Bois des Iles Eau de Parfum

I have managed to acquire quite a few of the Les Exclusifs in the mini sample sizes that come in those lovely little boxes. I believe I now have 9 or 10 of them, and I am giving Bois des Iles a proper wearing today. These are all dab ons, not spritzes and I don't want to decant them because they look so adorable all together! I was a little dismayed by the opening. I didn't get much of the brightness I expected given the (unnoted) aldehydes and bergamot. Not that it was bad but different from my expectations. Over a period of about 30 minutes it transitions into a creamy sandalwood, ylang, and vanilla smell that I adore. Similar to Samsara? I suppose so, but not the Samsara EDT (pre-Bee bottle version). Samsara EDT is much greener, IMHO. The vintage EDP is closer, and the vintage parfum closest of all, but I really think I prefer BdI. It seems smoother, not an easy thing to accomplish considering that vintage Samsara has genuine Mysore sandalwood. However, I don't find the sandalwood in BdI to smell artificial at all. It's still very creamy and really pretty. As it begins to enter the dry down, the vanilla and resins become more prominent, albeit more faint. I'm getting about 4-5 hours, which is average for me, as I seem to become quickly anosmic to most fragrances I wear - my nose becomes fatigued. There is a very soft sillage, which I think my improve a bit if it was sprayed on rather than dabbed. All in all, I consider it a love. Whether or not I'll purchase a FB remains to be seen, and right now, Coromandel is leading the pack! If I came across a gently used partial on Ebay or Mercari at a decent price, I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up. I did so with 1932 through Mercari and had great success! Damn I smell great!! EDIT 2/18/22 - As of Xmas 2021, I own a full bottle. I love it even more than I did my sample.

Bois des Iles Eau de Parfum Chanel "Bois des Iles" the legacy of original Chanel's perfumery that can trace back many decade ago. When something is release for so long, you may thing they would tried to keep the scent as close to original. As close as possible, but I don't see that case with "Bois des Iles". If you trace back to origin of "Bois des Iles", it create as getaway scent. It is exotic and imaginative scent, it doesn't have to be certain interpolation. As this rendtion, EDP - Bois des Iles, given us the Resinous wood with yellow floral. I doesn't need much time to bloom and develop. Opening, you get blast of fresh, rich citrusy with floral accent. Before Ylang-Ylang starts to bloom. Ylang-Ylang in this. Smell so similar, I know if you a fan of neo-chypre fragrance. You will come across this so often, Jubilation XXV even 31 Rue Cambon. When the scent creep into the base, Creamy Sandalwood with Tonka sweeten show up. It is not as creamy as Tamdao, it has certain roughness to it but refine. Resinous woody amber, truly tasteful. Best describe as "Golden Wood" scent. I find this quite masculine even target for woman. this scent sure given Golden aura to the wearer. All you need in addtional, is a nice smile. Then the world is yours. Score 9/10 Longevity Projection Classfication : Unisex, leans Masculine Summary : The Golden Wood P.S. (Feb 21, 2024) - actually, this is quite animalic.. the ylang here have certain animalic here to a degree. It's a good one nonetheless... July 24, 2024 Bois des iles, works effortless on my skin. Golden powdery sandalwood that softly resinous. Woody cologne that easy to wear. This is unisex, and would smell good on representable man or woman. I will cringe to BdI for another while.

Bois des Iles is an excellent feminine sandalwood scent, smooth and creamy, with some yellow floral sweetness on a rich, ambery base. It is like the beautiful lovechild of Chanel No. 5 and Guerlain Samsara. BdI features a bright, aldehydic opening with some citrus. Here, it bears some resemblance to No. 5. The amber accord emerges early on, with soft woody notes developing after a little while. The sandalwood is remarkable - possibly the best sandalwood note I've encountered in a modern perfume, given the restrictions on the Mysore variety. It is complemented to perfection by the sweet, rich ylang ylang making for a heavenly woody-floral accord. It becomes powdery as it progresses on my skin. The amber base becomes more prominent as it develops, sweetened nicely by the creamy vanilla note. This, alongside the sandalwood, makes for a truly beautiful, old-fashioned drydown. It stays doesn't change much as it fades, perhaps becoming a little musky as it nears the skin scent stage. The vanilla-amber is king during the drydown. Sillage and longevity are moderate, but it becomes quite subtle very quickly, in the manner of the current No.19. Masterfully composed, BdI takes inspiration from the classics to become a top-notch modern sandalwood perfume with oriental facets. It is feminine-leaning in my opinion, but unisex depending on taste. Excellent, but I would like more projection for the price. A modern classic nonetheless. 4/5.

I don't think I've ever smelled a warmer, more comforting fragrance. A blast of ylang ylang mixed with aldehydes immediately reminds you of Chanel No.5, before veering in a woodier direction. The drydown combines sandalwood and tonka to create a coca-cola like effervescence. The official Chanel website only lists ylang-ylang, sandalwood and tonka but the aldehydes in the opening are unmistakably Chanel. In so many ways, Bois des Iles defies categorisation: it leans masculine when worn by a woman, feminine when worn by a man; reminds you of summer when sprayed in winter; winter when sprayed in summer. If the sublime is that which resists naming, Bois des Iles falls into that category in my view. It says a lot if Bois des Iles truly was Ernest Beaux's favourite creation, considering No.5 became so iconic within his lifetime and yet he clung most dearly to this. The constant comparisons to Egoiste are somewhat baffling. This shares far more in common with No. 5 than Egoiste. The longevity of this is less than comparable fragrances in the Exclusifs line such as Coromandel or Sycomore, as is the projection. Yet it's fleeting presence is in many way part of its charm.

This is just a quick note to help those of you curious / worried about the new EDP formulation: imagine a direct cross between the EDT and the parfum, and that's the EDP. In other words, like the parfum the EDP is rounder, deeper and more lingering than the EDT, but retains the EDT's brighter, more effusive opening; however, I have to admit the edges are softer and the overall effect is less harshly astringent. The lush Chanelinade florals are very much in evidence right from the start, calling to mind Cuir de Russie and the EDP of N°5, and this is predominantly what lends this new iteration of Bois des Îles its richness. In my humble opinion you need not be worried that your beloved Bois des Îles has been altered for the worse, or even noticeably changed. Of all the new EDPs, to me this is the one whose formula seems like it's been tinkered with the least -- it feels like it's merely been made more concentrated. If you were anosmic to some elements of the EDT, that's unlikely to change with the EDP; if however the EDT was long-lasting for you, I'm sure the EDP will be too, but more so. I find it persists for many, many hours.