Chanel

Coco Mademoiselle’s success allowed Chanel to release a whole host of flanker fragrances to capitalize further on that perfume formulation. The most popular of these newer releases, is Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense. So, what’s this one all about? How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Coco Mademoiselle Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: patchouli, amber, tonka bean, vanilla, orange, jasmine, rose, musk

Click here to try: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Intense Eau De Parfum Spray, 1.7 Oz 

My Full Review

Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense opens up with less of the orange and other citrus notes, than the citrus had, but with an even stronger initial punch. While this is the intense version, to me, it isn’t that much more powerful than the original Coco Mademoiselle.

What I do get more of in the opening act is patchouli and amber. The citrus is there, but that bold and juicy orange is tamped down, and seems to share duties with other citrus notes much more so.

Intense is pretty heavy on the patchouli note, which I don’t usually love, but it works very well within this composition. The perfume has plenty of sweetness and smoothness from the vanilla, amber, and tonka bean notes.

Moving deeper into the wear, the jasmine and rose begin to come through more. In this edition, the jasmine still has predominance over the rose, but the rose is present and noticeable. Again, the original is not only more citrus dominant, but also has a greater use of the floral notes.

Mademoiselle Intense finally finishes its development with an amber, patchouli, and vanilla blend. I do still get jasmine on my skin, at this point, but it’s basically just supporting those three notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Is this a strong perfume? Yes. Is the sillage that much greater than the original? Not really. Again, you’re going to notice that this is there and you can indeed overspray Coco Mademoiselle Intense. However, it really doesn’t strike me as a super heavy or thick kind of perfume.

The longevity is also great. Like the original, it will last for over 10 hours on me. No issues with the performance, in my experience.

Seasonally, I would just not wear this out in the heat. Autumn through mid-spring is fine, but you should probably find a summertime option. What I do like about Intense, is that it doesn’t get relegated to the cold weather only.

You will get plenty of use from this as a daily wear or even one that can be used out at night. Go easy with the sprays and it can fit in at the office. Good for casual or even more dressed up events. Versatile just like the EDP.

Overall Impressions of Coco Mademoiselle Intense

Overall, do I like this release from Chanel? Yes, it’s a great flanker of the now classic Coco Mademoiselle EDP. I don’t think that it is quite as good, but it comes pretty close in my book.

This perfume isn’t as heavy nor does it have the insane projection that you might think. Yes, it is strong and performs extremely well, it’s just not an unbearable mess.

If you are someone who prefers patchouli and vanilla, this actually might be the Coco Mademoiselle fragrance for you. In totality, you’re not going to get the same level of citrus that you do with the EDP. Depending on your style, that might be a good thing.

I can absolutely recommend giving this one a try. It does everything well and gives you another versatile staple in a perfume rotation.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.

bestmenscolognes.com/

Chanel released Gabrielle back in 2017 and it quickly gained some measure of popularity. A few years later, it introduced Gabrielle Essence as a follow up perfume. It can be tough to decide between the two, when you’re wanting to make a purchase. So, I’m going to break things down based on my experience. Which is the better perfume? Which has better performance?

Tale of the Tape: Chanel Gabrielle vs Essence

Gabrielle

Notes include: jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, tuberose, musk, citrus, pear

Click here to try: Chanel Gabrielle For Women Eau De Parfume Spray 3.4 Ounces

Read my review: Gabrielle EDP

Gabrielle Essence

Notes include: tuberose, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, coconut, peach, citrus

Click here to try: Gabrielle Essence by Chanel Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4 oz / 100 ml (Women) 

Read my review: Gabrielle Essence

Opening

The opening of Gabrielle is a mix of the fruits and floral notes. It can be hard to distinguish what you’re smelling at first, as they seem to clump together. However, it is mostly orange blossom and ylang-ylang to my nose, with pear and sparkling citrus sitting on top. Also, a touch of pink pepper.

Meanwhile, Essence kicks off with some juicier fruits, and not the same sparkling brightness or sharpness of Gabrielle. There’s peach and coconut, along with the citrus notes, this time. There is also more of the orange blossom and jasmine, leading the way versus the original.

Which is better? I like Essence much more in the early stages. It feels more balanced, delicious, and the floral notes are the ones that I like better.

Edge: Essence

Projection

Neither one of these fragrances is a powerhouse. Actually, they’re both fairly moderate and can spend time being skin scents. However, Essence reaches a slightly higher peak than does Gabrielle EDP.

It’s really not a huge difference, but noticeable.

Edge: Essence

Longevity

With Gabrielle, I got 7-7.5 hours of wear on the skin. Again, it’s not a powerhouse throughout, but it did hang around. Gabrielle Essence lasted just over 8, for another slight advantage.

Edge: Essence

Versatility

I don’t see a difference here. Both are wildly versatile, mostly in the spring and summer months. You can go casual or more formal (but neither are super stuffy or serious). They have very pretty and attractive profiles.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I think that each of these fragrances is a very good release by Chanel. Gabrielle EDP settles into a floral bouquet with some remaining sweetness. It does everything well, even if it is a step behind Essence in many categories.

I think that it ultimately comes down to which floral notes you prefer, as the weighting is different between these perfumes. With Gabrielle EDP, tuberose and jasmine play a larger role together, in the dry down.

Meanwhile, Essence doesn’t have as strong of a tuberose. It more evenly splits between orange blossom, jasmine, and ylang-ylang.

Personally, I think that Gabrielle Essence is the better fragrance all around. It doesn’t blow the original out of the water, but does make marked improvements in comparison.

Winner: Gabrielle Essence

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.

bestmenscolognes.com/

Coco Mademoiselle has been a best seller for a long time. It’s been one that I’ve enjoyed, when I’ve encountered it in the past. Since I recently set out to acquire a bunch of Chanel samples, I made sure to grab this one to finally post a full review on the site. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Coco Mademoiselle Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, neroli, may rose, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine

Click here to try: Coco Mademoiselle

My Full Review

Coco Mademoiselle opens up with a hard hitting orange note and neroli paired along side. It’s bright and juicy, at first, with enough warmth provided by the underlying patchouli.

The next phase, is where the other floral notes become apparent. The orange note tones down and jasmine and the rose emerge. The rose isn’t super powerful, but it’s there. Mostly, jasmine and the continued neroli come through.

Mademoiselle feels clean and enveloping, but kind of too dynamic for me to call it cozy, exactly. The floral notes hang around, but this gets drier as it moves forward. Patchouli, vetiver, and musk with sweetness/creaminess from vanilla and the still present citrus.

The final dry down is a much softer affair. I get more of the vanilla, patchouli, just the impression of overall sweetness and slight woodiness. Not super easy to pick out individual notes, but it’s a great smell.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Mademoiselle is definitely a strong fragrance. It isn’t on the extreme end (the Intense version is for sure, though), but it is well above average with how it projects and hangs around. It isn’t one that you’ll need many sprays of, for it to be effective.

The longevity is even better. Coco Mademoiselle EDP will go for over 10 hours on my skin. It’s to the point that it gets washed off before it quits usually. Plenty of another Chanel scents, especially the men’s, don’t hold up nearly as well as this one.

Seasonally, this perfume can work year round. Maybe avoid during the heat of summer, but it’s fine in any other sort of climate. Not necessarily as good in the dead of winter, but it’s not completely useless.

It’s very versatile. Can be a daily wear or one to wear out at night. It has a certain level of sexiness to it, while remaining modern and stylish. Not super ‘girly’ or feminine, but doesn’t quite meet in the unisex area, in my opinion.

Overall Impressions of Coco Mademoiselle

Do I like this perfume? I do. It’s always been one of my favorites from Chanel’s women’s line of scents. The bold orange opening is great. The floral heart, with vanilla and musk. It just works well.

The performance is pretty top notch on me, for whatever reason. It seems to be well above average for most folks who try it, as well.

Really not too much to complain about with Coco Mademoiselle. It can be too much for some, but most people like it, as proven by the sales. If you don’t like a bold orange, the floral notes, or maybe the patchouli…you might at least want to sample before buying blind.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.

bestmenscolognes.com/

Gabrielle is one of Chanel’s more recent line of women’s fragrances. Thus far, they’ve only released two under this banner, but it may expand further if the sales are worthwhile. Gabrielle is a white floral perfume, named after the founder of the brand. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is this perfume worth a buy?

What does Gabrielle Smell Like?

Notes include: jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, tuberose, musk, citrus, pear

Click here to try: Chanel Gabrielle For Women Eau De Parfume Spray 3.4 Ounces

My Review

The opening of this fragrance was kind of difficult to distinguish the first time I tried it out. It felt like a mass of notes, floral and fruity, but just clumped together. However, the next time I tested this one, I liked Gabrielle much more.

It’s a sparkling blend of citrus notes, with a nice amount of the orange blossom and ylang-ylang up front. Grapefruit, some pear, orange, and a little pink pepper spice.

Even with giving this Chanel another try, I still think that the opening act is definitely the weakest point of this fragrance. I’m not even a huge floral fan, but when those notes take over, this is a much better wear.

Luckily, that doesn’t take to long. The other two floral notes come in about 30 minutes in (jasmine and tuberose). It’s a floral bouquet that isn’t very green at all. More about the white petals, than the stems, and it has a sweet and bright undercurrent throughout.

Gabrielle is one that I’d recommend trying at least a few times to see if you like it. There is plenty of depth here, that can take time to reveal themselves fully. Mostly, it’s a very lovely white floral fragrance, with just a touch of earthiness at different intervals.

The final dry down, I mostly get jasmine and the tuberose, and they’re sitting on top of musk. The fruity notes are all but gone and it smells like a very clean floral perfume.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Gabrielle is a moderate fragrance. It’s decent at projecting during the first few hours of wear, then, it will stick closer to the skin. I will say, that it isn’t a super performer. For me, it was pretty good, but not one that’s going to amaze.

The longevity is in the 7-7.5 hour range, on my skin. Again, for much of the wear it isn’t going to radiate very much from wear you sprayed. It does stick around, though.

Seasonally, I’d say that it’s absolutely the best in spring. Summer and autumn work too, but that springtime bouquet effect is great.

Gabrielle EDP is a versatile daily wear. It isn’t super formal and can actually serve better as a casual or semi-formal scent. It’s pretty, not really sexy, and not a club beast. But, you really wouldn’t ever offend anyone while wearing this.

Overall Impressions of Gabrielle by Chanel

Do I like this fragrance? I do. It actually grew on me, the more time that I spent with it. I still think that opening is kind of messy, but the end result is pretty darn good.

Is it a must have? Probably not. I don’t think that the performance is all that great. The fragrance itself smells quite nice, so, it isn’t a terrible or useless release from Chanel.

It does some things very well, but isn’t elite or super captivating. At the very least, it is worth a shot to see if you personally enjoy it, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.

bestmenscolognes.com/