Chantilly

Like so many people here, I first wore this scent as a tween- maybe 11 or 12 years old. I tried a sample of it in my local Walgreens drugstore and liked it. I told my parents that I liked it and for the next 5 or 6 years I got various iterations of it from older relatives for Christmas and birthdays. Cologne, powder, body lotion, everything. If it came in Chantilly, they gave it to me. I kind of overdosed on it, to be honest. When I went away to college, I left such childish things behind. I was an adult now, dammit, and I was going to smell like one. Fast forward almost 40 years to now. In reading through reviews here on Fragrantica, I have re-encountered several old favorites and I thought I'd check and see what folks had to say about Chantilly. I expected high levels of derision and dismissal of Chantilly as a hopelessly cheap and childish scent. Instead of dismissal I read all sorts of glowing reviews of how lovely it smells and what happy memories it evokes. My curiosity was peaked. Could this actually be a scent for grownups? Could this be a scent I might enjoy wearing again? Hmmmm..... I started to keep an eye out for it when I was shopping. I knew that I could find it inexpensively especially now around the holidays. Last week I found a small bottle for a good price and picked it up. Yes, it was at Walgreens. I opened the package and sniffed the sprayer cautiously. Baby powder. Sweet, bland baby powder. Oh boy. Not what I was hoping for. I didn't have the heart to try it on me for several days because I didn't want to have my fears confirmed but I kept reading the reviews and they talked about the spicy, sandalwood base notes with hints of amber. Intriguing. Today I tried it for the first time since the late 70's. Although Dana may have changed the formulation since I had my Houbigant version it really smells quite lovely. Its clearly been long enough that I have only the most general memory of what it smelled like back in the day so this is close enough for me. The opening is strong and somewhat fruity but on me it dries down very quickly to a soft vanilla sandalwood with hints of smoky incense. Delicious! If this is baby powder its the most sophisticated baby powder ever. I've been sniffing my wrist all morning. This scent will definitely be staying in my rotation both for nostalgia and for pure enjoyment. I also owe an apology to my younger self. All these years I thought the younger me was hopelessly naïve when it came to perfume. Turns out, younger me had pretty good taste after all.

Beautifully put together Fragrance! I am 57 years old and I wear this perfume...this perfume is blended beautifully...It used to be my grandmother’s fragrance in the 60‘s-90’s until she passed away.... I knew that as I aged, I would learn to appreciate this perfume and I have, when I put it on and I’m out driving around I get this really beautiful aroma that surrounds me in the air and the best part is the Leather note for me... I really love the leather notes... I don’t think this perfume couldn’t have been put together any better than what it has. It might not smell like the older version but it’s pretty spot on. Absolutely gorgeous Fragrance. I would say it’s for a mature women, but I know plenty of younger women that wear this. Perfect for spring and summer.....I look at some of the reviews from you younger ladies and I can understand why you wouldn't like something that smells mature please don't say old lady it's just mature and you don't like it because you're not mature enough to wear it and appreciate it and I can understand that as well because when I was younger I didn't like it enough to appreciate it and wear it but as I've aged it is absolutely gorgeous and it's so strong one squirt does enough for me and that is all you're supposed to put when it comes to perfumes it should be strong enough for 1 squirt maybe 2.... I wish you younger girls would learn to appreciate a perfume even when it doesn't smell like candy cookies ice cream and cake.... I own two perfumes Chantilly for the spring and summer and Angel for the fall and winter and I wouldn't have it any other way I know who I am I know what I like and I am not confused and I don't need a bedroom or totes and storage areas and bookcases full of body sprays that do nothing for me except for take up space and waste money.....I do own 2-3 body sprays from BBW but thats all

I have a special place in my heart reserved for Dana fragrances. They are very affordable and have a backbone, they all smell very special and carry an old-fashioned elegance. Sometimes I forget that I have Chantilly in my collection, but then I take it out and enjoy it continuously for days. It is very calm and serene. The composition is somewhat similar to Shalimar's: citrusy opening and powdery vanilla drydown, both are very bright, ethereal, uplifting, sparkling fragrances, but the scents are different to my nose. There is some similarity in the drydown, but Chantilly chooses another road: doesn't have the smokiness what makes Shalimar breathtaking and a statement, it is rather powdery and very comforting, one wears this when there is no other statement to make than, "I am feeling so content because my life is where it needs to be and it is going where it needs to go". This is a feel-good scent for me, it smells like serenity and being loved. Having a pleasant, calm day, comfortably spending time with activities and people we enjoy, watching the bright clear blue sky from the comfort of home, no rush and absolutely no pressure of any kind. I need more of this in my life.

Current Dana version. I don’t have any personal stories about this, but find the accounts below of people’s memories of loved ones very moving. Even without a story of my own, this is a obviously an impressive scent with lots of character. It’s distinctive but not intrusive. It’s very warm and floaty. It’s light like clouds, not weak. It’s lemony as in meringue, with sweetness and froth taking the edge off any citrus sharpness, then morphing into orange blossoms. It’s powdery, fluffy, with lots of spices that are muted by vanilla. If I smell leather it’s the finest, softest type of leather made of baby goats... but I don’t want to think about that. If I smell soap it’s the sort of soap that would be pure, fine-milled and detergent-free... and definitely not tested on animals. This scent gets more beautiful over the first 30 minutes of wear. It doesn’t force any dreams on you, but it could be the gold-tinted clouds which envelop you and bear you up while you dream on about whatever you want to. Can’t imagine getting bored of this.

I wore - no, immersed myself - in Chantilly by Houbigant in college. Perfume oil, bath powder, lotion, splash perfume. It was an exotic, deep, heavy, rich scent that lasted an eternity and trailed 10 feet behind the wearer. Just gorgeous stuff. Thought I would try to recapture some of that feeling and time and ordered Dana’s EDT. I was cautiously optimistic, ready to be transported. Alas, it was not to be. Dana doesn’t do any kind of justice to what came before it. I do enjoy the lovely lemony blast at the beginning, just like cutting into a fresh juicy lemon. I want to like this, but the longevity is so poor and there is no depth or richness. None of the notes hold on long enough to progress well on me. It goes straight from initial lemon, to patchouli and sandalwood, then sweet powder in an hour. Nice enough for what it is - an inexpensive EDT - except it only stays around for an hour or two. I found a bottle of the vintage cologne online in an unopened box - looking forward to its arrival with high hopes!