No. 18

Nose: Jacques Polge

Notes According to Fragrantica: “Ambrette, iris, fruity notes, woody notes, and flowers.”

Year: ?? Some time in the 2010’s most likely.

I love this one. I’ve read lots of people’s reviews comparing this Chanel to various different types of liquor. I smell gin. And whisky. …But only the best. Others smell a great many of expensive or rather sophisticated varieties of liquor.

…I also have smelled pencil shavings for years.

A part of me wants to drink No. 18. Although of course I never would. I merely mean…it smells like a drink I wish I could have. …Although not necessarily to get drunk but instead to enjoy the experience of drinking it. It might not require any alcohol at all. Just crustal clean purified mountain spring water and lemon? Or lime? With infused edible flowers? Hmm. That sounds yummy.

Anyway…it’s a complex fragrance. But not in an off-putting way. I could wear it often and not tire of it but start to become very attached to it.

Is it unisex? Yes. But that’s not the way to describe it. It’s genderless. It’s one of those rare truly genderless fragrances. It’s a smell. Not…an add-on. …And in that way, it’s the same as Guerlain’s Nahéma…and very independent of the wearer in a way…but I can wear No. 18. I can’t wear Nahéma. No. 18 is a friend while Nahéma hates my skin chemistry.

Actually…one of the reasons I will test my parents-who-raised-me’s DNA when they die is because they can both wear Nahéma beautifully and I really cannot. It smells amazing on them. On me it smells like pickles. Yes. It’s bad. Pickles or pickled thistles? …Anyway…No. 18 is not at all like that. It’s very nice on my skin. Elegant and cool and pristine, even.

Longevity and sillage are decent. Not great. But decent.