Bleu de Chanel Parfum
Chanel (2018)

A very well blended clean generic men's fougere with a touch of sweetness and powder. Interesting how even men's perfume is becoming sweeter. I guess we can't get enough sugar.

The best version of the Bleu series. Performance is like a cologne which doesn't match the price. Must be the synthetics causing nose blindness.

Here we have Bleu de Chanel in its various formulas and vests (Edt, Edp and Parfum), namely one of the top creations of the Blue Fragrances-League and (in this case) an Oliver Polge's piece of woody/musky/ambery refinement. Perfectly blended, versatile and mass appealing but at same time classy and performing. Definitely a well known protagonist of contemporary designer perfumery. The classic Jacques Polge's Chanel Bleu Edt (2010) is dry, shadowy/translucent and enigmatic a la Pomellato Uomo (fragrances as Pomellato Uomo, Enrico Coveri Pour Homme, Chopard Heaven, Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui, Byblos Uomo or Guy Laroche Horizon - each of them with its own specific aromatic fougère or woody-musky peculiarities - represent the ancestors of the modern blue fragrances). The Eau de Parfum (2014) following version (still Jacques Polge) was basically an intenser and more ambery faint revisitation of the original Edt formula. This Parfum-formula (Oliver Polge), introduced by Chanel in the course of 2018, namely few years later the Sauvage's bombastic launch by its main competitor Dior (and almost in contemporaneity with the Sauvage Eau de Parfum's inception), is on the contrary a pretty different kind of fragrance (once you compare it with its older cousins, especially considering the different dry down) and is the Chanel Bleu's version which probably I prefer on my skin, the most intense and "presenceful" (and probably the darkest and most saturnine). While the EDT and EDP introduce an acid, pungent and really fresh citrus aromatic opening ending down to be gradually blended with dusty frankincense, sharp spices and dry woods this Parfum-version smells since the beginning fresh and dry-fruity but a tad less freshly citric and sharply floral while I detect a stronger aromatic barbershop initial twist (almost without or anyway with less of the Edt's aldehydic presence) before it keeps sliding in to this deeply woody and almost inky blue smell enhanced by dark amberwood, synth musk, sandalwood and tonka bean. The introducing tart citrus are soon supported by an excellent aromatic-fougère lavender, a tad of pepper and a twist of herbal camphoraceous mint. Pineapple plays just an accessorial role of citrus-support just adding hints of tartness to a most developed modern herbal-laundry aromatic roar (slightly a la Sauvage Elixir). I detect less spices and less fruitiness as comparing it with the previous Edt and Edp. Once this aromatic status slightly recedes (just passing across a fleeting dry floral transition) this quite dark synth woody-ambery base reaches its dominant vest providing a solidly dark, woody and warmly virile dimension longly and powerfully operating on my skin. Iso-E super provides a tad of synthetic muskiness all around supporting amberwood and aromatics. Super dark and uncompromisingly virile piece of contemporary olfactory work for the metropolitan well trimmed urban fellow. This is a four seasons truly versatile perfume (actually could be at once an office scent or a night out fragrance) really bossy and assertive.

Bought a 5ml decant. I love the sandalwood when it gets in the drydown. Lasts 6 hrs on my skin. Not offensive and can wear it as a summer scent. 10/10

Slightly better than the EDP? I don't get that much "offness" because of the frankincense like I do from the EDP. But this one is less blue in general to me and a bit more dark/black to my nose.

I'll end it the same way I did my EDP review: There's like a hundred much better (and maybe cheaper) blue scents out there: AdG Profondo, Ralph Lauren Polo Blue, Invictus/Hawas, ...

Not sure there are enough differences or additions to the Parfum to warrant a purchase. It's a mass appealing scent, but the Bleu de Chanel line hasn't interested me enough.

I know, I know, I know. Houses are finding ways to cut corners and make more profit, and that is just business. My sales associate gave me a sample Bleu Parfum and also made a sample of Sycamore ($$$) from the Exclusifs for me. At the end of the day both smelled like the cheap synthetic amber basenote found in drugstore body washes. They don’t smell bad per say, but the crazy price dichotomy is just the result of diff types of marketing. Btw, they both smelled like creamy woody aldehyde-dy lemonade to me, w Bleu being much sweeter in the beginning. I wouldn’t not wear this, but I wouldn’t spend good money on it, bc it smells like my high school locker room In the early 2000’s after the scent of deodorant/axe body spray clouds have died down.