Paris – Venise

Fresh Oriental - that best describes Chanel Paris-Venise in my opinion. You can try to describe it, I'm sure, in many different ways - everyone has their own words to say and their very own perception of each fragrance.Fresh Oriental I think was maybe even AI generated general description of Paris-Venise but it stock with me. This perfume is just class in my opinion. Oh boy, it just does smell oh-so-good. Venise - to me anything Venetian brings something sweet and decadent to mind. Paris-Venise is perhaps sweetish but in a smooth way. So smooth. Paris-Venise is NOT a gourmand fragrance per se, oh no. Not at all. Not one bit. But wearing it feels like You had just eaten a coffee-ice cream dessert at a Venetian cafe and have that smooth satisfactory aftertaste. Paris-Venise is as far away removed from anything "coffee" as it can get but I'm talking about the power of our senses right now. Paris-Venise opens with a bright neroli but it is not screechy - absolutely nothing screechy in its composition. That's the "fresh" side of it. Neroli never gets sour but only deepened by the iris and Tonka bean. It also has powdery and ambery shadows of benzoin and the most purest of vanilla (noone but Chanel has the highest quality vanilla in fragrances in my opinion). Paris-Venise likewise OG Coco Mademoiselle can be described as fresh Oriental but they are much different fragrances however I can see if someone likes one of those two - they can be easily drawn to the other. They are two different perfumes with one thing in common - ambery but FRESH. Yes, only Chanel could ever pull this off. One main difference between Coco Mademoiselle and Paris-Venise is that the latter has absolutely no rose as opposed to the former. So if You want this ambery and fresh oriental - which You know will have to absolutely contain orange or neroli, just must contain it - but You want it to have the iris depth and not a trace of rose in it's notes - Paris Venise is a must. The iris (or Orris root) is what is responsible for the powder in this. I love powder in perfume - when someone describes as fragrance as having too much of a baby powder effect - it is an actual bait for me. Paris-Venise doesn't necessarily smell like baby wipes straight up but it still a very delicate yet very much there powdery effect. Paris-Venise - I can't imagine anyone not liking it. It's bright - but not screechy like at all. That's the magic. Paris-Venise evokes pastel colors of powdery orange or peachy color. Again without screechiness - very pastel in composition. It's so beautiful. It sits right next to #22 extrait as one of my all time favorites - that's how GOOD it is. It also smells like it has plenty of Chanelade class in it. Very much. I absolutely love it. Paris-Venise is what stopped me from loving Comete. Paris-Venise is my Comete in my collection. You know when You buy the (very covered by me - because of the size of the bottles) Les Exclusifs set of 5 - it has things like Gardenia and Coromandel in it. Two different ends of the spectrum in perfumes. But somewhere in the middle You will find Comete. That completes the variety of the set. Well Paris-Venise is that middle ground for me in my Chanel collection. Something between light and dark. Oh my goodness I am even quoting what the Chanel website states about Paris-Venise - they said it contrasts - shadow and light. I did that unintentionally - just quoted the maker of this fragrance. That perfect middle ground in my own perfume collection. That beautiful pastel with depth. I love it for life. I have a huge bottle of it - now less than half full - and the smaller one on the way (I LOVE smaller bottles of perfumes - always have).

A belated review. I am not one usually crazy about powdery scents, but this is one gorgeous fragrance. I think this one appeals to me because it's a multifaceted, complex powder, with citrus airy freshness (the petitgrain is slightly green) combined with floral-tonka musk and ambery facets. I do not know why "amber" isn't listed on Fragrantica pyramid, because it is unmistakeably there to create depth--I hate wispy vanilla-musk drydowns because they smell cheap and the drydown here is not cheap. Maybe the benzoin represents the amber here. My batch code is 3601 = December 2018, close to launch but likely not launch batch (at launch these Eaux first came out only in 125ml but I far prefer the 50ml size which I exchanged it for.) It is not a strong scent; I have to put my nose right up to my clothes to detect it. My preferred use for it is to wear it on my lounge clothes/pajamas when the mood strikes. If you have a partner who is particularly sensitive to fragrances, too, then this may be suitable as it's both snuggly and snugglable. :) This one stands out because it is one of Chanel's "happiest" smelling fragrances to me...while others are sometimes described as aloof, cold, "serious", "sexy", etc. Chance Eau Tendre is happy and innocent but a little too naive for me. Paris-Venise strikes me more for those who have traveled (through life, or around the world, or both) but still have a sense of innocence...where experience hasn't worn them down, but rather, they continue to be effervescent. We don't have to be this way all the time, but I hope we all still have moments like that. And for me, those moments are what this scent evokes.

It does justice to the effortless sophisticated weightless improbable essential elegance of Venice. Without the tourists, including me. As though I could be in that most wonderful and precious of cities without the tourists. Like the story for this fragrance I went to Venice after a loss and this fragrance reminds me of the stirring reawakenings of wonder I felt at that time, with the particular inspirations of beautiful Venice. I kind of get the cake thing, but I didn't notice it until I really made an effort, the orange seems so softly handled here in amongst the flowers. Someone said inedible cake. This doesn't make me think of eating. I usually can't stand orange because it smells so juicy and foodlike, it doesn't smell like that here at all. Oranges but without their foodness. I don't agree that this fragrance is feminine. I find it unisex or asexual. It's not about projecting any sexuality towards others. It's about having an abstract experience of joy and beauty. It's not an invitation to sexuality. I think men feel more inclined to project their sexuality because something about masculinity is competitive, both in personal experience and in perception of others. A man can enjoy wearing this if he is very confident in being nonsexual, which is not the same thing as emasculated, but may feel like it (and that's completely OK). It is exquisitely soft and ephemeral. We must always wish for more of Venice.

Update after wearing for two weeks: I've found that the cotton ball trick (a few sprays on a cotton ball tucked into my bra) works better and is longer-lasting than on my cold, dry skin! Now I'm getting more whiffs of it every time I move, and I love it more than ever! I love the citrusy top notes I get right after spraying. Although they are ethereal and somewhat fleeting, they impart brightness and warmth to the fragrance. After they fade, I get powdery iris; rich benzoin; slightly sweet, creamy white florals and tonka; and a "perfumey" vanilla rather than a "dessert" vanilla. l've only owned one other Chanel perfume, No 5 Eau Premiere, and this gives me a similar rich, golden, and classy vibe like that one did. I absolutely LOVE this fragrance. If Chanel ever releases Paris - Venise in an EDP strength I'll buy 4 bottles! It's the perfect blend - not too citrusy, not too sweet, not too powdery, etc. I'm one of those people that always seems to feel cold, so on my dry skin this sits close and has very little projection. An hour after spraying I need to press my nose up against my wrist to smell it, but it lasts as a skin scent for a couple hours like that. I use several sprays when I wear this, and take a decant with me for reapplying. It's beautiful, but light. But beauuuuuuutifulllllll! Now I'm off to buy the matching body lotion, hopefully layering will help it last longer.

I'm in serious doubt about this one. Not because it may be to feminine. And definitely not because it is supposed to be weak or moderate at best in terms of performance. I have tested this once. On paper and skin. Went back and got a sample. But it is Winter now so I don't want to waste the sample in this periode of the year. Last week though I decided to spray 1 spray on the inner side of my arm, while wearing other heavy winter fragrance on the outside of my arm close to my back hand. I believe it was Aqua di Parma Colonia Leather I was wearing. Believe it or not, I was aware of Paris-Venice the rest of the day until I took a shower after dinner. The longevity is real good. On paper it will last for at least 2 weeks. On skin 10-12 hours. Projection is really above average even compared to heavy winter frags. So why do I doubt? First because my wife says it is a feminine scent. Second, because 50 ML costs 82€ (is quite expensive) but the 125 ML only 116 € ( not so much) I will wait for Spring and than I will decide. In the meanwhile I have it for almost 2 months now. The 125 ML. I really love it. Really great performance on me. However, the most surprising thing about this fragrance is that my wife also likes it a lot on her. So actually we will share it. No problem for me, since I am also allowed to use her Prada Infusion D'Iris, which is brighter than my Iris Cedre.