A Chunk of My Weekday: Olfactory Journey at Chanel Fragrance and Beauty Boutique, Marina Bay Sands

How many of you are fans of Chanel’s fragrances? :)

Last December, I attended The Art of Baudruchage, an event held at the Chanel Fragrance and Beauty Boutique, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. At that event, I met Ms Jean Loy, Chanel’s Fragrance Specialist, who invited me to go on an olfactory journey in order to find the perfect fragrance for me. I made a mental note to see her on a less crowded weekday, but it wasn’t until last month (almost half a year later!) that I finally called her up to schedule an appointment.

At the boutique, Skye and I were ushered to a cozy corner where three tweed upholstered armchairs and a small glass table await. The glass table is in fact the Olfactory Bar, which contains ceramic blotters infused with Chanel’s fragrances, including the Les Exclusifs range which is only available at the boutique at Marina Bay Sands.

Unfortunately, photography is prohibited at the boutique. However, read on to find out what I bought, and what Chanel gifted me!

Prelude

Jean started by asking me to tell her more about myself. She wanted to know what I’m like, and the type of job I do. I did not know how to answer the first question, because I’m not quite used to describing myself. I told her that I have a hobby – that’s blogging. I love writing, taking photos, going on museum trips, am a huge Chanel fan. The second question was much easier to answer – I’m a Legal Executive.

Seeing that I didn’t actually describe or highlight specific traits of my character, she asked Skye to describe me, to which Skye replied, “She is very… task-driven, and determined. There may be times when we both start working on something, and when I give up, she’s still working at it. She is also quite funny.” I laughed out loud at Skye’s reply, because I really see myself as stubborn and clownish.

Jean then asked me what fragrances I usually wore, which notes I prefer and which ones I shun. I love perfumes with citrus, rose, jasmine, and vanilla notes in them. I have a tendency to avoid warm and spicy notes.

The Journey

After getting to know me better, we set off on our journey.

Mentally, we found ourselves right outside the Chanel boutique at 31 Rue Cambon. We entered the boutique, made our way to the staircase with mirrors lining the walls around us, and climbed right to the top. There we were, outside Mademoiselle Chanel’s private apartment on the second floor, where she used to sit, observing the goings-on in the boutique without being seen.

We entered her private apartment, and from here, we journey through the various stages of Mademoiselle Chanel’s life – from the day she met Ernest Beaux, Chanel’s first exclusive perfumer, to the day she purchased her first house, and to the days after her death, when the House of Chanel continued to create some of the best-selling perfumes of all time.

Every step of the journey calls for a different fragrance. Jean would narrate the story relating to a particular fragrance, describe a feeling the fragrance intended to evoke (“Now imagine you’re standing in a field full of freshly-cut grass.”), and hold a ceramic blotter to my nose, giving me a moment to experience the fragrance.

Unlike your usual trip to the perfume counters wherein you spritz the scent onto a test strip (or, sometimes on your wrist), sniffing out the top, middle and bottom notes as the scent develops, the ceramic blotter allows you to experience all notes at the same time. Which is very amazing and uber awesome.

After smelling the scent, I would tell Jean what I thought of it, and if it’s something I would consider wearing. If I shook my head at it, she would place it back in its place. If I said I liked the scent, she would set it aside on a small black tray (with room for about five blotters) for my consideration later.

In between each scent, we would take what Jean calls “a coffee break”. She would hold up a blotter infused with the goodness of coffee beans, which refreshes the nose and prevents nose fatigue.

Jean also explained that, at Chanel, the difference between Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum does not lie in the concentration. Instead, they are simply different versions of the same perfume, with emphases placed on different notes. Interesting!

After more than an hour of sniffing out perfumes, I shortlisted about ten fragrances, which were set aside on black trays. During the journey, Jean mentioned that I should not shun perfumes made for the other gender, that perfumes are personal and as long as one loves wearing a particular fragrance, one should not be bothered even if the fragrance was intended for men. She went on to say that there are men who love and wear Chanel No. 5. To be honest, I was rather surprised by that fact!

The Blind Test

So, we have ten ceramic blotters infused with fragrances shortlisted by yours truly. The names of the fragrances are printed on the blotters, but because the print is so tiny, I didn’t actually notice them until towards the end of the journey.

When the time came for me to finally decide on the one, Jean held up each blotter to me without telling me the name of the fragrance, so that I may follow my nose and pick out my one true love without being affected by anything else.

I gradually eliminated the fragrances, and went through several rounds of sniff testing. Of the ten, I was very drawn to one particular scent. Each time I told her to keep that particular scent on the tray, Jean would smile and nod. “She’s quite sure about this one, don’t you think?”, she remarked to Skye. They both knew what that fragrance was (because they both read the label!) and I just kept going until there were only two blotters left.

The Result

Finally, I eliminated one of the blotters, leaving the other, which I believe to be my one true fragrance. My favourite notes of rose, jasmine, and vanilla, a scent so powdery and feminine, a fragrance like no other.

“Congratulations, it’s No. 5 Eau de Parfum!” Jean exclaimed, smiling from cheek to cheek.  

I was surprised and very happy that Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum struck all the right notes with me. In fact, I fell in love with not just the Eau de Parfum, but also the Parfum. It’s a scent which I’m completely comfortable with, and it’s no wonder No. 5 is the world’s best-selling perfume.

Jean presented me with my very own ceramic charms – cute aren’t they! One is obviously a perfume bottle, and the other, Mademoiselle Chanel’s favourite flower – the camellia. Jean perfumed the charms with my favourite Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum. I was told the scent would last a week; I would have to re-perfume the charms when the scent runs out. Since I’m on this topic, did you know that the camellia yields no scent?

I purchased a bottle of No. 5 Eau de Parfum (100ml), and… the No. 5 bath gel! You see, in order to make a fragrance last longer, you have to layer it. And what better way to layer a fragrance than with bath products? :P There’s also the body cream, soap bars… honestly, I didn’t know that there are No. 5 bath products available until Jean told me about them. She led me to another corner with a comfy sofa and table where she tried the products on me. Being a true blue No. 5 fan, I just had to have one of them! I’m LOVING the perfume and bath gel, and I hope to review them for you soon.

Seeing my love for No. 5, Jean said, “There are people who love No. 5. Then there are people who love No. 5. You love No. 5. And no No. 5 fan should go home without this…” And she presented me with a book entitled L’Esprit de No. 5 (meaning The Spirit of No. 5), along with several perfume samples, two of which are from the Les Exclusifs range. Very sweet of her! :)

And you have to see this! It’s adorable! :D I plan to add the full size to my collection. :)

The two-hour journey was very enjoyable and I learnt so much about Chanel (did you know that there’s also No. 18, No. 19 and No. 22?)! I also learnt that the olfactory journey is one of discovery – you may think you know what suits you best, but along the way, you will discover that there’s actually room for notes you never thought you would love. For example, the journey changed my mind about Coco Mademoiselle, a fragrance which I didn’t think I’d like. Can you spot Coco Mademoiselle amongst the samples? Jean put that in for me because – surprise! – Coco Mademoiselle was actually one of the fragrances I shortlisted.

It is thus important to go on the journey with an open mind, because anything is possible. You may not change completely (I still don’t like spicy fragrances very much), but you will discover a different side of yourself.

Thanks to Jean, I left the boutique with a huge grin on my face, all ready to enjoy my purchase. She even offered to keep in touch, saying that she would like to call me sometime to find out how I’m liking No. 5. :)

I love you, Chanel. We have such a long way ahead…

J

P.S. Those of you who are interested in reading more about Chanel perfume, check out my blog post on Chanel Perfume by Francoise Aveline.

Advertisement

Tags: 31 Rue Cambon, Bath & body, Bath gel, Beauty, Camellia, Ceramic blotters, Chanel, Chanel No. 5, Chanel Perfume, Charms, Coco Chanel, Coco Mademoiselle, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Fragrance, Jasmine, L’Esprit de No. 5, Les Exclusifs, Marina Bay Sands, No. 5, Olfactory, Olfactory journey, Parfum, Perfume, Powdery, Rose, Skin, Skin care, The Spirit of No. 5, Vanilla