Les Exclusifs de Chanel No 22

WHITE WEDDING BY CHANEL This is my all time favorite Chanel fragrance, well, when I'm not wearing No. 19 that is. Ernest Beaux (1881 to 1961) who brought us Chanel No. 5 in 1921 outdid even himself when he created No. 22 the following year in 1922. What a stroke of pure genius. This is a perfume of incredible heartbreaking beauty. I'm going to break down the notes from the 1922 orignal formula which sadly does not exist anymore because it's been reformulated by Jacques Polge (from 2007) and now selling as Les Exclusifs De Chanel No. 22, although I'm not complaining or knocking it. The new one is a sweeter softer version that kept the heart of the fragrance at least. I love both versions of the fragrance. No. 22's original formulaic structure was as follows: Head Notes: Aldehydes, Orange Blossom, Neroli Heart Notes: White Jasmine White Rose White Tuberose Lilac Base Notes: Sandalwood Vetiver Oak Moss Incense These notes were available as fragrance accords found in Grasse France at the time: jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, lilac, sandalwood, vetiver and oak moss. The innovative "new" notes that had not been used in fragrances before 1921 were in No. 22 and they were aldehydes and incense. Aldehydes had previously been used for Chanel No. 5. The aldehydic opening in No. 5 and No. 22 are similar, but No. 22 is far more excessive. It's a sparkling champagne. And that was the whole idea it starts off like someone pops open a bottle of champagne at a wedding. The white flowers are dominant in the heart of the fragrance: jasmine, tuberose and white roses. It's a wedding floral bouquet. The original had some green notes as well that blended with the white floral accord and it progressed into the dry down. The sandalwood made it a chypre which was already an established structure in fragrance by 1921. It's a lovely soft scented sandalwood. The most prominent base note of the old formula blew everyone away and sealed the deal: INCENSE! This was the perfumed incense at a Catholic Cathedral during a White Wedding. It's not dark smoke. It's pure church incense that totally takes you to a church wedding. It must have been so beautiful to smell on an actual bride during the 1920's. There is no doubt in my mind that this fragrance was especially created for brides to wear with their wedding gown on ther wedding day. Coco Chanel, never the motherly housewife type, didn't care for floral scents in her perfumes and would never have worn this one. She preferred oaks and woodsy notes and green notes in her chypre perfumes and was into No. 19 towards the end of her life. I have never smelled a more perfect, luxurious fragrance than No. 22 the original thanks to a good friend in France who has a very old worn fragrance like a trophy that adorns her grandmother's dresser. REVIEW OF THE NEW FORMULA FOR CHANEL NO 22 Jacques Polge reformulated No. 22 in February 2007 and they are still selling with the Les Exclusifs De Chanel line. This is what you're getting when you purchase it in the Chanel boutiques: Head Notes: Aldehydes Neroli Lily Of the Valley Heart Notes: Jasmine Tuberose Rose YlangYlang Base Notes: Vetiver Vanilla Amber Although amber is not listed on Fragrantica's list of accords, I can totally smell it. It's clearly there in the dry down and gives it a very clean soapy scent and warmth. It's also commonly found in most of today's formulas for fragrances even if they don't bother to list the note. The new formula retained the original aldehydes as the fragrance starts to wear on your skin. They kept the white floral fragrances of jasmine, tuberose and rose but added a new flower: ylangylang. And it's a HUGE ylangylang and clearly the most dominant floral note. They spent a considerable amount messing with the base notes.They dared to take away the incense! And instead of that incredible incense they added what? Vanilla. Oh it's delicious and sweet and blends well with the amber but it was created merely to soften the fragrance. The vetiver retains the green notes of the original and also makes it somewhat masculine, and this is why men today also wear No. 22. It has a cologne type of smell and can easily come off as a man's night cologne to wear to formal evening wear events. The white flowers are the true attraction of this fragrance. I wish however that they hadn't rid this fragrance of that beautiful incense. The incense was what made No. 22 such a winner. I like vanilla, don't get me wrong, but it's just not appropriate to a Chanel fragrance. Even as such, this is a magnificent masterpiece that has stood the test of time as much as No. 5. But for me it's superior to No 5. It is far more beautiful. If No. 5 is the fragrance a woman wears to bed, No. 22 is the fragrance the same woman wore to her wedding day with her wedding gown. It's a fragrance that exudes class, sophistication, feminine beauty, and romance. This is a romantic fragrance for romantic women. I'm single and love to stay single and don't even dream about a wedding day. I also don't intend to get married hundreds of times like Elizabeth Taylor or women who marry more than one time LOL. Although this is definitely a wedding gown fragrance, it doesn't have to be. It's a night cologne that you wear with formal evening gowns, ball gowns, and expensive couture for dinner parties, galas and the like. It's also suited to fancy dinners, romantic restaurants, romantic cruises, a honeymoon in Paris, a wedding anniversary, a relationship anniversary. This is also a perfume to wear to the ballet, the theater, the symphony, the opera. This is as far away from a relaxed casual cocktails-and-lunch or everyday day time fragrance as possible. It's a fragrance that is so special, so beautiful that it can only be worn very infrequently once in a while, even once a year. I have a large splash bottle and it will be a long time before I finish with it. The fragrance has a lot of strength and lasts for hours. It's my favorite Chanel fragrance along with No. 19. I love how this smells. Theres nothing remotely like it in the world and I don't care who wears it whether it's a bride or my next door neighbor in his pajamas picking up the newspaper.

The most beautiful thing I have ever smelled, and for sure #1 out of all the Les Exclusifs for me, (which says something, coming from such a stunning, high quality collection of fragrances)! All of the reissued classics, originally created by Ernest Beaux are masterpieces in their own right. Cuir de Russie: A leathery, birch bark scent. It's soapy and dirty all at once! Makes me think of 1920's Russia indeed. Bois des Iles: A soft and luminous oriental sandalwood. Leads me to some hot, exotic place. Somewhere in southeast Europe perhaps. Gardenia: A creamy and coconutty white flower scent. Transports me to some uninhabited, tropical island. But N22.. Such a blindingly white floral! Spring in the nordic countryside. The melting ice and snow repleaced by endless oceans of flowers. My initial reaction upon smelling N22 was a rare one for me, I felt instantly at home. This is of course highly subjective, but N22 just feels like ME. It's all I've ever wanted in a fragrance, and then some. From certain angles it almost feels like a mix between N5 and N19, Probably leaning more to the N5 side. For sure blows both of them straight out of the water though! If you've ever wanted to wear either of those two but are having difficulties, you should try this one for sure. Heck, even if you don't like either of those, I think you should at least give this wonder of a fragrance a decent try. Okay, so it smells exactly like N5 at first spritz, but wait! As by a flick of your fingers, it suddenly turns in another direction completely. N5 always had an "old world" vibe to me, but N22 pushes it even further. It smells ancient, like it's always been here somehow. However, neither of them ever smelled "dated" or "old" to me. Simply "old world" in a pleasant, reliable and slightly melancholic way. To me N22 smells sparkly, soapy, smoky, balmy, rosy, dark, light, and clean all the while remaining utterly mysterious. If there's one scent out there who deserves the title "multidimensional" N22 would be it. I've always found the scent of N5 to have a certain sense of mystery about it, N22 however, takes it to a whole other level. The smell itself feels (because of the heavy aldehydes), like a bright, sparkling drink at first, (champagne perhaps) then pastel colored soap, paired with the darkness of a thick, sacred incense, embalmed in the most luscious, rich flower petals. Mainly white rose, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, neroli, violet and iris. It finally finishes off with the most delicate whiff of warm, tender sweetness, like a reminder of your favorite sweet candy and a soft, grounding woody finish. A divine, beautiful smell that sure leaves an impression and that's impossible to forget. Nothing compares to this. N5 and N19 comes close smell wise, but even those two fall short in my opinion. I've always thought N5 to be surprisingly wearable by a man considering it is often labeled as "the most feminine ever" "smell of a woman" fragrance. N22 is even more wearable by men and roughly, you can say that it smells both really clean but also has a very dark, smoldering and sexy side to it which says neither male nor female to me. If N5 is the scent of a woman, then N22 is the scent of a beautiful human being no matter the gender. (Beautiful on the inside that is). The best thing? It just get's better and better as the hours go by! It finally diminishes into a lovely, soft whisper of it's former self. Contrary to it's delicate, quiet nature, it's a powerful fragrance, so you won't need to put on much of it. I only put ONE tiny spray today and it's more than enough. (I would not mind to bath in it's loveliness though)! Silage is absolutely decent as well, this isn't a scent that's supposed to be loud anyway, it's supposed to be enjoyed by yourself, and those lucky enough to be close to you. The staying power is good too, I put it on quite a few hours ago, and it's still just as present as earlier. Cut short: A mysterious, soapy, incense laden white floral. If N5 is inevitable, then N22 sure is inimitable. 10/10

As I first smell N22, all I can think of is the ethereal northern lights (aurora borealis) on a clear, cold winter sky, adorned with a myriad of stars. Before you know it the temperature elevates, the snow starts to melt away, and tender flowers emerge from the wet, black soil. It's funny to me that incense isn't listed in the perfume pyramid, because there is absolutely no way around it in this fragrance. After those sparkling aldehydes has subsided a bit, a smooth, vanillic incense aura seems to form the backbone of the scent to which all the other notes are woven together seamlessly. The bright, aldehydic top is like standing in front of towering dunes of glistening white snow with the only thing breaking all the white being the endless azure blue sky above. It's impossible to tell where the snow ends, and the clouds begin. Slowly, the dunes of snow transforms into blossoming white flowers dusted with a soft, citrusy powder. As described on Chanel.com: "Layers of tulle. A shower of petals... A scent full of grace. Aldehydes give strength and spirit to this swirl of whiteness letting Tuberose, Iris and Damask Rose blossom forth. A sweet and refined fragrance". Which is a perfect description indeed! I completely agree with ojosverdes that N22 seems much more "serious" in feel compared to N5. Which is interesting, considering N22 is supposed to be a lighter more "white look" version of N5. However, this is also the reason why I personally prefer N22. The biggest difference between the two is the animalic notes in N5, which in N22 is cut and replaced with that addicting incense. N22 is the perfect example on how traditional "brighter" notes doesn't always have to equate happiness, and how "lighter" ones does not necessarily equal "blander". The genius of N22 is that you'll expect it to be just another white floral blend, seeing how it in theory has all the components to be one, but the end result couldn't be more different. There seems to be a disturbing element hidden somewhere in the composition of N22. It's always there, but it's impossible to pinpoint exactly what it is. This is what makes N22 so intriguing, and is what sets it apart from the others. . N22 is no innocent wallflower, it has a suggestive nature that keeps pulling you in, almost on a subliminal level. it's got a secret agenda, which is to make sure you love her, and her only. And for sure, it is hard not to! N22 is a diamond in the rough, and a stunning classic.

One day in early spring I sampled this perfume for the first time. Being an older Chanel, I knew it was historically important, and, being more under the radar, I hoped it would be slightly challenging. It proved to be too challenging at first, and I wrote a negative review. It was to be deleted. Later on in the season, there was a cold snap, and before getting into bed, I had a craving for No 22, despite having disliked it. This is the only time I've craved a perfume I didn't think I liked. You see, I wasn't accustomed to a white floral/incense/aldehyde mix. So I put it on, and fell asleep under it's dark, starlit, and frothy white waves. In the morning, I realized it was after my heart. A few months later I ordered another sample of the Les Exclusifs edt, and also of the vintage edt, and of the extrait, to get a better sense of the perfume. The vintage edt is quite a bit more interesting and deeper than the current. The extrait, though, is my favourite of all. I don't want to get into specific details. I've never tried to dissect Chanel 22; I haven't voted on the notes, or even looked closely at what notes are listed. I feel like if I get too close, I might spoil the illusion for myself. Here is what Chanel No 22 Extrait means to me: A couple weeks ago, my boyfriend took me to a jewelry store to try on some rings. I decided to wear 22 that day. The next day, we went to a different store, and before leaving the house I decided I wanted to wear 22 again. I don't often wear perfume two days in a row, so that's saying something. A couple days later, another store called us back to say that they got one of the rings we liked in my size, and when we went to try it on - I wore 22. He bought the ring that day. He put it in his pocket, and although I thought he would wait to officially ask, he ended up driving into the woods on our way home so that we could go for a walk. When we arrived on a bridge over a pond he asked me. My wedding dress arrived, and whenever I look at it, I can smell 22. I would love to receive a full bottle of extrait at my bridal shower, but it's an expensive gift. Even if I end up just ordering a decant, at this point I can't envision my wedding day without it.

If you get to No. 22 you hit the jackpot. This fragrance is unlike any other. Today, Chanel No. 5 has become common, terribly common. I've been to events where every woman was wearing No. 5. That fragrance is not for me at all. No. 22 tops it. This is so beautiful and there are I have to start off by saying that you have to be a fan of Chanel to love this perfume, as it has that distinct Chanel aldehyde opening. It's like white wine in the beginning. Secondly you have to be a white floral fragrance lover. The moment I tried on this perfume and lost myself in the scent, I was at a summer wedding al fresco, outdoors. You're in a beautiful garden but all the flowers are white: jasmine, lily of the valley, white roses. In fact the entire theme is white. Everyone is white. Little girls in white dresses, men in white tuxedoes. White wine is being served by waiters in white dinner jackets. For children, on the smaller tables, white milk. You can't see the bride because YOU are the bride. Once you put on this perfume, you've become a bride wearing a long white floral print gown of roses and jasmine and a veil of white roses, and that is the smell of this perfume. It's divine. Clearly too formal to be worn for casual wear although I've heard people describe this as an any day any place perfume. I disagree. For that wear Chanel Mademoiselle which is floral, but warmer, and full of youthful mimosa. This is an elegant white rose suited to formal events: weddings, Catholic Mass, baptisms (in Latin Communities 15 year old Quincenera parties), cotillions, debutant balls, the opera, the ballet, the symphony. I bought this fragrance with the Opera and those musical soirees in mind but I would have to say that it's just giving me too much of a wedding vibe. If you're geting married and you want a perfume to match your wedding gown, any wedding, gown as long as it's white, this is it. This is the perfect white wedding gown fragrance. I am not married but the day I change my life and lifestyle and decide I want to try it, even just once, I will wear this perfume.

Finally!! My full bottle of the Les Exclusifs EDP arrived this week and is just as heavenly as I remember it from back in 1991. I have a partial bottle of vintage EDC, but it barely registered on me. I also have a few of the 4 ml minis, but to me, this shines best when sprayed.. As someone else mentioned, the opening isn't quite as nose-singeingly aldehydic as it once was, but then again, the last time I wore this, I couldn't tell you a thing about notes in a perfume. I only knew that I loved the way it smelled, and in that sense it remains the same to me. Expertly blended, I find it difficult to identify individual noted. It just smells like Chanel No. 22, the same way her sister just smells like No. 5. Obviously, No. 22 is a white floral creation. It's status as Chanel's "bridal perfume" is well earned. As a matter of fact, I wore it on my my wedding day (from my first marriage) not even knowing that they marketed it this way. It just felt right. While I'm sure their are some modern brides out there who appreciate old school, aldehydic florals, others may find it hopelessly out dated, preferring something more gourmand-ish. But if you're looking for something romantic that is also sophisticated, then you owe it to yourself to at least sample this masterpiece. So far, I am pleased with the longevity, projection, and silage. It certainly out performs what they are selling as No. 5 these days. Is it worth the $200 price tag? That's for you to decide, but to me, it is. There are others in the Les Exclusifs collection that I own and love, particularly Coromandel, but now that I once again own No. 22, it has reclaimed its place as my favorite.

Happy 100th birthday Chanel No 22. I am the happy owner in 2022 of the Les Exclusifs version of the Ernest Beaux creation, tinkered with more recently by Jacques Polge. A century on, and Monsieur Beaux would recognise his No 22, even if it no longer seems to include incense or the delicious nutmeg, which went so well with vanilla in past editions. Ylang Ylang features heavily now, making No 22 a more tropical white floral creation. That’s not to say that the current Les Exclusifs No. 22 has lost the creamy thick soapiness of yesteryear. It’s just a 21st century version of itself. Like a classic Chanel jersey dress now made with modern bamboo fabric. I live in the hot humid subtropics, so bamboo fabric is far more wearable than jersey in the hotter months. You’d think then that a more tropical smelling No 22 would be perfect wouldn’t you? But no. In the humid heat, this Ylang Ylang banana infused No 22 is cloying, even suffocating. Wear it in cool rainy Autumn and Winter though, and No 22 is an joyous fragrance. Perfect for staying in, safe from the elements and protected by my powdery cloud of Chanel. That’s just how I find No 22 in my north-eastern Australian climate. Try No 22 in different seasons in your neck of the woods and you may have a completely different experience. Times change. Chanel still pays tribute to their fashion icons, releasing a new version of the classic jacket each season. The Les Exclusifs Chanel No 22 has a place in 2022. Just not in the Spring and Summer collections in Australia.

If I were older, I'd probably fall in love with No 22 as hard as I did with Coco Mademoiselle. My mum has No 5, and No 22 kinda reminds me of No 5 to be honest. I love No 22 more, though, for some reasons. It opens with a very bold aldehydic burst but it turns floral quite quickly. On my skin, it sits moderately close, but leaves an obvious trail that smells really comforting and pleasant! This is a very classic, timeless, elegant scent. Very Chanel. I can definitely smell the Chanel DNA in there. It's rather sweet, but it's not dizzying. No potential to be cloying at all. Even Coco Mademoiselle can be rather cloying if you over-spray it zealously in sunny weather but not No 22! The smell is soft and comforting...very reassuring. It's a very confident smell though. Longevity is good. Sillage is just nice. Definitely my favourite in the Les Exclusifs range (it's hard to choose one but No 22 wins my heart over because it's just so enduring). Overall, I really love No 22 and I can see how I will probably change my signature scent to this once I get older and get sick of Coco Mademoiselle. It's much nicer scent than No 5 methinks...much more sophisticated and elegant. It's almost as if it's above reproach. Excellent scent from an excellent range from an excellent perfume house. Love, love, love it. I'll likely be working my way to getting myself a 200ml bottle of this. Love at first smell. Absolute signature scent material. Rating: 9.5/10

The original Chanel 22 has always been my signature fragrance and my most beloved scent in the perfume world. I was nervous about spending a lot for the Les Exclusifs line because incense is no longer listed as a note and I was afraid I'd find my ideal fragrance would never live up to my expectations. Even so, my sweet husband told me to buy it for Christmas and I took a deep breath and ordered it off the Chanel website. And so the newer classic bottle with the magnetic cap arrived and I was ever so thankful to find it still retained MOST of the beauty the older version had. She was not a stranger. The familiar floral notes and aldehyde kick were reassuring, but she had changed. My husband thought it was a bit weaker than the older version. I wouldn't use the word weaker but I would say different. The incense note is missing on my skin when I spray it on right after a shower, BUT... if I apply it mid day a few hours later, I do get the incense as of old! Longevity on my skin is not as good as the pre-exclusifs version, BUT again, on my clothes she goes on and on. Is she still my most beloved? Yes, even though we have both changed through life experiences, I'm comforted to know we remain old friends with shared memories. Let me tell you folks, The Dame Still Abides and I Take Comfort in That.

The archetypal aldehyde fragrance. Diaphanous and intricately-crafted, Chanel’s N°22 (Les Exclusifs EDT) is supremely elegant and unreservedly chic. Opening with an effervescent explosion of aldehydes; icy-cold and slightly starched, their metallic tonality sparkles for a solid hour after application, during which time the only change is the addition of an ever so slightly camphorous note. As the aldehydes subside to but a twinkle, the middle is very familiar with the rose, ylang-ylang and Grasse jasmine emblematic of so many Chanel fragrances, paired here with rubbery tuberose. Bold and cold up to this point, N°22 softens to become a luxurious skin scent in the dry down. The finest vanilla, vetiver and musk marry to become slightly balsamic while incense sits broodingly in the background, bringing with it oodles of interest. What really surprises with N°22 is the radiating warmth of its dry down - a stark contrast to the icy aldehydic opening. Despite its composition, N°22 is neither floral-heavy nor overly soapy. A perfectly unisex fragrance thanks in part to the incense note. Longevity is excellent with heavy sillage on application, evolving to become a radiant skin scent in the dry down. 9/10

My all time favorite and what might always be my signature fragrance. I started wearing this back around 1979 or 1980 when my husband and I found it at - believe it or not- a drug store complete with the bath powder AND the bath oil! I don't think they even make the bath oil or powder anymore - too sad. I have about 1/3 a bottle of the splash vintage colonge left and I wear it only for special occasions. I will have to will myself to order it from the Chanel boutique when it's gone - poor wallet. Or, more likely, get a decant. I've looked for a scent that reminds me of No 22 at a reasonable price and Prada Infusion d'Iris does somewhat because of it's touch of incense but even the Prada EDP seems pale in comparrison, lovely though it is. A favorite Chanel No 22 memory is riding in a crowded elevator with someone who was carrying an armfull of beautiful flowers. A fellow rider kept exclaiming all the way up on how beautiful the flowers smelled, how she had never smelled flowers with such a beautiful scent. She went on and on ecstatically about them. I stepped off that elevator with a Mona Lisa smile. It was my Chanel 22 she'd worshipped. Thank you Ernest Beaux for this touch of heaven on earth!

This is simply breathtaking in cold weather. Poetry for the nose. Very feminine, decidedly sophisticated, and unmistakably Chanel. My skin sparkles with aldehydes; there's lots of buttery ylang-ylang and powder, but a refined, elegant powder, which I think is the rose. The powder in this reminds me of Givenchy's l'Interdit, the original one, created for Audrey Hepburn (and in my opinion, l'Interdit has the most perfect powder I've ever smelt to date; nothing else compares). I never thought I'd ever experience another powder as beautiful as that one. The scent then develops some sweetness, and a little freshness, I think from the jasmine, and definitely the vetiver emerges in the dry-down. Sometimes a little soapy throughout, as well, but especially in the base. M. Beaux is turning into one of my favourite noses, especially when I consider that I love No. 5, Cuir de Russie and now No. 22. I would recommend this fragrance as a gateway to Chanel No. 5, as this is much easier to wear, and the aldehyde-jasmine Chanel 'signature' present here gives a gentle nod to it's predecessor. Moderate to soft sillage; lasts for about 11 hours :)

Well, I told you all about the surgery coming up, and wanting to get some fragrances, because this is a tough time for us, and for me, nothing picks me up like fragrance. So, today I got my LE Chanel 22. OMG! That is all I can say for right now! I will be back later to edit. Wow, this might be my favorite of all of them so far. I think I like Jersey next, this one is so much more of a woman's fragrance, look at me, I have arrived, oh, you didn't notice, sorry. You get the idea. It is fresh, lively, full of life, oh, this might just be the one I wear to the hospital! Which, btw, is the most wonderful hospital I have ever been in. The people, from the man in the garage to the ladies at the desks, nurses, pheblomists (haha, blood takers) anethesogist, everybody is just wonderful. I have a peace and calm about this. And another thing, I have a real comfort sense in this fragrance. Sorry, for my misspelled words. Ladies, if you can, I would say start right here with Chanel LE 22 if you are interested in this line. Wow, wow is all I can say for now, I guess that says it all. Glorious!

Very delicate, zero sillage, feels like a flickering flame - even when I put my nose close to the wrist sometimes I can detect this, though sometimes I just can't. Strong aldehydes in the opening, then some faint traces of flowers. Staying power is max an hour, unfortunately. No5 is my all-time favourite, but I see absolutely no similarity with No22. Even the aldehydes are different. No22 is super soapy, like very fine handmade soap. But would I want to pay this much to smell like a (very good) piece of soap? No. It is really hard to describe this perfume, it slips out of hands like you are trying to capture some white water on a lake at night and then realise it was the moon's reflection which coloured the water white. It is leaking through your fingers back to the lake and before you even notice it all is gone. I believe the pure parfum version might be very different though, would like to try one day. I also believe No22 will smell differently in colder weather. Will give it another try:)

This is what I imagine heaven would smell like! LITERALLY! Think of the most gorgeous and beautiful blond woman you can think of, dressed all in white robes, standing on an iceberg peak in a magestic pose. (Think Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron, Tilda Swinton, ...) This juice is angelic, so if there was one single woman most suited for an ad, I would vote for ABBA's Agnetha Faeltskog, who to me is the ultimate Northern angel. I would imagine her to smell like this. Behind her you have the glistening, beaming, blinding light of the sun in its zenith. It is ice cold (aldehydes), yet the sun beams cut through the cold with pleasant warmth (vanilla). A bewildering, almost deafening crisp blast of fresh air. Not for those who suffer from fear of height for this will lift you up into the stratosphere in an instant. Think CHANEL #5 in a blizzard snowstorm that somewhat strangles the floral strength, yet boosts the blast of aldehydes to the very max! MASTERPIECE!!!

This is the most underrated of all the Chanel's, perhaps the most underrated perfume of all. Like most Chanel's, No 22 is so perfectly blended the notes are hard to discern, nothing dominates. It opens fresh, clean, and breezey. It reminds me a lot of Estee Lauder's "White Linen" but with Chanel's characteristic understatement, not with Lauder's typical "blast 'em!" starts. This airy quality softens further in the heart and then something wonderful happens, a note I've never smelled before in a fragrance. It is crisp and a bit dusty, it smells like antique parchment. What cleverness to use such an unusual note! The drydown turns powdery and a little flowery. Lily of the valley definitely, white roses perhaps. Then another odd little note: some burned sugar. Certainly not a sugarbomb but just enough to add a bit of sweetness to an otherwise dry perfume. Luxurious, elegant, sophisticated, and thanks to a few unique notes, intriguing. Longevity is incredible. A must have.

I wore the original Chanel no 22 in the nineties when it was still in the white bottle. I wasn't quite sold on no 5 or no 19 which I now love. There was something enticing about 22 that just sold me then. Im thinking its the rose note because most of the scents I truly love have some kind of rose in it :) So I was on a desperate search for no 19 edp which for me is so hard to find and by experience I don't trust online shopping so I had to go to the Chanel boutique. I almost passed out, shoes, clothes, purses! They didn't have my no 19 edp in stock but they did have this one. One smell of the nozzle and I was 19 again. Got the pitter patters in my little heart even! Powder, but this amazingly clean powder with masterfully blended rose. I know when I will be wearing this. Of course on special occasions, but also if Im ever feeling down and need a lovely friend to surround me for hours. In short, its absolutely gorgeous, no denying. This is a lifetime love affair...

I've only worn this for one day, so these are my initial impressions... Goes on very aldehyde as stated, but I really enjoy that phase, the blend is both bitter-sweet-soapy. Lasts for about 15 minutes. The heart is a floral blend that is very warm, I've heard people say 'white' but I haven't gotten that yet. Drydown: very vanilla, a tiny hint of a rich incense, and sandalwood. All in all a simple fragrance, but one with distinct phases. Slight sillage, but this scent is so elegant and pretty that its personality needs refinement, and not be a 'look at me' type of thing. Only complaint is that the lasting power on me is only about 4-6 hours. Hangs on to clothes longer. How I wish this came in EDP concentration. Hard to believe that this was created in 1922. It's impossible to say how it had changed in almost 100 years, but I'm glad it's still here. I do think that No. 22 is a simple scent, but there is something about it that makes you love it...

Not sure where to put this review, I can't find the EdT page, so I guess I'll post on the three pages listed for the EdP :( Walk down memory lane today. Mine is the EdT from somewhere late 80's early 90's and from the description everyone else is giving, very different. Then again, mine is old. Yes, aldehydes, yes white florals, (mine come across as creamy, though) but what I'm not getting from reviews is that glorious vetiver that gives this a woody base that just holds everything together perfectly. Like a wood bowel, holding the flowers and slightly soapy, effervescent nuances from the aldehydes. It's classic and classy, different, wearable in a way today's woody bases just are not. I hate the pretentiousness of some perfume collectors today, but it is art. I wear mine, but it's not an everyday kind of wear, which say, No.19 or even Cristalle can be. But back in the day this came in BIG bottles, so I guess it was used and enjoyed, everyday.

OMG! I have just received my bottle, and it was a huge risk as a blind buy. It hasn’t even finished developing yet and I’m in love! For some reason I don’t get the fizz, just powdery and soapy, but oh so creamy and smooth. It’s pure heaven, a true masterpiece and soooo feminine. I can’t stop smelling my arm! Very well blended and I think this is the most elegant of them all! This to me has more Chanel DNA than any other Chanel. It’s exquisite! Makes me feel on top of the world and so special. Yes it is expensive, and especially for me as I only work part time, but I’m addicted and will throw everything I have at a 200ml bottle when this has gone. It works so well with my skin chemistry. I can’t compare it at all to the original no 5 (which I find dry, bitter and dusty). I can’t really pick out individual flowers because it’s so well blended. Boy it’s rich too, this will be a real head turner for sure!