BelAmi

Mitsouko has been with me for almost a decade. Sprayed on in a perfumery, because just sniffing the bottle was so wonderful. Spending an evening at the theatre with the fragrance on my wrist - always fine clouds of scent - fruity, woody, melancholic, deep and yet full of warmth. Not a bit old-fashioned for my nose. Since that evening Mitsouko accompanied me. Around the clock, whereby one sprayer is sufficient for a good 10 hours. He brought me the most beautiful scent compliments. It was one of the few fragrances I could wear during pregnancy. A splash under the sweater is enough. Mitsouko works his way through clothes. In summer I wore the eau de toilette, on cooler and colder days the eau de perfume. Then I came across perfume. Since then, I've fallen in love with all kinds of perfumes countless times. They came and went. Only a few stayed. And even fewer made it into my private "Heart's Fragrances" category. In the course of the last few years, all my bottles changed. Except for one. Mitsouko stayed. It's been a long time since I wore it. But to give him away, no, it was always obvious it would be wrong. I gave away other fragrances and thought that if I ever asked for it again, I would get a new one - that would certainly affect a handful of fragrances in my collection. With Mitsouko this question never arose. Whenever I passed the Guerlain counter here in my city and went on a fragrance journey with new scents, Mitsouko always came up with something new. Then the consultant said very calmly and as if it was the most normal thing in the world (she has certainly been working for Guerlain for over 20 years) "once Mitsouko, always Mitsouko. Once you love him, you'll never stop loving him." And she tells me, a perfume!

Recently, and this is a very special time, my Mitsouko bottle fell into my hands again. A spray on my wrist and since then, despite the spring sun, I can't seem to get away from it. In the meantime, if I have followed it correctly, it has had 1-2 reformulations. And my perfume heart was very curious about the new version. Today it arrived. Tensely I unpacked it. A white instead of gold-colored cardboard. The flacon unchanged. And the scent. It's definitely Mitsouko. A bit more austere and masculine than the other contents of my bottle. A little more transparent, less dense, less fruity. After two or three hours, I can hardly tell the difference and it lasts just as long. This version, too, works its way through your clothes and exudes its melancholic warmth. What I am glad that there is this wonderful scent. And if I had money, a lot of money, I would love to have one of these beautiful, though hopelessly impractical bee flacons. Or a big bottle of the Extract. As Guerlain's advisor said so beautifully "30 ml of Extrait you can dare - once you love Mitsouko, you will always love him".

Humorless! Herbaceous dust cloud irises! Extremely dressed up...I read in the descriptions here. Everything is true and yet not true. In search of an iris that is not quite as powdery as "°19 Poudré", that is green-transparent, that does not fill the room and is also a little bit more herbaceous (in a positive sense!), I stumbled over this fragrance. For a long time, the specimen lay unnoticed in the drawer. And a few months ago it would not have been noticed either. All winter long I was wrapped in warming-sweet scents. Sweeter scents than I had ever worn before. But now I've had enough. The current crisis is taking its toll on our household with two day-care children. The inner voice says daily, several times, clearly and loudly "Keep calm...!

I miss the uncomplicated going out into the countryside here in the city. Everything is more elaborate and uncomplicated these days. A raised forefinger hovers over everything. Nowhere to settle down, exhorting the children to keep their distance etc. I was longing for a green-grassy scent with a hint of herbaceousness, which would allow my mind to become as clear as the deep breathing of fresh sea air. It is bright and friendly like spring, but not as cuddly as my cotton-soft musk excursions in the past winter months. No, bright and radiant and spring-fresh I wished for a fragrance. And there it is!

Some here criticize durability and silage. The durability is many hours for me. My neighbours can certainly perceive the scent, but not like a Coco Mademoiselle, who is always a little ahead of me, but more like a fresh, cultivated aura. For some it may indeed seem too distinguished and elegant. After the green-fresh opening comes this pudgy note, which some describe as lipstick. But it remains fresh and light green in its aura. Just as it likes to be on days when the world inside is spinning particularly fast and you still need to keep a clear head.

Conclusion: no fragrance for everyone. But if you like the newer version of "N°19"
may also like this one

Fragrances are supposed to preserve a moment of happiness, as a well-known perfumer once revealed about his intention. If N° 18 can preserve a moment of happiness for me, then the memories of bright summer days on the beach and evening with a Gin Tonic waiting for the sunset.

The fragrance, reminiscent of Gin Tonic in pure colour, has a wonderful prelude. The Ambrettsamen and something slightly fruity create an image in my head that shows the blue of the sea and evokes the airy atmosphere of the sea. Something light, carefree, quite adult. Then a clear brandy note is added. I must have looked irritated during the test in the Chanel boutique. The consultant with a twinkle in her eye: he's tingling in her nose, isn't he? ..and when I asked him, he said, "Grappa! A few weeks later I had fallen to the ground in the hotel. Wiped up with a cloth and placed aside, the drops emitted a distinct N°18 note in the hotel room for the entire duration of the stay. It was a bright, very nice weekend at the sea.

It must have been a good year ago. Now the winter is coming to an end, which in my hometown is characterized by a lot of rain and wind, a lot of wind. I'm getting a little tired of the winter scents. Then I remembered the scent of Chanel N° 18 again. I pulled out the second sample, which was given to me sometime in the last months. And there it was - the scent, bright and clear. The thoughts became lighter and freer with every step in the winter rain. Slightly fruity and woody, with this soothing clarity that I can hardly describe, the Duftaura envelops me for hours. And that again I find quite remarkable. Despite his transparent appearance I am very impressed by this durability over many hours and the Sillage, which goes slightly over your body, the next will surely touch, but far from feeling out.

I still don't like the grappa note very much, but it only comes at the beginning and disappears on my skin quite soon.

Thank you, Mr. Polge. Whenever I want to conjure up the bright days at the sea, air and light in my mind, a breath of N° 18 is enough!

There I am sitting with my 5-year-old daughter in front of the dollhouse at her grandmother's. A beautiful doll house. It's all handcrafted. Six rooms, each a jewel in its own right. A dream for all who like dollhouses. One of the kind that are not really child-friendly because the ingredients are all antique and precious. The table is filled with a tiny butter dish and a dreamlike little romantic cake. A chandelier (which of course also glows). A nostaglisch-beautiful bedroom. Grandma's a wonderful grandma. And calm enough to open her dollhouse to her grandchild. And my daughter is very careful. She is happy about every visit at grandma's. Then the transparent protective wall in front of the house is removed, she gets a stool, climbs up to be able to play in all the rooms and always asks for support when playing in the doll's house. This time I had the pleasure. There a very pleasant scent blows out of the doll's house bathroom - which is nostalgically nicely equipped with mini toothbrushes and cups, a wash bowl and an emptied Chanel N° 5 Extrait bottle (still the 7 ml). It couldn't have been the empty Chanel bottle, that was obvious. What's that smell? It's too quiet and soft for Mon Guerlain. The lavender note is missing. I mean, besides the slightly sweet (not sticky!) Marshmellow note, I notice a hint of almond. In colours, a pink, coloured scent rose into my nose. Bright pink. Very round, without corners and edges. And yet somehow special. There's nothing stinging your nose. I looked at my daughter questioningly. She understood and put a sponge under my nose. "Sprayed Grandma!" Good, good, good. We played very happily for a while. One of those Sunday afternoons where it rains outside and it can be so cosy inside. When I said goodbye I was given a sample of Princess by Kilian. She got it when she last went shopping at Douglas. Kilian at Douglas, I thought. That's odd. A few days later I was on a business trip to the capital. My way back crossed Friedrichstraße. I was looking for Kilian at the Lafayette. But Princess (I abbreviate, the title obviously follows the book trend, according to which book titles become longer and longer in the meantime...), Princess was nowhere to be seen. But a very friendly advisor enlightened me. Princess was created exclusively by Kilian for Douglas. Just like the other three fragrances with these round flacons, with the spray head in the base. So I could have tested this fragrance at any Douglas store. On the way to the main station two branches crossed my way. I got on the train with a Princess bottle in my pocket. Admittedly the ugliest and most impractical bottle in my collection. My little daughter was wildly delighted and fell asleep that evening with the words: "Mom, I want to smell like you" A compliment for every perfume-mama. On special occasions - like Papa's birthday party - she currently celebrates with a little splash of Princess on her wrist. I like the pink healing world scent - on Sundays, when it rains outside and everything is fine inside and we can get lost in the doll house world.

In these times when my whole life is very serious, because of a bad news concerning my family or because a child in one of the countless phases of defiance or my unloved colleague has thought up something new, which is only for annoyance, I often go through the days with a perfume that strengthens my back. Serious and upstanding. A few months ago, on a very unserious day, I roamed the shops with the children. No rush, no worries, no defiance on the horizon. "Insolence" fell into my hands. The name is pretty much the opposite of my nature. But I like the bee flacons and the violet color of the contents. The scent was unknown to me until then. A sprayer on the hand. My 5-year-old daughter by return of post: sun cream! ...interesting association, even if the scent is miles away from sun creams I know. He smells like a colourful childhood to me. Violets and chewing gum (the colorful balls that used to be available for 10 Pfennig in the vending machine - for turning). Artificial. Fruity-powdery, not modern. It wouldn't be right if I said: a beautiful fragrance! No, this one doesn't want to be beautiful. He's not diplomatic, he's not reserved, he's not conformist. "Insolence doesn't want to be perfect. I think he's kind of weird. And I like him a lot.

I usually know berries in sweet. Isn't this one. Again and again I think: a funny smell (but I like to smell funny? No!). And weird (do I like to smell weird? I don't know...). In a statement to the EdT I read "Old lady with mini skirt and striped stockings makes raspberry chewing gum bubbles". Fits. Also to EdP. The sprayer on my wrist had also reached the jacket sleeve. The scent holds and holds and holds. Even after days, when I passed my jacket in the morning, I thought: what smells so good? Oh... "Insolence"! Interesting. Smells good with distance, very good. And yet, no, with this scent, I don't feel very well dressed. I'm not loud, not flashy, not weird. People like to call me in professionally when critical discussions are to be held or mediated. For years I have been surrounded by a cloud of perfume in my office, which is more serious - serious and reserved. And then came the day when an unloved colleague, who had been trying to make my life difficult for months, got on my nerves too much. And I thought to myself: Insolence, here you are right. You'll only beat that woman with your own weapons - in word and fragrance. She hasn't bothered me since. The words remain secret. The scent: exactly, "Insolence". The EdP (2017).

Privately, when I wear "Insolence", I have to smile inside. He delights me because he is so funny, crazy and at the same time so incredibly likeable and lovable. When it's grey in grey outside again for days or the children are impatient with me - then he conjures a smile into my heart. Just don't take things so seriously.