Chanel N°22

I'm beginning to think I've gone over the edge!! I've been obsessed with Chanel lately, looking for and acquiring several partially used vintages such as Allure EDT and No. 19 EDT, along with almost all of the 4 ml Les Exclusifs mini EDPs. This is on top of several I already owned in various vintages and concentrations.. Along the way I discovered a great love for Coromandel, and was able to purchase an almost full, authentic 1932. Since my state income tax refund arrived, I pulled the trigger and purchased a 2.5 oz No. 22 directly from Chanel, almost impulsively. I decided to generously apply my mini version just to be sure, and "YES!!!" I said, to no one in particular. No. 22 was my wedding scent - first marriage, 30 years ago - and at the time, it came in the white cannister and included various additional products. I had the white cannister, the dusting powder with the powder puff (a luxury I truly miss in perfumery in general), and the body lotion. It wasn't until afterwards that I discovered that it was considered to be Chanel's bridal perfume. I smelt fantastic! This was in 1991, when the big powerhouses reigned supreme. I felt very chic, subdued, and sophisticated in my gorgeous fragrance that was the antithesis of all that was mega popular at the time. Why am I sharing this long and likely boring story? Well, partially to highlight just how personal and evocative fragrance can be, and also to say I have no regrets about purchasing my new bottle. I'm completely prepared for the now unfortunate longevity issues with Chanel, but I don't care. I plan on spraying this on as often and as indulgently as I can. Because it brings me joy. And due to the passage of time, this doesn't smell any different than it did on the day of my wedding - aldehydes galore, stunning ylang ylang, beautiful, heady white florals, and that incomparable Chanel iris. Next on my list is a FB of Coromandel. That one will be on my husband - no. 2 - ; )! I have plenty of samples available to spray on whenever the urge hits me! Thanks for your indulgence if you read through this walk down memory lane.

Early X'mas gift from my husband is a No 22 Parfum in the iconic little perfume. bottle. I thought the original scent (pre exclusives) wasn't available any longer. I was so surprised to find out you can still get it! I contacted Chanel twice just to be sure and the confirmed that it is the original and not the exclusives version. On the site you have to do some digging as they've lumped it in under the exclusives and it is easy to confuse it with the exclusives edp. This rounds out my collection nicely as I have several vintage edt, cologne, exclusives edt and now a new original formula parfum. The lightest is the exclusives edt. It's a very pretty scent and has good staying power for a edt. I have many scents in my rotation but 22 has always been "the one". I was in my early 20s back in the 90s when a generous sales person loaded me up with samples after I had splurged on some makeup (my first coco pink lipstick, RIP my love) It took a while for me to fall....but once my samples were empty, I had found my signature. The opening of the parfum is like all the other versions breezy, metalic cool floral that makes me feel beautiful but underdressed. I'm not getting the thick incense on the dry down but I am getting a little light pepper which is new. Now maybe I'm not comparing apples to apples because I did not have the perfume previous...OR is it because they have changed it even though they claim it is the "original" . Doesn't matter all that much as it is beautiful and I cannot stop holding my wrist to my nose. I am very appreciative of the thoughtful gift. Edit: the picture does not match the description. My review is for the Parfum not the EDP.

No. 22 EDT is heavenly. Much like it's far more famous sibling, No. 5, No. 22 is built on an overdose of aliphatic aldehydes. These are what give fragrances a lift, a sparkle, they are ethereal, the superstars of sillage. Aliphatic aldehydes are organic compounds that have no aromatic rings attached to the aldehyde group. Moreover, these molecules do not have any aromatic ring attached to anywhere of the compound. What does this mean? Well, more simply put, it allows these molecules to fly like albatrosses and exhilarate olfactory receptors in a way aromatic aldehydes and other scent molecules can't. To put it plainly, they are the razzle-dazzle in a composition. In No. 22, they soar off the skin and pull the florals with them, and we experience once more, as with No. 5, the synergy between the aldehydes and ylang ylang. However, no 22 is more about the interplay with the white florals, and is a bit less lusty and more proper. Be that as it may, it isn't prissy by any means, and in fact I would argue that it has more unisex potential than No. 5. due to there being a classic cologne overtone of neroli and a plush woodiness to its dry down. Today, I wear this on a sunny day, with clear blue skies, and it seems rather apt: it has that disposition, elegantly hopeful and confident. This is based on a vintage 19ml bottle, date unknown.

This is perfection in a bottle. And, yes, definitely the vintage over the new exclusif line. I have the new version, too, and it still tops any other fragrance, but there's nothing like the vintage EDT in the white plastic bottle with the refills (if I knew they were going to change the formula and discontinue, I would have bought up a store full of refills ten years ago!) . . . the pure parfum is even more divine and a tiny bottle lasts a really long time. Nothing can top this for me (and I've been searching for years). My husband loves it as well and hasn't liked anything else I've worn even half as much in the 15+ years we've been together. It's soft, powdery, feminine, loveliness-in-a-bottle - just can't even put it into words. My husband says classy, soft, graceful, sensual, beautiful . . . all the words you would want to hear! I just wish they would have never changed the formula and kept the old 1.7 ounce EDT classic refillable bottles. I used to wear it every single day, and that was when it was about $45-$50 for a refill. Now the vintage refills are three times that price if you can find them. But, yes, the new Exclusif version that you can get at Chanel boutiques is *almost* as divine. If anyone knows of another perfume that comes close to this classic beauty, I would love any recommendations. <3 xo

I'm reviewing the vintage extrait. Oh. My. God. This perfume is EVERYTHING. It's almost a paradox, it's magical. No. 22 is incredibly elegant and classy, almost incomprehensibly so, yet it's completely unpretentious at the same time. Ultra rich yet somehow low-key. It's chic, refined, proper, and somehow sexy/sexual at the same time. It's equally soapy/sparkling clean and sultry, indolic, and even a bit. It is equally appropriate with a business suit, an elegant cocktail gown, and scandalous lingerie (i.e. Agent Provocatuer black silk and lace crotchless thongs paired with nothing more than pasties). It is the epitome of the roaring 20's, right there with Caron Nuit de Noel, but NdN is not the jack-of-all-trades chameleon that No. 22 is. No. 22 doesn't take itself as seriously, even though she is a hell of a serious piece of art. How Chanel? How can you make me feel so elegant, sophisticated, refined, womanly, and at the same time, sexual, playful, and easygoing? No. 22 actually kind of blows my mind. The EDT lacks the depth and nuances of the vintage extrait, but manages to retain the character. I have yet to try the EDP and the new extrait but they look extremely promising too. No. 22 has serious potential to become my signature scent.