WHAT I SMELL: Comête has a putty like cherry blossom opening that moves quickly to the powder with a dusting of lightly sweetened iris surrounded by a quiet heliotrope. It’s soft, gentle and rather unassuming. After a couple of minutes, it becomes incredibly unassuming because it feels as if it is about to disappear from your skin. But soon enough, the heliotrope begins to blossom in a muted manner. And soon after, the iris begins to layer itself over the heliotrope and in combination creates for a very soft and comforting wear that’s slightly sweetened. In the end, a hazy musk makes its appearance to lead Comête to its floral cotton ball of a finish.
From the Chanel website:
Ever superstitious, Gabrielle Chanel let the stars guide her to the world of high jewelry, which she revolutionized in 1932 with her unique and now legendary BIJOUX DE DIAMANTS collection. The COMÈTE necklace was at the heart of the constellation. Its shooting star, nestled softly in the neck, symbolizes the intimate, sensorial connection that links a person to their jewelry—as well as their fragrance. Luminous and sensual, the new COMÈTE Eau de Parfum was composed by CHANEL In-House Perfumer Creator Olivier Polge and leaves a trail reminiscent of stardust in its wake.
A fresh cherry blossom accord is caressed by notes of iris and heliotrope. An intense floral scent with a powdery, musky signature.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A purple floral halo crown.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE COMÊTE: soft, serene, subdued
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COMÊTE: The Black Narcissus
BOTTOM LINE: Long story short, I bought a bottle of Comête at 12:30 am at the Singapore airport where the Chanel representative was sweet enough to open up the locked store to let me experience this new release…so of course I had to have it. That said, I want to love Comête, but instead I just rather like it. Where as my other Exclusifs (1957, Boy, Chanel 22, etc.) make for perfume cravings, Comête has not yet achieved that status. But like the others, Comête has an easy to wear clean feeling that makes it rather enchanting, even though it may be a bit fleeting as its staying power is a bit challenged.
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Floral
- Nose: Olivier Polge
- Classification: Leans feminine
- Expense: Starting at $325 for 2.5 oz. eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: Iconic Feminine has a sparkling opening that’s full of bright aldehydes that meld into a light and airy saffron. The perfume is clean with a beautiful laundry like infused musk that seems to be full of a sunny breeze. Although light and airy, there is an undercurrent of an impending warmth that is brought to life with a mix of florals with a quiet rose and a delicate violet. This is a pretty perfume that seems to start off as a debutante, but soon moves to the more sophisticated. The rose begins to mature with a coating of honey which gives the perfume some added volume and depth. But the honey is contained and it doesn’t end up moving the perfume to the heavy side. But it does also provide for a bit of a plasticized feel and smell which turns Iconic Feminine to the lightly spiced. But in the end, the rose seems to possess the honey and the perfume fulfills its promise of being truly feminine, although I would argue that it’s iconic.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A 1970s pastel dress vibe.
WHAT I SMELL: Karikia confidently opens with a lightly sweetened tobacco and a sueded leather that smells like it would be soft to the touch. And right from the start it’s dynamic and charming. Soon, a bit of barnyard enters and the smell of dried hay and grass brings the perfume to the outdoors. The perfume is buzzing with life with a twist of honeyed tobacco. Although the perfume is incredibly earthy, there’s also a clean, buttoned up feeling like that of a linen shirt that has been drying in the sun. The perfume then really begins to dry with a layer of dust, rather than powder. You can feel the winds whipping up the dried earth as it bounces off the plains. The perfume then turns more to the flame as an incense begins to ignite the dried grass and a vanilla hazelnut syrup turns it slightly gourmand. Karikia takes you on a fantastic journey of delightful twists and turns that never jolt the senses, but instead guides you slowly through its magic.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A royal stable.
The Scented Hound 