Allure Sensuelle

Oh geez. I have been surprised yet again by my judgements that proved to be unfounded. I bought a very used 100 ml bottle online for quite cheap just to try it out. THIS IS WONDERFUL! It’s addictive! I’ve fallen in love with the Allure EDP after wrongfully thinking this line was going to be basic and not up my alley (I’m still traumatized by Chance Eau Tendre and Gabrielle, despite being an absolute Chanel fanboy). This is Allure...and SPICES/PATCHOULI/WOOD. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel and I am addicted to it. It is such a nice balance. It’s the kind of patchouli perfume I am more into, not a fruitchouli by any means. In fact, something about it has a “Coromandel Eau Fraiche” vibe or something. I love Coromandel with a passion and this gives me that kinda feel, but lighter and different. I was afraid of the lavender note as I am not a fan, but I can’t detect it at all! The menthol comments also had me hesitant but I don’t get any of that! I’ll come back with comments about its staying power once I’ve worn it for a full day. I received it about an hour ago in the mail. But I will say it’s such an instant love, I found a cheap full 100 ml tester bottle and just bought it a few minutes ago. I still haven’t gotten a full bottle of Coromandel (just used many samples), so before that happens (I still can’t bring myself to pay so much for a full bottle)...this might actually be my signature. 🥀 Update 02/23 - It’s been less than a month and I absolutely love it. I’ve worn it a lot (I also broke and bought a full bottle of Coromandel 🥰), and really enjoy the feeling it evokes. It is definitely a sensual vibe, while also being elegant. It’s very cozy and inviting, without it being too warm or too much amber or patchouli. It’s really well done. It has pretty good longevity, with it staying even longer on clothes. I don’t think it projects much after a few hours unless you spray a few more sprays than you would with stronger scents. But I have found a trick, I do a couple of sprays of Chance edp, and after that has dried I spray this over it. This actually shares many of the notes in Chance edp, so it doesn’t affect it too much. *I also think the notes listed on here are incorrect, I actually don’t think this has any lavender.* Eventually I’d like to get the body cream to see if that helps with projection, even though I still am very happy with this. Not every fragrance needs to be loud and be noticed by others, sometimes it’s nice to just have something for you. Btw I think this and Égoïste are Chanel’s hidden gems. Update 10/27 - One of Chanel’s best offerings from their main line and exclusifs collection. I love so so SO many Chanel’s, there’s only a few I don’t care for. And although I can see the artistry and appreciate all of them, this is up there in their best options. It stays forever on my clothes, I get tons of compliments, and I feel so good and beautiful when I wear it. I never thought I’d love this as much as I do but I’m on my third bottle. Part of that is because I sprayed a lot of a bottle into a soap & glory rose/patchouli lotion so I could have a body cream that helps with the longevity on my skin. But overall I will continue buying Allure Sensuelle, the surprising and unexpected love that I hope to not ever be without.

After loving no5 on so many others for years, I bought it for myself and realised that it just didn't fit me; love the smell but it was a little like wearing a cocktail dress to clean my house..just didn't suit. Coco never smelled very nice on me and so I just kind of wrote off the whole house as not being my style. Yet, somehow I found myself standing in front of the somewhat intimidating Chanel shelf in David Jones yesterday, feeling just a little too bogan to be looking up at the sophisticated glass bottles and said to the sales girl " I'm trying to find "My" chanel" I tried all of them. Coco mademouiselle was nothing more than a patch bomb on my skin. Chance..Well I'm just not that elegant. Coco noir; I actually did quite like, but didn't love. Allure edp..to much peach. Allure edt..boring. No 19, no thank you. Gabrielle was nice but I have many much more interesting florals at home. Much like wedding dress shopping, they were all nice but none were " The one". I thought all hope was lost until I picked up Allure sensuelle, the golden liquid sparkling under the light, even the bottle seemed slightly warmer than the rest; almost as if it was calling me. I sprayed her on my wrist and my nose went to olfactory heaven. Spicy, slightly sweet, grown up and feminine but lacking that typical chanel austerity that I find way to serious for my style and taste. A few minutes after the warm oriental opening I get a whiff of what reminds me of raspberry flavoured lollies, it's red berry but not a synthetic sugar sweet berry. It soon turns warm and aromatic, but that dark red sweetness always lingers. It makes me think of burgundy silk. It has no age limits this one, it's grown up yes, but because it has a slightly more...relaxed? Feel about it, I do think it would fit any woman of any age, in any setting. This won't be a night out scent, more of a nice out for the day fragrance. Longevity is about as good as it gets with any chanel edp these days. It's not bad; about 4 to 6 hours, with the last 2 being more of a skin scent. I was planning on going home and ordering a 30ml bottle online since they didn't have any in store. But after a momentary complete lapse of self control, I walked out wondering what the hell just happened, with my bank account wincing in agony. And now a 50ml bottle of the edp is sitting smugly on my dresser

I first smelt this fragrance in a very weird setting. I had to take my mum to the hospital when she was unwell and whilst we were waiting for treatment a very kind nurse came over to us who smelt out of this world amazing. Both my mum and I complimented her fragrance and she told us it was Allure Sensuelle. Thankfully my mum was fine, else it may have triggered bad memories for me, and so I went on to buy this fragrance, which my mum and I still refer to just as “ the nurse’s perfume” 😂 It is a beautiful spicy patchouli bomb that becomes very much like a second skin, but with good longevity and projection. The citrus and fruit notes that the original Allure is well known for are here to stop it veering into Opium-level spiciness (I adore Opium though!). I always loved the original Allure EDT; which I first discovered dousing myself with whatever was on the fragrance counters when I was a poor 16 year old shopping with friends; this definitely has that Allure DNA in it, but is way sexier! I would almost say this is a winter and night-time Allure. As someone else commented on here, it’s very much a grown woman scent, almost like Allure grew up into a classy, beautiful woman. I would love to make this my signature but do find it works best when I am well dressed and going somewhere, whether that be work or otherwise. I work from home permanently now and it’s too much in that setting. It is a compliment magnet, I topped it up once in the office and a number of colleagues said straightaway how incredible the room smelt. I am quite a shy person and didn't confess it was my fragrance ☺️ My mum and family who are never backward in saying when they don’t like my perfumes (which is quite often!) also love this on me and also feel it’s appropriate for all round wear provided you don’t overspray.

Sadly this "queen"is now only a sad, paler and tamed version of her former glorious, audacious and nuclear sillage-producing self. The density and richness, with the undercurrent of woods and spiced florals does not resemble who she currently became. This used to be the reason I skipped my biased and prejudiced opinion about flankers. This was one of the first fragrances I believed to be superior to her original...she was strong, poised, provocative, refined and intoxicating...people would know when you're around...the drama, the mystique and suspense...oh! she used to be magical, bitchy, hardcore, classy, bossy...Now she's uhmmmmm.....shame Chanel, I mean, really now! She smells the same but her soul has been sold....there are these missing links which were previously sumptuous...like an orchestra...in harmony with each other, you could not single out one single note because it blended so flawlessly. There is a thinness about her now which replaced the fullness...her fire is now merely a fleeting candle light which gets blown out by the lightest breeze...I'm really sad, I've lost my "armor", which makes me feel vulnerable and defenseless...like when you're not fully dressed, that feeling when you're halfway through the door but feel you've left "something"behind but you can't pinpoint "what' axactly. ...But my addiction for this fragrance keeps me coming back to her..even if she only makes me feel half the invincible and conquering inner seducer she used to..there's nothing else that smells like her, maybe that's why, maybe because only few men wear her...whatever, I don't care...she's one of a kind, she's mine, she's "me", I become "her", her gaze, her strength and her "rawness"wrapped in sheer refinement and class!

Between Allure EDT, EDP, and Sensuelle, Sensuelle is my clear favorite. Let me first say that I am not the biggest fan of patchouli. I don't know where Chanel sources there patch from or whether it's just brilliant chemistry and balance, but I love this, and love even more the patch dominant Coromandel! I'm also, generally speaking, not a fan of heavy amounts of pepper, but in this instance, it seems to help accept the rose note while providing a bit of a kick. I find the composition to be silky smooth, provided you don't overspray, which I just did - which I just did! LOL Seriously though, you don't really need more than a few sprays. I use a perfume primer with all my perfumes and it really helps increase longevity. I'm not quite sure I need it with this one. It's projection and silage are both very noticeable, another reason not to over-spray, unless you want to announce your approach 15 seconds before you enter a space and leave behind a memory when you exit. Overall, I think it's the gorgeous sandalwood that holds the composition together and makes it so smooth. I also really enjoy the vanilla here. It's most definitely an adult vanilla, fragrant but not too sweet. I received this in a swap with a lovely fellow Fragrantician and I am very pleased. This is a love for me, and I think that if it came out today, it could easily be part of the Les Exclusifs line. EDIT - I just want to add that in my opinion this smells much better in the scent bubble that surrounds you than it does if you sniff your wrist up close. The scent bubble really demonstrates the idea of impeccable blending, but when sniffed up close, it can be pungent, with the pepper and citrus very noticeable.