review: Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum

The Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum is my first ever “luxury” perfume purchase. I bought a 30ml bottle years ago as a blind buy, when my lolo told me that this was his signature scent. While it’s labelled for women, my grandpa doesnt give a damn and still wears it anyway. That’s how confident he was about his masculinity.

I remember for getting 2 bottles for only around 5k in Rustan’s at Shangri-la Mall, and during that time, meant A LOT for me, who was earning less than 20k a month. Hey I was barely out of college! Hehe. I saved up for it and got the bottle during Christmas for myself and for my grandpa. 🙂

Here are the notes and main accords based on Fragantica, our ever favourite fragrance database.

The initial spray gives me more Aldehydes, Neroli, and Ylang-Ylang. I could barely detect the freshness of Bergamot or Peach. Chanel No 5 slowly warms up to my skin, revealing the florals in the middle. My nose can only detect the Rose (hey I’m not a pro, just an frag enthusiasti). But my the best part is how all notes blend harmoniously at the base.

Creamy, powdery, clean, comforting. Warm and fuzzy.

My boyfriend, who loves the scent on me, tells me that it makes me smell like an “expensive young wh*re”, and I’m taking it as a complement.

For me? It smells like expensive baby powder. Maybe that’s where he got the young wh*re from?

Lo-behold, 10 years later I can finally afford a 100ml bottle (SRP during time of writing: 11995php) of this perfume, among others. I’m now a “fragrance collector” and hope to review more of the scents im my wardrobe in the coming days, months, or years to come.

Chanel No 5 is my signature frag. You know what? It’s a unique scent that blends with my skin’s chemistry very well. I read in some reviews that it smelled like cat’s piss in some. Lucky me!

It smells clean, chic, sophisticated, expensive, but will still make you stand out. Very far from smelling generic. Despite being a luxury scent, it doesn’t make you smell “intimidating”, rather, inviting.

I’ll wear it on a date. I’ll wear it on a regular day. I can wear this perfume anywhere, anytime, any season.

With regards to longevity, it lasts the entire day on me and sticks on clothing. If I sleep without bathing, I will still smell this on me in the morning. Sillage is magnificent. It will leave a trail of subtle luxury wherever you walk by, and strangers would definitely take a whiff of your fragrance. So pray to the Gods it blends with your skin’s chem, else they’re gonna have a whiff of cat piss instead LOL.

Getting the 100ml full sized bottle of Chanel No 5 EDP is worth every penny for me, and yes, even a decade later. Quite timeless.