Smells Like April

Last week a gal who sits near me at work came back to my desk and said, giggling, “Jane’s perfume smells like an old lady.”  (Jane = not her real name.)  I set off immediately to investigate.  I like Jane a lot. She shares our office suite but works for a different company; she’s stylish, successful, generous with her time and keto snacks, and funny as heck in a sly, measured way.  If Jane had an old-lady perfume on, I had to find out what it was.

Jane did not smell like an old lady (whatever that means).  Jane smelled spring-like – maybe a little green and a little floral, but also very sophisticated.  I couldn’t begin to guess what her fragrance was, so I asked, and (Jane being Jane) she not only told me, she gave me a spare atomizer so I could test-drive it myself.  The mystery scent? Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte. 

The original Cristalle is a 1974 EDT by the renowned Henri Robert, a floral-chypre with a galbanum kick and a cool, understated elegance.  It was the fragrance of my best friend in high school, and while it smelled amazing on her, it never seemed right on me.  I tried again in the mid-nineties with the Jacques Polge EDP, which is sweeter and warmer, but still, no dice.  The pre-Exclusif Chanel classics are fragrances that I admire very much, rather than desire for myself.

Cristalle Eau Verte dates to 2009, and is an even bigger step away from its namesake – really, other than the name and the bottle, there’s not much similarity to either version of Cristalle.  Gone is the mossy base, and in its place is a lighter, almost effervescent citrus-y scent.  Here’s their online blurbage: “master perfumer Jacques Polge re-imagines the beloved classic in a lighter, fresher version, to reveal a sheer and luminous heart. Magnolia notes are rendered transparent with fresh citrus and neroli accents, for a modern expression of a timeless floral bouquet.”  I’m a sucker for magnolia, which is abundant here, and the whole thing has that Chanel abstract elegance that (again) I’ve always admired but never seemed quite right on me.  Until now.  I promptly bought a bottle, my first full bottle purchase in some time.  The biggest knock I find in online reviews is that it doesn’t last, but I get a solid day out of it, so who knows? As my sense of smell returns in fits and starts, part of the thrill is that I can smell it at all.

Finally, another piece of good news – browsing the Guerlain counter I was thrilled to see a repackaged Encens Mythique, which means I’ll be able to buy another bottle and not worry about getting my hands on a third (!) backup of the original.  This bottle’s actually prettier, in my opinion.  I gave it a sniff and it still smells fantastic, so if you haven’t tried it, you are missing out – rose, saffron, woods and incense coming together in a scent that hovers, delicate and atmospheric, around me and which garners me compliments almost every time I wear it.

Have you “discovered” a scent that’s been around for ages and wondered, how did I miss this? And are you as forward as I am about asking people (including total strangers) what they’re wearing?