A perfumista’s life tends to go through phases: frantically sampling and testing all the perfumes in the world; buying everything that seems interesting; being disillusioned and bored with the entire scent thing; cutting down the collection and only wearing old favourites; HAVING NOTHING TO WEAR; frantically sampling and testing… I’ve been a relatively subdued sniffer and buyer for a couple of years now, most things just have not piqued my interest and with my 50+ bottles (very restrained compared to some other people I know), I already own the majority of my top favourites and have a pretty good selection for any olfactory mood.

It is always a pleasure, however, when I get excited for perfume again and this is what’s currently happening. I don’t know if I’m just more open to new things at the moment or the latest launches are indeed objectively fascinating. Probably a bit of both. In any case, a new release from Chanel will always make me sit up and take notice. I’m not the greatest fan of their recent mainstream offerings, but there are many Chanels that I truly love. So as soon as I realised that their new Les Eaux de Chanel trio was in stores, I immediately run to the store to douse myself in them.

This mini collection is positioned, to my mind, in a pretty sweet spot between things Chanel already offers: more modern than the classics, more refined than the recent big launches, more accessible (both price and smell-wise) than the exclusives. They are closest to the latter in spirit and that of course suits me just fine. There are three options: Paris-Deauville, Paris-Venise and Paris-Biarritz, all inspired by the mythical Chanel past, all light and easy to wear.

My favourite of the three is Deauville, illustrated by the fact that I bought a bottle within an hour of first sniffing it (as you know I don’t generally approve of this kind of behaviour, but I know the right Chanel for me when I smell one). It is a lovely green floral citrus cologne, very mellow and rounded. For me, this is a no-brainer, a perfect summer weekend scent that’s also sophisticated enough for work or anything else, really. It is elegant, but also very relaxed. If you like Cristalle or Bel Respiro, I think you might enjoy this. It also reminds me a bit of Dior’s Eau Sauvage and even Diorella – not a bad thing either. It is very light and best sprayed liberally, fortunately the bottle size (125ml) reflects that. The staying power is not the greatest, but it’s also not the worst, and as I say, this is a perfume that you are meant to reapply.

While the Deauville was my firm favourite from the first sniff, I wouldn’t mind owning Paris-Venise either. This is the sweetest and richest of the three, although still transparent and airy. It is in fact rather remarkable how it manages to be both at the same time. If I had to summarise it briefly (and I guess that’s kind of the point here), I’d say it’s a cologne version of a lipstick perfume. There is rose, violet, iris, vanilla and a bit of powder, but also the freshness of neroli – it’s a veil rather than a shawl. So maybe not a lipstick then, but a sheer, non-sticky gloss? If you have ever wished that Chanel Misia had a (much) lighter sibling, check this out.

For those who are interested in gender-appropriateness of perfumes, Paris-Venise is the most conventionally feminine of the three and Paris-Biarritz the most masculine. The latter is probably also the closest to a traditional cologne: very fresh, bracing and citrusy. It has a rather sharp (as in citrus zest and pith) opening which makes it my least favourite in this trio. But I can imagine how wonderful it would be to take this out of the fridge on a hot day and spray like there’s no tomorrow. If you’re looking for a classic, energising summer scent, give it a try.

Have you tried these? What did you think? Any other recent favourites? And let me know if you’d be interested in a post on other new scents I’ve been liking.