Chanel No 46

No. 46 is one of the rarest perfumes from Chanel, incredibly hard to find and hugely sought after - for very good reason. As the number indicates, this scent was released in 1946 following the end of the Second World War, and heralded the idea of liberty and change, a theme which was also seen in other releases around the same time - Couer Joie, Le Roy Soleil and L’Huere Attendue to name a few. Earlier this month I attended Roja Dove’s ‘Fragrance Through The Decades’ talk held by The Fragrance Foundation - in which he discussed the most important perfumes of the last century, whilst of course showing off his impressive collection of classical fragrances - including Chanel’s No. 46. Following the end of the talk, after everyone had left, Roja and I were talking about this particular perfume as I was keen to get an idea of how it smelled. He simply asked - “Do you want to try it?”. I of course was taken aback, and said I wouldn’t want him to waste such a precious treasure to which he responded, “It’s not a waste if you enjoy it” with a sly smile on his face - and placed a small dab on my wrist. Instantly I was stunned, struck by the powerful spell of this beautiful scent. To me it felt very much in the same vein as No. 5 - an intensely powdery, aldehydic floral with endless amounts of class and sophistication about it. The dominant sultry aroma of a thousand jasmine flowers resting on a buttery, powdery bed of ylang and rose is enchanting. The key differences I notice with this scent is in the base. The added inclusion of coumarin and vanilla, paired with an overdose of orris creates an intensely creamy warmth with just the right amount of sweetness. Additionally, this is nowhere near as aldehydic as No. 5 - it doesn’t embody the sheer, metallic modernism which No. 5 chased in the 1920s, and instead embodies the idea of a warm, rising sun over a newly free and peaceful world. I would love to own a bottle of this one day, I can only hope I suppose; but until then I will be dreaming of smelling it again as each day goes by.

Thank you so much MuirinS for giving such a perfectly beautiful description of my FAVOURITE perfume!!!!! It is so beautiful, mysterious and definitely haunting.....alluring.....that's what I LOVE about it. It is my signature sent. I am totally bewitched and beguiled by it, and can hardly bring myself to wear any other perfume!!! I love it so totally. It is hauntingly (it's the perfect word!) elegant, rich and strong, and lasts strongly aaalllll day!!! And I get highly complimented from EVERYONE I have any contact with.....always!!!!!! I cannot tell you how many people swoon over it! My husband completely does! He adores it as much as I do. It is DIVINE!!!!!

In the last few hours, Ive read a small handful of reviews (in fact all I could find online) of Chanel No. 46. Several tout this rare scent as somewhat similar to Chanel No.5, but after an hour or so passing this under my nose; I find it is in fact more dissimilar than it is similar. No.46 was Coco's perfume that celebrated the end of the war and was launched the same year as its name might suggest. Whilst one might imagine a bright and optimistic perfume to commemorate a newfound hope and liberty, No.46 in fact retains some of the austerity of the suffering years... it feels mature and considered and pregnant with rumination. Its flight boasts a bright citrus/evergreen prickle which charms the receptors, before veering away into a rich, floral heart steeped in ylang, jasmine and rose. This dense nucleus flits between floral and slightly plummy, and calls to mind Roudnitska's post-WW2 masterstroke "Diorama" (1949) with its clipped refinement and grown-up sophistication. A husky orris/musk base presses up from below lifting tendrils of sandalwood and vanilla with it. No.46 stands alone in the Chanel stable as it does not call to mind any other release (except perhaps the sublime Chanel unicorn "Ivoire"). It resides in an olfactory register of wistfulness and scattered shadows; stylistically, something akin to Guerlain's "Vol de Nuit". A solemn and restrained perfume whose life was cut short at a time of renewed hope and optimism, there is no wonder No.46 was never a hit; but like most beautiful works of art, greater clarity often comes when you put a bit of distance between yourself and it. No.46 is utterly sublime

Years ago we still had this sweet, locally owned perfume shop in the old town area. About 19 or 18 years ago it got literally moved to a new location by the new owner, a very sweet lady. The shop doesn't exist anymore at all by the way. So since I have already been collecting perfumes, I got acquainted with this new lady owner and bought many perfumes from Her. One day when I stopped by to get a bottle of Chanel perfumes (wasn't sure which yet, but walked out with #19 EdT) She said: "would You like to smell something really special?". Of course I wanted to. She pulled out a bottle of... Chanel #46. I could t believe it, I have never heard of it. She put it on a blotter for me... It smelled very "full". Less incense or soapy but fortified with the floral notes. Very very deep floral. Very similar tone to Chanel #5 but... More floral. It definitely has something like civet and a strong woody base. Very aldehydic. If someone could ever say that #5 smells soapy or fresh - this was sweeter and deeper and oh so much dusty rose in it. That is the best I can remember it. She was selling it for like $600 - the opened bottle that She had. Or She wasn't even sure if She would sell it at all. The bottle was definitely at least 30ml if not 50ml. I could only dream of spending that kind of money back then. Now I see them going for $2500. I wish I had one since I am a die hard fan of Chanel perfumes. Well the store has been liquidated ever since, I wonder if I could still locate that lady (it's a small town) it She didn't move away yet. If She tells me $1000 or even $1500 I will just ask Her for a little payment plan.