I have spent a lot of time whining about the lack of Chanel Les Exclusifs in extrait/pure parfum form. My thinking is they would make extraits out of 31 Rue Cambon, Coromandel and Sycomore, the three with the most oomph in them that would match well. Instead, Chanel – being much brighter and in charge of things Chanel – launched extraits of Jersey, 1932 and Beige. Well, oh-kay! I love 1932 and Beige, and this does not make me entirely unhappy. Well, except for it not being Sycomore, I’m just a wee chuffed it wasn’t extrait-ized this round.
Off went the order for the Chanel extraits, and I waited impatiently for my bottles to arrive. What did I expect? I think with Chanel, you must set expectations correctly. Given my experience with all Chanel extraits/pure parfums (Coco, Coco Mademoiselle, Bois des Iles, Cuir de Russie, 19, 22, etc), what I thought they would be was a stronger, less blowsy version of the EDT. Guess what? They were! All three smell pretty close to their EDT counterpart. So if you are thinking you didn’t really care for the EDT, maybe the extrait would work where the EDT didn’t. Nope, I don’t think there’s a tinker’s chance of that happening. You have to have some love for the EDT version. If you do, then you will love the pure parfum/extrait formula.
They all stay closer to the skin, have a richer feel, do not project in that sometimes too-big way that EDTs have with all the alcohol blowing them up. There’s a refinement in all three that the EDT lacks. I very much prefer Beige pure parfum to the EDT, but I adore Beige when a lot of people didn’t find love for it – must be the hawthorn, which for me makes it way less beige.
1932 is another huge love, and I think the parfum is a beautiful version of an already beautiful perfume. I have nothing to add to how I feel about 1932 (see review links below) except more love.
Chanel Jersey is one I liked in EDT and really loved the open. I love all of it so much more in the extrait – the lavender is richer, more peppery, and that’s my favorite part of Chanel Jersey. The open sticks for a while, dropping my need to spray it often to capture that amazing lavender open and avoiding that more soapy drydown that is okay, but not love.
As with all extraits, you only need a dab. I do have to note the move up in price on the 15 ml pure parfums is a budget butt-hurt. Was $160, now $200. Chanel, that is like a 30% price increase (please math nerds, I did this quickly, and I’m off on that by some percentage)! Well, I know you haven’t increased the price on the 15 ml pure parfums in lots of years, but still, way ouch.
How’s that for a non-review review? But we have reviewed these in the past, EDT version. 1932 Review by Musette, Chanel 1932 review by Patty. Review of Chanel Beige by me in 2008. I reviewed Chanel Jersey in 2011. I’ll be gobsmacked, I can’t believe I actually did review all three before!
Hey, and guess what we have for a drawing this week? That’s right, three sets of samples of the new Chanel pure parfums. Comment to be entered to win, just tell me which of the Chanel Les Exclusifs you would have preferred to have done in extrait. If you don’t have any idea, well, just tell me stories instead.
Winners of the drawing for the David’s Tea and Roja Dove Extrait samples – Jillicat, xtopher and kizzers. Just clickety click on the Drop Us a Note at the top of the blog or e-mail me at patty at perfumepossedawtcom, remind me what you’ve won and let me know your address, and I’ll quickly confirm so you know you didn’t wind up in my spam filter, and then get them lovelies shipped out to you!
Bel Respiro is way too fleeting in the EDC; we need it in an extrait, or at least an EDP. I’d also enjoy 31 Rue Cambon or 29 La Pausa or Sycamore in extrait. Chanel wasn’t my favorite house, until the Les Exclusifs came out, but I’ve got several favorites in my collection now. Love to try these new extraits.
I for one am happy to see the extrait in 1932, my favorite!
Thanks for the giveaway. I’d pick Coromandel.
I love Bel Respiro, so I would be over the moon with a green based extrait to go with my No 19 Parfume.
Clearly completely uneducated here having tried NONE of these in any form! I need to hit up a Chanel store ASAP Or Neiman Marcus maybe? Thanks for all these wonderful drawings and discussions, I love them all!
Actually my favorite is Beige so I’m glad they picked Beige!
I am happy with the 1932 because I think it is a beautiful scent in the EDT. I have Bois des Isles Cuir de Russie in pure parfum.
I would have loved to have seen either La Pausa or 31 Rue Cambon in pure parfum as they are not as long-lasting as Jersey and Beige–at lease on me. Perhaps in time, they will add all of them in parfum form.
I would have loved 31 Rue Cambon or EdC, but am quite happy with the Beige in fact. I enjoyed sampling the exclusives
in EdT, my favourites being the ones above, with Bel Respiro and Sycamore coming next. Thanks for the draw!
Sycomore most definitely would be my pick – love the wood fire feel.
Sycomore lasts on me forever, and I love the EDT , so not extrait not urgent in my mind. 31 RC, however, vanishes on my skin, so I’d really like Chanel to get on this as a parfum. Have ordered a sample of Beige in extrait, and waiting impatiently!! I agree on Chanel inflation–a big deterrent to buying the extraits, which is unfortunate, because they really are such beauties.
Wait! Just in case the marketing geniuses at chanel read this— the answer is to come out with 1oz or 1.7oz edp versions of 1932, cuir de russie and 28 la pausa. Seriously. We would all buy the edps, right guys???
31 Rue Cambon or 29 la Pausa in extrait would have been amazing, but these sounds lovely as well 🙂
I like beige, so I’m excised to try the extrait. Though, I would also LOVE to try 28 le pausa since it’s so lovely but just disappears on my skin after two hours. Thanks for the draw
My favorite so far was Cuir de Russie, and I was hoping for Sycomore or Coromandel in this batch. At least I have hope now that there will be more extraits coming. Thanks for the drawing!
I would probably most like to try Coco, Coromandel, or No. 5 Eau Premiere in extrait form. Thanks for the draw.
Really? You are really giving away samples of these?! You rock!! I would have chosen beige and 1932 (especially 1932 which is perfection on me). Gah I want to try them!!
I was hoping for 31 Rue Cambon in extrait. It’s my favorite Les Exclusifs after Bois des Iles. Having said that, I quite like Beige and 1932 as well. So I’m curious to try them in extrait.
I would have prefered 31 Rue but after your review now I want to try Beige in extrait (I’m such a lemming…. no wait, I’m just open to new experiences, yeah, that’s it… 😉 )
Today’s perfume mixing: Body Made Luminous combined with LUSH’s Imogen Rose – that is one big, gorgeous, chocolate-y, rosy smell, let me tell you!!
I love my little sample of Beige, so I’d be ecstatic to try the extrait form. I haven’t tried any of the other Exclusifs, but I’d love to!
I haven’t smelled any of them in any form, so I just want to try *something* from Chanel! I feel like you all are speaking a foreign language that I so desperately wish to understand! Please enter me in the draw. Thank you!
Oh, my goodness! Beige in extrait form – yay! Will have to journey to the big city to the Chanel boutique to try it. I’ve never tried 1932 at all for some reason. I’m also hoping for Coromandel in extrait form. Yum. Thanks for the draw.
Coromandel would be my choice. Thank you for the draw, Patty. :-0)
I`m still in love w/ older #22 for Spring – time to try these newer members of Chanel`s house! Thank you for a great blog 🙂
Sycomore!! I am not too familiarized with the exclusifs to be honest 🙁
Thanks. I’d love to try these.
Chanel isn’t my favorite house so I’m happy to see Beige was done in extrait vs some others. What I thought would be meh turned out to ever-so-wearable.
I am sure all three of these are great as extraits, Sycomore would have been good, too!
I don’t have any preferences, perfume-wise. I am so deliriously happy that the mountains of snow are finally melting and I actually saw a little green shoot poking up yesterday, I am hopeful spring is here to stay! What would be a good perfume to wear on the first hike through the woods of the spring?
Oh Ingrid, I am with you completely. It is finally feeling like spring and I cannot get enough of it. For me, it would be either Diorissimo (lovely lily-of-the-valley in a shaded wood) or Violette Fumee by Mona di Orio, for its smoky violets. What were you thinking?
I want to try all three of these, and especially looking forward to Beige, but I was disappointed that they didn’t include 31 Rue Cambon as an extrait. I hope they will continue with some of the others.
Sycamore for me as well…
I’m still waiting for 28 La Pausa in extrait and, of course, Coromandel
thanks a lot for the draw
I am so excited by this review, because what my feeble little mind was going to say was, “I’d like Bois de Iles in extrait but I think they already made it,” and then I read the comments, and yep, already an extrait. And then I thought, I like the EDT so much I should get my hands on some, and then my brain wheezed and clanked a bit more until I realized I ALREADY HAVE A SAMPLE OF THE EXTRAIT! Which I haven’t even sniffed. In my defense, I am just having my first cup of coffee as I type and babycakes woke up for a while at 4am, but still… Sheesh. Off to wear Bois de Iles extrait to tennis practice! It’s like I already won the draw, because I probably would have forgotten about the BdI otherwise. Which is not to say I don’t want to win this one! :p
Oh, wow, and it is so damned good. I am floating on a cloud right now.
I’ll join in to wish for 28 La Pausa or 31 Rue Cambon in extrait. I’ve never smelled Jersey, Beige or 1932 in their EdT forms, so I’m behind the curve anyway. 😉 Thanks for the draw.
When my two sons went to NYC a few years ago they were 23 and 20 at the time. I hesitated, but then did ask them if they would be willing to go into the Chanel store and nicely ask for samples for their Mom. I was so excited that they were willing to do this for me (as nobody in my family shares my perfume passion) and they successfully came home with a bag full of samples. The SA at Chanel was very kind to my sons! 31RC would be choice for an extrait.
Thank you for the draw. I wish they would make all of the exclusives in extrait.
I have never smelled a Chanel extrait, or exclusive, but Coco, Egoiste, and No. 5 (both the original and the Eau Premiere versions) are some of my favorite perfumes. In fact, I am wearing Egoiste today – I always forget how wonderful it smells. I would love to try these extraits! Thanks for the draw.
Yay! I love Sycomore especially, but it doesn’t last more than 30 minutes on me. I was hoping that it would be made into an extrait. Glad to know somebody out there understands. As I was saying yesterday, I also am fond of Coromandel, but it didn’t make the cut either. I’d like to try 1932 and Beige since I’ve read glowing reports by other perfumistas about them. Please enter me in the draw. Thanks so much.
Just returned from NYC, where I was surprised to find Les Exclusifs at Bloomingdales. Didn’t see parfum testers, but they had all the edts, and I sampled Beige and Gardenia. Found them both lovely & wearable though I know Gardenia is often bashed in perfumista circles. Would love a Sycomore extrait!
I would have loved to smell 28 La Pausa or 31 Rue Cambon in extrait. 31 RC lasts a decent amount of time on me, but I have to respray the 28 LP quite often. Both are gorgeous things that I never want to be without. I think the 31 RC is a modern masterpiece. I can see it being lauded for its beauty for many years to come. Thanks for the drawing Patty!
Joining in the chorus for Coromandel. That would be so perfect.
28 La Pausa in extrait would smell divine for sure!
This perfume is a mysterious beauty. Just imagine how buttery, soft and creamy the extrait would smell!
The only full bottle I have been able purchased is 31 Rue Cambon so that would have been my choice as well for the extrait. I haven’t tried the 1932 yet so I thank you for this chance to win this set!
Coromandel and Sycomore. I really liked Jersey as a bedtime scent, though, and I’m curious to try the parfum.
From those that have not already been converted, I think 31 Rue Cambon might be the most interesting to make into an extrait.
I like that 1932 was done, I wouldn’t mind trying that one.
The only exclusif I wanted in extrait was beige (given that my favorites are already available in the pure parfum concentration) – so I should be happy… but am I?
I too would have loved Coromandel, but I am pleased by the inclusion of beige, which I love.
Definitely Coromandel!
31 Rue Cambon, 28 La Pausa and the EdC. I know that last one doesn’t sound like it makes any sense, but if Profumum can make a super-powered lemon in their Acqua Viva, I’m sure Chanel could manage it too!
So excited to try Jersey!!
La Pausa would be amazing in extrait too, mmm
I would have preferred 31 Rue Cambon and / or 28 La Pausa – can you imagine that iris in extrait ??!
Coromandel also.
I would buy the 31 Rue Cambon or 28 La Pausa in a heartbeat. But I would be curious to smell these, which I do already like in the EDT. Thanks for the draw.
28 La Pausa in extrait please. Thanks for the draw.
I’m not a math nerd but had a role once where I had to explain internal allocation variances with a lot of zeros at the end ..to get the percentage increase, New Price minus Old Price = Difference divided by the Old Price. $200 – $160 = $40 / $160 = 25% so not quite 30% but still ouch!
What I would really like is for this line to be in EDP form. Even though Chanel makes a decent EDT, in terms of lasting power, I think that EDP’s would be a little better. But holy crap, did those prices on any Chanel (don’t matter what the concentration is) go up. I’m gonna have to dig up what Les Exclusifs that I haven’t tried yet to see if they are extract worthy though.
How amazing would Coromandel in extrait be? Swoon. I do like the 3 that they chose but don’t love them. Maybe the extraits will change my mind.
31 Rue Cambon for sure.
Bois des Isles is already a done deal, so I’m happy about that.
Coromandel is so big already, so concentrated, that I can’t imagine it as a parfum.
I haven’t tried any of them but am curious about 1932 in any form.
If money were no object for me, I’d try the Bois de Iles extrait, because the edt was interesting, but disappeared so quickly that I didn’t feel as though I could really get a handle on it. Of the exclusives, I’ve only tried Coromandel.
Off topic, did you like the finale of True Detective? I thought that it wasn’t the high point of the series, but was still pretty good. I’m curious to see what he comes up with next season.
And to Joni, I think you have the perfect excuse to keep sampling everything. “It’s really your fault,” you could say, with complete sincerity.
I would have loved Coromandel in extrait form but happy about Beige as it’s another favorite. Thanks for the draw!
31 for spring/summer/fall and Coromamdel for fall/winter. But the 1932 sounds lovely!
bah… i know nothing about these perfumes and don’t even need to be entered into the draw… but i will tell you a story:
pierre le verre de terre est ne.
pierre le verre de terre est tombe.
pierre le verre de terre est mort.
le fin.
you’re welcome! 🙂
Thank you. 😉
Love to try the extracts, thank you for the draw!
I have no idea which I’d rather have seen in extrait, as I haven’t had the privelege of smelling any of them. So, I’ll tell you a sad story instead: my true love’s favorite scent is Jovan Musk. I wear it for him , even though it literally makes me nauseaus. I do this because he lets me wear my favorite (which he hates) most of the time. We are still searching for something we can both love.
Coromandel here too. Thanks for this wonderful draw. I haven’t smelled any of these yet and so would love to have the chance.
I have not tried any of the Exclusifs, but if I had to choose one to try in any version it would probably be Coromandel or Sycomore 🙂
31 Rue Cambon or Coromandel would have been nice. Le sigh.
I am very happy with the inclusion of Beige, but I would have REALLY loved it if they had included Sycomore.
I would have love to see 28 La Pausa in extrait, but would be really excited to try these three. Thanks for the drawing!
I too would have loved Coromandel, but I am appeased by the inclusion of beige, which I adore.
I would have loved to try Coromandel in extrait. Or Sycomore. Strange indeed is the corporate mind.