Les Eaux de Chanel is a newer series of fragrances from the famous French design house. I’ve tested out the first five from the line and have been posting my reviews of each. Today, it is going to be my thoughts on Paris-Riviera. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?
What does Paris-Riviera Smell Like?
Notes include: orange, neroli, petitgrain, sandalwood, jasmine, musk, benzoin
Click here to try: Paris-Riviera by Chanel
My Full Review
Here’s how Chanel describes it: A fresh, solar fragrance that evokes the carefree charm of the French Riviera, where Gabrielle Chanel built her villa, La Pausa.
Paris-Riviera starts off with a burst of zesty citrus and neroli. The citrus is mostly made up of orange, but I do detect a bit of the bergamot note, the designer seems to use in other perfumes.
The zest of that citrus is joined by the dominant neroli note and petitgrain. Both of which have their own citrus aromas and the green freshness of the petitgrain also plays a big role at this early stage.
This one isn’t sweet. The fragrance does have more of a bitter orange aroma, especially during the latter part that the citrus sticks around.
Paris-Riviera does remind me a lot of the array of Tom Ford summertime fragrances, that utilize neroli. So, could serve as an alternative to those who are fans of those scents.
It’s not too heavy or sharp, but has a fresh and clean energetic kind of aroma to it. The jasmine note does come in for me, taking over the neroli as the heavier weighting, but early it’s about the neroli. Though, it’s never too lopsided either way.
The jasmine will be joined by a general muskiness and benzoin note, which gives this some resinous highlights during the dry down. Paris-Riviera becomes less about zesty citrus and more of a soapy and indeed drier perfume.
Jasmine, sandalwood, neroli, and that benzoin/muskiness. Sandalwood really seems to make a late push with this and Riviera ends up being a woody floral…not wholly the citrus floral, that started things out.
Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility
Sillage wise, this one is pretty moderate. Probably on the lighter side of the moderate spectrum. Though, I think that it has a fairly strong peak in the beginning. With normal sprays, you should get a little scent trail from it.
On the whole, I found it to be just fine during testing. Noticeable, while note being particularly in your face about it.
Paris-Riviera seems to hit the 4-6 foot mark, in terms of how far it will project off of my skin. Not bad, but this isn’t a powerhouse.
The longevity is in the 6-7 hour range. Again, not spectacular, but solid and pretty useful for this style of perfume. Really about what the other Les Eaux fragrances give you in terms of hours of wear.
Seasonally, this is spring and summer all the way. Clean, fresh, and upbeat with bright aroma in the early stages.
It does have pretty good versatility within that seasonal context. It’s much much more of a daytime sort of fragrance. Casual, semi-formal, or work is fine.
It’s a pleasant aroma, but not something that is going to be wildly attractive or sexy. Not really a Chanel that is built for the nightlife.
Overall Impressions of Paris-Riviera
Overall, do I like Paris-Riviera? I do like it. It’s not a love for me, but I find it to be an enjoyable enough perfume. As of now, I’d rank it as my fourth favorite from the Les Eaux de Chanel line of scents.
I thought that I might like this one more than I actually do, going into the testing. It’s a fine fragrance, probably a bit too expensive based on what you get with Chanel prices. Likeable and certainly nothing offensive even amid the periods of greater intensity.
The opening might be a mixed back for some people. It can have a cleaner-like aroma, but I don’t find it to be too off-putting. The citrus is the usual Chanel fare, with the petitgrain and neroli too, it might overwhelm some folks.
However, the dry down is particularly nice. Soft and low key. But, the sandalwood and benzoin mixing with a more balanced floral presentation works well for this perfume.
Good performance for a summer scent, just don’t expect anything amazing. That being said, this is a good Chanel perfume, just not a top tier option. So, you may not want to pay their prices just to own it.
Paris-Riviera isn’t a must have, but certainly worth a try, if this sounds like it could fit your personal style.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides. You can also follow me on: YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok!
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