Chanel No 5 EDT - In A Class of its Own But Doesn't Last (Chanel: No 5, Eau de Toilette)

Member Name: anonymili

Product:	Chanel: No 5, Eau de Toilette
Date:	03/09/09 (253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful addictive scent

Disadvantages: Doesn't have much staying power

Chanel No 5 is in a class of its own. But how does the Eau de Toilette match up to the reputation of Chanel?


MY RELATIONSHIP WITH NO 5

My mum wore Chanel No 5 when I was growing up so I've always known this scent. Mum always used the perfume and I used to be fascinated watching her dab a little bit of this grown up scent behind her ears and on her wrists.

As a grown-up I found my own favourite perfumes and never felt the urge to splash out on Chanel No 5. I met my husband over 7 years ago and he kept nagging me to wear Chanel No 5. Now, for reasons I won't go into, my husband does not buy me perfume. He will buy me anything else I ask for from gold and diamonds to designer shoes and handbags but he won't buy me perfumes so I have to buy them for myself. So I just made him wait till I got around to buying myself some Chanel No 5 - I made him wait for years.

Ever heard of that expression "Cutting off your nose to spite your face?" Well that applies to me, and then some! Having recently splurged on a 100ml bottle of Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette, I'm in love with this perfume and can't understand why I wasted so many years not having this feminine and unique scent in my perfume collection!


THE HISTORY BEHIND NO 5

Chanel No 5 has been around since 1921. It was Gabrielle (aka Coco) Chanel's first ever fragrance and it was also the first ever fragrance created which was given the designer's name. Although it was her first perfume to be marketed you might wonder why it was called No 5 - this is rumoured to be because the first 4 and the 6th that were commissioned were not to her liking and the number five was also Chanel's lucky number.

At the time of creation jasmine perfume oil was the most expensive and Chanel apparently wanted to have the most expensive perfume in the world to her name. Whatever her wish, Chanel was unable to fulfil it as Joy was for years the most expensive perfume although research from 2008 shows that Chanel No 5 is the 4th most expensive perfume in the world following Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty, Clive Christian's No 1 and Caron's Poivre respectively with Jean Patou's Joy now at number 8 in the list.

When Chanel commissioned No 5 she wanted it to be totally unique and she first gave it to her friends to try out before releasing to the general public. It was also given to favoured clients at her boutique free of charge as well as having the changing rooms scented with it which I understand is still the case even today at Chanel stores.


THE BOTTLE

The bottle is not exactly exciting to look at for the eau de toilette - it's clear glass with a black lid but the lid or "spraycap" as it's called is quite clever in that you don't have to remove the lid to spray the perfume and it's designed in such a way that you don't spill any perfume by accident if you're carrying it in your handbag as the lid doesn't come off.

The eau de toilette for Chanel No 5 is available to purchase in 50ml or 100ml sizes.


WHAT'S IN IT?

Chanel no 5 has a very distinctive feminine scent. There's no mistaking it for anything else. It was the first perfume to contain such a large amount of aldehydes combined with floral extracts. Aldehydes are what give perfumes their individuality. They enhance the top nots and give the fragrance its "champagne sparkle".

*Top Notes*
Ylang ylang, neroli and aldehydes such as 2-methylundecanal

*Mid Notes*
Jasmine and may rose

*Base Notes*
Sandalwood, vanilla and vetiver


DOES IT LAST?

It should be noted that Chanel No 5's reliance on aldehydes was partly due to the fact that these aldehydes helped ensure that the fragrance would last so you wouldn't have to over douse yourself with the scent or keep re-applying.

I would stress here that with Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette, the fragrance is nowhere near as strong as the Eau de Parfum or the Pure Perfume. I find myself reapplying the scent within a few hours as the aroma seems to disappear or fade severely after a while. This might not apply to everyone who wears this but as a rough estimate I'd say it lasts betwen 1-4 hours depending on your skin - which is not that good compared to other EDTs that I wear.

I tend to test out the durability of perfumes with my husband as he has a very good nose for scents. I can go out for a couple of hours shopping or wherever wearing a perfume and ask him when I get back what I'm wearing, with my other perfumes such as Ysatis or Opium or Red Door he can tell as soon as I come near him what I'm wearing. Sadly with Chanel No 5 Eau de Toilette we were both disappointed that the scent is barely evident after just 2 hours, which means I'm going to have to splash out of a bottle of the Eau de Parfum when this one is finished or if I'm feeling very rich I might go for the Pure Perfume.


WHAT'S THE DAMAGE?

A 50ml bottle of the Eau de Toilette will set you back between £45 and £55 depending on where you buy it from and 100ml will cost from £65 to £75. I bought my 100ml bottle from Beauty Base for £65.


OVERALL RATING

I would rate Chanel No 5 itself as 5 out of 5 for its actual scent but overall for the Eau de Toilette I can only rate 3.5 out of 5 due to the fact that it lasts such a short time and needs constant reapplication.

Summary: If you're going to spend that much money, go for the EDP instead!