Chanel No. 19 EDT

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The first time I smelled No. 19, I was in the middle of an Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles binge. I was reading Merrick at the time, which is my favorite book from the series. It's a crossover between The Mayfair Witches' books and the Vampire Chronicles. Merrick always caught my attention, being of a mixed race like me, I quickly felt identified. She was smart, seductive, a vampire/witch and gave the ultimate sacrifice, which was to die to save another fellow vampire. One of the things that caught my attention, was that she wore a Chanel fragrance, Chanel No. 22. Anne Rice later expressed how much she liked Chanel No. 22. I tried to search for it. The local mall did not have it and it was hard for me to get it online.

This is "the one that got away". 

     As usual, without even searching for it, I was walking around many perfume counters looking at a myriad of colorful bottles when Chanel No. 19 caught my eye. A simple brick-style bottle with bright green juice. It was so different from its Chanel counterparts with their pink, clear or amber colors. I thought, "well, it's not 22, but I've never smelled this one before". My brain was struck with the idea that if the juice was green, it must smell green too. I was not wrong, but it was not just green. It was an explosion of smells that I was not expecting.

     Chanel No. 19 EDT is green and earthy. It starts out as a sparkling fragrance with hints of lemon, grass and hyacinth. After the sharpness disappears, enters the star of this fragrance: Iris. Now, Iris is a very complex smell. If you've ever smelled any kind of Iris cream, or even the flower itself, it's a fragrance that reminds you of grass and weird enough, leather. It's soft, but bold. The dry down is a lingering scent of leather, orris root, oakmoss, vetiver and cedar.

     This fragrance is not a Merrick. Chanel No 22 is incense, aldehydes, musk and white flowers, like an astonishing Talamasca library. Chanel No.19 is a fragrance of the earth. There is something that reminds me of childhood, of abandonment and not being afraid of getting dirty. To me, it's a childhood scent that transforms into adulthood. There's a playfulness in it, but there is also a constant reminder that you changed, and change is a crisis, but it's a beautiful thing. Still a witch, but a different, natural and powerful witch. 

     I've read several reviews saying that it's the ultimate "corporate bitch" fragrance because it's not ridiculously loud but it does carry. I disagree. Even though I do wear it at the office, and it's my go to fragrance for job interviews, it makes me feel warm, cozy and I don't feel like I want to step on everybody in my path. It feels like an earthy cloud hovering around me.

     I don't feel bad I did not find No.22. I found something else that touched me. Later on, I was swapping fragrances with a fellow perfume lover from another country, and she graciously sent a No. 22 sample. It was all I thought it would be, and I will review later, but it's not the explosive experience I was expecting. The best experiences regarding fragrances are the ones I'm not expecting, and I think it applies with all life experiences. 

   

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