Chanel Coromandel

...very Lady and the Tramp.



Chanel Coromandel is the fragrance that finally scooped me up in a butterfly net and dragged me off to the funny farm of perfume obsession.

Here’s how it happened: I was wandering the mean streets of Rodeo Drive last summer, when I stumbled into the refrigerated poshness of the Chanel Boutique. Facing down the original ten Les Exclusifs in their jumbo bottles, I was stirred by their solemn grandeur the way the apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey were moved to chimpy frenzy by the mysterious black monolith.


Apes love Chanel.

I dibbed and dabbed my way through each glass brick of a bottle, until Coromandel shanghaied my nostrils. Its heady mix of roughness and refinement seemed too strange, too awkward.

I didn’t like it. Or did I? I needed to go back for another sniff. Before long, I was paying regular visits to the Chanel Boutique, to confirm just how much I didn’t like Coromandel.

Yep, as always, there’d be that dirty-faced Patchouli & Spice Man, brutally pulling the pretty Vanilla & Amber Lady into an uninvited embrace.

“Get off of me, you brute!” Vanilla & Amber Lady would cry, pounding her dainty fists on his chest.

Patchouli & Spice Man would smirk at her not-quite-believable attempts to extricate herself.

“You want me to let you go? Is that it?” he’d murmur, softly touching her chin, tilting her face closer to his.

Vanilla & Amber Lady would hesitate. “Well...maybe....”

Cue passionate kiss -- and there I was -- caught up in the sexy conflict and drama of Coromandel.

Chanel Coromandel is available from CHANEL.com/LesExclusifs, starting at $110 for 2.5 oz

18 comments:

  1. I hate perfumes that leave you undecided. They're like abusive husbands, they lure you in with flowers and chocolates but once you think that you're ready to like them again...

    Also, I'm loving the cracked-out (death?) glare you're giving the camera before you start the video, not gonna lie.

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  2. Ha-ha, "abusive perfumes"! And re my cracked-out look in the video freeze-frame, that's probably an accurate representation of the extent of my fragrance obsession.

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  3. I obsess over Coromandel too!

    It's got that almost medicinal quality when you first spray it (a bit like Black Orchid). You feel a bit dirty. A bit repelled.

    Later on, you get the woods, vanilla, frankinsence and myrrh - and then you start to like it. A little bit.

    The morning after, it still lingers.

    And then it's love.

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  4. If I've said it once, I've said it a gazillion times, Marmiteontoast: Coromandel has the best drydown ever. And the whole journey from first spray to morning-after lingering is a marvel. It just keeps dancing and shifting on your skin. And it smells good on clothes. Coromandel really is worth the money in the meter.

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  5. I want to buy you perfume Chanel Coromandel How do I place an order? Please note that I live in Israel

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  6. Coromandel is sold at Chanel boutiques and some duty free shops. Your best bet is to contact a Chanel boutique directly.

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  7. Oh, and of course you can buy it online.

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  8. I've finally tried Coromandel today, and it totally blasted me away to a far away fantasy land where I am ...happy?!?!

    I am still wallowing in the scent I put on this morning and the sudden waft of the scent is still so captivating!

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  9. Welcome to the Coromandel club! Pen Pal Dan and I are founding members. You're discovering the great thing about Coromandel, which is, as good as it smells for the first few hours, it smells even better, and different, 10, 18, 24 hours later. It lasts on your clothes like no mother's business. And it's not like it's painful for 6 hours, and then it finally starts to smell good. It's not one of those. It's just that it has incredible longevity and endless, luxurious development.

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  10. Oh I agree with you so much Katie, the more I wear it, the more I fall in love with it. The drydown is absolutely AMAZING! And I have not had a patch/amber that even come close to this.

    I am forking over my money to Chanel for a bottle now! :)

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  11. Lucky for you, Coromandel is now available is a smaller, less-costly size. I'm still working my way through the jumbo Costco size.

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  12. Giving Katie the latest report on my Coromandel adventure.
    Do you notice people starts getting closer to you when you put on Coromandel?! That's what happened to me, at work and even off work, and tonight one of my friends even comment on how good I smell and keep asking me what it is. And when they learn it's Chanel, they are like Ooooooohhh! (Previously I use Kenzo Power, they think it's nice, but doesn't react as intense as this...)
    It is definitely one of the scents that can leave an impression, one that doesn't punch you in the face but warmly envelops you in the delicious goodness!
    I LOVE IT! :)

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  13. A most encouraging report, Nel! Coromandel does have a wonderful way of lingering beautifully, though I confess to having overdone applications in the past due to enthusiasm. I hear tell it is the most persistent of Les Exclusifs, so one doesn't need to wear too much to make those around you go "aaaaaahhhhh!"

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  14. Your wonderful review leads me to think that maybe Coromandel is the Rhett and Scarlett of the Exclusives line. I hope when I meet this scent again this Sunday that I will be inclined to say, "Frankly my dear, I do give a damn."
    Cheers,
    Lanier

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  15. I too have surrendered to the Coromandel spell. I have worked my way through the "les Exclusives" finally landing on the one that dazzles both men and women.

    I am re-odering the jumbo, but sincerely bemoan that I am unable to find the EDP! I love this so much I even indulge myself by a light spray at bedtime, even when the man of the house is away. I love how it lingers on the linens and my nighties.

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    1. It only comes in an EDT, so you're not missing out. As you've experienced, it packs a wallop in terms of delicious longevity - hard to believe for an EDT!

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  16. Believe the hype. This one is everything they say it is. Add me to the Coromandel Club and sign me up for the newsletter.

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