Chance Eau Fraiche

Awhile back I asked my older, more sophisticated sister what fragrance she wore. She said she mixes Allure and Chance, without specifying one. I went to Dillard's, grabbed one of the 4 testers, sprayed myself generously and left. I fell in love with the scent. It was lemony and sporty and fresh and kind of reminded me of a shower, soap and shaving foam, the old-school white foamy kind. I hung my cardigan that evening and opened my closet later and got a blast of a cool clean peppery smell. I went back to Dillard's and told a sales associate I used one of the Chance fragrances but wasn't sure which one. When I said 'peppery' she immediately assumed I had tried Eau Tendre. I bought it and liked it ok but I knew it wasn't the right one. Today I finally went back and bought the correct one. Eau Fraiche, what a perfect, well-rounded scent. It's lemony but not chemically, it's fresh but not too earthy, it's soapy but not nauseating, and it's sporty but not in a 'Polo Sport' cheap overbearing way. It's one of the few scents that I have no complaints about. A miracle, actually. I usually always find a note that sticks out that I don't like, or I find a scent that smells like another scent or another person, this one is just so perfect. It smells like Easter Day. I really do imagine a light green color, with pastel eggs, a fresh cool grassy morning breeze, and a lemon pie for lunch. Something like that. And I can't wait to try during the tiny cold season we have here in Texas. This scent is cool, sharp and linear. I think that helps it be appropriate during any season. My new signature, I do believe! What an exciting time in my life ;)

I said I’d eventually write a review for this after spending more time with my sample, so here it is. I wore this during the 2022 heatwave. And yes, I ended up buying another sample. I couldn’t decide, basically, if I wanted this to be my signature or not. It’s SO good. It’s perfectly fresh-feminine. Girls that don’t want to smell too “girly”. Girls that don’t want to smell too “perfumey”. Decidedly not masculine but not your traditional feminine. In my last review I mentioned that lemon verbena quality to it, which must be the use of cedar as a top-note. It’s so classy, fresh, sexy and self assured. However, I decided against it as a signature in the end. Despite how much I adore the scent, there is something linear and slightly cold about it. This works beautifully well in the summer, but at any other time of the year, especially here in the UK rain, I couldn’t wear it. It suits the French chic girl. It is beautiful, demure, controlled, classy. That girl is not me. Chance Eau Fraiche is not generous or bombastic, it’s restrained and pretty. I have possible undiagnosed ADHD and I often feel I am bursting at the seams. I need something giving and comforting. This is aloof and sexy and oh so good, but I cannot cosy up in it. If you’re not bothered by any of that, my God is it a safe blind buy. It’ll always be on my “love” list.

One of my most favorite citrus fragrances for summer, great for walking around outdoors, or indoors (which lasts much longer inside). The citrus opening is strong, and easily unisex, but lasts a good 4-6 hours. One of the longest lasting citruses I have smelt recently. With most citrus fragrances, they all only live in the opening and then die down within 30-90 minutes. The cedar, patchouli, pink pepper, vetiver, and iris here really help carry those citruses through, even though it makes the fragrance lean more on the unisex or borderline masculine side for a while. The projection and sillage on this is still very excellent and performs better than many "luxury" fragrances I have tried. The drydown then turns into feminine white florals after about 5-6 hours or so. The white musk base with a touch of patchouli always smells phenomenal (at least to me) and helps balance the top and middle notes without it being too fruity, screechy, overwhelming, or cheap (body spray territory). Great for cutting through heat and sweat. The Eau de Toilette lasts 6-8 hours on clothes easily, which makes its performance truly reminiscent of my favorite EDTs from 2001-2012. For this reason, I rate Chanel Chance Fraiche Eau de Toilette a great value for the price. I'll definitely be grabbing a small bottle of this for the summer.

Whichever way you look at it, a Chanel scent will always be chic. The Chance line is a deliberate crowd pleaser, it is not for people who love quirky or heavier niche scents, and especially Eau Tendre or Eau Fraiche are also aimed at younger audiences. It seems to me that this line is stripped of everything that could be challenging or surprising in any way to a regular nose with a turned up and amplified Chanel DNA and what is left is the Chance line. Saying that, I absolutely get it, find the idea very smart ..and obviously, they've nailed it. Eau Fraiche is beautifully fresh and it works very well with my skin chemistry and so I wear it - but not the scent itself, I wear the body lotion and the body oil. This way I find, I get the most out of it. Wearing it this way, it does not try to be more than it is because it smell like a luxury body care product in the first place. The citrus and cedar are beautifully warmed up by the amber and vetiver - with creamy flowers int he middle - ..or at least that's how I read it. It's a perfectly fresh casual and upbeat scent, meaning lunch date with friends or even a gym session. Guys love it on the opposite sex and they love wearing it themselves too. Rather good lasting power and decent projection.

I’ve often thought that I like change too much to have a signature perfume, but that all changed when I smelled Chance Eau Fraiche. I’ve been wearing this gorgeous fragrance since 2019 and I don’t see an end in sight. Most fragrances I need a break by the time I finish the bottle, but with Eau Fraiche I never want the fragrance to run out. When I wear Eau Fraiche I get fresh out of the shower vibes, walking in the forests of Washington vibes. It’s simultaneously sporty and classy. Eau Fraiche has the great duality of being the perfect fragrance to spritz on for a hike in the woods or to wear to the office. It’s such a refreshing and sophisticated scent. Eau Fraiche is completely inoffensive, borderline tomboyish but still extremely elegant. Chanel knows how to do elegance and class. Every time I wear this fragrance I get compliments, actually mostly by men. My husband LOVES this fragrance as well. I’m pretty sure it’s his absolute favorite! He doesn’t usually care about perfume, at all, but I know he likes a perfume on me if he chooses to say something. Chance Eau Fraiche could definitely be a year-round scent especially if you live in a hot humid state like me, but it shines best in the late spring, summer, and early autumn months.