authentic, elegant and warm."
Jean proceed to pack the two final choices for me in this cute ceramic pieces, which is porous and able to diseminate the scent and last for a week. She also provided me with samples of both scents so I can continue to try it out in my own time. I admit that a week later, I went the Chanel Store at ION, fully planning to purchase the 75ml of 31 Rue Cambon, but only to be told that it only comes in the 200ml version (which will set me back by $400 ). So, I think, I better wait (because let's face it, I need a new perfume like I need a hole in my head). But the heady, floral woody scent lingers in my mind.
The next time you try out the Chanel fragrances at the MBS and ION stores, you will notice that there are all this white ceramic sticks on display, which corrospond to the scent...you are supposed to sniff these fragrance sticks, which will hold the 'true' scent and not the initial 'alcohol' top notes. Then you can try to spray on your pulse points to see how the scent wears on you. I was quite intrigued by these ceramic sticks and also asked Jean how these are maintained. She told me that once a week, these sticks are re-scented by dipping the porous end into the perfume, and every quarter, the entire range of sticks would have to replaced. Even the 'coffee beans' that I can sniff to clear my nose is one of these ceramic sticks (but in a slick black one).
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience of this olfactory discovery - and this is a free service that you can make an appointment for at the Chanel MBS store. If you fancy this wonderful fragrance chat with Jean, make your appointment by calling 6645 1970. My recommendation is to go on a weekday afternoon where it's relatively quieter. This is really a cool way of having some 'me' time in a way that's quite intellectually stimulating and yet totally beauty-related. I likey!I hope my sharing has been useful, and provided you with some idea of some of the services you can enjoy at the Chanel fragrance and beauty department!
Happy Weekend!
