Paris – Riviera

They relaunched it in 2026 with a wicker basket purse thingy that I just couldn't take my eyes off. I simply wanted that in my life. Therefore, the perfume was a blind buy, and I really crossed my fingers that it didn't have that Chanel 5 & Gabrielle aftertaste, that synthetic molecule that just rubs me wrong. Well... it does have it, but this time I can ignore it just fine. A few words about my skin chemistry. They call me candy because almost all perfumes end up smelling like candy. Salty candy (fresh ones go here), anis candy (bitters), caramel candy overdose (fruity-florals), you name it. If there's any sweet note, I turn the whole thing into candy. Even masculine perfumes turn feminine (don't ask how CdG Black ends up smelling, just that I feel like I'm missing a whip). Onto our Riviera. It opens up with zesty florals on a background of the Channel signature molecule, the one behind #5. Luckily, it goes away when the top notes dry down, talking away the zesty notes with it. The perfume turns into creamy florals of a surprising elegance and finesse. My own sweet notes mingle through, but they dance together like perfect partners, and keep going for a long time. It's very hard to smell the base notes on myself, but what remains on the pillow is a sensual, flavorful aromatic reminiscent of yellow chartreuse. With addictive notes of "is it too early to call her?" and "I could smell this all day". I disagree that it's flat or linear. On me at least, it transforms perpetually and even from one day to the next it won't smell exactly the same. Very dependent on skin chem and temperature, and even how long it's been since the bottle was used. Maybe on clothes it evolves differently but I'm not a fan of spraying anything on clothes. I suppose it would be more predictable, however one thing is for sure: it's an elegant, woman-who-has-it-all perfume.

Olivier Polge and Chanel have captured my heart with the Les Eaux de Chanel collection. Two summers ago I was captivated by Paris-Deauville. Last year I couldn't get enough of Paris-Venice. This summer it is Paris-Riviera. In my perfume collection I've noticed that neroli can be played upon in many different ways. It can be sweetened as it is here with the addition of jasmine; or it can be given a dry herbal treatment as with the addition of lavender or other herbs. One example is Theirry Wasser's beautiful La Cologne Du Parfumeur which features African Orange Flower. My understanding is that Neroli and Orange Blossom are the same flower but extracted differently to give distinctive aromatic characteristics. Here Olivier Polge has acheived a perfect balance. The neroli is somewhat sweetened by the jasmine but the characteristicly dry and somewhat bitter petitgrain-like edges of the flower are left intact. The addition of orange gives a sweet citrus effervescence to the arrangement. It is gently spiced with the addition of sandalwood. In my mind, this touch of spiced orange aromatic distantly connects it to Hermes' Elixer Des Merveilles. The whole affair is lifted and tidied up with the addition of musk. It is the same musk that I smell in the base of Paris-Venice but dosed with a slightly lighter touch. The longevity is better than I would have expected with an EDT. Paris-Riviera is so pretty! I will be purchasing the lotion as I did also with Paris-Deauville and Paris-Venice. I like all three a lot. I might have to try another one in the collection next summer if I can pull myself away from these three.

Of all the major designers, Chanel seems to be the house where you can always trust the quality of each new perfume, and this has really been the case with their Eaux collection. Although these fragrances intentionally evoke the lighter and inexpensive eaux de cologne favored by Europeans in the summertime, they are made with top ingredients and are spectacularly balanced. The increase in quality and the fancy designer name means that they are quite a bit more expensive than most summer eaux; so it's a real question as to whether or not these are worth buying in full bottle quality. I did invest in a full bottle of Paris-Deauville because it seemed so special (and I have not once regretted the investment). Paris-Riviera would also be worth such an investment: it is that good. It's a beautiful summer blend of citrus peel, white florals, and sandalwood that comes off as light, refreshing, and (surprisingly) unisex. There's also just a hint of sweetness underneath from the benzoin that does not overpower this nor make it a gourmand, but adds to the overall richness. Like Paris-Deauville, it's also surprisingly stronger than most eaux, so the price for me would really be worth it. This makes me feel like a million dollars, which is what you want from any fragrance. Highly recommended. UPDATE, 6/12/23: I did just find a great deal on a 125 ml. bottle and I purchased it. It may be harder to find such deals for the Eaux collection because Chanel just raised their prices on them, and they are not always easy to find anyway in the USA. But they are truly remarkable colognes, and smell heavenly.

WOW, it has been about a decade (!!!) since I sampled a fragrance, and from first sniff, it stunned me like this. Not since I first encountered the beloved signature fragrance of my early 20's, Guerlain Gourmand Coquin, have I fallen this hard. You see, I am so picky. I am the millennial Goldilocks of women's perfume. I like sweet but not too sweet, floral but not screechy, fruity but not juvenile, and spicy but not unisex. Add patchouli and the whole thing becomes a wild card - will I love it or revile it? And so I heard about Paris-Riviera coming out and a week ago I headed to the Chanel flagship here in NYC. The salesman sprayed my arm and immediately there was this lovely pleasant harmony of jasmine, wafting on a breeze of light citrus, ever so slightly grounded by a sheer, transparent benzoin-warmed sandalwood. Every note works well together, none truly dominate, and the whole thing is like a gentle summer day where you can lay on a picnic blanket in the park, enjoying your friends in the sunshine, but not worry about sweating. Chanel Paris-Riviera is, for lack of a better word, simply so so pretty. This weekend I'll go back for a full bottle. And will probably get a backup soon, too. Also, icelle: This smells different from Dior Addict eau de toilette, which I have sampled several times, and is very lovely, but an extremely rich tonka-dominant sweet floral. When I sampled Addict on my skin, it quickly became too sweet and cloying, even in the freezing New York winter. I think at most that Paris-Riviera could be called a VERY watered-down version of that.

i got a sample vial and didn’t use it till recently .... now i instinctively take a sniff every now and then to catch a phantom waft to no avail even when it’s not in use. the opening is a pleasant hug of citrus-orange with a slight tinge of neroli which becomes much more pronounced during its drydown. then the neroli gives way to a tinge of subtle jasmine, which i personally much prefer to a screeching note like mugler alien. after a few hours, the sandalwood and benzoin comes through and what’s left is the house’s signature: white, aldehydic and powdery yet unmistakably chanel dna. very suitable for daily wear as it’s an inoffensive freshie and can act as a layering base for other more complex scents with its rather simplistic approach. with that said, it’s a more feminine leaning scent, but can definitely be unisex as well. what actually blew me away was the LONGEVITY. this thing lasts FOREVER on me. for an edt, i was expecting ~3 hours as most perfumes of similar caliber do on my skin chemistry, but one spritz can easily go through a full day and still leave a noticeable sillage, albeit faint. seriously considering picking an actual bottle up just for how insanely long it endures despite the slightly higher price tag. if one is looking for a versatile daytime scent that performs extremely well and has that mass appeal element + some disposable cash, this would be up there in my recommendation list for sure.