Coco Mademoiselle is available from Chanel.com, Amazon.com,
FragranceX.com and Perfume.com starting at appx $80 for 50ml
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Another beautifully done perfume that's in the same category is Yves Rocher So Elixir . A beautiful jasmine-rose patchouli -incense that although not unique , smells incredibly pretty and the price tag is so good that it definitely needs a try from all Coco Mlle and Chance fans :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd imagine: the French branch wanted to "kill" that frag initially. It was the American side which insisted it would be good. And now...a global bestseller and cash cow. Wow, I mean wow.
ReplyDeleteNever could find the crazy appeal myself even though I pondered on it with the frenzied passion of an archeologist scooping up millions of shattered vases in the same design. Nice but *that* nice? Obviously it works like you say which negates any of my wonder.
Aiieee! Katie Puckrik swings her axe and gives poor Coco 40 Whacks! Day-amn.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with you in principle, I disagree with you with everything else I've got, Katie. I LOVE COCO MADEMOISELLE. It's the only womens' fragrance that makes me sad it's not more masculine. It's still too feminine for me to wear, but Ye GODS when I first sampled it....
And I get it - I do. Some scents are COMPLETELY played out. (Hi Young World, Acqua di Gio doesn't make you special or more sexy or more sophisticated. It preps you for your future forays into Cubicle Corps.)
What I want to know is - for the other scents you list, how would you say they work as masculines? If I could find a fragrance that blows my mind like Mademoiselle does, but just had a little bit more versatility, I'd bathe in it.
And for what it's worth, I'd advise Chanelophiles to hit up Eau Premiere instead of Mademoiselle - that definitely works on me for the Sexy Suntori Time.
I can't stand Coco Mad; it smells awful to me (or maybe I should say *on* me). I find it very masculine, though I don't think I'd like to smell it on a man either.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of played out, what about NR for Her? I was never really a fan, but I smell it everywhere.
Mademoiselle was the first women's perfume I was socked upside the head by, olfactorily speaking, back when I knew next to nothing about fragrance. I found it striking, lush, elegant, yet dead sexy. Like Stefush above, I desperately tried to make it work on my male skin, to no avail. What smelled musky and delicious on so many of my female peers smelled like shampoo and bug spray on me, and far too "feminine". Coco Mad is indeed entirely overplayed by now, but like a good pop song, it's instantly likeable and impossible not to "get".
ReplyDeleteAs for smellalikes...well, the essence of Mademoiselle, to me, is the sweet, floral top balanced by a rugged, musky carriage. And the apotheosis of that particular design is, in my opinion, Angel. Coco Mad is florals and powder, Angel is sweets, but both are shot through with patchouli and dashes of vetiver (Mad) and lavender (Angel).
Hehe perfume methadone.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new format. I like it. And now I can look for Coco Mademouselle under Fragrance Groups. Err, floral? Green? Oriental? Feminine? Masculine? Umm...
ReplyDeleteI like CM but I don't wear it basically for the reasons you give ... maybe not enough character? But it is nice and modern for a Chanel, huh? How about SheWood by Dsquared for a substitute, which I also don't wear. And it has a cute bottle.
Anamaria - Reading up on Yves Rocher So Elixir, it does indeed sound like a great option for the Coco Mlle luvvas!
ReplyDeletePerfumeshrine - Haha! Coco Mlle = Wonder Negator. I didn't know that detail about the ax hanging over CM's head - interrrrestinggggg.
Stefush - What about trying Chanel Coco or Coromandel? Also give Agent Provocateur L'Agent a snort. L'Agent is a dryer, less sweet variation on Laura Mercier Minuit Enchante and Bulgari Jasmin Noir.
occhineri - I'm a born-again fan of NR for Her (the EDP is my poison), and I've not noticed it around. I have noticed the popularity of Flowerbomb and various Ange ou Demons out and about, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd every time I hear a British person talking about Agent Provocateur being "common", I feel anxious, because I love wearing it, and AP is certainly not common in the US.
Darryl - A trenchant analysis, to be sure. "Striking, lush, elegant, yet dead sexy" is exactly what CM fans are angling for with every spritz.
ReplyDeleteN - Heh, the Fragrance Groups option was always there, perhaps just a bit more noticeable now!
Thanks for your SheWood suggestion. I'm building up a healthy little list of options now.
Coco Mademoiselle was my first grown up perfume and I still maintain it's a great one- it's just too everywhere. The EDP is vastly better than the EDT, almost a different scent- the pure parfum is just as good as the EDP but I'm not sure it's worth the extra. I think it needs to be worn sparingly and not with fake tan to work best. It's great layered with Laura Mercier clementine body butter which sadly seems to be discontinued.
ReplyDeleteit's also very good layered with the more grown up coco- try it, it works
and re AP as a Londoner I don't think it's common at all but I do think there is a bit of the Victoria Beckham/ footballers wives liking it effect, I don't think it applies to the scent though just the knickers...
Hi Katie!! Have been lurking for a while and love your blog!! I love that old 80's Coco as an "open for business" scent (as you put it) because my husband loves it. How does Mademoiselle compare?? I need to sniff it again because I remember not loving it when it first came out. I do love Minuite Enchante though!!
ReplyDeleteDear Katie,
ReplyDeleteAlthough neither one has the same notes, I think that Odalisque or L'Temps de Une Fete (both by Parfums de Nicolai) match the "classic" feel of Chanel perfumes. And I think they're both gorgeous!
Or maybe Sacrebleu? Also by PdN, its notes are listed as "black currant bud, peach blossom, jasmine, tuberose, vanilla, tonka bean, Yemenese incense." A little too sweet for me, it's pretty, and seems to have a slight spicy, oriental smell.
basia77, thanks for coming in from the cold! I need to a side-by-side with Coco and Coco Mlle to answer your question. Can anyone else answer the question?
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoy Minuit Enchante, you should deffo check out L'Agent by Agent Provocateur. It works the same turf.
Nora B, thanks for your help in the CM methadone quest.
Rose -
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your reassuring words re Agent Provocateur. I shall wear it with more confidence than I wear my Burberry rain hat in London (which is never, now, given the brand's "chavvy" smear).
Oh, and when I responded to basia77, above, I'd not clocked your comment. You ARE the perfect person to compare/contrast Coco and Coco Mlle. How do they play off each other?
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI feel almost bad by saying I don't like Coco Mademoiselle. I always thought it was because of the patchouli, but recently discovered I do like some patches (L'Artisan Patchouli Patch and Montale Patchouli Leaves). I guess what doesn't work for me are the fruity ones, and CM is on the top of the list of the fruity patches. It's also a sillage monster, that takes over minutes after the application and follows you throughout the day (or days). Unfortunately, it's still pretty darn popular, I can't go to a place with more than 4 girls together, where at least one of them is wearing CM. It also seems to be the darling of the SA's in the stores I've been visiting, so annoying! I mean, I want to enjoy my own perfume and that's impossible when someone in the same room is wearing Coco Mademoiselle...
Hugs,
S.
Sabrina,
ReplyDeleteI described CM as a "hammerhead" of a perfume, but in your telling, it's become a cannibal, eating all other perfumes in its path.
That's how it sounds to me, LOL! I can't smell anything else when in presence of someone wearing it. It bothers me even more than Angel:)
ReplyDeleteI kinda want hammerhead perfumes on other people. Maybe it's because I live in a place where people don't wear fragrance that much (or at least from what I can tell.) Even if someone is wearing a cologne or perfume I don't necessarily like, it's still...something.
ReplyDeleteNora -- any kind of sensory stimulation is welcome in a perfume vacuum, I suppose...
ReplyDeleteI'm either not too close at any given moment to other people or my circle just doesn't wear it, but honestly, I don't remember smelling it on anyone here... And even though I like it a lot, I just don't seem to ever wear it.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I don't find it sexy and snuggly, for me it represents ladylike modern picnics, summer and white dresses and big straw hats on a manicured lawn someplace.
I have no idea why that image always springs to mind when I'm smelling CM...
Ines - just goes to show you that context is almost everything with perfume, and sometimes, so is the total lack of context!
ReplyDeleteCoco M falls squarely into the school of girly top/heart on masculine base that was so popular for a while, so I think there are lots of possible substitutes, though you risk bumping into someone else wearing many of those too. The first thing I thought of was NR for Her EDT. Belle en Rykiel, Badgley Mischka or Bulgari Black could also satisfy someone's sweet tooth and man tooth at the same time.
ReplyDeleteElisa -- now that you've clued me into Belle en Rykiel, I see your point. And having just tracked down a bottle of the now-discontinued Theo Fennell Scent, that saffron musk furriness might work as well. But a discontinued fume ain't gonna help anyone out.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving "man tooth."
I coined "man tooth" just for that comment. Please use at your discretion. :)
ReplyDelete(Elisa: Randolph Mantooth. I have nothing else to say...)
ReplyDeleteHa! Mantooth tooth is a whole 'nother story ...
ReplyDeleteHi, I came across your video, and as a matter of fact, I always wanted to like/ love Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, but inevitably, every time I wear it , it gives me such a headache!!! Ad i tried a few times, because, i want to like it, but I can't!!! Would you know what it is?? Also, I am the type of "strong fruity" but not too much person. I used to wear my beloved Gloria de CAcharel that they stupidly discontinued! Why discontinuing a perfume??? And since many years now, I Cannot find something similar....I like my citrusy perfume like Guerlain Herba Fresca, or recently I smelled the Tom Ford Neroli Portofino...Bt in the "strong scent range, nothing! ;-(( I wold appreciate if you could tell mw what notes could give me a headache knowing my ex perfume was Gloria, and if you have dupes , but really good dupes in mind for my Gloria, I would be thankful for the rest of my life!!;-))))
ReplyDeleteI find your "windex" comment funny. :P I don't get the windex scent at all.... maybe a slight synthetic feel, but definitely not windex. That said, CM is one of the less unique frags I own, but I do like it. :)
ReplyDelete