A Sensual Elixir (Chanel: Coco, Eau de Parfum)

Member Name: snowflake5

Product:	Chanel: Coco, Eau de Parfum
Date:	04/03/06 (2722 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Long-lasting great scent

Disadvantages: Expensive

Our Valentine's day was low-key - we'd decided to give the whole expensive restaurant thing a miss and were just going to stay in and open some wine. I also forbade hubby to buy flowers (£50+ for a bouquet of roses is rip-off as far as I'm concerned especially as they die within a week). But my husband, being a love, still marked the occasion - he bought me a bottle of Coco, which I'd worn on our first date and is still his favourite perfume on me (it's my favourite too).


The House of Chanel


I'm not sure if people appreciate just how much Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel has done for modern women. This Frenchwoman single-handedly invented the modern wardrobe. When her first shop was opened in 1912, women were wearing heavy Edwardian clothes with bustles. Chanel however was a modernist and an original. She took to wearing men's trousers and shirts and adapted men's clothes for wear for herself. Eyebrows were raised at the non-conformity, but she looked cool and some daring women copied her. By the time the first world war was over, mainstream opinion had moved towards her as people were ready for a change.

She started making clothes in lightweight jersey, dumping the heavy edwardian fabrics. In 1921 she launched Chanel No 5, the first modern perfume, being a blend of several scents, and made from aldehydes. In 1923 she invented the Chanel suit, in 1925 she invented the cardigan jacket and in 1926, the little black dress. Trouser-wearing, which she pioneered, was copied by Hollywood stars of the day, which in turn inspired ordinary women to try them. Essentially she invented the modern perfume industry, the modern designer house and the modern wardrobe, which we've been wearing ever since, give or take a few variations.

Her ideas suffered a brief set-back after the second world war when the New Look, a nipped-waist throw-back to the corseted Victorian/Edwardian era, was in fashion. However, by the 1960's the Chanel suit was back - Jackie Kennedy took to wearing it because it looked modern and professional (she was wearing it when JFK was shot). It really made a comeback in the 1980's, when women started to enter the workforce en masse, and the suit became their uniform. Karl Largefeld took over design for Chanel in 1983, and in addition to updating the Chanel suit, he celebrated the Chanel revival by commissioning a new perfume, Coco, launched in 1984.


The perfume

This comes in a classy, glossy black box, with gold edging, with a neat white box in the middle with the words Coco Chanel written in gold. The spray eau-de-parfum is housed in a sleek rectangular block, with the lid clunking off by moving it apart in the middle. The non-spray version looks like the ciao photo.

Coco is very different from Chanel No 5. It's much more sensual. It is classed as a floral-oriental perfume and the notes are as follows:

Top notes: Peach, coriander, Comorus Island blossom

Heart notes: Spice Island clove bud, frangipani, Indian jasmine, Bulgarian rose, Carribean Cacarida, French angelica, mimosa and Bulgarian rose.

Base notes: amber, leather, Mysore sandlewood


This is a really warm, spicy perfume. It's very strong so do take care not to spray it all over you as though it is air-freshner. I use the spray eau-de-parfum, and normally spray a bit on the left wrist, and then use my finger to dab it from the wrist to the neck and behind the ears. (You are supposed to apply perfume to your pulse points as the warmth helps the scent to develop).

This is a very long-lasting scent - sometimes I can smell it in the car in the morning, if I've worn it the previous evening. I particularly love the smell of sandlewood, which lingers hours after you have put it on.

I tend to wear this only in the evenings and for special occasions. It is simply too strong (and too sensual) for day wear/going to the office.

I would advise people to try the scent for a day, before purchasing: scents behave differently on different women, as they interact with your natural scent and the oils on your skin. What smells good on someone else might not work for you.

Note that is is a different perfume from "Coco Mademoiselle", which was launched in 1987 as a lighter version.


Cost

This is expensive, there is no getting away from that. However because it is strong, you only need use a little, and it is probably much better value per wear than most other perfumes.

Superdrug is probably the cheapest place to get it from, as they try to discount prices.

You can buy on online from www.superdrugstore.com and prices are currently as follows:

Eau de Parfum Spray 100 ml £79.99
Eau de Parfum Spray 35ml £36.99
Eau de Toilette Spray 100ml £54.99
Coco Body Lotion £32.99


Smell is one of the more primitive senses. There is strong link between smell and memory and smell and sexual attraction (mice with no sense of smell do not mate). I happen to think selecting the correct perfume is very important! If you like sensual spicy scents, I recommend Coco.

Summary: A great sensual scent for evening wear