Part of Chanel's "Les Exclusifs" range - No. 18 is the number of Chanel's jewellery boutique on Place Vendome.
There are 32 reviews of No. 18 Eau de Toilette.
This is a confusing release from Chanel, to my nose. There's just not much to it. It smells like it's dominated by a single aroma chemical, like something a startup perfume company might release.
From the opening, it smells like the lingering base of a rose fragrance, a more synthetic than natural smell.
There's nothing that smells like No. 18, except, weirdly enough, Egoiste. It took me ages to make the connection, but once I did, it was unmistakable. It's the rose that does it, and it took No. 18 for me to recognize the rose in Egoiste. Strange how Chanels are all interrelated in such surprising ways.
To me, No. 18 is Egoiste with the spices swapped for herbal teas and the sandalwood for heaps of ambrette. It has a Scandinavian feel to it; all clean minimalism and cool, muted colors, but it also registers as organic and wholesome due to its carroty health store notes.
It's a very calming, clear headed scent to wear, and one that has been slowly growing on me.
Stir these ingredients (pear slices, pencil shavings, a tiny, tight-assed rose, and the wee-est mouse dropping of sour musk) all together in a metal bowl using a metal spoon. Then leave in a sterile, air tight room until nearly all of the moisture has had a chance to dissipate. Put the remaining mixture into small, square shaped bottles and call it Chanel No. 18.
The Chanel EDT Oddball. First glance seems almost futuristic.
and soul-less. Pure and Austere.
Very soon a fade into a memory.
Beautiful and very nearly Transcendent.
A humongous bottle of this in EDT I am search of.
So I may jump right in.
It was No. 18 that made me realize how much I love the smell of ambrette seed. It's a sort of icy, high-pitched, ecstatic, outer space carrot smell with hints of violet. No. 18 mixes it with iris, which gives it a weird ice cathedral vibe, as well as a purple plum rose, which hums in the background smelling like yeasty wine, pulling all the icy outer space fireworks down to earth.
This is one of the most unexpected samples I have ever received. That's saying a lot, considering some of the oddities I've discussed in previous reviews. As another reviewer already wrote, if I had tested this one blindly, I definitely would never had suggested it came from Chanel. Not that I don't believe Chanel could not have created it, but it differs in many ways from my current understanding of the house and my experience thus far.
This is the juice you try, think about, try again, think about some more, and then end up using the entire sample, and cannot stop thinking about...it's so simple it's exquisitely challenging yet wearable. A greener rose than No. 19, little to no powder (at least for me), and doesn't scream "vintage". It stands on its own. Probably a spring/summer scent, but I may try it on warmer fall days.
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