Chanson de Vie by Coty

I remember this as the first ‘grown-up’ perfume I ever had. Someone, I don’t remember who, gave it to me for Christmas when I was 12, and I simply adored it. Its soft scent, a mix of citrus and green notes, wrapped around me and gave me a refreshing feeling that made me very happy. Today, seeing its notes—the yuzu and bergamot at the top and the musk at the base—I realize its influence on my nose was definitive, as those are now the notes I like most in the perfumes I choose and wear. Its scent comes to my memory as a summer afternoon in a patio full of freshly watered plants, with some flowers and a young orange tree brimming with life, patiently waiting for its blossoms to give way to juicy fruit in the next season. After the intense heat, a shower, a white dress with blue flowers, an almost cool breeze, and a painted sky. That is Chanson de Vie in my olfactory memory.

It’s so strange that there isn’t a single review for this perfume! One of my grandmothers gave each of the three sisters a different one. I got the Chanson d’Emotions Calme de la Mer, my twin sister got Pure Innocence, and my older sister got this one, Chanson de Vie. I was obsessed with my little perfume, loved that unisex touch, and used the whole bottle that year. But I loved how it smelled on my sister! I was about 11 or 12 years old; the launch year was 1999/2000, and my sister was already starting high school. So, to me, it smelled like an older sister, a young lady preparing to ‘make her life’ and meet friends outside of school, subtly put-together and cheerful. I adored it. It’s deeply etched in my memory. Now that I read the notes, it makes me laugh because many are my favorites (yuzu, green apple, lily of the valley, freesia, and don’t get me started on the musk). I remember it as tactilely soft, soapy but not in a way that makes you scrunch your nose, very luminous with just the right sweetness to balance the citrus. I never wore it again, of course; it’s not easy to find these Coty fragrances in Argentina. But one day I discovered Biogreen, a local company that makes eco-friendly room sprays (no aerosols), and their ginger, lemon, and rose scent. I don’t think it’s exactly the same, but it instantly reminded me of it—it’s so close! And it’s so lovely! I buy it every time we run out for the bedroom…