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.

Chanel Bois des Iles (1926) - sandalwood surrealism - #ernestbeaux created the fragrance during a period of #surrealism believing that their works expressed elements of surprise, juxtapositions, and importance of the dream-like worlds and the notion of the subconscious dominated. While, on that journey, he got inspired from #tchaikovsky ‘s queen of spades. The opera is based on a groundbreaking story by Alexander Pushkin. In it, he wrote that "two obsessions can no more exist in the same mind than two bodies can exist in the same space." Such strong influences to make perfume! Beaux combines these juxtapositions of love and hazard by creating brightness & joy through sparkling Aldehydes, Ylang, White florals and then comes a woody and spicy backbone representing the mysterious forest. The surrealism component is how well he is able to represent Sandalwood, but this fragrance does not contain it. Aghast dear reader? Yes, it does not. For the components of the accords all come together to represent a magical sandalwood that isn’t there. A technical & artistic feat from the legendary master perfumer.

Having in mind that I really enjoy Chanel Egoiste, No22, and No5 Eau Première, the fact that I think Bois des Iles is one of the best fragrances ever created shouldn't surprise you. It starts with big blast of aldehydic freshness, citrus peels, and even ginger. Very bright, uplifting, and classy. In my mind, I see an intense yellow-green-lime colour. I can imagine myself staring at the morning sun in a beautiful island, drinking an amazing sour cocktail, surrounded by blooming citrus and ylang trees; as now I can start to smell the sweet, round smoothness of ylang-ylang. Soon though, the addicting and vibrant opening starts to fade into a sweeter, creamy, a bit vanillic, softly rosey, light sandalwoody base. Almost like an airy, refined, floral, more feminine version of Egoiste. Not a groundbreaking or natural-smelling drydown by any means; but very identifiable and alluring. Perfect. It may not stand out, it may not perform, and it may smell too feminine for some; but Bois des Iles is very Chanel, very ‘me’, very luscious, very elegant, and absolutely wonderful.

All I knew of Chanel was what I had smelled at Sephora or the mall. Chanel no. 5 edp gives me a headache. I assumed the fawning over Chanel was just hype. This saved my pocketbook for many years...until I smelled Bois des Iles and the other exclusifs! I finally got it! Bois des Iles made understand all the praise heaped on the no. 5 structure: the celestial burst of aldehydes (no headache), the seamless symphony of citrus to florals to a luscious creamy sandalwood then the most beautiful lingering gingerbread. I would not characterize Bois des Iles as sexy, but it is sensual. It is envelops the wearer in sophistication and heartbreaking beauty. You must wait to be invited in. The projection is not strong, leaving a gentle sillage. Longevity is good for 6 hours on me before becoming a skin scent. Appropriate for any occassion. A holy grail scent for me! Other favorites include Bois des Iles parfum, 31 Rue Cambon, and Cuir de Russie parfum. Edit: I have now come to love no 5 parfum and body cream. I layer the body cream with my other Chanel perfumes.

I have to completely disagree with that. I do not get how people can't smell the Chanel's , I seriously think there must be either something wrong with the bottle they purchase ( them being fakes ) or in this situation of celticelle , Revier bellow ,it might be allergies or Anosmia. A cold perhaps ? These perfumes are the bomb to my nose. Last into the next day to the point that it bothers me as I like to wear a different fragrance the next day and since I only shower every other day I almost feel like I can't switch up the perfume as the traces are still so strong. All night I smell it when I turn around in bed. In the morning right up until lunch the next day. I have a sample of bois de Iles EDP and its glorious and again lasted into the next day. Two sprays is all you need. My edt from 3 yrs ago same thing. Power bomb ! Creamy sweet sandalwood at its best.

This remains one of the most luxurious sandalwood fragrances .. so many reformulations since its creation and first release in 1926 yet it has managed to hold on to it's prestige. Anr Ernest Beaux magic. come to think of it the volume of fragrances that share a strong Russian connection is staggering. I imagine it would be a treat to sample the vintage and original creations. Bois des isles sort of conveys exotic and mysterious far away islands/places .. wood remains a dominant character in this perfume but the flowers thanks to the ylang ylang adds further richness and depth making it heavy but by no means cloying. Samsara and this remain my all time favorites. But they are different as much as being similar so do try them out. This is 24×7×365 inmho

In basic terms, No. 5 with ++sandalwood and less aldehydes and florals. I never used to understand why people said sandalwood smelled “creamy” until I got my nose on this. As the aldehydes slowly dissipate, the most beautiful, smooth, creamy, luxurious sweet and subtly spiced sandalwood comes through. As the perfume develops it becomes even more buttery, biscuity and cozy (you may even be able to detect something very like a gingerbread note!) before it dries down to a fluffy syrupy, but still warm and cozy tonka with subtle hints of the spice and sandalwood remaining. Certainly a bit “vintage” at first sniff but I encourage detractors of such scents to give this one a chance and I think you will be richly rewarded. Just lovely

Bois des Iles I'd never understood until now. It's weird that the EDP is what got me to love this scent, considering it was the EDT I preferred of both when comparing samples over the last year. A friend sold me a 10mL decant of the original formulation of the Les Exclusifs EDT and I thought I'd try this out one more time before giving the EDT a proper work out. Well, what can I say? I'm enticed. It's got some major similarities to at least No 22 in the same collection and a sandalwood that is to DIE for. It's soft, elegant and lovely. It doesn't last a terribly long time, which makes a reformulation totally unnecessary but aroma-wise, I think a good job was done. Won't offend, but can get on the creamy side.

I have not tried any other edition than the new 2016 EdP, but i love it. I own it, but had limited time with it. With each wearing i appreciate it and understand it more and more. Bois des Iles has many layers which peaks through from one moment to another. A real olfactive treat. There are other perfumes more perfect for me, but if i was to describe Bois des Iles in one word, it would be perfect. It's perfectly unisex, fresh, warm, comforting and exillirating. It's so beautiful. Also perfect all year round, day and night. A real classic scent. For when you want to feel good! Sillage is moderate, longivety is perfect. 8-10 hours. A must try for those who love classic perfumery or sandlwood. 8 out of 10

I liked the EdT enough a few years ago, but it was a skin scent and didn't make too much of an impression on me other than "mmm, gingerbread." The other week I received a sample of the EdP, and this one wears better on me. Can't point to why or how, but the overall experience is richer and for the first time I have moved Bois des Iles to the Want List. Even if I don't have cash for the purchase, I will certainly go out of my way to procure a replacement sample so I can keep on enjoying this gorgeous woody spicy scent and brighten some winter days. I bet it layers well, too. ETA: such a great scent. Just delicious and cozy and rich. Love. EdP has much improved longevity over the EdT, in my experience.

The aldehydes in the opening can be almost sour and off-putting to me and I’m usually not bothered by acidity in fragrances, but once I hit the half hour mark of wear this fragrance is perfection. I think if I were to rebuy it I would consider the parfum, personally. The opening of my Chanel No 5 parfum is more to my taste than this opening but I prefer this drydown most of the time. There are definitely similarities and they share more DNA than most other Chanel fragrances IMO. Edit 2/23, I tried the Parfum at a Chanel boutique and the longevity and projection were not as good as the EDP. So slightly sour aldehydes aside, still my favorite Exclusif and maybe my favorite Chanel.

Mm, nice one. I‘ve always liked Egoiste for the sandalwood-and-spices trip to the tropics it takes you on, but this, a very obvious precursor of Egoiste, has an added layer to offer that the later scent doesn’t. As I mentioned in my comment on Sycomore, Chanel has a kind of “cashmere machine“: Everything that goes in comes out smelling plusher, softer, warmer, more luxurious. And so it is with this warm and spicy take on sandalwood; it’s like Egoiste got the cashmere treatment. A beauty that just oozes warmth, comfort and sophistication. One of the best drydowns ever. And completely unisex too; anyone would feel comfortable and classy with Bois des Iles. An easy 9/10.

First of all, there are a lot of missing notes in the above notes pyramid. Bois des Iles Eau de Parfum has an Aldehydic (relatively less comparing to the Eau de Toilette) opening along with Bergamot, Mandarin and a somewhat spicy notes. The scent quickly moves to the heart with prominent notes of creamy Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang (relatively stronger comparing to the Eau de Toilette). The Jasmine, Iris, Roses and Aldehydes in the background helped create the most gorgeous floral, creamy, woody scent. The base is balsamic, slightly sweet with a touch of warm Vanilla, woody and powdery. It has moderate sillage and lasts over 10 hours on my cooler than average skin.

I tested this fragrance recently at the Chanel Boutique at Nordstrom Seattle. It is one of the Les Exclusifs, which date to the early 20th century. It has a complex and deeply satisfying scent. I'm guessing that the re-formulation is close to the original. Caution is advised with all Chanel fragrances that are not purchased at an authorized dealer. Because I cannot really afford the list price, I attempted to buy this lovely composition on eBay and realized there was something wrong at the first sniff. It was definitely counterfeit, and I had to send it back. Fortunately, eBay guarantees the buyer a genuine product and I did receive money back after the return.

I love this more than Samsara, and I really love Samsara! I have different vintages and different concentrations of Sam including the parfum, and it is a brilliant fragrance. It comes down to personal preferences, but I love how smooth BdI is right from the beginning and throughout. Compared to the somewhat harsher greenness of Sam EDT and EDP, I just love the smooth texture, for lack of a better word, of BdI much more. I will continue to love and wear Samsara, but will reserve Bois des Iles for special occasions and the occasional bedtime spritz for my own comfort and appreciation. NB - I get nothing from No. 5 in this.

I've owned this in the EdT & EdP version and have just recently repurchased the EdP because I forgot how much I loved it. I've also owned Egoiste and can say that while there are similarities, I don't think there's many. Along with a beautiful creamy sandalwood, this is all about thicker aldehydes compared to the EdT which definitely was a bit lighter, albeit more well rounded. It is a little floral at times with a soft jasmine and slightly syrupy ylang, but mostly sticks to the heavy hitters. This baby lasts, though. Very often approaching 14 or so hours.