Fragrance Review: Chanel – Coco Mademoiselle
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Created in 2001 by Jacques Polge, Coco Mademoiselle has been Chanel’s bestseller for the last not-so-few years – even outselling legendary Nº5. It’s weird to think this solid pillar of the brand (with flankers and a big complementary line) is actually a flanker of Coco… These two are so completely different!
Coco is a full spicy oriental. An ode to clove and amber wrapped in deep sandalwood, resins, and a hint of dark rose. It’s all thin arched eyebrows, cinnamon-coloured lips, lounging on velvet sofas with an unimpressed smile, sipping brandy and listening to old songs.
Coco Mademoiselle passes on the diva vibes. It goes about to town with high heels and a haircut à la garçonne paired with bright pink lipstick. Like its predecessor, it claims the room’s attention, but while Coco does it by pausing haughtily at the entrance, Mademoiselle just prances in with a bright, very loud laugh that some find obnoxious; others, captivating…
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Review
Coco Mademoiselle does technically share a few notes with Coco. But technically is a key word here, as the two fragrances smell nothing alike. While Coco is a harmonious choir of warm-spicy-deep notes (as in, cloves naturally complement sandalwood, and resins, and amber), what mostly strikes me about Coco Mademoiselle is its use of “high contrast” elements. As in:
Coco Mademoiselle opens with a juicy splash of sweet orange, paired with aromatic, slightly bitter, and pleasantly adstringent bergamot. The effect doesn’t get to cologne-fresh territory, but it’s bright, even sparkly. The floral heart follows suit, and, typical of Chanel, it smells neither nature-like nor shampoo-ish¹. Nectary mimosa, musky jasmine, velvety rose & ylang ylang melt together in a rich, abstract, peach-coloured accord. It feels very “perfume-y”, and loud, but in a put-together way.
Up to this point, Coco Mademoiselle is already a juxtaposition of sparkly and velvety, bright and warm, but its accords still work together to create a floral-centric, very feminine, pretty impression.
Then comes the base. Now, this is not a typical “pink scent” fluffy-whisper-of-white-musk finish. Coco Mademoiselle‘s base is centred in a clean and creamy (too) big dollop of white musk along non-herbal patchouli, powdered with warm sweet tonka and generously laced in mossy-rooty vetiver. The effect is round, deep, earthy, green-ish, and almost masculine.
This mix of fresh, sweet, floral & dark accords, bubbly & stern, traditional feminine & masculine olfactive elements – all belting high notes – is what makes Coco Mademoiselle strike me as such a bold play on contrasts. It makes it complex and unique, as well as a bit challenging for me. Still, loud and daunting as it may be, this fragrance also has a sense of (bold) elegance. I appreciate it more now, after many tries, and being more familiar with patchouli-centred compositions²… Even if I much prefer to sniff it briefly from a distance, on others, than wearing it myself.
Longevity and projection are very good on me. This is quite intense (almost tiringly so), especially in the first 1-2 hours… I personally like it more in the softer, smoother drydown.
Fragrance Impressions
Notes: (Top) mandarin orange, orange, orange blossom, bergamot; (Heart) mimosa, rose, ylang ylang, jasmine; (Base) opoponax, vanilla, white musk, tonka, patchouli, vetiver.
Colour Impression: Warm Peach-Pink.
Evokes: A lively outfit in pink, white & grey tones; bright pink lipstick & high heels.
Similar to: Dior Miss Dior (EdP)³; Chanel Coco Noir.
Season & Occasion: Year-round, but I find it too intense for summer.
Conclusion
While Coco made me swoon from the first sniff, I wasn’t a fan of Coco Mademoiselle for several sniffs & tests – which I proceeded to insist on because, I admit, I’ve always loved the bottle (it’s the classic Chanel one, and it’s pink! I mean… it’s almost unfair, how pretty this bottle looks!)
I’m glad I gave Coco Mademoiselle (several) more chances, however. Once you get used to the thick (if smooth) cloud of musk and vetiver-seasoned patchouli, this is an unique, charming composition. A bit too brash, but fun, and a bit too loud, but still polished.
I don’t think this is the best of Chanel (to me, the Nº5 line is far more sophisticated, artistic and beautiful!), and I like original Coco far better… But this is still a striking fragrance, memorable yet wearable in a day-to-day scenario.
Bold & pretty at once.
¹ To be precise, there’s one Chanel fragrance with very shampoo-ish florals, to my nose – Chance Eau Tendre. But it somehow manages to smell like the-most-gorgeous-shampoo-ever, so, it still works very well.
² Mugler Angel makes Coco Mademoiselle seem dainty and delicate in comparison, lol.
³ Especially in the previous, 2012 version (I suspect Coco Mademoiselle did strongly influence 2012 Miss Dior), but the current 2017 version also has a general similar style to it.
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