Mapped Out Scent
By Jo Phillips
My finger lands on the map of France, eyes closed no clue until I peel back my lids, a sharp red nail has landed in Paris so that’s where my scent journey begins. Find out more in Mapped Out Scent Here.
Image on left Jason Yates
Paris, the epicentre, a city of reinvention, of busy days and hard-worked nights. Creativity is written on every pavement from the elegant leather shoes pounding the busy street. She encapsulates the very essence of chic, yet within the bustle of the streets, a laissez-faire attitude prevails. Sit and sip coffee, let the morning pass in front of you and drink in the atmosphere that is sweet and woody.
Paris-Paris Les Eaux EDT, splash on whilst celebrating Parisian cafe life. Opening with the ever-perfect lightly sweet yet subtle spice of Damask Rose that is accentuated with bright openings of lemon and mandarin to sparkle in the sunshine. The subtle accent of spice in this rose is bought to life with the added nuances of Pink Pepper and woody earth grounding Patchouli…well Paris is buzzing metropole after all.
Next on the map, my finger finds itself on the Côte d’Azur. This coastal area bathed in sunlight with salty sea air, a sun-filled Eden that became a magnet for artists. A former playground for British Aristocracy in the late 18th and early 19th century going on to become a global High Society destination in the roaring party times of the 1920s. A most glamorous of locations.
Paris-Riviera Les Eaux EDT, represents the bright, playfulness so douce yourself in Mediterranean flowers bathed in fresh citrus. Alongside Jasmine comes magnificent Neroli echoing the orange blossoms found in the South of France.
My finger sneaks its way across the map to Deauville, where I stumble across magnificent properties, and their delicious gardens full of green freshness. Further down settling on the “queen of the Norman beaches”. Yet quietly steeped in its lofty streets, casino and hotels historically bought internationally rich tourists.
Azur blue skies and seas are offset by bitter orange tree groves. A favourite for its colours and clear light with the likes of Coco Chanel, who turned sun-tanning into a fashion here. It was the Train Bleu, an all-first-class sleeper train which brought wealthy passengers down from Calais to this most select destination. This enclave where the sea met the coast bringing freshness from the many shades of green.
Paris – Deauville Les Eaux EDT wraps together the elegance of aromatic green facets of basil with the sparkling top notes of Sicilian orange. Vivid, fresh, naturally radiant a walk through the greenery of this countryside, smell Basil amongst it. It was in Deauville that Gabrielle Chanel opened her first boutique.
All my finger wants to do is drag me on the map to the seaside towns, like that of Biarritz. Wrapped in sea spray and sea air, fresh, vibrant and alive with joie de vivre. Looking across at the casino, wishing it were still the days of Belle Époque of European so I could indulge my pleasure at the grand shop, Biarritz Bonheur. The rift of the Basque coastline penetrates leaving me feeling sparkling like the light on the water. Florals notes waft by caught on the breeze of Sicilian orange trees, I walk here, in the shadows of great history the first-ever Chanel couture boutique.
Paris Biarritz Les Eaux EDT is Vibrant and fruity, magic is sealed in the bottle via Sicilian mandarin highlighting a lively splash of sea spray alongside the sparkling radiance of a lily-of-the-valley accord.
Next, the map doesn’t choose but I do, this time it’s to Venise I must go for intimate bridges and narrow streets and palatial buildings; the call of trade routes beckons with its silks and most of all its amber. After all, this golden honey nugget has a long history with the floating city.
Paris Venice Les Eaux EDT where the water holds an air of freshness as it carries the soft yet rich bloom of neroli but meets in the middle with of course Amber she sits with supporting notes of Tonka and Vanilla. It truly is scented by all the trades that passed through these floating canaled streets.
Finally, on my most perfumed journey, this mapped out scent journey, I am left with no choice the map demands I make my way to the Scottish regal city of Edinburgh, this city of queens and castles; my beloved Auld Reekie (Old Smoky). This most windy of cities carries the green and woody scents of its countryside right into the metropolis.
Paris Édimbourg Les Eaux EDT These Scottish Highlands that surround the city are a nod to Coco’s Chanel’s past. These green pastures, rocky hillocks rugged forests and crystal lakes; are a place of rest and recuperation for her and her lover Duke of Westminster to withdraw. The scent brings to life this wild verdant country via juniper berry and cypress paired with the smoky, peaty scent of dry grassy vetiver.
Find out more about Les Eaux De Chanel EDT here at Chanel.com
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