N°18 Eau de Parfum

First thing to note is that this EdP release has nothing to do with the original Les Exclusifs EdT. Aside from the name and having orris playing starring role, they are two completely different perfumes. So, if you want to know what I think of the LE original, head over there. I personally think this is one of Chanel's most underrated perfumes. There are a couple good reasons for it consistently flying quite low on the radar. Firstly, it's probably the most abstract Chanel currently in the house's lineup. Like a bizarre piece of modern art, it's supposed to work on your senses in a way that art of the typical form does not. No. 18 seems to be a perfume you "see" rather than smell. I'll get more into this shortly. The second reason is that it isn't exactly an easy perfume to wear. That challenging combination of ambrette seed plus juicy fruit salad accord is a bit unwieldly to the nose. Let's start there. When you first spray No. 18 EdP it is entirely about that ambrette seed. Jacques Polge does not hold back on this material at all. Deeply animalic and musky, it sort of clashes with itself while also pushing itself upon you in addition to a very overripe and watery pear, grape, and melon type accord. Sort of filling in the gaps between these clashing titans is a rooty and floral orris; on the one hand I'm getting a definite rooty and starchy orris and on the other a soft, powdery purple floral. Despite the inherent dissonance of all of these notes, they actually mesh very well, but, again, in an abstract way. I don't like that I'm saying this but the only way I can describe what I'm smelling is...: purple. If I had synesthesia, I believe purple would be strobing across my brain like a disco ball at a Prince concert. These accords shimmer like light bouncing off of a crystal. Hopefully you, dear reader, have smelled those famed Chanel aldehydes before, and you will understand what I mean when I say shimmer and sparkle; it's that same effect that you get in say No. 5, but it's not those same aldehydes. This is a different type of radiance. The sort of fruity and musky notes continue past the first dry down. The muskiness is likely the orris that I'm catching, but there has to be a new material at play for that darned fruit salad accord because it very much seems the original notes and the ambrette have passed. But, once that ambrette dries down, swelling up in its place like the sun on the horizon casting brilliant colors, we get rose. I'm hesitant to call this a red rose; it seems gentler than that. Perhaps white or pink. Again, if I were to pretend I have synesthesia, it's like the purple has split its wavelength into soft pink-red and blue wavelengths. They are less radiant, luminous or shimmering than the purple at the opening, but this pinkish-reddish-blueish dance of wavelengths is far more saturated than the opening - like you're looking at a painting initially done in watercolor paints and the paints gradually shift to oil paints. More saturated and deep though this phase is, don't mistake it for heaviness: this is still as weightless as light. There is a beautiful texture to it that comes across less like powder and more like the softest silk: saturated and dense, but still sensuously soft. Once these oil paint-like wavelengths of light begin to dry down again, once you finally feel like your brain can't take any more... relax, and feel the soft and pale cedarwoods (maybe?) come through to soothe the senses. The woods retain that lightness of being, but they have no interest in pushing your senses into overdrive. It's a welcome end. This perfume is a trip. A complete mind-f*&$. I have no idea what this smells like to someone who is smelling it on me. I wish I had the chance to ask someone whose nose I trust. But, I suppose that doesn't matter. I love it, and I dearly hope that despite the difficulty the mass perfume-buying public seems to have with it Chanel never stops making it. EDIT: Shortly after reapplication and leaving the house, I ran into a neighbor. After greetings and a hug she asked me, "you smell good, have you been cooking?" Lol. That's not at all what I was expecting, but I guess that's one more piece needed to unravel the No. 18 EdP puzzle.

Ambrette, in fact, every single aspect of the musk mallow, with rose and iris, is the quick description of this scent. No. 18 EdP (the EdT is a much quirkier and very different scent altogether) is elegantly simple and utterly luxurious to my nose. Yes, there are similarities to Egoïste, and I tend to wear this scent as an Egoïste alternative in warmer conditions, but the two fragrances are distinctly different in their use of ambrette. In the men's products, the ambrette takes a back seat to some of the other elements at times; here it is the focus of the fragrance with the other elements accentuating its wonderful musky beauty. As I noted before, the whole musk mallow flower, from which the ambrette is derived, is on display here. I get a green, almost watery note in the opening along with the barest hint of oily citrus zest (perhaps from the otherwise undetectable fruit notes cited in the pyramid) which transitions to a matcha note before the iris and rose begin the Egoïste impersonation in the middle phase. Ambrette, now musky, anchors the base along with the familiar Chanel faux sandalwood. It is all so smoothly blended and subtle. I love it. As with all of Les Exclusifs de Chanel, the price is high and those who feel high cost should equal major performance may be disappointed by this fragrance's 6-ish hour longevity and moderate projection. I can overlook these issues easily given the beauty of the ingredients on display here. I find this fragrance wholly unisex, although it is marketed to women (I'm a guy) and I have worn this scent to the office many times--even getting an occasional compliment when I've done so. You need to know ambrette if you are really into fragrances, and sampling No. 18 EdP is a great way to get to experience this splendid perfume component. Once you sample this scent, you may find, as I did, that a bottle is something you just need to have. Highly recommended.

Okay, so I adored the EDT and I regret having never purchased a bottle. It was perfect from first spray, light and airy. It exuded class and represented a side of Chanel that had never really been shown through perfume or clothing. I’m actually not sure where it came from, it was rather left-field. But, most importantly, it just worked. It was Chanel, there was no question. The EDP didn’t have me from first try, or even second or third. That first spray and first sniff are something not quite as refined. However, one fourth try, past the first 5 minutes, it’s beginning to make a little more sense. As an EDP, one would expect the composition to be a little different. This is entirely different. It has a different mood, a different appeal and a different inspiration. It’s bizarre that the same scent, more or less, can be so far from what originated it. What was once ethereal, is now dense and present. Powdery effortlessness becomes a task, an effort. You have to choose the right weather, the right outfit, even the right emotion and mood of an event. While it goes without saying that you’d never wear this to a funeral, for example, there was a versatility that seems to be now lost: its very unusual to me. I think I love it, or at least respect it... but I think it has a very different appeal. This would be great for first dates, second dates until you up the ante for those ever entertaining third dates. Good for meeting the parents, great for Spring picnics. Maybe not signature worthy ... for me. The Ambrette is glorious. As always. It’s sweet musky presence brings a smile to my face. The powdery iris is very Chanel, has a bit of a No 19 EDP vibe going on, I appreciate it. It’s very hard to describe. It has a bit of a chalk feeling in the back ground, but that’s not really unpleasant. All over, I’d give it a 6/10 but that’s only because I love the original so much.

My sample of No.18 is from c.2016, and while it is labelled as an EDP, it is fairly light and fleeting. It is also a strange and beautiful scent, and needs time to be appreciated. No. 18 opens with fruity-resinous accord, initially more tart than sweet, with warm, ambery undertones. The ambrette note takes centre stage, giving a musky, earthy quality to the opening, while managing to stay light and airy. It becomes softly sweet as it develops, with a subtle hint of spice. Powdery iris creeps in as it develops, replacing the ambrette as the dominant note. The prominent iris note is part of the DNA of many classic Chanel scents, and here it is no different. Earthy, soft and root-like, the iris is characteristically high-quality and addictive. I am a lover of iris, so I enjoy its inclusion in many of Chanel's fragrances, the classics as well as Les Exclusifs. There is a hint of violet, which complements the iris, as well as a rich rose note, both a common fixture in Chanel scents. The drydown is musky, with sweet amber accords giving body. There are some lovely, soft, restrained sandalwood notes that add depth, complementing what's left of the florals at the drydown stage. Sandalwood is often horrible in newer fragrances, but in typical Chanel fashion, its addition here only improves an already great scent. No. 18 is a beautiful musky-iris scent, unusual yet with familiar facets. It is divisive by nature, but it is one of my favouites of the Les Exclusifs line. The floral heart is nothing unusual, even within the house of Chanel, but here it is exquisite, the highlight of No. 18 for me. Sometimes, the simple, obvious route works best. Elegantly feminine and beautifully crafted, this classic-yet-modern scent is a winner. I only wish it lasted longer. I would love to try the nineties original for comparison. 4/5.

After knowing and loving the Les Exclusifs line for many years, I finally came seriously in contact with No. 18. Maybe is because I am more mature, more refined, but when I first smelled the entire line almost ten years ago, no. 18 didn’t catch my eyes. Now I rediscovered it and is delightful. On opening it smells very carroty and seedy. On me the opening is not sparkling but rather cozy and fuzzy, giving a decisive garden-like sensation that I like very much. I can detect iris and ambrette, rooty, chewy and opaque. Then, after half an hour, the musk emerges: it is persistent and slightly dirty, opaque, dense, chewy and rendered more floral by the iris. If I have to compare no. 18 to La Pausa, to me the iris of La Pausa is greener, colder, more floral and more aloof. The iris in no. 18 in turn is warmer, more rooty, more mellow, more approachable and musky. No. 18 acts like a decoy; it plays the role of an elevated skin scent to then reveal depth, complexity, warmth, and a slightly dirty facet. Very good, very interesting, very wearable. As much as I love the Les Exclusifs line sometimes it tends to be too slightly unapproachable. No. 18 is no such thing. It is warm, it is interesting, it is mellow, it is high quality. Like a lady who is elegant and impeccably dress, but is also warm, kind, and likes to play with her children in the garden. On a final note, I don’t personally get the “glittering gemstone” proposed in the press release. To me it conjures the image of a fragrant garden, full of vegetables and sun: warm, irrevocably alive and far more interesting.