By Designer

Coco Mademoiselle vs Chanel Chance EDP Comparison

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Chanel perfumes routinely dominate the best seller lists, year after year, in the women’s space. Not only the main or classic formulations, but also, flankers using their predecessor’s names. Two of the most popular options for ladies are Chanel Chance EDP and Coco Mademoiselle. In this post, I want to compare them, and declare a winner as to which is best. Which smells better? Which has the greater performance metrics?

Tale of the Tape: Coco Mademoiselle vs. Chance

Coco Mademoiselle

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

Click here to try: Coco Mademoiselle

Read my review: Mademoiselle

Chanel Chance

Notes include: vanilla, jasmine, iris, patchouli, pink pepper, and musk

Click here to try: Chanel Chance EDP

Opening

Chance has both an EDT and EDP version, along with many flankers that are quite popular. I am going to be talking about Chance EDP, in this post, as I am comparing it to the EDP version of Mademoiselle. So, keep in mind that it applies to these releases specifically.

Chance EDP has much less of the patchouli note, than the EDT version. This one is a floral scent with clean vanilla highlights. It is led by both jasmine and iris, as its main floral notes.

You get a mix of sweetness, with musk, and enough earthy spice to keep things interesting. There does seem to be some light fruit notes, but it isn’t as much. The patchouli, will play a bigger role later on, but it is kept in check up top.

Meanwhile, Coco Mademoiselle begins more as a fruity floral fragrance. More specifically, it is a blend of citrus, neroli, jasmine, rose and ylang ylang peaking through. The musk is not as heavy, as in Chance, but it also has about the same level of patchouli.

Which is better? It’s a close call. However, I think that Mademoiselle has the more appealing start. I really like the citrus start, that transitions into an array of floral notes. These two do share similarities, but Coco Mademoiselle gets a slight not, in my opinion.

Edge: Mademoiselle

Projection

Neither of these perfumes are going to disappoint with a weak sillage. The EDP versions, are both strong. Which is stronger? I’d say that Mademoiselle packs a stronger punch, than does Chance.

I don’t find either to be all that extreme, but they can project themselves, very well. Mademoiselle, is just a notch above.

Surprisingly, Coco Mademoiselle still has great sillage and overall performance, after all these years. Chanel hasn’t seemed to skip out on the quality with this best seller.

Edge: Mademoiselle

Longevity

Chance EDP will go a full workday, and perhaps, a few hours longer. Expect an 8-10 hour performance. Which is enough for most purposes. But, it still falls short of what Mademoiselle delivers.

Coco Mademoiselle will last for over 10 hours, most of the time. It’s got a really great longevity and doesn’t want to seem to quit. I’ve tested it out to over 12 hours before. It has a pretty wide range, once you get above double digit hours.

Again, Chance is no slouch, but it’s competitor is a bit better.

Edge: Mademoiselle

Versatility

In this category, I don’t really see a winner. Both perfumes perform well year round and in a wide variety of situations. These Chanel fragrances are truly all around gems and can be the anchor of just about anyone’s collection.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

This head to head match up, really is a difficult choice, since both are really great scents. I’d say that you probably can’t go wrong with either. However, which one is truly better, even if by a little bit?

Chanel Chance EDP is fresh, floral, with a great pink pepper spice. It’s not overbearing, but performs well. I really like the jasmine and how the pepper hangs around the edges, of the musk/patchouli heart. Really nice, overall.

Coco Mademoiselle, I prefer it to Chance. You get better performance, but I also think that it smells somewhat better, as well. The beautiful and classy citrus opening, sells it right away. Beyond that, the floral notes, with musk, and sweet creamy vanilla are so good during the dry down.

I think that Coco Mademoiselle just does a bit more, in its entirety versus Chance. Frankly, I think Chance is a great perfume…just not to the same extent.

It isn’t a blowout, by any means. However, I’m giving the win to Coco Mademoiselle EDP.

Winner: Mademoiselle

7 Best Smelling Cacharel Perfumes for Women

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Cacharel is a French ready to wear clothing, fashion, and fragrance brand. It’s fragrance line was launched in the late 1970s and has been going strong ever since. The faces of the advertisements of this design house have been as famous as the perfumes themselves and include models, Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen. For this list, I have selected seven fragrances from their line which I consider to be the cream of the crop.

What are the Best Smelling Cacharel Perfumes?

Fabulous Selection

Yes I Am Fabulous– Updating this page with a few newer perfumes, I had to add at least one from the fairly popular Yes I Am line.

Fabulous is my first pick out of this collection. It utilizes blackberry as the main note, but only adds to the unique vibe with other notes like hazelnut and milk. Add to that, one of my favorite underrated floral notes in heliotrope.

This one opens up with the blackberry which comes off juicy enough, yet the milk adds a creaminess which really sets the tone. Not too sweet nor too tart, Fabulous comes across as delicious and the hazelnut here just works in the mix.

A nicer heliotrope powdery aroma in the dry down. It isn’t super powerful, just a nice and fun perfume.

Easy to Wear Cacharel

Noa– A light blend of fruity notes with an underlying bouquet of floral notes. Noa is a soft and womanly fragrance good for most occasions. This one is a clean and soapy sort of perfume, but it feels like it has its own unique take on it.

Yes, you have the layer of musk and floral notes. However, the secondary wave of coffee bean and vanilla give Noa a slighter sweeter aroma in its undertones. This isn’t some scent that overwhelms and demands attention, it just simply gets it with its soft and quite beautiful aroma.

noa

Most Popular Cacharel

Amor Amor– Probably the most popular of the bunch. A great everyday wear, Amor Amor blends fruits, floral, and woodsy notes to create something seductive yet playful.

The floral notes are lighter and different. But, you do get a very close citrus vibe to Happy. The main difference here, is the inclusion of vanilla.

Amor Amor is a very good take on a sweet fruity perfume, that is a solid choice for daily wear. It actually has way more depth, than one might expect. It is warmer, creamier, with nice amber notes and tonka bean in the dry down. A fairly similar fragrance to Clinique’s Happy.

amoramor

Chocolate Gourmand

Yes I Am Delicious– Another option from this line for those who want an indeed delicious blend of chocolate and the hazelnut note.

This one really goes heavy with the chocolate, more so the hazelnut. You get both a refined sort of dark chocolate, raw cacao, vanilla, and the nuttiness. Super rich and delectable.

Up top you will get mandarin orange with a spicy cardamom before the sweets-fest begins. The floral notes are more present in the back end. Jasmine and orange blossom. Warm and cozy for the colder months. This won’t be for everyone, still a nice smelling scent.

Most Unique

Eden– Eden changes it up a bit from the other perfumes on this list. This fragrance is for those who like a spicy and somewhat exotic scent. Eden does feature some lighter fruit notes, but it is mostly a very floral undertaking.

So, obviously avoid, if you don’t want a bouquet effect. That’s mostly at the start, though. As it moves forward, Eden, takes on more of its patchouli note and it feels less floral and more greenish plant-like.

Finally, there are the spicier layers of this perfume. Not super peppery, but coriander is the main attraction. This is more of a niche fragrance, but one with a bold profile and performance.

eden

Classic Cacharel

Anais Anais– A wonderful floral perfume with added notes of leather and cedar. It’s a classic scent that is clean, fresh, and wholly feminine. Being an older fragrance, it has obviously undergone some changes over the years, but Anais Anais still retains a lot of its magic.

This is more or an old school fragrance, because it does date back to the 1970s. Floral and highlighted by notes of lily of the valley, hyacinth, and jasmine. At times, it feels more like a green garden, before setting itself up as a powdery scent.

To me, it’s unique versus what you get from perfumes nowadays. Though, this doesn’t feel stale or boring. Yes, different, while still being modern and dynamic.

anais

Older Sweet Pick

Amor Amor Forbidden Kiss– A warm and energetic take on the Amor Amor name. Grapefruit, coffee, pink pepper, and peony make this one a unique and exciting perfume from Cacharel.

We get away from the floral scents and break into something fruitier and much sweeter. Yes, the fruity notes are enveloped in a warmer cloud than usual, but this is still an attractive option for the colder months. The coffee and pink pepper notes, really make Forbidden Kiss what it is, and it doesn’t have that winter fragrance heaviness.

amoramorfor

Libre Intense by YSL

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Libre Intense was released in 2020 by YSL, as a follow up to the immensely popular and powerful Libre EDP. I got a sample of this, along with the original to really test them out and see how each differs from one another. Here’s my direct comparison post. In this one, I am going to do a deeper review of Libre Intense. How does it smell? Perform? Is it worth a try?

What does Libre Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: lavender, orange blossom, orchid, vanilla

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent for Women Libre 1.6 oz Eau de Parfum Intense Spray

My Full Review

Before we get into my review of Libre Intense, let’s see how YSL describes it: The iconic structure of Libre, a tension the lavender from France and the orange blossom from Morocco, reinterpreted in a suave and sensual way. The intensity of a melting floral core, where orange blossom flower absolute & blazing orchid accord fuse. A fragrance like a shout of freedom, the freedom to live everything with excess.

Libre Intense starts out with a sweet aroma. I don’t find it to be sugary or candy-like, but the citrus top and vanilla do give it that bright, warm, and upbeat attractiveness. It’s actually a great deal like YSL’s L’Homme Parfum Intense, but more vanilla.

The opening gives you quite a bergamot and orange-laden aroma. Both the fruit and the orange blossom itself. Which is why it strikes so close to that men’s YSL scent.

The lavender note is going to be present in this Libre flanker, but less so than in the original. That one had more of that note and a greater muskiness. This one goes more with the vanilla note and a balanced floral foursome.

Here it is: lavender, orange blossom, jasmine, and orchid. Orange blossom is strong early on, but my nose gets more orchid during the dry down stages. Jasmine is present, but it does come on all that strong, on my skin.

The vanilla qualities will ramp up, as the initial bergamot and orange juiciness fades. You also get tonka bean here, so there will bee that creamy and powdery aroma versus the soapy lavender of the original.

The ambergris, white floral notes, and vanilla end this one. It actually feels much drier and the sweetness has gone down a whole lot, by the late stage of this wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, Libre Intense will leave its mark. This perfume is powerful, can project like crazy, and will never really be considered weak.

It’s not the absolute most powerful fragrance that I’ve come across or anything. But, for a designer scent, Intense is massive in comparison to most others…including the original.

The longevity here is also great. It will easily hit double digit hours, and went 12+ hours in my experience while testing it out.

So, performance isn’t an issue and not something you’d need to worry about. Except, maybe going overboard with the sprays.

Seasonally, Libre Intense is more of a cold weather fragrance. I’d stick to this from autumn through early spring. I wouldn’t venture into the summer months with this on, seems like it’d melt pretty quickly.

A cozy fragrance, but one that doesn’t completely shy away, more like a blanket that wraps you.

This one is probably better for adults rather than teens. It has a more mature vibe, not old-ladyish, but wouldn’t match with most younger girls or younger adults.

It is attractive, has a certain sexiness to it, and can absolutely venture into the nightlife.

Overall Impressions of Libre Intense

Overall, do I like Libre Intense? I do. It’s a good fragrance on the whole and I do enjoy it much more than the original.

Mainly, less lavender makes this one better. It’s sweeter, has more orchid and orange blossom versus Libre. This one is more balanced, while actually living up to the Intense name.

I like that opening especially, as it reminds me of L’Homme Parfum Intense, which was great but had mediocre performance. Libre Intense does not, but does change into the dry down away from that YSL scent.

The latter stages are closer to the original. But, the lavender still shares the stage with the other floral notes. Still, orchid and orange blossom, mainly. It’s creamier and just feels richer than the first one.

The floral and ambergris end, isn’t my favorite. However, I like the opening and middle enough, for it to be not too big of a deal.

This one lasts freaking forever, has a great ability to project, and can leave a scent trail in your wake. For a designer and not niche perfume, this YSL is a monster.

Paris-Biarritz by Chanel

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Chanel’s Les Eaux de Chanel line is one that I’ve been testing out for a while now. I’ve become familiar with all of the scents and am now writing up my full reviews of each. Today’s entry is Paris-Biarritz. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is this one worth a try?

What does Paris-Biarritz Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, mandarin, lily-of-the-valley, vetiver, musk, neroli, patchouli

Click here to try: Paris-Biarritz by Chanel

My Full Review

Paris-Biarritz begins with its citrus notes out in full force. According to Chanel, it is grapefruit and mandarin orange. But, I definitely pick up on a lemon note, pretty clearly. To me, it actually starts off the strongest.

The citrus is juicy, refreshing, but very cold. Almost like they threw in an iced accord. The composition does have a bit of an aquatic note in there. Almost oceanic, in how it comes across. Now, it isn’t super powerful, but I get it each time I spray this perfume.

Beyond all of that, the neroli not adds to the citrus, while also creating a green and spicy fresh undertone to Biarritz.

Once the juiciness of the citrus has faded, this becomes drier, greener, and more floral. Neroli and lily of the valley are the floral notes here. Paris-Biarritz becomes a balanced mix of those along with some ample vetiver, musk, and patchouli.

It’s a light soapy citrus with woody, green, and musky aromas exchanging places during the dry down. It’s something I’ve experienced with plenty of other scents, but the watery/sea vibe I get, does give it some distinction.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is pretty moderate at first. Then, becoming lighter for the rest of the wear. Now, the citrus notes can initially come on strong, as it has that usual sharpness. That is short-lived.

For the rest of the wear, it is going to sit close to the skin, 2-3 feet away. Not a powerhouse, like most summertime citrus perfumes.

The longevity also isn’t very good. I can squeeze 4-5 hours out of Paris-Biarritz, with a bit of over-spraying. That’s about all it is going to provide. Not shocking for the type of perfume this is, but I’d expect more.

Seasonally, this is a warm day wear for spring and summertime. It is a unisex fragrance, that sort of starts off more masculine, and finishes more floral and feminine. It’s about the same impression as something like, Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford.

If you can wear that, this will be fine.

I would stick to daytime wear. Around town casually, maybe to work, or semi-formal events. It’s attractive and clean, but not anything that would be considered sexy.

Overall Impressions of Paris-Biarritz

Overall, do I like Paris-Biarritz? Yes, I do. It’s just my least favorite of the Les Eaux de Chanel line of perfumes.

The aroma itself is nice.  I really like the citrus top, with its cold juiciness. The rest of the wear, it pretty standard issue. It smells like a bunch of other stuff, which is fine, but not at Chanel prices. Plus, there are better options than this from the brand.

The longevity here is only 5 hours at best, which doesn’t lend itself to wanting to acquire a full bottle. If that were beefed up, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it. Though, I can’t say that this one that I’d constantly be wanting to wear.

It’s nice, with how it smells. The performance is meh. Just not too much to get excited about with this one. Not terrible, just not a must have.

Perfect by Marc Jacobs

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I received a sample of Perfect by Marc Jacobs by mistake. With an order, they sent me a whole host of women’s perfumes, when I ordered samples for men. Oh well. As such, I am going to add to my ladies’ fragrance reviews, and start things off with this 2020 release. How does Perfect smell? Perform? Is it worth a try?

What does Perfect by Marc Jacobs Smell Like?

Notes include: daffodil, rhubarb, almond milk, cedar, cashmeran 

Click here to try: Marc Jacobs Perfect Women 3.3 oz EDP Spray 

My Full Review

Before we get into my own review, let’s see how Marc Jacobs describes it: A bright daffodil and juicy rhubarb accord meets soft cashmeran and comforting notes of almond ilk. Dazzling and unexpected. Perfect, just like you.

The opening is quite bright and juicy. The rhubarb accord comes across like strawberries mixed with a greenish aroma. There also seems to be some other fruity note or at least the impression there, smells sort of like cherry to my nose.

That’ll stick around for a little while, as the daffodil gains strength, along with the light and semi-sweet almond milk. The almond milk actually isn’t too heavy in the mix, don’t expect a huge creaminess or anything, but it is there.

The top is juicy and candy-like (sweet/tart), while this one will dry down into something more woody fresh and musky.

As it moves along, the cashmeran will be the main player alongside the daffodil. It actually never turns into a pure floral play, but is rather balanced in how it presents.

That sweet-tart aroma of the rhubarb accord will fade. It is a clean, slightly soapy scent, with a milky woody base. Not too complicated, but very nice.

Projection, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, it is fairly strong, while the rhubarb is around. Then, it will be a lighter to moderate wear, without much of a trail.

Overall, I’d say it’s above average, but it’s not going to project like crazy.

The longevity is also good, but not amazing. I get about 7-8 hours of wear, on my skin. So, around a workday, which is fine unless you need a marathon performer.

Seasonally, this one is a spring and summertime wear, all the way. It completely matches a daytime of sunshine and greenery.

It’s not a ‘teenagers’ fragrance, even if they can also where this. Though, it does have a youthful energy. Probably not going to be something that you wear formally. However, it’s safe enough to wear for most other occasions.

Not really a romantic or nightlife wear. Stick to the daytime, but you can use it a whole lot in that timeframe.

Overall Impressions of Perfect

Overall, do I like Perfect? I do enjoy it. It doesn’t live up to the name exactly, but it is a very nice and uplifting perfume from Marc Jacobs.

I like the opening with the rhubarb and how the daffodil starts to come through underneath. It reminds me of a sunny spring day and it all just has a nice energy to it.

As it dries down, I appreciate that it doesn’t go full on floral or green, but instead takes a more balanced approach. The almond milk isn’t all that forceful, but in its limited role (at least on me), it does add a nice touch.

The performance is good all around, even if it isn’t a powerhouse. I don’t think most people would be disappointed by it.

Maybe you should avoid, if you don’t like that sweet tart strawberry/cherry like vibe. If that’s you’re thing, you will probably get plenty of use out of this in the spring and summertime. It’s pretty, not overwhelming, and has some decent versatility.