Ruby 34

At this point, my knowledge of Chanel N°5 is far more than that of any average person you can pull off the street! Ever since I discovered it for myself 10 years ago, upon learning it was Marilyn Monroe's favorite scent, I've tried tracking down a more affordable alternative that can measure up to the original. So, at this point, I've had 10 years of trying different impressions of Chanel N°5 and unique scents that have been compared to it, including: Coty L'Aimant, Givenchy L'Interdit (Original EDT), Lanvin Arpège, Avon Topaze, Perfect Scents Our Version of Chanel N°5; as well as the original itself in its current EDP, EDT, and Parfum version, as well as the vintage EDT and EDC. Of all of these versions, the best version of it you can get (if you're lucky) is a vintage EDT or EDC. I'm certain now that it's the nitromusk, musk ambrette, in the original version that gives it it's deep, rich, woody, powdery, vintage character. However, this version is not easily available or plentiful, and will eventually run out as the years draw on. It's my understanding that copying the scent profile of musk ambrette using IFRA approved materials is not easy, and it may take the discovery of new musks to properly recapture this scent profile that gave us so many of our favorite vintage musk fragrances. Many N°5 fans here say that the parfum and EDT are closest to the original, and while I've sampled the EDT enough times to know this to be true, the parfum that I once had sadly fell off my dresser and shattered inside the box many years ago, with practically no use. Sadly, now, Chanel doesn't even appear to be selling the pure Parfum anymore. This scent, from Oakcha, claims that this is a dupe "inspired by" the Grand Extrait version of Chanel N°5. This definitely drew my intrigue, as that version is outrageously expensive, and it appears to be not even available for most of the general public. So, I ordered this as it was on sale. When this arrived, I was very thoroughly impressed with the packaging for the price. Their max size is only about 1.7 fluid ounces or 50 ml, but the packaging is very high quality. It comes in a very thick, well made cardboard flap presentation box, with a velour velvet insert housing the perfume. The perfume itself is contained in a very well made glass bottle, both aesthetically pleasing to look at and practical. Care went into even the atomizer design: the mist is so smooth and fine, even better when compared to my real Chanel! I've worn this side by side last night with Coty L'Aimant, and tonight with my N°5 EDP. This is a dead ringer for the original EDP, almost exact. I'm having a difficult time telling them apart! Now, I have no clue how this would measure up to the parfum, and I'm nobody special, so I probably won't be getting my hands on a bottle of that uber expensive Grand Extrait anytime soon! BUT, if you like the Chanel N°5 EDP you can find today at the department store counters, then do yourself a favor and buy this instead. Unless I'm buying the original EDT, then I honestly couldn't justify the extra money to buy the EDP again. The bottle and packaging feels like luxury to me, and the scent is so spot on that I just couldn't justify the extra money for the real Chanel. The difference is SO slight that I think most people wouldn't be able to tell. If somebody had been wearing this and said to me it was N°5 EDP, I probably would have went home, put mine on, and assumed they were right. The vintage version is always going to be a better value because of the banned ingredients, but if you want something similar to a real version of N°5 that presumably will remain available, this is what you're looking for. Buy yourself a bottle, and if you're as impressed as me, write to Oakcha so they keep making this!

After a few minutes on skin this is just like deep, authentic No. 5. Vintage No. 5 extrait with that telltale jasmine. I can see one reviewer’s point that it resembles No. 5 plus White Linen, but this is inspired by an exclusive extrait of No. 5 so that is entirely plausible while still smelling authentic to No. 5. Good thing I love both. But another plausible reason for this comparison is that the aldehydes in the top notes are more mid-century, not unlike those used in Calèche d’Hermès (1961) rather than the aldehydes that reflect the era in which No. 5 was launched (1921). But again, an extremely exclusive extrait is not going to behave exactly like the department store varieties. Fortunately, this perfume does not have that cheap sandalwood note of department store No. 5 EDP and it does not induce a headache the way department store No. 5 EDT does. Mature. Not for candy floss perfume tastes. Easily lasts 12 to 18 hours on skin. A BIG winner.

Clean yet richly powdery soap; opens with lots of neroli, ylang, and lily-of-the-valley, becomes more powdery as the orris and sandalwood emerge paired with well-blended equally powdery florals. Reminds me of No 5 Eau Premiere with the powdery factor turned up much higher. Perfect all year round, but I genuinely enjoy this profile in warmer months. Lasts around 5 hrs on my skin, but definitely sits just under arms' length despite its strength when it comes right out of the bottle.

Calèche d’Hermes but less snap, more plush. That in itself makes it worthwhile. Agree with the appraisal as No. 5 plus Estée Lauder White Linen. Along those lines, it also vaguely reminds me of vintage Estée perfume.

I smell zestfully clean. It smells like green/white soap and has a touch of luxury lotion vibe. Many aldehydes. I heard a guy say it smells like men's cologne which. I recently acquired a few Avon colognes that give a similar vibe. One is shaped like an organ. One like a desk with an apple on it. Smelling this Oakcha today I would assume it's a vintage womens perfume but it does smell relatable to these Avon colognes. When I first sprayed it I thought "did I just buy a more unisex flanker of white diamond" which also gives a lux hotel lotion vibe.

Definitely gives Chanel No 5 vibes. Starts off very fizzy citrus and powdery floral. After about an hour it calms down and the florals are much prettier. Definitely has a strong soap vibe. About 2 hours in I keep getting whiffs of this underlying layer of something akin to a candied rose. It’s really nice and reminds me of something but I can’t place it. When I smell it up close though I can still smell faint citrus, lotv, and powdery orris. It’s starting to smell woodier. But it’s also already getting faint. I hate dabber samples, which is what Oakcha gives in their discovery sets, I don’t feel like I really get the full experience I would get spraying with an atomizer. I used about 1 ml of the sample to try to get a better feel for this perfume. Regardless at a little over 2 hours it has become a skin scent. However, it’s a cheap enough option (catch a sale or get a discount code!) and smells pretty good, just isn’t long lasting like you’d expect from an extrait. ETA: I can still smell this over 12 hours later on the shirt I was wearing, as some of the dabbed perfume must have got on the shirt! So longevity on clothes is great! Just be careful, Oakcha perfumes are very oily and could stain some fabrics.

This reminds me of a pink bottle of baby lotion, specifically Baby Magic. As it dries down the powdery smell becomes even stronger and starts to remind me of the perfumes that the older ladies would wear to church when I was a child. It's a very nostalgic smell. It's like getting a big hug from grandma, but not a fragrance I would wear.

First off I love Chanel and own several fragrances, but I’ve had a difficult relationship with No5. I do like it on others for its timelessness, but it’s only ever been a like. When trialing on my skin, all of the flankers as well as the OG No5 hit my nose with highly astringent aldehydes strongest with the OG but only a little softer with the flankers.This is supposed to be a dupe of an ultra expensive and rare limited edition which I will never get the chance to put my nose on that so I can’t say if this is a dupe of that fragrance. But this one, wow. The aldehydes are still prominent but now they’re in harmony with the florals resulting in a sophisticated clean but rich fragrance. Crazy that I finally fell in love with No5 and it was with a dupe

Aldehyde Heaven. Reminds me of the L’eau No. 5. Super clean, super soapy. Sparkly, with incredible longevity.