Chanel Fragrance – Allure Sensuelle

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” ~ Coco Chanel

I suppose in a review of a fragrance I’m meant to tell you what it smells of, but the thing is I can’t describe it exactly, and it doesn’t say on the box what’s actually in it. The Chanel website just says that it combines the facets of Fresh, Timeless Floral, Woody, Fruity, and Oriental – which doesn’t tell us very much – although it does mention vanilla and amber patchouli as being ingredients.

The best I can do is to say that in ‘Sensuelle’ this fragrance is aptly named, it’s feminine without being fruity or girly, and the smell is distinctive but subtle. It feels like a very grown up fragrance.

This carries through to the minimalist design of the bottle and burgundy lettering and cap with gold trim.

There are a couple of reasons why I like the Allure Sensuelle.

The first is that it isn’t entirely unlike the original Chanel Allure fragrance; which happens to be worn by most of my favourite women, but has a spicier, woodier scent to it that makes it more to my liking. Which means that I get to wear a scent that I enjoy that also reminds me of people who I love.

The Allure Sensuelle also seems to be less widely used than the original which makes it a more unique choice for a signature scent.

The second reason is that the Chanel lady who sold it to me told me that in the UK this fragrance is only available as an eau de parfum, which made it feel like a more decadent choice the Coco Mademoiselle that I’d originally been looking for.

This perfume is available in 50ml and 100ml bottles. I paid £60 for the 50ml bottle in House of Fraser, but a quick glance around the internet suggests that you’re more likely to pay around £66 in most places, with the £100ml being just under £100. Which is, well, a lot, compared to many other popular fragrances.

On the plus side this is a strong scent which lasts, so you don’t need to use too much of it. The Allure Sensuelle has been my main fragrance since I bought it in early June and I still have quarter of the bottle left.

This is probably a good perfume to buy if you really want to splurge on a treat for yourself or if you try it and fall completely in love with it. Otherwise there are plenty of other great fragrances available for about £20 less.