In Perfumes: the A-Z Guide, Luca Turin writes that Chanel Coco Mademoiselle was a quickly assembled flanker, and its success surprised Chanel. However, in Women's Wear Daily1 before Coco Mademoiselle launched, Chanel's "Vice President of fragrance and internet marketing"2 said Coco Mademoiselle could double Coco's business. In the same article, "industry insiders" guessed Coco Mademoiselle might earn as much as $15 million its first year.
Maybe Chanel's statement about doubling Coco's earnings was merely grandstanding for the press, but Women's Wear Daily later reported Coco Mademoiselle raked in $21 million that first year.3 It also broke records by winning the FiFi for Prestige Fragrance in all the FiFi countries — the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Great Britain — as well as being awarded the European Star of the Year. Coco Mademoiselle has continued to hold its ground. The NPD Group, a market research firm, listed it as the third best selling fragrance in the United States in 2008. (Chanel No. 5 came in fifth, and Armani Acqua di Gio pour Homme was number one.)
But hey this is a perfume blog, not a business journal, you might be thinking. What does Coco Mademoiselle smell like? It must be pretty good, huh? Jacques Polge, Chanel's house perfumer, created Coco Mademoiselle, and it was released the spring of 2001. It has top notes of bergamot and orange; a heart of jasmine and "morning rose petals"; and a base of patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, and white musk. For my part, although I enjoy catching whiffs of it on others, I'd be happy never to wear it again.
Coco Mademoiselle is marketed to women in their 20s and 30s, leaving Chance to the younger crowd, and Coco and No. 5 to the more mature, I guess. Although Coco Mademoiselle is marketed to younger women — women who might identify with those chosen to front the perfume, including Kate Moss (see above) and Keira Knightley — Coco Mademoiselle has a sophisticated "perfumeyness" about it. Polge deserves proper respect for not dumbing it down that way. But, instead of a soothing and melodious floral heart woven into the oriental base and diffusive, perfumey top, Coco Mademoiselle emits a high-pitched floral smack that doesn't smell of any particular, identifiable combination of flowers. I catch a hint of peach in it, too. In passing, it's pretty and interesting. On my skin, it's like driving with a loose fan belt. It screeches in a way that is fine for a few seconds, but profoundly irritating any longer than that.
For me, the real curse of Coco Mademoiselle is the musk in its base. I like musk in general, but the last couple of years' new releases have taught me I don't like, at all, the bug spray-like musk infesting such fragrances as Lanvin Rumeur, Dolce Gabbana The One, and even Guerlain Idylle. Yesterday it hit me: of course so many new perfumes have the woody-musky base. Coco Mademoiselle is a cash cow. Why wouldn't other perfume companies try to rip it off? Could Coco Mademoiselle have started that trend?
Luca Turin concludes his (four star, by the way) review of Coco Mademoiselle saying, "Mercifully, this style is on its way out." I hope you're right, Mr. T. That said, sales figures show I'm in the minority. That's o.k. There's plenty of Chanel out there for all of us. I'll take Coco, Bois des Iles, and Cuir de Russie, please.
I reviewed Chanel Coco Mademoiselle in the Eau de Parfum, from a decant taken from a bottle purchased in mid-2008. Coco Mademoiselle comes in a full range of perfume (including Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Parfum) and body products.
1. Women's Wear Daily, 2/13/01.
2. They really have a vice president for that?
3. Women's Wear Daily, 4/26/06.
My sister wears Coco Mlle very nicely. Has done for a couple of years now, and I still like to give her a good sniff-over when we hug. She’s a light applier like I am, which may be why it’s appealing on her. Just bought her a bar of soap for Christmas, since it was on her wishlist – and the soap smells both lovely and Soooo Not Me.
I keep giving her samples of things I think she’d like, and she keeps right on wearing CM.
My Chanels – No. 19, Bois des Iles, 31 Rue Cambon, and that vintage No. 5 parfum that stunned me so with its beauty.
I had a hard time describing how I felt about CM, because I definitely don’t like it on me, and yet I really do like smelling it in passing on others. It sounds like you might have a similar response.
Nice choice on the Chanels!
I recently fell madly in love with 31 Rue Cambon, it’s definitely FB worthy although for now I have a decent size decant. Another one I love from the LE line is Bel Respiro. To a certain extent perhaps Beige also, but it doesn’t really impress me enough to buy a FB. I still need to try Cuir de Russie and Sycomore….sigh, so many frags so little time.
So little time, and for a lot of us, so little money! I wish the perfume industry would slow down a bit.
I got my best friend a sampler of LE from perfumed Court but I have yet to recieve the package. I am wondering if it would be really bad for me to smell them all before I give it to her (the reason I got it for her rather than myself is because I don’t generally find Chanel fragrances “me” but she does . . . but I still want to smell them all).
I suppose what your friend doesn’t know can’t hurt her, but it sounds like you need to order a set for yourself! I know what you mean about Chanel scents being particular, but they’re so nice to have samples of just for reference, if nothing else.
When I think of the Chanel’s, I choose to mentally omit this and Chance. (And we won’t even talk about Chance Eau Fraiche…) They aren’t bad, they just aren’t Chanel to me.
Oh, and calling Luca “Mr. T” made me snort coffee up my nose.:)
Chanel definitely has its fragrances sorted by age/income: the younger/poorer; the regular stable of No. 5, Coco, etc.;, Les Exclusifs. It all seems pretty thoughtful.
Doesn’t Mr. T just seem like a natural? It has to have been used before.
I don’t know, you might be the first.
Hi Miss Kitty- To answer your question from Saturday’s post, I beleive Daisy is interested in organizing a split of the PW Classic.After the new year is best we agreed, due to the holidays. I am sorry I did not contact you directly, but perhaps Daisy can fill you in. I have no idea how to use MUA.
plotting and scheming powers already activated!
Heh, interesting. In my younger, but not necessarily that much younger, perhaps just a little poorer days I wore Chanel Chance. It was during college yes, and it was also a fragrance I will always associate with fun nights in Nola’s French Quarter. Good memory: an crashing an open house wedding at an awesome jazz club called Vaughan’s. Bad memory: getting drunk in the streets.
LOL! That could be good AND bad! Love New Orleans…
The good and bad are always mixed in FQ it seems
I have in my head gorgeous jazz classics and terrible 80s hair band songs from my nights of club hopping there. “Pour some sugar on me….”
It’s amazing how well a scent can bring back memories! I already know better than, when I’m low, to try something new I might like. But a vacation is a great time to buy a new scent.
Good idea, Angela! I might have to research my honeymoon locale and see if they have a perfume store there.
Oh yes, absolutely! And congratulations on your wedding.
I wore Chance throughout grad school. I just couldn’t wear it now. Again, not bad, just no longer me.
I was bullied into buying a bottle of Chance by a sales associate once but I could never wear it thereafter. I gave it to my best friend (same one I got the LE sampler for). It deffinitely is unique though, because I can always tell when someone’s wearing Chance. Once again I haven’t found a Chanel I can wera but I am thinking I need to get a decant of Bois de Iles.
Bois des Iles is a good one–could be your Chanel.
“I pity the fool who likes Hugo Boss!”
A big gold necklace, a mohawk—yes, I can see it!
Ah! I just spit hot cocoa! LMAO! Nice one, Graham. *scrubs monitor and keyboard clean*
I loathe Coco Mademoiselle on me–it’s very harsh & masculine. I’ve always thought it was the patch, but maybe it’s the musk like you said. *shudders*
I like patchouli, and I didn’t get enough of it in CM to remark on. But that musk. Ugh.
“The curse of Coco”!! Angela, you crack me up!
Chanel is interesting…such a bifurcated line. There’s the mainstream stuff like this and the boring Chanel 5 Eau Premiere (why?) and some real beauties (right there with you on 31 Rue Cambon and Bois des Iles). It really illustrates art for art’s sake and money for God’s sake.
Jacques Polge really does have his hands full, I guess. It’s fabulous, though, that he has the luxury of creating fragrance for Les Exclusifs.
I wore CM when it first came out. I was in my early 20s and it was my first Chanel. Now, I feel like you, Angela – still quite like to smell it in passing on others but wouldn’t wear it myself.
I moved onto the original Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT after CM so I suppose I must like the woody musks even though I don’t wear NR all that much either these days. I still keep my bottle though, because that’s what I wore when OH and I started dating and it’s still the perfume that he seems to like best.
Taste in fragrance really does seem to evolve over the years. It’s nice to have the Coco Mlle around, though, to remind you what you used to love.
Absolutely! CM will probably always remind me of nights out but these days I’m wear to 31 Rue Cambon while also wishing for Cuir De Russie and Sycomore.
Jesus, that last part makes no sense! I swear I’m not drunk, just distracted
Anyway, this is what I meant to say – Absolutely! CM will probably always remind me of nights out but these days I wear 31 Rue Cambon while also wishing for Cuir De Russie and Sycomore.
Nice! Well you’ve definitely moved up the Chanel ladder.
Whenever I see white musk listed, I want to run for the hills. Vanilla too. Angela- I agree with your opinion on Ruemer. I too found it to be infested with a bug spray- like smell;The industrial strength kind that professional exterminators use.
Normally, I like musk just fine. But there’s a particular kind of musk happening these days–I wish I had the knowledge to pin it down–that can make a migraine lickety split.
I like musk, don’t get me wrong. I just prefer it meatier.
I know just what you mean!
Oh Angela –it turns out you are a MIND READER! (another cool thing for your resume) because this is EXACTLY how I feel about CM. I particularly liked the phrase “high-pitched floral SMACK!” and also have to agree with the “screechiness” and “profoundly irritating” …and considering the popularity (big $$) of this one , I thought I was just missing it somehow…in spite of an SA assuring me that it was “just wonderful” …….it’s times like that, that make me glad for my “Spock-eyebrow” ability…. the 20 minute trip home was almost more than I could take.
It’s nice to know you’re not alone, huh? I like it initially, then it gets to be way too much for me.
SOOO jealous of Daisy’s ‘Spock eyebrow’ ability.
That is a good skill. I wonder if its genetic? I can’t do it either.
I think it is genetic but possibly not dominant—everyone in my family can do it, but no one in the CEO’s family….my daughter is very disappointed to not have any Spock-eyebrow abilities.
It must be like rolling your tongue. You’ve got the gene, or you don’t.
Wow – I got BOTH genes! LOL!
Hm, then maybe it *is* dominant. If you got one Spock gene and one non-Spock gene, you could still do the eyebrow thing… but then you passed the non-Spock gene down to your daughter, poor girl.
My grandma was queen of Spock eyebrow and had brilliant, piercing blue eyes to boot – scary! I inherited none of the ability at all.
oooo–I bet nobody messed with your gramma!
I can do both my eyebrows if I want. More useful to make my toddler laugh rather than affect indignation on the masses. It must be genetic though as my toddler can already involuntarily raise just one of hers.
KEWL! little tiny Spock-eyebrow abilities : the formative years!
When I try to do the right–I end up doing a Groucho Marx thing…which I can do very well and quite quickly—which was very entertaining to my daughter when she was little. Clearly too much time on my hands here….
Can you do either eyebrow? (I can only do the right…)
I’m impressed you can do either!
I can only raise my left eyebrow, and employ it that skill all too often. Trying to raise the right is like trying to write with my left hand.
Doing either would certainly be nice. If no other reason, for me, than the fact that cocking my left eyebrow in skepticism (or annoyance, or…) has led to one eyebrow being permanently higher than the other. (Not that I really have eyebrows, but that’s a whole other thing.)
Left eyebrow only. It’d be amazing to be able to do either— I could do scathing disbelief with the left , then add insult to injury by giving them a shot with the right!!!
It helps that my brows are naturally arched —I can get that left one wayyyy up there….the higher it is , the more scathing my response. (ya gotta let these SA’s know where they stand)
guys..i can do the spock eyebrow with the left..the whole three leaf clover tongue thingy and…..i can move my ears without anything else on my face!!! btw i like coco m on a few select people and thats about it
ohmigosh HongKong—you’re a “triple threat”
wish i could control my brain like i do my muscles:-)
Hey, if you get bored with your life now, you could go on the road with the circus! I’m jealous.
no need to go on a travelling circus…i have one right here and my third preteen has joined the ranks with his older sibling of cracking up/be highly embarressed of me!!!
Oh, Angela, I am SO glad you wrote about this! Perhaps we can somehow get the army of Coco Mademoiselle wearers to switch to other Jacques Polge creations for the house of Chanel (Sycomore, Bel Respiro and Beige, perhaps?? I know, insanely wishful thinking, but in a perfect world . . .).
Coco Mlle and D&G Light Blue are honestly the two things I smell EVERYWHERE here in Vancouver, on every darn elevator and at every crowded cocktail party. Because they both have supernatural sillage they really make themselves known to anyone within a 20-foot radius and linger lonnnnng after the wearer has departed.
It drives me crazy. And as mals86 mentions, Coco Mlle wearers all seem to be positively hooked on the stuff.
Thanks for this timely public service announcement. Maybe if anyone reading this is contemplating a Christmas bottle for a loved one or themselves, they might consider ANYTHING but Coco Mademoiselle. Especially if they live in Vancouver.
I live in Vancouver and *hand on heart* I solemnly swear not to give anyone any Coco Mlle for Christmas. There!
I do plan to give my sister-in-law Penhaligon’s Elizabethan Rose. It’s not my cup of tea but I think she’ll really like it. I doubt that one is a cocktail party favourite!
What a nice gift!
Sharviss, I thank you from the depths of my perfumista soul.
Sharviss is very community minded.
I hear your plea! There’s lots of Coco Mlle here, too. Allure, too, it seems. And a fair amount of Prada and Flowerbomb.
Oh, Good God, Angela. How could I forget? Flowerbomb. YES!!! I mean, NOOOO!!!
Funny about Light Blue, too – I have a coworker that wears it, and some days she smells really pleasant, all citrusy-clean. Other days, she’s a walking chemical spill. Is it my nose, is it different stages of the scent, is it heaviness of application, is it her skin? Wish I knew.
Could be any of those, I bet. Go figure.
I have a co-worker who only wears Light Blue, nothing else ever. Luckily we don’t work together but she does come to my office often (like this morning) and when she leaves, Light Blue stays–completely blocking out my Tolu. Also, I feel the same way now about CM. I wore it for a while when it first came out and got compliments on it all the time. But after having it on for a while, it would make me actually feel queasy and I never fell queasy. I don’t wear it at all any more and never did wear Light Blue.
If it’s blocking Tolu, then we know for sure she’s overdoing it!
Too much musk is also nothing for me in a perfume. I got an identical dry down from Chance and Coco Mademoiselle.
Interesting! I’ll have to try them side by side.
Yep, same here.
I always thought that Chance smelled like it could be a flanker for CM.
I guess they had something good going with Coco Mlle, why not try a little of it in Chance?
Daisy- you’re my kind of gal!
Dolly – I was just thinking that YOU are MY kind of gal!!! hahaha
we must be meant to be friends: growing up, my parents always called me “Dolly” ….mom still does even though I’m sort of “grownup+” now.
I am not crazy about this either – but you would be surprised how many women I know in their fifties and older who wear this very happily, in ignorance of its intended demographic. It seems to have gained even more mass appeal than the marketing men ever imagined!
Chanel was really clever to package it in the classic No. 5 bottle. I think that alone broadened its appeal.
And the new ads with Kiera in that beautiful red dress don’t hurt either!
I’ll have to look for that ad! I’ve probably flipped past it a dozen times.
I admit it. I wear Coco Mademoiselle. Hadn’t worn it in awhile, then one day decided to spritz. It was incredibly amazing and I wondered why I didn’t wear it more often. Then another day a month or two later, I wore it again, and didn’t have the same reaction. Why does that happen? On certain days, a perfume can smell like a holy grail, and on other days, it can be meh. Does anyone else have that “problem”? I’m sure it’s a combination of mood and hormones and what my nose feels like smelling on a particular day, but it’s a fact – scents smell different to me on different days, and give me different impressions. This makes it difficult to choose a scent in the morning! What if the scent fails to impress me like it did on its last go-round? And then there’s the other dilemma. Ones that I didn’t like on first spritz. Will I like it again if I give it another try, and am I willing to risk wasting a day of perfume if I don’t like it? Fortunately, the swings from good to bad aren’t extreme, but there’s enough variation that it does give me pause…
I agree. I like CM once in a while (and I’m 41!) though the musky-patchy drydown is less than ideal. Bois des Iles is one of my top 3 favorites of all time, and No. 22 is in the top 10. I loathe Coco on myself, though, even if it smells nice on others.
I’m going to put on some Bois des Iles right now!
I get that, too, from time to time. Sometimes I’ll pull out a bottle and decide that I’m going to give it away, then the next day I try it again and love it.
ok..so the moral is..keep all our perfumes for ever just in case…oh boy i am so doomed!!
I know how you feel!
Yup. I had a sample of L’etre aime pour femme, by Divine. First try, I fell in love–delicious fresh orange, some aldehydes, spicy lily, apricot. Very French. Second try: it smelled like a Yankee Candle shop or generic potpourri “refresher oil”. I have no idea what happened.
Oh, not a nice turn of events!
Karin– that is the story of my life!! Selecting perfume in the morning is always a difficult / time consuming task. I have a few that are always “acceptable” and that’s good since I can’t bear to walk out the door without perfume….it’d be like leaving without pants on! But for most days I spend several minutes getting bottles out and sniffing to see which flicks that “ahhh” button in my brain for the day. I recall one day last summer when I made it all the way to the grocery store before realizing I had no perfume on!! Luckily I had a decant of 31 Rue Cambon in my purse so I grabbed it and gave myself a quick spritz—keeping in mind that 31RC is one of my HGs—I thought it was going to kill me in the Krogers!!! could hardly wait to get home and wash it off. Talk about upsetting—I have 200mls of the stuff!—a few days later: I loved it again. Go figure!
Whew! A close one. It would have been a heartbreaker to have invested in, then loathed, that one.
I wear it quite frequently—but that one day…it just wasn’t cutting it.
Maybe Krogers just wasn’t classy enough. Fortnum and Mason might be more its speed.
unfortunately, most weeks, Kroger is as good as it is going to get.
I just ordered my first Mademoiselle EDP after sampling it over the past 2 years. There is something about it that makes me want to re-visit on a more frequent basis: I think it’s because my shnooze became overly sensitve to all these mass-produced fruity/gourmand scents that girls wear these days. I honestly don’t like to smell like food,even desert.
I have to switch between scents frequently since my mood ( body chemistry?) change day to day.Some days I prefer nothing but unscented body wash.Mmselle has a combo of citrus/light flower/vetiver that works well with my skin type,and I’ve yet to experience the feeling of being overpowered by my own perfume (I’m not counting the first 10-15 min).That being said,there were other chypre/flowery combos that made me feel nauseated,but Mmselle never does, even with that patchouly/vetiver dry-down.In fact, it makes me want to smell my wrist (when nobody is watching), just so I can be transported to my good place.It is that feeling that I go by when I decide on a scent.
I’m not young at 49, but I’ve never minded an “age appropriate perfume”. If you feel it,you wear it.And oh,someone mentioned the 70’s version of Herbal Essence shampoo – I wish I could have a whiff of that!
As you can see, I’m not a Chanel fan, I don’t have a signature scent,I don’t like chypre/oriental scents, so I can’t say what drew me to Mmselle.I just wear it well and love sensing it on me. Anyone with similar perfume experience?What other perfumes did you notice and went back to over the past decade?I loved Mediterranean,Mark Jacobs’s and Parker’s Lovely.(go figure!)
If you’ve been sampling it for two years, and it draws you so much that you sneak sniffs when no one is looking, then you definitely need a bottle! I’m glad you ordered one. Enjoy it!
Strangely enough, I also like it in passing on others, but I would never buy it based on how it smells on my own skin…
That makes another of us, then.
Hi Angela,
This is a follow-up to your Coco review from last week – I arrived a little late – and thought it appropriate here.
I’ve had my bottle of Coco edp in the classic bottle for 18 yrs. Bought it (duty free) from seeing it on the dresser of a friend I very much admired. Think I really just wanted the bottle, and at $60 a pop for the 50ml, I thought it a better deal than the .25 oz perfume for $80. I’ve worn it on and off for many years and it has sat in my cabinet languishing for the last 10 or so in my pursuit of the Goutals and Guerlain gems. Your review made me go back and give it a 2nd look with my far more sophisticated nose.
All these years I had thought it overly spicy and resinous for my taste, I never noticed how beautifully the flowers were blooming amidst the woods and spices. It really is a masterpiece and will be accompanying more frequently from now on.
Thanks again for helping make a reacquaintance!
I’m so glad you rediscovered it! There’s not much nicer than finding you really like a scent you already have.
ok, now i have to go and try it tmrw….
So far, the Chanel that I like best is 31 Rue Cambon [*fingers crossed* for a split to come about – hint, hint
], followed by Bois des Iles [not that anybody asked – haha]. I have fond memories of Chanel #5 because it was given to me by my first boyfriend when I was a mere child really, and it was MUCH too sophisticated for me. I’ve never revisited the fragrance and I really should now that it’s much more appropriate for me. I don’t remember ever giving CM a sniff, but I will, just as part of my fragrance ‘education’.
I want to split!!! Never done it before, though, so no idea how to go about it. 31 Rue Cambon is at the top of my wish list, but can’t imagine ever using up a 200ml bottle – or paying $200 for it (which is actually pretty reasonable when you consider the $ per oz cost). So…shall we do it? I’d gladly pay 100ml for $100…
That’s such a nice fragrance, and so versatile, too. I hope you get your decant!
BTW, RusticDove, I’m happy to purchase the $200 bottle and make the split for you. Email me at krnszn@gmail.com and let’s chat!
I bet you’ve smelled Coco Mlle on others, and once you sniff it at the store you’ll recognize it!
I don’t doubt that Angela!
Hey there! I’d split with you if you want
How do we go about doing this…I’ve never split a perfume with anyone before.
Hey perfumegeek! Email me at krnszn@gmail.com. I’m happy to host the split.
Hey there Perfumegeek and Karin – let’s go for it! I’ll be emailing Karin. Cool beans.
Wow, great! I’ll be happy to split this three ways, certainly makes it more economical
I’ll email you both. My addy is chemstgeek at gmail dot com (just in case)
Perfumegeek – you can reach me @ vdp1956 @ yahoo dot com.
It warms the cockles of my heart to witness the birth of a perfume split.
moi aussi. especially when it’s not me ….lol…six bottles right now already…..ALTHOUGH—I want to split Coromandel and 28 La Plausa after the New Year.
I’ve been “should I – shouldn’t I” about getting some Coromandel for a year now, but I’d definitely go in on a split.
i had an unfortunate experience with coromondel..i was in nyc and this “elderly” woman was wearing a beautiful..but sadly kind of old ladyish, mustyish smell…i was blown away when she said coromondel and i haven’t really gone further, cause it was not really the best kind of experience!!!ps…and don’t worry, elderly is not in the 40 or 50s!!
Get a sample and try it on your own skin HKMom. I don’t find it “old-lady-ish” at all. My only hesitation was the neutered patchouli (I like the full bore patch!).
HongKong–I agree with Rapple, try a sample and see what it is like on you. There could have been so many other factors to that ladies’ sillage—personal chemistry, health, medication….she could even have been wearing a piece of clothing that was nasty musty smelling ….so what you were smelling may not have been just her perfume. Or maybe that will be the way Coromandel smells to your nose…won’t know for sure until you test it.
ok guys, will do that
today, i finally sampled coco..edp on left hand and extrait on right..but then….the shisheido counter fINALLY had MKK so…i sprayed that all around my neck and heck, i cannot smell any notes of coco..just a whole lot of musc and skank and am enjoying that
I just threw that split desire out into the universe – and look what happened! I love that about the universe. hehe
yup, the universe is cool like that.
Intent is a powerful thing!
as are lemmings!
LOL! Lemmings = Intent
I sniffed Coco Mlle in Sephora recently on paper and thought it was nice so I got a sample (love those Sephora spray samples!). I tired it on my skin and it was a whole different scent, of course, but one I didn’t like at all – can’t pin down what it was, but just smelled off.
On the other hand, I sniffed Coco for the first time at a friend’s house – LOVE IT! I’ve been looking for a warmer weather fragrance, so I will at least get a sample for now to try on skin and see how it works.
Oh good! I’m glad you found Coco, at least.
lol. i like it, but could never wear it. it’s too girly for a guy like me
We had a commenter above who found it too masculine! I see your point, though–this would be a tough one for a man to pull off, I think.
funny how fragrance translates like that—-I just got some Tocca Brigitte which I think I read is supposed to be in honor of sexy, feminine, movie legend Brigitte Bardot (?) and on me it dries down quite masculine !!! (but I love it!)
That’s so funny–not at all what I would have expected.
well, I never get what other people get from fragrances….I’m weird, I guess.
Oh, I don’t mean that you’re weird, but I haven’t smelled it, and anything called “Brigitte”…
lol—I embrace my own element of weirdness —but sometimes I do get wildly different results from perfume. That’s just the way it is….and that’s one thing that makes perfume so interesting.
Well, I think a man could wear it. It is not that sweet. To me Gaultier 2 is much sweeter and that is an unisex scent. Maybe you shoud give it a try, it also depends on the skin chemistry.
It really does have a split personality. You’re right–testing it is best.
Angela, thank you for the complementary reviews for this and Coco. I feel exactly the opposite about these two: I admire Coco but can’t wear it; and CM is one of my perfect scents. That sweet patchouli/musky drydown is my favorite part. I do fall into the target age demographic, but lest I be labeled a philistine, my bottle of CM sits happily beside my Sycomore and No 19. And if I have to fall for a mass-market scent, I’m glad it’s the “sophisticated perfumeyness” of Chanel!
Then you’ll be one of the people I walk by and enjoy smelling!
Angela: I’m sure I have a vial of this somewhere, but I don’t think I’ll be scrambling to find it any time soon. Love the review though, and you described the effect of “screechy” perfumes perfectly with the fan belt analogy.
Re: the reference to Chance … at some point I received a tiny decant of Chance Eau Fraîche. Does someone have a mortal enemy they’d like me to ship it to?
Any young nieces or cousins where you’re going, Joe? I didn’t think it was awful, just bland. I think my 5 yr old will inherit my large sample/small decant.
Not, of course, until after I give it another sniff, bc now I’m wondering if my nose was “off” that day…
That’s an idea. I’m wondering the parents will feel about any injudicious spritzing of it in their houses.
I’m in luck there…mine’s in a rollerball.
Thanks, Joe. I have fan belt issues at the time, so it’s on my mind.
Is the Chance Eau Fraîche decant still up for grabs? I’m hesitating between giving it to a trashy sister-in-law who thinks anything melon-noted from Vickie’s Secret is haute couture and a wonderful mother in law who I love but who seriously, seriously overspritzes her White Linen (we’re talking 4 to 8 spritzes each time she wears it) — it smells lovely on her, and WL is one of my Favorite Perfumes of All Times (I wore it for a while when a young teenager), but it’s just TOO MUCH on her.
the longer i get into marketing the more it seems that this magically attractive 20 – 30 gap is all about immaturity and loving all the wrong things. I am in that gap and I started from Mitsouko not arrived to it after all sweet-florals confections. My mum, for instance, never evolved past them. What am I? Diviation? I think we do not get to be educated, but we are forced to be in love by marketing strategies.
Great point, and good for you for seeing through the strategies!
The fact that you’re here, reading about perfume and presumably sampling it to come up with your own conclusions, says a lot.
You know the first time I smelled this, I thought it smelled okay in the bottle, gave myself a spritz and then went on with holiday shopping at the mall. (This was in 2002, ohdear.) In any case, after about an hour I had such a headache and no amount of scrubbing could remove the smell from my wrist.
Another year or so later, I was at work and a coworker came in wearing it. I think I surprised her when I asked if it was Coco Mademoiselle, and surprised myself by not only not wanting to hang myself, but actually liking it -on her-. So yep, I definitely get where you’re coming from on this one.
That said, I do love me regular Coco, which I think I dismissed back then as being “too old lady,” especially as I used to have an elderly neighbor who bathed in it. I had a sample of the edp that I put on a rainy day, and never looked back. Funny how these things work. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll give the Mlle. another chance and love it?
Or not.
It sounds like we see it the same way! I still have a few mls of Coco Mlle to retest down the road.
Well… it made amusing reading anyway. It blows my mind that the same company that makes this and the Chance sisters also makes Cuir de Russie, Coromandel, etc. But then Guerlain makes Vol de Nuit and L’Instant.
maybe they’re just testing us…..not that I”m paranoid or anything….
Chanel really does have a range. I suppose it’s a great marketing strategy and gives people the chance to buy into Chanel at a lower price and more mass-market scent, then climb up the ladder as income and taste improves.
Ah yes, gateway scents.
Exactly!
Angela – nice theme on the Chanels…. When CM first came out all those years ago a SA tried to squirt me once. I totally dismissed her and the CM with disdain as I was afraid they were going to discontinue my beloved Coco. Why would I wear CM when I already wear Coco? I can tell you that I never tested it once until I just got the small Chanel Wardrobe set a few weeks ago. The parfum of CM reminds me A LOT of the Badgley Mischka fragrance, minus all the dried fruit and fruit fruit accords that zing up BM. I don’t think CM is horrible, but I don’t think I’ll wear it either. I think it would be a very nice masculine. It is just not as polished as the other fantastic Chanels. It’s like you can just feel the gears shifting through all it’s phases – needs a clutch replacement, lol.
Nice analogy! I’m more of a Coco gal, too.
Coco Mlle smells like sharp, screechy florals
(a la nail polish remover with added scent) and cat pee (not civet!) to my nose. I can’t stay with it long enough to wait for the musk. I never got the appeal. Pretty bottle, though.
Yes, Coco is lovely, as is N. 5 parfum, Cuir de Russie and even my screechy Allure Sensuelle which behaves once it dries down.
It sounds like you and I aren’t part of the teeming masses who made Coco Mlle so popular. I’ve certainly spent plenty on other scents, though!
I love Coco Mlle-it has more woods/spice on my skin.
Coco doesn’t get as spicy it gets sweeter, more of a comfort scent.
A co-worker of mine wears it and it smells heavenly on her.
Woods and spice would be ideal. It sounds like you and Coco Mlle are a great match.
Coco Mlle was my first scrubber! I was browsing at Ulta before a date once and gave myself a hearty spritz….as soon as I got to the car I knew I had made a mistake. It seems like everything geared towards my age group (I’m 22) is so LOUD! I guess that translate as sexy to the fruity floral crowd?
I really need to sample 31 Rue Cambon and Bois des Iles, they sound lovely!
hey, Kalynna —I can send you samples of both with your split of HV, and I’m hoping to get the HV in the mail really soon (or I’m going to go nuts from waiting!)
That’s a sort of milestone in itself–your first scrubber!
This perfume is really good fresh, with a new bottle.. but after some time the EDP is too strong for me. I don’t like how different the EDT smells though, and since Chance is so close I can wear it too. When Chance came out all I thought was it was a lighter vesion of Coco M.
That’s good information, that Coco Mlle EdP changes over time. It sounds like it suits you, though.
I have to confess. I am one of the C Mlle wearing horde. I love the stuff, its my general daily go to fragrance right now. Initially it is pretty sharp and crisp, but then it gets really masculine and sexy on me. It reminds me of wearing floral perfume while snuggling on the couch a hot guy.
why, oh why can’t I get any of that out of CM? All I get is the sharp topnotes and a bug spray dry down! not fair!
I don’t get screechy or bug spray, thank goodness. It smells so good on me my sister bought some, she lives a few states away but that’s still too close so now I dont want to wear it.
I wear it very lightly, no need in choking people. Perhaps a heavier application would make a difference. I also think that being an oily skinned brunette somehow makes it easier for me to pull off a lot of the more masculine scents that I wear.
I’m in the Deep South and it seems everyone under a certain age here wears pink perfumes, if you know what I mean. Older women wear a lot of #5 and Estee Lauder stuff, so I dont really smell to much of the C.M. on other women.
It sounds like you wear Coco Mlle very well! The people around you probably love smelling it on you, too.
Don’t be apologetic! You’re one of the lucky ones. It sounds like a terrific scent on you.
On Thanksgiving Day my husband and I went to dinner at my co-worker’s home where 20-30 people were there. One lady passed by my husband and he said to me did you smell her cologne and of course I did not. So my husband approach her husband to say, your wife just passed by and her fragrance was outstanding. Of course, she was wearing Coco Mademoiselle, and she wore it well.
Nice! I like smelling it in a crowd, too.
I’ve bought more bottles of this stuff in the range, than any other…but not for myself! This is my mother’s (she just turned 50 this year) signature fragrance. It wears chypre-like on her, very smooth and peppery, with most of the sweetness relegated to the background. When it first came out, I noticed her hoarding the scent strips and raving about it constantly.
When I was a little girl, I remember seeing bottles of “Emeraude”, “Imari”, “Chanel No. 5” and Tea Rose oil on her vanity. Oddly enough, a combination of all of those fragrances is exactly how I would describe “Coco Mademoiselle”; there’s the sccreeching, lime-green grassiness, the nectary peach roses and earthy, gravelly patchouli. Too much on me—pepper, burnt sugared apricots and vetiver extreme–but faint and beautiful on her; very dry, crisp and chiffon-like. Reminds me of the scent of original “Herbal Essences” shampoo or fresh, green and androgynous in a specifically 70’s way (faintly representative of Patou’s “1000”).
Fabulous review.
It sounds like Coco Mlle is ideal on your mother! I love the way you describe it.
This and Chance Eau Fraiche are the only Chanel scents I like, and I’m really considering getting this. I love Keira Knightley and I love the commercial for this. Not only that, I really looove the bottle. I don’t care too much for the C. N5 bottle. Must be the juice. The scent is even worse. Cn5 is like the worst scent ever! This, however, smells divine. I’ll have to test it on my skin first, though. I’m kinda scared I’ll tire of it quickly. I don’t wanna shell out $115.000 for it and I grow tired of it.
It sounds like you love it–that’s great! I hope they’ll give you a sample first so you can wear it a few days. Then, once you know for sure you won’t tire of it quickly, you’ll feel confident buying a bottle. Good luck!
This just seems like another in the parade of Angel offshoot perfumes, perhaps distilled down a bit – that fruity patch that became so prevalent after Angel. Certainly Coco Mad isn’t a gourmand, but to me it’s too fruity, too patchy, and yes, like you say – perfumey (which I just attribute to Chanel – everything seems perfumey from them, and I say that in the best way – it actually smells like perfume, rather than the candy, fruity messes that pervade the shelves disguised as perfume!). I don’t like it, but I’m in your age group, I suspect, and our formative Chanel years were probably defined by Carol Bouquet and Esther what’s her name with the big lips for No. 5 ads, and Ines de la Fressange and Vanessa Paradis for Coco.
I loved those old ads with Ines de la Fressange. She was so elegant, but so confident and easy. As for Vanessa Paradis–well, she got Johnny Depp. What more do you need to say?
I am going to go against the flow here because I absolutely love smelling CM on a woman.
I think it’s one of the most feminine and sexy fragrances for women out there.
It can do no wrong in my book.
I think you’re going *with* the flow, really. People love Coco Mlle, so you’re not alone in finding it terrific. I don’t think you’d like it as much on me, though.
CM smells good on clothes on the second day after wearing.
I ended up buying it 4 years ago when I sprayed it in the mall then held my 3 month old baby and after my husband took the baby and said how good she smelled :))
Does anybody know if Safari by Ralph Lauren still in production? I would buy it for my friend, cause she loves it. They sell it in Marshalls 1.7oz for $25.
Nice! I like the baby story.
According to Basenotes, Safari is still in production, although I had thought it was discontinued, maybe because I’ve seen it so much at Marshall’s.
I like Coco Mlle on other people, but it just doesn’t smell good on me. It’s very, very fruity on me and is downright identical to Coty’s “Exclamation” perfume on my skin.
I’ll be sticking with original Coco, which is one of my all-time faves, anyway.
I can’t remember ever smelling Exclamation, although I could draw you a picture of the bottle right now.
I love Coco Mademoiselle, especially during the autumn.
But people around me don’t agree with me so much on that. They say it’s too herbal. =(
Herbal sounds good to me! Autumn would be a nice season for Coco Mlle.
I am one of those people who wears Coco Mlle very well. (By comparison, Angel, which I am wearing today — VERY lightly!! — smells nice, but not amazing on me. And Angel is one that I’ve always loved catching sillage of on others, but never wore myself until a few weeks ago.)
I hadn’t worn it in years until I decided to revisit it last week. Still great. I was so pleased — I’m a bit sentimental about fragrances, and I’d be so sad if one of my college fragrances turned on me, even if I no longer want to wear it all that often.
I NEVER smell Coco Mlle around here — is it really that prevalent elsewhere? Wow. Whenever I go out, it’s AngelAngelAngel.
I’m so glad Coco Mlle is great on you! I smell a fair amount of Angel here, but it seems like Light Blue, Coco Mlle, and Flowerbomb get more play. Or maybe I just notice them more.
So, I broke down and bought a 3.4 oz bottle from MACY’S. They had other Chanel samples, but not for Coco M. it smells fantastic on me. Such a grown up scent. It’s Spicy, it’s Citrus and sweet at the same time! I really love it! I love the bottle and I love the commercial! Great job, Chanel! My first Chanel scent! I’m in the big leagues now!!!!!
I’m so glad you love it! It’s nice to wake up in the morning and reach for a perfume you really love to wear.
I’m attempting to decide whether to buy this one or the original Coco.
Gosh, I know if it were my choice I’d go with Coco, but not everyone feels the same way. Sounds like you need to wear them side by side for a day and see what you think.
I’ve done that, and I still don’t know which one to pick. They both have pretty good staying power, but Coco smells kinda mature on me. At the same time though, Coco Mademoiselle is too weak for my liking.
Maybe neither of them is right for you. Oh well, the fun is in the search!
I don’t see the similarities between CM and Chance that others mentioned—for me (and on me) there’s a huge difference between the bergamot and the screeching lemon in their openings. As someone for whom lemon is the kiss of death, I am nonetheless happy to smell Chance on my GF, who is 53 (!), by the way, and has bottles of No. 5 in EDT and EDP standing neglected on her dressing table (thoughtful but obviously unappreciated gifts).
Somehow I feel that I should be able to wear one of the Chanels, but so far (with the exception of Coco, which I have reached for a few times this winter) CM seems the closest to something I would actually want to wear on a regular basis. Since I live in the rural west, I seldom encounter anyone who actually wears perfume, so I don’t have to worry about smelling like everyone else. I gave my GF’s No. 5s a good, solid run over the holidays, and although I can admire them, I certainly don’t want to wear them. I love Cuir de Russie, but am not going to plunk down the dough for that one anytime soon.
Thanks, Angela, for addressing the subject of marketing in your post. I am always amused (and somewhat baffled) by the fact that nobody in the industry seems to be marketing fragrances to people who are actually over 40! Giving us the interesting face of Audrey Tatou for the new No. 5 campaigns certainly moves that line as far away from “old lady” as it possibly could without relegating it to, in my opinion, the almost juvenile associations I make with the blank prettiness of Kiera Knightly.
I truly hope that the real reason I haven’t yet purchased CM is NOT because I am 43.
I wonder if advertisers figure that the mature audience already buys perfume, so why advertise to them? I guess Chanel tried Nicole Kidman for No. 5 and Eau Premiere, and she’s over 40. But still, she doesn’t “read” that way. Bring back Catherine Deneuve!
I think if you love Cuir de Russie, you should go for it. Sure, it’s a lot of money, but if you’ve tested it enough to know you truly love it, the extra money will be well spent. (And I say this as someone without a lot of extra cash to throw around.)
Angela,
I agree with “bring back Catherine!” She says “sexy and intelligent” in a way I find timeless and ageless. I agree that over 40s might be likely to have found their favorites, although I grew up in a home largely devoid of perfume and spent many years surrounding by the scent-sensitive, so I have some catching up to do.
I’m grateful for NST (and other wonderful blogs) for helping me learn more about what’s out there—so thank you and all the other contributors for your terrific articles!
I think I need to wait a bit on Cuir de Russie—but maybe only until I get my tax refund!
I hope that refund comes soon, then! There are some other good leathers out there, too, for less $$.
Well, the refund came and I bought Cuir de Lancome (and three others) from one of the discounters. I love it, although it is a different leather (no slight barnyard) from what I get in Cuir de Russie (which may be in my future still).
Cuir de Lancome is definitely not Cuir de Russie–I find it sweeter and smoother, without the signature Chanel aldehydic kick. Me, I need both in my perfume wardrobe (greedy, I know!).
Great review Angela. I am so glad I am not the only one that doesn’t care for Mlle.
I do want to own a Chanel though. I am wondering, and leaning on your expertise if maybe you could help me? I am basically a floral woody-musk girl. And too my detriment, like the more girly scents, so that makes it hard to find a Chanel. I like, but not love Chance, it is just not distinctive enough. What do you think of Beige, No. 22, Gardenia? I tried either 18 or 19 once, but found top note too “purfumey” or “whiffy”, if that makes scents…sense.
They say the Gardenia isn’t cloying (I like that), but doesn’t last.
Of course anyone is free to comment
I think I know what you mean about the “perfumey” part of so many Chanels, and I’m pretty sure it’s that sharp, aldehydic top. If that’s the case, you probably won’t like No. 22 or Beige much. In fact, the aldehydes are a signature of Chanel scents. I’d guess the Chanels you might like best would be Coromandel (if you are all right with chocolatey patchouli and lots of it), Bois des Iles (still aldehydic, but tamped down by spice and sandalwood), Eau Premiere (so pretty, and although it has an aldehydic lift, they are fat, creamy aldehydes), and maybe Coco. Have you tried the masculines? You might like Egoiste.
You’re so right, Coco Mlle hits you in the face and doesn’t let go. I so prefer the original Coco, even the reformulated. Now that’s a comfort, roll up in a blanket, cuddle by the fire fragrance.
I respect Coco Mlle, but I’m with you–Coco is more my speed.
It’s sort of a cliché among my friends that whenever you want to get my attention, wear Coco Mademoiselle. The first time I smelled it on someone I was blown away , and now when I catch whiffs of it it’s all I can do not to close my eyes and inhale deeply. It does smell more “perfumey” and sophisticated than us early-20somethings usually go for; Lacoste Pink, Burberry Brit, and Angel, or others along those lines, are what I smell most often on my female counterparts. I can see why people wouldn’t like CM, and I can imagine prolonged exposure (ie. wearing it myself) might make it tiresome. But those random whiffs…lovely.
I will have to try Coco sometime soon, it sounds like one of those skyscraping orientals I live for.
If Coco Mlle inducts anyone into the realm of perfumey perfumes, then it has done its job! Maybe you should have a bottle. At the same time, try Coco, too, if you like classic orientals.
Hah, I’ve heard a guy could pull off wearing Coco, but CM? Although I wear feminines routinely, I’m not sure I’d have the guts to waft around in a cloud of Mademoiselle. There is that musky-patchouli base to consider, though…with the right swagger in my step, who knows? Maybe I’ll snag a sample and try it out.
This is queen of my parfum and Eau de Parfum ‘s I think that Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and miss cherie Dior are similar Chanel Coco Mademoiselle is more grown up and miss cherie dior is a really sweet versions I love them both I always get compliments and phone numbers when I where these!
Great! It sounds like you’ve found some fragrances that really work for you!
nearly all Chanel perfumes make me think they are for rich old ladies.
but Coco Mademoiselle has youth and fruitiness.
I’m getting my Mum it for christmas, she loves it.
What a great gift! You have a lucky mother.
meh, she changes her mind all the time
I don’t think she’s ever had the same fragrance twice!!
apart from one, which I praise her for= Kenzo Amour.
and she may have a few bottle of Givenchy Amirage. Amirage annoys me now, I’m sure they’ve reformulated it because I liked a better on her when she had a bottle (about 5years ago ???) and she put some on in the airport duty free a couple of weeks ago and it jus went vile
I said do NOT get that
I made her try Miss Dior Cherie because it’s similar to Coco Mlle and I’d hate for her to have a bottle of Coco Mlle and then try Miss Cherie and like it more. but she hates Miss Dior Cherie (edp) so I don’t have to worry about that lol
Hey I am a guy and I love Coco Mademoiselle!!!! but I perfur parfums over colongne any day!
I like perfume on men, too.
I personally love CM as a fragrance. After reading reviews I wanted to love CoCo, and I did, but only on a test strip. CoCo on my skin smells like a mixture of cigarette smoke (UGH) and random spices. CM on the other hand, was everything I wanted CoCo to be and more. I lightly spritzed on my wrist, not expecting to like it at all after reading this. I waited a good five minutes and smelled. For the rest of the day my nose was glued to my arm. Unfortunately, I had come to Macy’s unprepared and must go back tomorrow and buy a full bottle. I admire CoCo for the perfume she must be on other people, but it all depends on skin chemistry, I guess…at least I have my CoCo Mademoiselle! <3 U <3
It sounds like it smells lovely on you! I hope you got yourself a bottle and have been wearing it happily.
have they reformulated this? I just smelled it on a test strip and it smells like playtex tampons and febreeze.
Yikes! I don’t know about reformulations, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Superb article
I’m glad you enjoyed it!