Les Exclusifs de Chanel Bel Respiro

(This review is for the Bel Respiro EdT, c. 2008-2009, not the EdP) Spring-time in a bottle. You know exactly what you're in for when you first apply it and you are gently but firmly enveloped in accords of fresh herbs and cut grass. The opening is a bit sharp, and certainly very green, but it's a bracing and invigorating sensation that calms down rather quickly. The heart of this perfume is meant to be the star and deliver the goods. There is a pleasant and quiet pinkish-purple floral accord to the heart that Chanel says is rose, lilac, and hyacinth. Putting my finger on it (or my nose to it), I get more hyacinth out of the heart than the others, with the lilac coming a close second. I don't doubt there is rose to this, but there are thousands (?) of different roses, and roses are known for having a massive range of olfactory characteristics depending upon the species and terroir - so, while I can't really pick out what, to me, is rose, I'll still believe them. But, anyway, back to the hyacinth and lilac - they are beautiful: soft, smooth, airy and light, there is almost a citrusy component to them - something a touch sour - that makes it feel like you're smelling hyacinth and lilac that have just bloomed in a cool and dewy night but aren't going to blow you away with their pungency. This sensation makes Bel Respiro a wonderful hot weather scent. Cooling, smooth, clean, and fresh, for me it does extremely well at staving off the heat and closeness of a summer day. An incense and leather base? Eh, no not really - maybe, but not in the way that you would think. The leather is a very, very light animalic-musky type accord rather than full-on castoreum or birch tar aka freshly-tanned leather. The incense, arguably more prominent than the "leather," is quite a green and resinous incense that is certainly not smokey. Drawbacks to Bel Respiro EdT? Well, it's discontinued, so you can't have it unless you want to pay eye-watering prices on the aftermarket. For a Les Exclusif it's a bit simplistic, and when you could get it retail it was definitely overpriced with that in mind. If you can and are so-inclined to set those points aside, it's a wonderful perfume. It's one of my favorite summer scents when I'm looking for something cooling and light that also provides that smooth and supple chic that Chanel does so well.

I'm pretty convinced that Bel Respiro is the more sophisticated sister of Chanel No. 19. It reminds me of 19 too much since first sniff. Drydown is more delectable with a hint of flowers, though. I always find the perfumes in Les Exclusifs de Chanel to be very intriguing. They are not for everyone, and when they smell great, they are really great, but when they don't agree with you, they could be disasters. Bel Respiro belongs to the first category: it is really great. I'm not very into green perfumes as they could be very dry, but Bel Respiro wins my heart over. It's green, but unlike its more sinister friends, Bel Respiro is definitely fresher, calmer and more innocent. It's not like the other greens I know: this one's very idyllic, possessing to it a quiet dignity. It opens with very green smell which quickly evaporates to let the other notes shine through. A few hours into the application, it smells like how I imagine 18th century garden would be. The feeling kinda reminds me of one of my all-time favourites: Un Jardin Après La Mousson by Hermès. Both evoke the feeling that you're breathing in fresh, clean misty air after the rain. UJALM is more vegetal, though, and definitely spicier than Bel Respiro. If UJALM is a herb garden after rain, Bel Respiro is the frontyard of a mansion after rain. Green, misty and very innocent. Overall, this is one hell of a green perfume and one which I desire most in Les Exclusifs de Chanel. It's soft, it's fresh and it's innocent. The perfect quiet scent which will take you to another world. Rating: 9/10

When you dig down to the basenotes, it turns out the original EDT from 2007 is quite different from the EDP. Both are two of the most photorealistic fragrances I've ever experienced, quite a shock from a house most known for it's abstraction. Whilst both open medias res of a sudden gust of wind, each situate you in quite a different environment. In the EDP, this gust of wind hits you from a clear horizon, in a rolling meadow of freshly cut green grass and daffodils, with the sea in the distance. In the EDT, the breeze is gentler, placing you in a formal garden, the Gardens of Versailles perhaps, full of Galbanum and Iris, but also herbs, green tea and tomato leaves. If you can imagine everything green on the planet put in a blender and then rearranged, you'd get a pretty accurate picture of the EDT, If one could describe a green fragrance as meaty, I think this word applies here, almost bordering on gourmand. The crushed leaves here are dense, whereas the current EDP is light and diaphanous. In short, the gardens of the EDT are further inland, whilst the marine note in the EDP is closer to the coast. The EDT is more complex for sure, but if you're now used to the daffodil note from the EDP, it will feel amiss here. Both are 10/10 masterpieces either way in my view.

Going through the Les Exclusifs Discovery Set. Today it's Eau de Cologne and Bel Respiro. Bel Respiro is instantly recognizable as Chanel...aldehydes, powdery, a certain Chanelade I also recognize from No. 5 and others. This one is topped up with very classy, sophisticated green and fruity notes. Leans a bit feminine from the florals and powder. I'm not sure I'd wear this in public, but I would enjoy this when relaxing at home on a lazy spring or early summer Sunday with coffee and newspapers. Very very nice and love the Chanel vibes but will have to go through the rest of the Exclusifs lineup to see how it stacks up. Scent: 8 / Sillage: 7 / Longevity: 6 6/27/2022 Update: Previous impressions still stacks up...hints of No. 5 chanelade, classy and floral, rich smelling, but too feminine for me. Reminds me of Versaille vibe wise. Rich and decadent with an underlying class.

The first time I tried this I wasn't overly impressed--somehow it made me think "Chanel does No More Tears baby shampoo." But after a few more trials in the right setting, I was hooked, and this has become one of my favorites in my collection. It's natural, minimalist, and elegant, but also casual and versatile enough that it's appropriate for all warm-weather situations (I haven't tried it in cooler weather). It's named after Coco Chanel's vacation home, and appropriately so, referencing fresh air, fragrant grass, and relaxed fun in a beautiful outdoor setting. Before it gets too bland or pastoral, the galbanum evokes dark, waxy crushed leaves, adding a pleasant bitterness, and leather edges in a chewy bite. It needs generous spritzing and wears off quickly, but such is the nature of vacation weekends- glowingly pleasant, but necessarily short-lived.