Chanel No 19 Eau de Parfum

Today I get play one of my favorite games: a multi format vintage vs. new comparison. The beautiful lady walking arm-in-arm with me today is none other than No. 19. On the back of my left hand and that wrist is an EdC from probably the late 1970s/early 80s, on the upper part of that arm is a new EdP, and on my right hand and arm is an extrait from the early 1990s. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Curiously, No. 19 doesn't get much love, in fact it seems to get quite a bit of hate. I've heard some people say that if No. 19 was a woman, she would be a frigid "b" with no friends. Though I understand what they're saying, I think that's overly harsh and a classic case of being misunderstood. To me this character is more prim and proper rather than cold and mean; it's the difference between us loud and brash Americans versus British royalty, let's say: just because the Brit royalty is typical stiff-upper-lip and very proper doesn't make them cold and mean. This difference of character perception can also be seen across the formats and vintages I'm wearing today. Take my very old EdC vs. the new EdP as an example: though age has most assuredly tempered Ms. 19 in the EdC format, that hyper green claw-like galbanum top note is far smoother and well-rounded in the EdC than the EdP. The EdP is claws out, right from the get-go, and, as you would expect, those claws stay out for longer. Rather quickly, the EdC dries down to a very pleasant and soft powdery woody floral chock full of iris, lily, sandalwood, and oakmoss (real oakmoss - have I mentioned how much I love opportunities to smell real oakmoss?) - making this the easiest of the No. 19s to wear, and that's really the whole story of the EdC beyond this point. The EdC is desperately pretty, calm, and friendly after the last dry down and for the few hours beyond. After about an hour after application, the EdP's claws are still out but they've been filed down, and it's definitely more apparent that the use of synthetics is more prominent in this new EdP versus the old EdC. This is as you would expect, but I must emphasize that the "synthetic" quality of the EdP is more than you would expect. Now, I have a different frame of reference here because I'm smelling a very old EdC side-by-side with the new EdP, so don't take my comments to mean that the new EdP has an offputting fake quality to it, because it still smells amazing; if you don't have an old formulation to compare it to, you are likely not going to notice the synthetics much. The filed-down claws of the EdP that I mentioned are no longer in the form of a sharp green galbanum, but vivid, saturated, thorny florals. The EdP is all about the heart notes of rose, a rooty iris, jasmine, lily, and ylang ylang - but, again, be careful when you go in for a sniff or you reach your hand into that bouquet because there are thorns there. These aren't gentle florals by any means; they aren't going to actively scratch you, but they are fully capable of defending themselves if needed. Ms. 19 is no longer in fight-or-flight mode, but she still has her guard up. Those ylang-ylang and jasmine notes in the EdP are a tour de force team, all vivid and saturated colors of white, green, and yellow. But what about the extrait?! Yes, I know you want to know what the extrait is doing. Frankly, I'm at a loss for words with the extrait, but I shall try. It is just so, so, so good. Absolutely stunning. The extrait opened with the same hyper green galbanum note of the others - the EdP more specifically - but the galbanum is not claws-out like it is in the EdP. There are no claws here. The galbanum's personality is softened and gentrified by some of the most beautiful jasmine, iris, ylang-ylang and rose notes you will ever smell. Every note of the EdP (and EdC for that matter) are presented and accounted for in the extrait, but if I were to rate the materials/accords on realism, quality, and execution, the extrait would be 10 out of 10 while the EdP and EdC make do at 6. I love the EdC and the EdP, so this should hopefully place in understandable context just how good I think the extrait is. While the EdC and the EdP are playing around, drying down and doing there thing, at nearly three hours in the extrait is only just warming up. Remember what I said about No. 19 being prim and proper and not cold and mean? Picture then a beautiful, regal, proud and strong woman in the finest handmade dress and you have the extrait. Monica Belucci in Valentino, basically; the extrait smells the way she looks. It will be a couple hours more even at this point before the extrait begins moving, after the EdC and the EdP have mostly worn themselves out. One curiosity to definitely note, and it should also be mentioned it's quite a hot day here in my part of California, the bergamot and neroli of the extrait have a far greater voice on the blotter than they do on my skin. The same could be said for the EdP as well, but the voices of the bergamot and neroli of the extrait are still greater than that of EdP's. We're going to fast forward to the end of the day, many hours later. The EdC is long gone, the EdP is a very pleasant skin scent of soft sandalwoods and much more pronounced notes of vetiver and animalic musks than the EdC. And the extrait... it's still there. While I'm worn out from an afternoon of running around, this lovely lady on my arm is still there, energized, and ready for an evening soiree. The galbanum and florals are gone, but the vetiver, woods, and mosses are still going. Partly why the extrait is my favorite of the No. 19 formats is because Chanel have made it act like a proper extrait should. While the EdC and EdP tire themselves out in hours, launching themselves into the air and drying-down like they're in a race (a bit exaggerated, but you get my point), the extrait stays close to you. Very close. Insanely powerful, but close. That measured approach to its energy and output, like a real extrait in the classical style should be, is exemplary to the personality I find in Ms. No. 19. She's not cold and mean, she's elegant, proud, strong, and confident - with you for the long haul, so to speak. Those are my favorite kinds of people. And that's why No. 19 is very likely my favorite Chanel perfume.

[300] Chanel No. 19 is one of my favourite Chanels. I have a particular love for green scents, and No. 19 is a classic of the genre. Firmly rooted in the 1970s, it reminds me of Gloria Steinem in her heyday - feminine and powerful, individual and elegant. The green liquid in the iconic square Chanel bottle gives me joy, and the perfume smells even better. I hated this when I first smelled it as a young teenager, but it is a complex, masterful, vintage-style composition - an acquired taste (or smell). During the pandemic, it was hard to find, so I bought two bottles of the current formulation when it came back in stock. I have a vintage miniature EDT, and it is not dissimilar - but the galbanum here is slightly thinner and more bitter while simultaneously being more dewy. The No. 19 of today is still an austere, pursed-lipped lady from the 1970s delivering cold, verdant elegance. No. 19 opens with a rich, dewy green accord featuring a tart galbanum note, and some waxy florals, thanks to the heady hyacinth note. Some green lily-of-the-valley creeps in, complementing it beautifully. Some iris emerges at the heart of this scent, the most prominent floral note after the hyacinth - a nice nod to Chanel as a fragrance house. It is wonderfully powdery and melancholy, but is soft and fleeting. A little clean jasmine is in there too, alongside a nice, polleny narcissus note, but the green-hyacinth-iris accord is the main event. The chypre drydown is thinner and somehow sterile in comparison to the rich drydown of my vintage EDT, but it is still earthy and mossy, with some vetiver and woody notes, providing a nice cohesive development from the green opening. My big issue with modern No. 19 is its performance - for an EDP and at a Chanel price point, it is very disappointing - fleeting and light. Its big, green opening fades very quickly, and it is barely detectable when I arrive at work, having sprayed myself before leaving the house. I keep a smaller bottle in my handbag for reapplication - it is just too good to not wear and enjoy. I must track down a big vintage bottle in the quest for better performance (and maybe also for a richer galbanum note and more well-rounded chypre drydown.) No. 19 is a distinctly 1970s green scent that delivers cold, clean, ladylike elegance that also smells great on a man. Inoffensive and fresh, yet masterfully composed, it is ideal for daytime office wear. A prim and proper lady by day, and a 70s diva by night, No. 19 is understated power in a bottle. One of my favourite Chanels, but points lost for dismal performance. However, the scent itself is too good to give up. Verdant beauty, by way of Chanel. 4/5.

Drips class and sophistication. Simply a masterpeice! This was on my wishlist l remember my mother and aunts wearing it and no 5 in the 80s and they smelled so good. I used to sneak a few squirts out of my mother's bottle it was the vintage one silver plastic square casing with the gold band round it and gold chanel disk on the top. With the removable bottle of liquid inside. I recently bought this a few days back but it was a half bottle as l saw the mossy green notes and thought maybe l won't like it now. I was wrong! This pretty green liquid has a big personality she's classy and sexy. She is better than no.5 and has more complex fragrance notes and projects further than no 5. She is liquid good breeding and class in a bottle, she rides horses and wears tweed blazers, has two carat flawless solitaire diamonds in her ears, shes a rich woman in her 50s living in a country estate mansion, shoots pheasant and mixes with royalty she's aristocratic. This perfume has those notes expected in practically everything neroli bergamot and the corresponding flowers like iris that provide the emmerging powdery phase and then just as your melting into the powdery loveliness a mossy strange note comes through that makes you wonder oh that's strange, what's that? An almost smokey type smell. Its like it shouldnt be a typically female perfume note, something masculine thats fallen into the perfume formula and no one noticed? Its strange, earthy but pleasant then you realise it's oakmoss and leather and vetiver and sandlewood giving it that masculine serious grown up edge, its like a well groomed man, a totally shaggable silver haired fox with suntanned skin and sparkling blue eyes and perfect white teeth, 😆 🤣 😂 a handsome intriguing gentleman in an expensive leather coat and italian gucci loafers (without socks) and trendy jeans and a grey cashmere sweater reading in a secondhand bookstore where you can smell his coat, his male scent, the soap he washes with and the books that have aged in this perfume and a tiny bit of cigar smoke, and oh my goodness it grows in scent and when you move about you smell these soapy, leathery, smokey, mossy, powdery, notes that smell so unusual but expensive. It smells so classy l adore it. I have immediately bought a full 100ml bottle of the EDP so I can fully abuse my half bottle and wear it constantly for a couple of months and not have to worry about it running out. It is the most gorgeous perfume. I've never smelled something so masculine but also feminine in such an exquisite way before. I'm obsessed already! I give this a 10/10

So, I deleted my previous review about the longevity of this scent. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have longevity issues, because it truly does, but I found a remedy in my situation. I’m passing it on here in hopes that this may help to spark ideas for you. I was reading reviews and I came across one where the reviewer stated that in order to correct the longevity problem that they were having, they simply layered this over Molecule 01. That got me thinking. I don’t have Molecule 01 but I do have Perfect Veil in the roll on perfume oil. I thought, what do I have to lose by trying it out? I mean, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? The worse that can happen is that I don’t like it. This morning, I decided to give it a go. First, I very lightly applied Perfect Veil, then I sprayed this over it. The result? Absolutely DIVINE! The scent is truly ethereal AND it lasted all day long. I got whiffs of it through out the day. Perfect Veil added just a touch of sweetness to it, but other than that, it didn’t alter the scent. So very glad I tried it. Edit to add: I read other reviews stating the opinion that this scent smells like it is for a cold hearted, calculating, wire mother, total bitch of a woman who is venomous, poisonous, hissing, and down right vicious who would chew you up and spit you out across a boardroom floor.. I don’t know about Gabrielle Chanel, but anyone who knows anything at all about me knows that description doesn’t fit me at all. The truth is, that is not at all what inspired the making of this scent. I’ve read that this scent was inspired by Chanel’s weekends spent in the French countryside. Namely, the country house that Chanel owned, Bel Respiro. It is no wonder that fragrance in the Les Exclusifs line smells somewhat similar to this. This is an earthy scent inspired by nature and the earth, not by the kind of woman some may think Chanel was. Because of those kind of reviews, it stopped many from even trying this beautiful scent. I don’t find anything evil or cold hearted about this scent. I do, however, wonder about these reviewers’ intentions when writing such reviews though. It’s one thing not liking a scent. We all have likes and dislikes, but to use tactics like expressing that only an undesirable type of person would wear such a scent is a personal attack on those who love and wear this scent. As for everyone else, don’t take just my word for it. Try it yourself and see what you think.

Review for current EdP formulation, tested on a warm, humid evening: The drydown has a creamy, powdery aspect reminiscent of no.5 (it’s the ylang and iris), but here it’s cleaner and green, smoother. There is abit of floral sweetness from narcissus and rose, and the leather note is smooth and subtle. Overall, a well-blended and balanced fragrance. Extremely elegant, but warm and modest at the same time. A ‘proper lady’ perfume that isn’t overtly perfume-y. Reeks of status and refinement, but in an understated manner. I love it! Very comfortable to wear, but I personally would prefer this for spring, summer and early fall, the sweet floral notes come through better when the weather is warmer, I imagine it would lean more bitter-green if worn in cold weather. Perfect for office/professional use, or as a distinctive signature, or whenever you want to put your best foot forward in any formal setting. I imagine a soft-spoken doctor, or a demure professor wearing this scent as a signature... she’s neat, attractive, intellectual and quietly alluring, someone loved and respected by her peers. Not a trend follower, but an individualist. This is a very feminine perfume imho, but a rare sort of femininity these days, and the kind of feminine energy I perceive from this scent is graceful, calm, mature, and down to earth. Not sexy, not ‘cutesy’, not ‘boss-babe’, not self-centered. Very good longevity for a daytime scent, sillage is low to moderate depending how much you spray. Nothing bitter or sharp about this scent (atleast not on my skin and in the current weather condition I’m in), it’s buttery smooth and softly powdery, a fuzzy pale green...you just need patience to let the grass-like top notes fade, give it 20-30 minutes to settle and you will be pleasantly surprised. I was with a friend when I tested this (another perfume lover), he thought it smelled very pleasant and luxurious but ‘too mature’ for me. He said he could see this being my scent 10-15 years from now. I didn’t care, I wanted to own it now. I fell in love as soon as the fragrance warmed on my skin, and it naturally felt like it was a part of me. The other more mainstream fragrances I had tried on that day smelled meaningless and flat in comparison.