Almost Everybody holds Chanel’s “No. 19” in high esteem. One rarely finds a negative comment in the well-known internet platforms; the scent is rated extremely good. Still, it’s certainly not a crowd-pleaser.
From its launch in 1971 the scent was seen as ground-breaking. And Chanel No. 19 is here to stay forever, like only few classic perfumes. I own the Eau de Perfume that’s at the moment discontinued. Right now, one can buy the Perfume and the Eau de Toilette version. It happens to scents that have been around for a very long time – it’s a back and forth with versions and dilutions. As long as the character of a perfume is not changed one can live with it. Chanel sticks pretty much to the original recipes – something that cannot be said of Dior for example (just think of the “Poison” line).
The smell of Chanel “No. 19” mirrors an aloofness and an aura of nonchalance to the wearer that is full of wisdom about the world. It is refined to the extreme, by no way ingratiating, but still very feminine, although the perfume is can be worn well and is liked by men.
The head notes of Chanel ”No. 19” are green and should be defined as tart, dry, spicey-bitter (not oriental spicey, far from it), but still soft. It’s not sweet at all, but gentle. The main note defining the head is galbanum, an herbal plant from the east. A green plant with little yellow flowers – the two colours of the galbanum define the scent, together with white.
The white part is contained in the upcoming heart notes that are dominated by a soft iris and lily of the valley. Actually, the lily of the valley is the one that stays in mind, although the longer the scent stays the gentler the lily of the valley becomes.
The base notes are mainly soft oak moss and musk.
What’s startling is the perfect combination of those ingredients, the balance of a fragrance that is not trying to be your best friend. The perfume gives no cozyness, like many of the gourmands do. But it’s there with you, it’s strong and it radiates self-esteem, success and self-awareness.
It is a perfect scent for difficult meetings and challenging situations in general.
The colours of the scent are a light green, yellow-gold, white, and some soft brown. The brown shows that the fragrance is grounded very deep in reality. The yellow-light green of the perfume in the bottle is actually close to what I see before my inner eye when smelling Chanel “No. 19”.
A lot has been written about Gabrielle Chanel’s last scent. She was personally involved in its development and died shortly after it was launched. Maybe it’s true that the “No. 19” was chosen according to her birthday. I do not doubt for a minute that the scent is showing us something of her personality. From rags to riches, but in the end so refined that her name became the symbol of elegance, more than anybody else’s.
She was always a contradictory personality, loved and hated, a woman who made a career for herself against all odds and made mistakes as well. She left a legacy including some of the most famous perfumes in the world. Chanel “No. 19” is the scent that does not beg for anything, it’s just there and let’s itself be admired.
It is a great scent to wear at work, because it is so actively adding a background presence of style and elegance and power. It is a perfume that I sometimes wear for others, to transport an image of myself that does exist, but sometimes needs a little bit of back-up. Personally, I would not wear it to a leisure activity, but maybe a man would.
Compared to the other classic Chanel perfumes, “Coco” and “Chanel No. 5”, the “No. 19” has more distinguishable scent notes and is less mellowed.
It’s said it is not a scent for young girls – I think it might be more the other way round. When young, most women judge it as too “manly” and refute it. That changes when more experience comes to the equation and a lady learns to be tough sometimes without stopping to be a lady. Sweetness is not enough to become someone in life.