Coromandel by Chanel, nannies and comforting fragrances - fragrances review

There are times in life when everything seems to have a shade of gray. When clouds and thunders seem to follow you everywhere you go.

Having the blues is like having butterflies in the stomach. Can be for a good reason, can be the first domino piece to fall. The feeling that the world is crumbling under our feet can turn into the hole that will suck us in, or it can be a beginning for search of answers. A sign that things are not the way you wish them to be, is also a sign to shake things up and move forward. The word for this kind of situation is MOTIVATION. The other is COMFORT.

Perfumes are an amazing thing because they bring joy to life. They also bring beauty. They help us express our personality. They play with our emotions and memories. They tease our senses, our fantasies and our desires. 

Not surprisingly I also found comfort in them. Some perfumes are like spoons of sugar, like warm hugs (or the so called bear hugs), like  cozy blankets in a cold day, like a hot coco prepared by a beloved grandma. I call them "The Mary Poppins" fragrances, or "The Nanny Mc Phee's" (if you are younger).

The fist Mary Poppins fragrance is Cartier's Essence D'Orange EDT. A citrusy happy cocktail, with vibrant notes of bergamots and oranges. A peachy velvety texture of amber, patchouli and woods. 

EAU DE CARTIER - ESSENCE D'ORANGE EDT

Call it a sugar full of spoon, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious or Essence d'Orange EDP, a little whiff of this beauty, a little diddle dance, and the world is once again a beautiful and vibrant place to be! 

Here, notes of violets and acacia are wrapped by a luminous uplifting sensation that only citruses can bring. It is sheering and gay. A liquid laughter sort of speaking. The happy pill! Bad moods and cranky faces will be simple washed out by this deliciously delicate perfume.

Sing along with Julie Andrews. Tap dance with Dick Van Dick, feel the autumn/spring winds carry you away. Float in joy! Beat sadness with your best weapon - a bottle of a Cartier perfume.

LES EXCLUSIFS BY CHANEL

The second fragrance comes from Chanel's collection of perfumes called Les Exclusifs by Chanel, launched in 2007. Among the 10 fragrances, Coromandel EDP stands out for me as the comforting hug of a beloved person, as a life saver fragrance when things are going downhill.

COROMANDEL BY CHANEL EDT

Inspired by the lacquered Coromandel screens found in Chanel's apartments, this perfume is said to have notes of frankincense, benzoin, patchouli, amber and woods.

It is warm, creamy and deliciously composed. Patchouli and white chocolate is a maximum treat for me. A bit powdery and yet not dry. A pale dirtiness (earthiness) covered by vanilla. I smell traces of lavender on the top notes too! The baby cologne lavender note. Just to transport you to the memories of the days when you had nothing to worry about, when everything was simple and easy! 

White chocolate & Lavender treats

Lavender is followed by the richness of the amber-patchouli (white chocolate) treat. The wood notes are delicate, almost a resemblance that wood was once there. If you bring your nostrils close to the skin and continuously smell it, you will also find a warm milk + cinnamon note in the composition.

Although described as dry amber-y oriental, it is not dry, it is not amber-y and not a typical oriental.

This oriental fragrance is my ultimate polar bear hug. The first whiff of this fragrance is a creamy - off white - beige cloud. (I wonder why it was not named Beige instead! So what they did launched another one with this name!)

extracted from Chanel's site:

COCO CHANEL’S APARTMENT 
THE COROMANDEL SCREENS

“I’ve loved Chinese screens since I was eighteen years old…I nearly fainted with joy when, entering a Chinese shop, I saw a Coromandel for the first time…Screens were the first thing I bought…” (Quoted in “Chanel Solitaire” by Claude Delay – Gallimard – 1983 p.12)

Mademoiselle Chanel is believed to have owned 32 folding screens. Her apartment at 31 rue Cambon had eight of them, which she freely used in ways other than for what they were intended — she dressed her walls with them, like wallpaper, or used them to give structure to her private space.
It is also said that she used them to hide the doors. That way, she was sure to keep her guests when receiving them for dinner.

The Coromandel screens embody her taste for Chinese art, which she discovered together with Boy Capel. The Coromandel lacquer technique emerged at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), in the Hunan province, in the heart of China. The major themes include mythology, scenes of imperial life and love of nature, which bestow a spiritual dimension upon the art form.

UBAR EDP BY AMOUAGE

The third fragrance is UBAR EDP by Amouage. Retro and super granny's fragrance, with notes of bergamots, lemons, lilies, rose, jasmin, civet and vanilla. 

Designed and inspired by an Ottoman city, UBAR means something else to me. 

Ubar in Hebrew means fetus. And that is exactly how one can feel when wearing this fragrance. Totally protected and covered by layers of love. Many described as a sensual and voluptuous. In my skin it is rich, velvety and very vintage. I can only picture sweet old ladies wearing it. The ones that pinched our cheeks till it hurt when we were kids. The ones who knew how to bake amazing chocolate cakes and would leave a mark of lipstick everywhere.

Wherever fragrance you choose to comfort you, know that a comforting hug or word of a friend, from a beloved person or from someone you trust is also important. Also know that time is the best medicine for everything, as long as you move with it.

I wish my grandmother was still alive today! I miss her hot coco. I wish this gray cloud of grumpiness that stands over my head would go bother someone else!
You can find AMOUAGE fragrances at Essenza Nobile by clicking on the brand's name!

A spoon full of sugar - click HERE
Nanny Mc Phee - click HERE
You've got a friend sang by Carole King & friends click HERE