Chanel No. 19

Recently I have been thinking about adding a Chanel fragrance to my collection. Years ago, before I realised that one can own more than one fragrance at a time, I bought Allure Homme and dutifully applied it every morning before leaving for work. At the time I thought it smelled pretty good but a recent re-test left me cold. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Allure Homme but once you have Serge Lutens and l'Artisan in your collection your nose has officially moved on.

Previous attempts at No. 5 and Coco Mademoiselle failed due to the association with my mother. Besides she will have something to say if I ever dare wear the same perfume at the same time as she does! My first impression of Eau Premiere was that here was a Chanel that I must have. If only it did not disappear from my skin after a couple of hours. I still want it though but I'm holding out for an edp version for a while longer.

Today I tried No. 19 edp on the back of my hand just to see what it will do on my skin, taking care not to inhale the initial blast. I have dismissed great fragrances this way before but have learned to be patient and let a fragrance develop. After about 15 minutes I had a tentative sniff and had my initial doubt about the suitability of the fragrance. Here I should note that vetiver does not work on my skin at all. I have a full bottle of Guerlain Vetiver that I purchased blind just because so many people raved about it and now only gets used when I need to remind myself why I cannot stand vetiver. Vetiver turns sharp and becomes cloying on my skin and that same vetiver sits at the front of No. 19 stabbing my nose. I was hoping for the vetiver to subdue but after a while gave up and stopped smelling my hand.

I'll try No. 19 again in a year or so.