Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu by Chanel

Fresh, floral, ambery. I find it very sensual and elegant, yet also very versatile: I can picture myself wearing it to the office, while shopping, at breakfast, brunch, dinner, or even a more formal party. Wearing it makes me feel feminine and elegant, but with a touch of an independent, fearless woman. I understand why some people say it reminds them of Libre, although they have nothing to do with each other—the scent is different, but it evokes the same feeling of a free woman, that unisex touch that to me also feels very feminine because it’s sensual. It’s kind of like a leopard: it could be a male leopard, but it has feminine energy, if that makes sense. I think a lot of people dislike it because it isn’t like the original, but if it were, they wouldn’t like it either. It’s something exquisite in its own right, beyond comparison. A dark, refined lychee note, nothing girly about it. It’s the first Chanel I buy without overthinking it. I love it; I’ll use it until it’s gone and probably buy another bottle.

I couldn’t wait—on the very day it launched, despite the price and the lack of a tester in my city, it came home with me immediately. The moment I got in the car, I opened it and sprayed it left and right. Being a big lover of Coco Mademoiselle in all its versions, I have to say this one isn’t redundant to have in a collection. Let me tell you a bit about how it goes: for a brief moment after spraying it, I thought of Club de Nuit Woman (must be the lychee and grapefruit), and for a second I was scared, hahahaha. I said: But Chanel! Why did you copy the Arab who copied you?? No, no, no! Nothing like that! It was just an olfactory thought that crossed my mind for a few minutes during the opening. Here you’ll find that the main difference between this and the original EDP is the sweet powderiness that the lychee note brings. I see people comparing it to Prada Paradoxe, and I don’t understand why, when the absence of orange blossom in this Crush Absolu is so obvious. I think they might be confused by the kind of sweet, effervescent powderiness, but they don’t resemble each other at all. It also doesn’t resemble Delina or anything of that style. This is a composition based on roses and powdery vanilla, quite unisex and far from the ultra-feminine profile of PM’s creation, because as it dries down, that vetiver-heavy DNA comes out, which tends to give Chanel fragrances a unisex touch even more pronounced here by the oakmoss note—it could let a gentleman wear it without any qualms. Longevity is pretty good: for six hours you’ll smell it strongly, then it becomes like a second skin until you shower. I see potential in it; I’m sure that after a few days of maceration, it’ll change noticeably. P.S.: Don’t let the name Coco Mademoiselle blind you; the black and gold label is the nod. In the heart of this perfume, very discreetly and quietly, lies Coco EDP.

It’s a modern, sweeter version of the original. The opening is more fruity and citrusy, with a big grapefruit note and the tartness of lychee. But in the drydown it turns more floral and patchouli-forward, especially very sweet, almost gourmand, without losing the elegance of the house. I think it’s a version that will really appeal to anyone who isn’t completely won over by the classic essence of the line. It surprised me very pleasantly.

This launch is so exciting! I had no idea, and it made me so happy when I saw it. Coco Mademoiselle EDP was my signature perfume for many years, but I switched to the Intense version when I noticed some reformulation that had taken away the power of its early days. Hopefully this new version will resemble the original from 2001.

Fresh, floral, amber, I find it very sensual and elegant; yet very versatile, I can see myself wearing it to the office, to go shopping, to breakfast, brunch, dinner, or even a more formal party. Wearing it makes me feel feminine, elegant, but with a touch of an independent and fearless woman. I understand why some people are reminded of Libre, though it’s nothing like it; the scent is different, but it evokes the same feeling of a free woman, that unisex touch that in my opinion is also very feminine because it is sensual. Kind of like a leopard; it could be a male leopard, but it has feminine energy, I don’t know if I’m making myself clear. I think many people dislike it because it’s not like the original, but if that were the case, they wouldn’t like that one either. It is something exquisite in itself, beyond comparison. A dark and refined lychee note, nothing girlish about it. It’s the first Chanel I buy without overthinking it, I love it, I’ll use it until it’s finished and probably buy another bottle.