Coromandel Parfum

Oh dear God. My bottle of Coromandel parfum arrived on the doorstep this morning. No, it couldn't have been delivered via FedEx. Instead, it must have descended from the heavens, escorted by the most exalted of cherubim. Or at least that's what the quality is suggesting to my nose. I'm testing the pure parfum on the tops of my wrists (a dab to each) alongside the EDP in the crook of an elbow for comparison. The parfum opens so richly, as though there's a bottomless depth to it. There's much less citrus here; as promised in the ad copy, it's darker and smokier than its previous iterations. Within an hour or two, the initial richness has largely departed, leaving in its wake a most glorious dry-down: that dusty, sweet, resinous patchouli with incense and white chocolate, much like the far, far dry-down of the EDP, only deeper. I'm currently about four hours in, and the parfum is still giving arm's length projection. I will update with more thoughts as I continue on this pure parfum journey. ETA: At six hours, there’s little projection, but it’s still quite detectable on skin. ETA, Part II: I get about seven to eight hours longevity with just a dab to each wrist. Imagine what the experience might be with heavier perfuming! Truly beautiful!

This was my birthday present from my husband. I like the EDP, but never tried the EDT. I have no Chanel store in my area, so I requested this as a blind buy. I have tried a lot and own a few of the Les Exclusifs EDP, but had a feeling that I would most appreciate this in the extrait. I was right. It is just gorgeous. It is softer and closer to the skin and does not waft about like the EDP. I am generally a floral aldehyde gal, so these incense, ambery, vanilla fragrances are usually appreciated by me when worn by others. I always felt floral fragrances were more consistent with my coloring, style, and impression. However, this is so beautiful and delicious that I had to have it. I chose the parfum to keep it close to me and for only those close enough to me to be in my personal bubble. I am in love! I always did like frankincense as an aromatherapy centering fragrance, but this parfum offers me that emotional response along with a sense of poetic beauty. It is perfect from beginning to end to my nose.

My favorite fragrance in parfum form? Why, of course I’ll spend that money I don’t have! Everything is beautiful. The bottle is beautiful. The stopper is beautiful. The wax I savagely ripped off was beautiful. And the scent... the scent is perfection. Coromandel smoothed out, airbrushed and polished. That harsh citrus sharpness at first spray of the edt, gone. The heart is intensified. Just a swipe from the stopper and my eyes are glazed over. True love. Edit: after living with this parfum for a while I have to edit my excitement a little. What I adore about the edt and edp are the patch and white chocolate, and while this is still Coromandel, those features, my favorites, have been relegated to the background in this variation. Still good, but wish the levels had not been adjusted as this is not the holy grail patchouli that it is in its other forms.

The original Western Oriental dream finally arrives in a Parfum version and it is a revelation. Influenced by the Chinese lacquered screens collected by Ms. Chanel, the dreamy concoction which remains a standard for Oriental perfume creations in western perfumery packs in quite a punch in the Parfum version, accentuating the incensy benzoin base and eliminating the overt white chocolate sweetness in the EDT dry down. The perfume opens with citrusy notes highlighted by a juicy orange. The heart is mostly patchouli with hints of rose, jasmine and orris. The perfume settles on a powdery benzoin base surrounded by olibanum and labdanum. This version is clearly more unisex with moderate to strong sillage and very good longevity. A beautiful new interpretation of a timeless classic which actually enhances its intended character. Enjoy!

Most days I use my big bottle of Coromandel edP spray, but for special occasions (or even bedtime), I will use drops of Coromandel pure Parfum on pulse points. The pure Parfum is stronger, yet more well rounded and there is much less of that "damp earth or wet paper" smell that the edP spray can have. The pure Parfum is smoother, warmer and is closer to the dry down of the edP spray! I am happy to have both, since I can spray the spray on my clothes and in my hair, whereas the pure Parfum needs to be dabbed. They compliment each other for sure. I get 4-5 hours of longevity with Coromandel spray, and the pure Parfum will last 12+ hours on my skin (not strong, but still there). I have not figured out the note yet, but the pure Parfum smells like soft Youth Dew on my skin after 10-12 hours.