WHAT I SMELL: 31 Rue Cambon goes on cool with a peppered bergamot that’s fizzy, but fixed within the pepper. The florals come quickly with a beautifully creamy and waxy ylang-ylang. The perfume seems to exist in the middle; not too light and not too heavy, but riding this really easy wave of florals that as time goes on becomes accented with tinges of the pepper. But that soon dissipates and the perfume moves completely to the creamy. Here, 31 Rue Cambon is incredibly pretty as the ylang-ylang gives a bit of leeway to allow for the rose to come forward. And here they sit in harmony with each other in the most beautiful of ways. After some time, the perfume moves to a cool iris and begins to powder and expand and sweeten just so slightly giving the perfume a light lipstick vibe. Not too far after, a patchouli makes a lightly sharpened entrance and the perfume becomes more woody and edgy. There’s also just the lightest of leather that appears as the perfume becomes drier and more rooted in the straw. Looking at what I just wrote, it seems 31 Rue Cambon makes quite the journey, when in fact it’s all so seamless that it really just glides along with incredible ease.
From the Chanel website:
31 rue Cambon: the epicenter of the world of Coco Chanel, a place that combined her love of simplicity and taste for baroque style. This mysterious and sensual fragrance captures her contrasting passions.
Evoking the timeless elegance of CHANEL, this scent is imbued with simple-yet-powerful accents: the radiance of a chypre accord heightened with iris and black pepper. A true reflection of brilliance.
Top notes are Black Pepper, Bergamot and Green Notes; middle notes are iris, Ylang-Ylang and Rose; base notes are Patchouli, Labdanum and Woody Notes.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A handmade henequen purse. Classy in a laid back kind of way.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE 31 RUE CAMBON: sophisticated, easy, snappy
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 31 RUE CAMBON: The only reviews I found were for the eau de toilette version that was discontinued in 2016 to make way for the new line of eau de parfums in the Les Exclusifs line. As there may be significant differences, I have not included any of them here.
BOTTOM LINE: Once again, Chanel does it with a perfume that is clean, easy to wear, and anything but boring. 31 Rue Cambon seems to morph with your mood and activity. It can be buttoned up for work, buttoned down for running errands, or glammed up for the night on the town. And it’s perfect every time.
- Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Woody Chypre
- Nose: Jacques Polge
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $200 for 2.5 oz. eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: Le Lion goes on the skin with an ambered bergamot and lemon that is tinged with patchouli in an opening that is is warm, yet light and inviting. There is no mistake that the DNA of Le Lion is aligned with Guerlain’s classic Shalimar. But to me, the biggest difference is the lemon and citrus which remains front and center which lifts the perfume up to something that is lighter, a tad brighter and much more approachable and easy to wear. Le Lion doesn’t morph all that much, but as it does wear, a puttied sandalwood makes it way under the other notes and the entire composition begins to lighten.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A chill lion. Modern; made for today.
WHAT I SMELL: Boy opens with a soft, bright, yet warm citrus which bounces upon a layer of lavender warmed in the sun. The perfume is aromatic and rather herbal and from the beginning it provides a blanket of security and comfort without being overly warm or heavy. As the perfume begins to develop, a geranium note comes forward with a light touch along with a freshness of florals accented by rose. Soon after, a sandalwood note adds a hint of a pencil shaving accord. As the perfume continues to develop, the citrus comes back to brighten the mix along with a lightly sweetened vanilla. Finally, the perfume is covered in a layer of oakmoss which dries the fragrance and creates some added projection. Boy is without edges, making it smooth and incredibly easy to wear.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Tab Hunter – fresh, easy on the eyes and always neat and clean and inoffensive.
The Scented Hound 