Cristalle

Cristal

Chanel 1974 Eau de Toilette

Here I did something that one shouldn't really do as a perfume lover. The scent is often described as challenging, and yet I took the plunge and bought it blind. I find the listed fragrance notes very interesting, there are great reviews, and I already liked the bottle of "Pour Monsieur" extraordinarily well.

And now I sit here, unsure if I can wear this fragrance. I am the powdery, floral, and oriental type with a penchant for the opulent scents of the 80s and 90s.

The composition is often described as green and fresh. I can fully agree with that. But I also perceive the scent as cool and strict. The hyacinth is constantly present on my skin. A spring flower that is often offered as a potted plant in spring. But hyacinth can be very dominant. Not a sweet little flower, not a golden daffodil. No, a hyacinth is already broader in appearance and makes its presence known with its scent.

Here, the hyacinth distributes herbal aspects. The citrus freshness at the beginning is very fleeting. The rosewood serves only as a foundation in the background. The base note is not soft. No warm, soft chypre base awaits you. Here, the moss grows on cold ground. When I smell Chanel's Cristalle, the image of a mountainside comes to mind. Sparse vegetation, mosses, and lichens on a rock crystal. A light layer of snow still covers everything.

What kind of person do I imagine with Cristalle?

I see a woman, not a girl! Delicate figure but very self-aware. A certain strictness characterizes her narrow but beautiful facial features. The skin is very pale. You can partially see the veins. The hair is combed back and pinned into a firm bun. A self-assured woman. When she enters a room, she is surrounded by a cool aura. Not a diva! The clichés of ballet teachers or piano teachers immediately come to mind.

I am none of that! But I will wear Cristalle anyway. I am waiting for a cold sunny morning. Frost covers the fields in the Münsterland, and then I will envelop myself in the aloof aura of Chanel Cristalle.

A wonderful olfactory experience.