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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Chanel's New Coco Noir Fragrance

Scheduled to be launched on August 17, Chanel's new Coco Noir is, I would guess, an Eau de Parfum. I mentioned it in The Friday Forum. Now, I'm wearing it. As luck would have it, I was in a store when a Chanel representative came in with a tester to give the staff members a whiff. One of those staffers knew I really wanted to have a smidge to test. Bless her/his heart; I now have that smidge.

Coco Noir has been a closely guarded secret. It was code-named Gold, but the news about Coco Noir has been leaking out on Facebook. I've read that it has some relationship to Coco Chanel's days in Venice, and the notes seem to verify that.
  • Top: grapefruit, bergamot, and orange
  • Heart: jasmine, rose, red geranium, and Indonesian patchouli
  • Base: Brazilian tonka bean, Bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, frankincense, and white musk.
You know that describing fragrances isn't my forté, but I'll give you my first impressions. It's warm and sultry, but not to the point that it would preclude day wear. The fruity top notes are enticing. As it starts to dry down, the heart notes take over. One of them is ever so slightly discordant to my nose, but don't go by my impressions. I'm a very picky perfume critic. Although patchouli usually repels me, it doesn't bother me in Coco Noir. Indonesian patchouli can be nice (if it's not dominant), and it's polite in this fragrance. Actually, it might be the geranium that doesn't play well with the other notes (to my nose).

The heart notes fade when the base notes take over. The dry-down of Coco Noir is lovely. As I mentioned, it's warm and comfy. Fortunately, the frankincense isn't dominant, so it doesn't have that "incense at church" scent. It's a nice blend. If any base note dominates, it's the musk.

I have no idea what the pricing will be or what products will be available. I've been told the launch is August 17, and I expect a fair amount of hoopla to accompany the announcement of this new perfume. If you're a Chanel fragrance fan - or a collector - you'll definitely want to ask your favorite representative to notify you.

Photo source is top secret; not even sure it's right
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11 comments:

  1. RosemaryJuly 28, 2012 at 5:01 PM

    Lucky you to be wearing it, CG!

    I'm very particular about fragrance, but want to try this since it's Chanel. I heard it's supposed to appeal to the "edgy" crowd whatever that means, but who knows. Any idea who the "face" of the fragrance is?

    I hear the 1.7 ounce will go for $98 and the 3.4 will be $130, but that's just rumor.

    Thanks so much for reporting!

    Rosemary

    ReplyDelete
  2. Madelyn EJuly 28, 2012 at 6:21 PM

    I am curious about this as I usually love Chanel perfumes.
    Very interesting . I am relieved there is no oud in this .
    It sounds very rich and élégant .

    ReplyDelete
  3. CharlestongirlJuly 28, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    Thanks for the info, Rosemary!

    ReplyDelete
  4. CharlestongirlJuly 28, 2012 at 6:26 PM

    LOL, Madelyn! Me too. I'm so over oud.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Becca @ The Beauty SampleJuly 29, 2012 at 3:30 AM

    This sounds so lovely and sultry--can't wait to take a sniff! I will try anything that claims to contain notes of jasmine--whether top, heart, or base

    ReplyDelete
  6. CharlestongirlJuly 29, 2012 at 7:16 AM

    Becca, I really don't smell much jasmine in it. It is sultry.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ClarisseJuly 29, 2012 at 8:58 AM

    Whispers about Coco Noir here too! But, Charlestongirl, nobody has tried it yet, they just repeat what Chanel tells them about it: you are an extremely lucky person to have sniffed and worn it!!!!
    Needless to say I'm impatient to try it: I usually love Chanel creations (no great fan of Chance though)
    I was glad to read it's perfectly wearable during the day ("sultry" had me worrying...)

    ReplyDelete
  8. CharlestongirlJuly 29, 2012 at 11:45 AM

    Hi Clarisse,

    I really don't like Chance - our tastes are similar, so I'm not surprised you don't either.

    It's sultry, but not so sultry that you can't wear it during the day.

    I just got lucky on getting a smidge. The Chanel people are all tight-lipped, but I found a non-Chanel enabler. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sophia1105July 29, 2012 at 3:24 PM

    Chanel blends work the best with my chemistry and don't irritate my sensitive skin. I'm curious to try this one since muskier tones never pull a sharpness on me that so many other "fresh" scents can. This sounds very hit or miss, though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. CharlestongirlJuly 30, 2012 at 6:34 AM

    Hi Sophia,

    Only way to know is test it in person when it's released. The date here in the U.S. is August 17. Not sure about the international dates. Chanel has been so quiet about this one.

    ReplyDelete
  11. sarah gibsonJuly 31, 2012 at 8:02 PM

    I was fortunate enough to sample as well and put my name down for a bottle (only 17 at my store for the larger size). The larger bottle is actually going to be around 135ish maybe 137, I don't remember which number exactly I was to busy picking out the new rouge allures to put on hold. I love the fragrance, it is definitely a stronger, more nighttime perfume. It reminds me of Tom Ford Black Orchid. The bottle is BEAUTIFUL in person and definitely worth it for that alone!

    ReplyDelete

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