Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif

EN Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif — a concentration of form and style Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif became, for me, one of those rare cases in which a familiar line receives not simply a new concentration, but a different inner state. It is still Bleu de Chanel, yet without its former transparent universality, without the desire to be immediately understood by everyone from the very first seconds. Here, the blue becomes darker, denser, more composed — like an expensive fabric that changes its shade under different light. There is no showy complexity in it. Chanel rarely declaims in public anyway, but here this restraint is especially emphasized. The fragrance does not flaunt its luxury, does not display expensive ingredients one by one, does not turn leather, amber and woody notes into a theatrical scene. Everything is assembled with great precision: smooth, deep, calm, with the kind of confidence that does not need to raise its voice. The main beauty of L’Exclusif lies in its woody essence. The sandalwood here does not sound dry or dusty, but broad, warm and noble. It gives the fragrance the foundation on which the entire composition rests. Labdanum adds a resinous shadow, amber gives it a soft inner glow, while the leathery nuance makes the fragrance more assured and deeper. This is not rough leather, nor a dark animalic note, but rather the impression of an expensive leather accessory polished by time and touch. Unlike many modern masculine fragrances, Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif does not try to become some sort of macho scent, nor something voluptuous or strainedly seductive. Its strength lies elsewhere: it represents a true gentleman in impeccable form. It smells expensive, but not ostentatious; masculine, but not aggressive; modern, but without fashionable fuss. It has that rare composure in which a fragrance does not need extravagance in order to become emblematic. On the skin, it unfolds gradually. At first it seems very whole, even monolithic, but with time, nuances begin to appear within this dark-blue surface: soft wood, resin, warm slightly sweet amber, muted leather. Everything stays very close to the skin, yet leaves a clear sense of presence. Not a shout, not a gesture, not an attempt to please. Rather, the quiet confidence of a man who has always known his own worth. Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif is not simply another version of a well-known fragrance. It is a deeper, denser and more precisely measured reading of it. There is an elegance in it that cannot be confused with mannerism. For me, it is one of the most successful Chanel releases of recent years: strict, beautiful, noble and absolutely complete. ___________ IT Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif — concentrazione di forma e stile Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif è diventato per me uno di quei rari casi in cui una linea ben conosciuta riceve non semplicemente una nuova concentrazione, ma un diverso stato interiore. È ancora Bleu de Chanel, ma senza la precedente universalità trasparente, senza il desiderio di essere compreso da tutti fin dai primi secondi. Qui il blu diventa più scuro, più denso, più raccolto — come un tessuto costoso che cambia tonalità a seconda della luce. Non c’è in lui una complessità ostentata. Chanel, in generale, raramente declama in pubblico, ma qui questa sobrietà è particolarmente marcata. Il profumo non esibisce il proprio lusso, non mostra gli ingredienti costosi uno per uno, non trasforma pelle, ambra e note legnose in una scena teatrale. Tutto è raccolto con grande precisione: liscio, profondo, calmo, con quella sicurezza che non ha bisogno di alzare la voce. La bellezza principale di L’Exclusif sta nella sua essenza legnosa. Il sandalo qui non suona secco né polveroso, ma ampio, caldo, nobile. Dà al profumo la base su cui si regge tutta la composizione. Il labdano aggiunge un’ombra resinosa, l’ambra un morbido bagliore interno, mentre la sfumatura cuoiata rende il profumo più sicuro e profondo. Non è una pelle ruvida, né una nota animale scura, ma piuttosto la sensazione di un costoso accessorio in pelle, lucidato dal tempo e dal contatto. A differenza di molte fragranze maschili moderne, Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif non cerca di diventare una sorta di profumo da macho, né qualcosa di voluttuoso o forzatamente seducente. La sua forza è altrove: rappresenta un vero gentiluomo in forma impeccabile. Suona costoso, ma non vistoso; maschile, ma non aggressivo; moderno, ma senza agitazione modaiola. Ha quella rara compostezza per cui un profumo non ha bisogno di eccentricità per diventare emblematico. Sulla pelle si apre gradualmente. All’inizio sembra molto compatto, persino monolitico, ma con il tempo, dentro questa superficie blu scura, iniziano ad affiorare le sfumature: legno morbido, resina, ambra calda e leggermente dolce, pelle attenuata. Tutto resta molto vicino alla pelle, ma lascia una chiara sensazione di presenza. Non un grido, non un gesto, non un tentativo di piacere. Piuttosto, la calma sicurezza di un uomo che ha sempre conosciuto il proprio valore. Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif non è semplicemente un’altra versione di un profumo famoso. È una sua lettura più profonda, più densa e più calibrata. C’è in lui un’eleganza che non può essere confusa con la manieratezza. Per me è uno degli Chanel più riusciti degli ultimi anni: rigoroso, bello, nobile e assolutamente compiuto.

Few fragrances we've seen released over the last few years have attracted the vitriol that BDC L'Exclusif has. It got an absolute hammering when it came out and the spittle and wide-eyed malevolence it attracts on the comments and reviews from some people shocked me. In my opinion, it is an absolutely majestic fragrance. I loved it from the moment it was thrust under my nose in Dubai Mall last year for the first time and I still do. It is of the BDC DNA for sure, but it is so far away removed from the EDP and EDT concentrations. It has this inimitable niche finesse. I'll try to explain it to you as if you've not smelt it. It just smells impossibly well put together and incredibly refined. There is some sticky amber dripped across some labdanum and one of the loveliest - I mean really, *really* good - sandalwoods you'll ever come across in the base. It sits atop a high castle of heavy, big money Ambroxan, fortified with powerful Iso E Super that gives it rock solid powerhouse performance. There is no freshness to it. There are no citruses in the head or aromatics in the middle but the echo of the BDCs is there, floating around the middle like the memory of yourself at the peak of your powers. This is about as good as a nighttime wearer Sandalwood-centric fragrance gets in my opinion. The only one I can think of offhand that gets anywhere near this of the same profile is Santal Precieux by Caron which is itself one of my all time favourites. This is darker and richer but wears similarly. L'Exclusif is not a daytime wearer really and doesn't have the universal wearability that its forebears have. Indeed, they are so different that I have no issue in recommending owning the EDP and the darker, even more sophisticated L'Exclusif for the evenings. I own both. The problem the fragrance community sometimes has is that there are sections of it that hate everything the designer mainstream does, everything they release. It gets absolutely demolished in the reviews in many cases without the reviewer trying it. Too expensive. Too short-lived. Too mainstream. Too derivative. Doesnt perform. Performs too much and is headache inducing. All that stuff. Is L'Exclusif overpriced? Probably. But I would contend that if I was going to pay $300+ for a designer with niche quality, it would be this one, Tuxedo by YSL and a few of the LVs. I'm almost glad it is very expensive because it means it will stay nicely away from the general mainstream and because of that will stay special. Things this special should be special. I get a huge kick out of wearing that that no other Chanel has ever given me. It is absolutely magnificent. A truly special fragrance. Three Word Summary: The Ultimate Sandalwood Layering suggestion: Try the EDP concentration of BDC over the top during the day. It is symphonic. Outfit suggestion: dark blue jeans, Loake dark brown suede Chelsea boots, fitted white button-down shirt, designer belt, dark blue jacket, pocket square, IWC Ingeneur 40 on a leather strap. Scent - 10/10 Sillage - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 9/10 43/50

Chanel's L'exclusif really is a stylish, attractive and solid performing fragrance. Its more than capable of being a worthy companion all year long and any occasion with perhaps better choices available only at the height of summer or a day at the beach! Apart from that it's very agreeable and more. I've always liked the Bleu de Chanel range and purchased the very first edt release many, many years ago. I never continued on with the evolution of this range though. Not for any specific reason but more that there were many scents to discover not to mention a huge amount of other blue fragrances and of course still are! Like everyone, I tried L'exclusif on release and felt it was nice but not quite worthy of the hefty pricetag for a designer fragrance. For some unknown reason, over recent times I've found myself being drawn back to this profile and in particular this scent. Which is a surprise to me as I have a decent collection with a fair few higher end and niche offerings as well a a fair amount of designer and middle east perfumes of all genres and prices. So why did I finally acquire a bottle of the most controversial release of the BDC range? After a little thought I realised that sometimes you just want something that is stylish enough to satisfy the artsy/artisan side of perfumery but also still allows you to wear it any time you want and in any scenario you might find yourself. The sweet spot of safeness, reliability and quality of a great house with enough flair to satisfy and offer just a little something extra to elevate it enough to distinguish itself from the crowd. The blue element is still easily identifiable of course but with this particular perfume there is the added sophistication of resinous, ambery and musky facets with just a touch of leather. The overall effect is a true mix of all these elements with something gently animalic occasionally showing It's never unpleasant though, it actually adds a lovely deep roundness to the overall aroma. This is the grown up version of BDC, probably more for older men 35 and above, well dressed and with a little more about them than the usual designer fragrance buyers! Performance is on a par with the profile of the target audience, solid projection for an hour or two. Around a metre at most initially then dropping back to half of that distance for at least another 6-7 hours. Sillage is equally elegant too, people will detect this as you pass by for pretty much a whole day and well into the evening. What I find is that it's performance and profile is enough to keep me and others interested but without the danger of fragrance fatigue that I sometimes get with high power, beast performance perfumes. Simply put; it's a high end, elegant fragrance that is a standout option for everything from the office to a family occasion or a special event and anything else you can think of. Currently available with a discount of around 20% in the UK, that pushes this into a more affordable bracket and definitely worthy of consideration.

The perfect Winter fragrance in my opinion. It stands the furthest apart from the rest of the Bleu de Chanel line. It's rich, mysterious, and sophisticated. This fragrance opens with warm spices and a bit of citrusy grapefruit but the spice doesn't come off sort of harsh like Sauvage Elixir, it's very smooth and blended together with the resinous amber and creamy woods rounding it out. That spice will begin to take a backseat after a short time and the Amber will take centerstage for a long duration of the fragrances lifespan. In the air you will mostly smell a rich dark amber, faint smoky leather coming from I assume the labdanum, creamy sandalwood and a bit of powderiness that rounds it all together. For how much the description of this fragrance sounds like it will be so thick and heavy it actually comes off as light and airy to the nose, which is what I think sets this apart from other amber forward fragrances like for example how the toffee and amber are done in Azzaro The Most Wanted, and Armani Stronger With You Intensely. They are so thick and goopy, too edible because of the toffee note. L'exclusif isn't comparable to all the 'amberwoods' and Stronger With You Copies that flood the market. There's definitely detectible notes in this that aren't listed, it's quite complex and uses high quality ingredients. I'd highly recommend getting your nose on it, and spraying ON SKIN, on test paper this comes off much more spicy to me, Which I think is a bad example of what it will actually smell like when you wear it. L'Exclusif Lasts a very long time, it will project very well for 3 hours, then lose its longer range projection through the rest of the day, it keeps a personal scent bubble around you for quite some time though. It will remain detectible up close to the skin for as long as Sauvage Elixir does on me. I'd recommend 1-2 sprays. The person I would see wearing this is someone quiet and reserved, mysterious and inquisitive. Maybe like Sherlock Holmes but without any ashy pipe smoke? idk. I wear this when I watch murder mystery movies because it just fits the vibe. if this sounds like something you'd be interested in I highly recommend trying it. Side Note: If Chanel reformulates this I will cry...

@Fragdiggeerrkr You're full of it mate, don't know what is going on in South Korea nor do I care enough to verify that claim but a less than 5 minutes check on ebay will reveal to you that the average re-sale price of NEW boxed/sealed bottles of L'Exclusif are selling for MORE than the current US retail price not less. I saw only one 60ml selling for $10 less, all others are selling for significantly more. You sound completely unhinged which makes one question your motives for your post. It's one thing to express your dislike for the fragrance which you are entitled to do(your preference is your preference) but it is another thing entirely to make grand proclamations of it being a "marketing scam" "garbage" and so on and so forth and then go on to support your wild claims with supposed massive resale drops in price in South Korea which no one is going to bother to verify unless they can speak/read Korean. All while a quick check on ebay(the market standard for resale prices) will not only debunk such a notion it will prove the exact opposite is true. Methinks you are the scammer here not Chanel, their prices are well in line and consistent with their general price structure relative to other brands and L'Exclusif is IMO(and many other people btw) either the best of the line or a very close second to the Parfum. Next time if you want to express your disdain for a fragrance try to refrain from making bogus unsubstantaited claims otherwise you will come off looking like a fool. Also why are you going so far out of your way to urge people not to buy this fragrance, what's it to you, have you no humility, are you all of a sudden the arbiter of what is of good quality and value so much so that you get to tell people what they should or should not buy? Stick to your own personal assesment of the fragrance(sans wild unsubstantiated claims) and if it has merit and resonates such that people refrain from purchasing the fragrance because of it, so be it, but it's up to them to decide what they should invest their money in NOT you to dicate to them.