The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Category Archives: Chanel


by 6 Comments

Chanel PARIS-RIVIERA

WHAT I SMELL:  PARIS-RIVIERA opens with a soft creamy petitgrain that is quickly met with a sweet, vibrant and juicy neroli.  It’s fresh, energetic and a bit bubble-gummish as it feels a bit chewy.  But overall it’s incredibly sunny.  A sandalwood makes it way in to reveal a bit of pencil shaving along with the lightest of jasmine, which helps it migrate away from the orange a bit.  After a short time, a gauze of musk layers over the composition and it feels as if the perfume is contained in a muslin wrap designed to keep the flies off of the fruit that sits within a basket.  As the perfume continues to develop, it begins to sweeten which is welcomed as it makes the perfume just that more joyous.  And in a bit, a warmed woody base adds just the perfect resting place for this floral dream.   PARIS-RIVIERA is a delightfully pretty perfume.

From the Chanel website:

1928. Gabrielle Chanel builds her villa, La Pausa, on the Côte d’Azur, a few years after opening a new boutique in Cannes. With breathtaking landscapes, the French Riviera becomes the hot spot for society. The sweetness and excitement of this life is captured by the floral and solar scent of PARIS-RIVIERA.

A burst of zesty Sicilian orange interlaced with petitgrain reveals soft, subtle notes of jasmine and neroli. Sandalwood and musk add a touch of warmth for a scent as radiant as the Mediterranean sun.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A summer picnic under the orange trees.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE PARIS-RIVIERA:  fresh, dreamy, uncomplicated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARIS-RIVIERA:  My Woman Stuff, Fragroom.com

BOTTOM LINE:  Chanel does fresh better than anyone else.  This perfume is no exception.  PARIS-RIVIERA is the perfect summer scent.  No, actually it’s the perfect scent to wear whenever you need a mood booster no matter the time of year and I love it!

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral Fruity
  • Nose:  Olivier Polge
  • Classification: Leans feminine
  • Expense: Starting at $90 for 1.7 oz. eau de toilette


by 6 Comments

Chanel 1957

WHAT I SMELL:  Chanel 1957 opens with a bright and sparkling warmed bergamot that is quickly met with a soft and slightly creamy iris tinged with citrus.  It’s so pretty, rather ethereal and incredibly inviting.  In short time the perfume begins to powder and grow, but without giving up it’s soft demeanor.  The perfume seems to radiate around an inch off of the skin where it feels as if you’re snuggling your nose up against the soft fur of the underbelly of a kitten.  The florals are sweetened in the lightest of ways on top of a tempered wood and the musk is lush and full without suffocating all other aspects of this soft and pretty dream of a perfume.  1957 is probably one of the prettiest perfumes in the Chanel collection of fragrances, albeit rather linear in development.  It’s perfectly uncomplicated and I love it.

From the Chanel website:

In 1957, Coco Chanel was rewarded for her world-renowned talent and audacity to seize, reinvent and magnify rare materials. The 1957 fragrance embodies this spirit, which is signature to the heart of every CHANEL creation.

A sensual accord of white musk is delicately fashioned with floral notes of bergamot, iris and neroli, woody notes of cedar, powdery accents and a hint of honey. A luminous scent, a statement to the timeless style of CHANEL.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Audrey Hepburn in “Funny Face” 1957.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE 1957: delightful, easy, happy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 1957:  CaFleureBon, Chemist in the Bottle, The Black Narcissus

BOTTOM LINE:  1957 is another Chanel that is so wonderfully beautiful in its’ simplicity and for it ease of wear.  And even though the name is 1957, there’s something timeless about this beauty of a perfume.  There really is an art to making a perfume so ethereally uncomplicated, yet refined.

  • Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic
  • Nose:  Olivier Polge
  • Classification: Leans feminine
  • Expense: $250 for 2.5 oz. eau de parfum


by 4 Comments

Chanel No. 19 Eau de Toilette

WHAT I SMELL:  Chanel No. 19 opens with bright aldehydes and a sweetened bergamot that quickly turns to a buttery iris that is so radiantly smooth that it glides on the skin as if it’s surfing just a milliliter off of your body.  Right from first spritz the perfume has a big presence, but it’s neither harsh nor abrasive.  Instead, it’s incredibly inviting with its positive energy.  After a bit, the perfume begins to dry and powder and the galbanum increasingly radiates with a dusty aura.  After some more time, the greenish galbanum and the lilting iris begin to flatten and a light sandalwood partners in the mix.  It’s here where Chanel No. 19 retreats in this warmed aura of green radiant sunshine.  Chanel No. 19 eau de toilette is an incredible perfume that’s easy to wear and easy to love.

From the Chanel website:

Daring, distinctive and uncompromising. A floral, woody, green fragrance with perfect balance.

An ideal harmony between the vibrant, green notes of Galbanum and the soft, powdery notes of Iris.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Happy and perfectly content.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CHANEL NO. 19:  powdery, comfortable, radiant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHANEL NO. 19:  Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE:  Chanel No. 19 is a classic that’s easy to wear, fresh and completely unpretentious while at the same time is incredibly beautiful and long lasting.  To me, Chanel No. 19 eau de toilette is a perfect Christmas present because it’s affordable, delightful and more importantly, because it’s Chanel!

  • Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Chypre
  • Nose:  Henri Robert
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense:  $110 for 100ml eau de toilette.