Chanel Bois des Iles

I recently ordered a number of the Chanel Les Exclusifs from The Perfumed Court and I'm looking forward to trying them all. The reason I tried Bois des Iles first is because I read somewhere that it bears similarities to Egoiste, which I own. The notes for Bois des Iles are Aldehydes, coriander, bergamot, neroli, peach, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, ylang-ylang, iris, vetiver, sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla and musk. I must admit, the aldehydes (which I know Chanel is famous for) completely escape me. Having said that, I am dabbing from a vial, not spraying, so perhaps that is why. I also don't detect much citrus at all, and a lot of the florals are very subdued on me. I think the most prominent are rose, ylang and iris, which combine wonderfully with the sandalwood, vanilla and benzoin to create a creamy, slightly zingy accord early on, reminiscent of ginger, or gingerbread. I must admit, Bois des Iles does indeed share some similarities with Egoiste, but I think the ginger and citrus, and even the rose, come to think of it, are quite a lot more toned down. Bois des Iles strikes me as incredibly poised and sophisticated. Although quite sweet in a way, I find it relatively dry and woody, and Chanel do iris very well too. Bois des Iles dries down to a splendidly warm, cozy, comforting vanilla, sandalwood and iris combination. Egoiste on the other hand, although very good, is a touch courser to my nose, not quite as well-bred. What I find quite interesting is that Egoiste, although marketed to men, is quite frankly perfectly unisex, and Bois des Iles, I suspect, is a 'feminine' fragrance, yet also perfectly unisex, despite all those floral notes. Like a lot of the Chanels, Bois des Iles makes a statement of good breeding. It is not subdued by any means, and lasts well on my skin, yet it has minimal sillage and definitely does not shout its presence. I think it is truly a gorgeous perfume and I would love to smell it on both men and women. Although I love my bottle of Egoiste, I must admit that in my opinion, Bois des Iles is the superior perfume, and if I had tested a sample of each before owning either, I would have gone for Bois des Iles. This one comes highly recommended - I love it!

Ego Facto - Sacre Coeur

Perfume notes (from Lucky Scent) - aromatic notes, Chablis accord, fruit notes,  ginger, patchouli, leather, tobacco. 

Image credit: Projectvisual.net - sacre-coeur-morning

When I first looked at the notes for Sacre Coeur at Lucky Scent, I felt this was a fragrance that would really work for me. The notes were appealing and I wondered what the chablis accord would smell like. I don't know, I wish I could say I like this, but it did not speak to me at all. It opens quite fruity, which I take must be the Chablis, but to me this does not smell anything like grapes, let alone Chablis. I've drunk a fair bit of Chardonnay in my time and I know perfume is not necessarily meant to be 'photo-realistic' in its portrayal of smells but even so, I was hoping this would at least resemble some sort of wine note, but alas no. The opening and heart in particular have a certain generic, even department-store feel and I'm reminded of Chanel Allure for some reason (the men's version). I get cedar, I get musk, I get fruity sweetness and foremost in my mind is the question "why is this called Sacre Coeur?" I've included a photo of the Sacre Coeur in Paris only because it seems like the obvious connotation, but I honestly don't know if this was the inspiration for this fragrance. In any event, the late middle and base notes are an improvement. The fruit, although still there, is dulled by what I perceive as even a touch of incense, although I suspect it is base notes doing this. I know my nose is not necessarily the best in the world, but I don't find any tobacco here to speak of and I struggle to find any leather either. I know that wearing and appreciating perfume is not always about 'getting it', and especially not 'getting the notes' but even so, I can't quite find any inspiration from this fragrance. I am not a perfume snob, honestly, and I know that the price point and marketing of the Ego Facto line is not really as a niche concept, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed that this comes across as a fairly bland, albeit quite well done designer fragrance; there's nothing wrong with that and let me not dissuade you from at least sampling it, but it did not work for me at all.


If anyone can explain the reasoning behind the name, please email me and let me know. I did a quick search on the net but did not discover anything obvious and I was too lazy to dig any deeper.