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
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Sunshine summertime.
WHAT I SMELL: Narcisse Blanc opens with a peppery warm and indolic orange blossom and neroli. It’s thick, waxy and completely intoxicating. Quickly, a petitgrain note emerges to bring the floating blossoms towards the earth with a greenish touch of grass. There’s nothing easy or breezy about this perfume. Instead, it’s beauty is in the realm of the mature. Big and round as more florals come in punctuated with the rose, Narcisse Blanc is less mysterious than it’s counterpart, Narcisse Noir, but to me, much more accessible. However, that’s not to say that it doesn’t hold it’s wearer in some contempt, as there is a bit of haughtiness and aloofness about it without it being cold in nature. As the perfume continues to expand and radiate, the warmth of the base begins to move towards the still waxy blossoms. Vetiver adds just a bit of a brownish grass and a sandalwood brings a little bit of sour. Narcisse Blanc never got the love that Narcisse Noir did. Too bad, because it’s every bit as beautiful.
The Scented Hound 