I really want to like the male Chanel fragrances but can't seem to! Help!

[Bavard]

I think Chanel’s men fragrances are like the Hokas of the fragrance world, if that makes sense.

I can guess at how the analogy might go, but it would help to know how you feel about Hokas.

 

[Salumbre]

It is so common you smell it everywhere so for me a no go.

Where do you live that everyone is wearing Chanel fragrances? I need to move there. STAT.

I think Chanel’s men fragrances are like the Hokas of the fragrance world, if that makes sense.

 

[UESNYC]

I can guess at how the analogy might go, but it would help to know how you feel about Hokas.

Hokas are for people that really don’t workout or tjink that thick squishy soles are beneficial, so people that are just concerned about fashion.

 

[UESNYC]

I live

Where do you live that everyone is wearing Chanel fragrances? I need to move there. STAT.

in Manhattan on the upper east side. Ground zero for Chanel and Le Labo, as well a 30 year old men all drunk covered head to toe in Bleau de Chanel.

 

[Salumbre]

I live

in Manhattan on the upper east side. Ground zero for Chanel and Le Labo,

Oh. OK, that was somewhat predictable.

as well a 30 year old men all drunk covered head to toe in Bleau de Chanel.

Blech de Chanel? No, thank you. I'd have to run to Central Park and smell all that horse manure to clean my nostrils.

I'm a Chanel fan thanks to Egoiste and No. 5, which to me are classics for the ages. Nothing else I have smelled from that house comes close, though. I do have a full bottle of the current Antaeus, but, every time I look at it, I end up wearing Bel Ami instead.

 

[cheapimitation]

or the

y

why avoid the mass sellers though?

Coming back to reply to this, as the last few posts illustrate I just don't think the mass sellers like Bleu really represent what Chanel is about. It's like judging a band with a huge and deep catalog by their one sell out hit.

But I can see OP has also tried Les Exclusifs and others from the line so it looks like that's not the problem. As others have said, there's no need to force yourself to like something but I do think it's worth coming back to and try them again as you go on. Your tastes might change and something might click one day, or you'll just confirm it's not for you. I keep revisiting Amouage which has never really spoken to me, but I think it's worth my time to check them out since they have a huge catalog and important place in fragrant history. Even if I don't end up buying or wearing any of them myself, it's a nice intellectual and aesthetic exercise to try and understand what other's like about it and what makes (or made) them great.

 

[whoame]

I think Chanel’s men fragrances are like the Hokas of the fragrance world, if that makes sense.

There's a general consensus they are great, yes. And it's the same for me living in Slovenia, I smell Chanel everywhere and also see Hokas everywhere.

 

[SixCats]

OP, as a long time member of Basenotes (Yikes! TWENTY years next month) the best advice I can offer you is advice I often expressed:

"The Eye may lie, the Lip may slip, but, the Nose knows!"

SixCats!

 

[ultravisitor]

Hokas are for people that really don’t workout or tjink that thick squishy soles are beneficial, so people that are just concerned about fashion.

I'm not sure where you get this idea, as a lot of people who actually really run or work out use Hokas or other shoes with thick, squishy soles. You can look at a lot of running shoe review sites that give positive praise to shoes with thick stack heights.

Me? I'll let you decide whether or not I really work out or am simply concerned about fashion: each year for the past three years, my daily average mileage has been over 10 miles. For 2022, my daily average mileage was 13.7 miles. I did that in various New Balances with thick stack heights, but mostly New Balance More V3s, which are as thick as any Hokas (but longer lasting). I haven't been injured; rather, I've remained comfortable.

I think my opinion that the squishy thick soles are beneficial is one that is valid, and if someone would like to challenge that idea, I welcome them to do so and discuss and compare their own experiences with mine. We'll see which one of us really works out.

 

[_Nicolas_]

New Balance More V3s

Ha, the worst shoes I've ever worked out in, which just shows how important it is to find the right brand and model for you! Sounds like they've served you very well. I have found Hoka to be the best brand out there for me, I do shorter runs and use Speedgoat 5 for trails and Mach 5 for road running. I'm a bit overweight and suffered from shin splints and joint pain, so using max cushioned shoes on trails was the perfect solution for me and now I run completely pain-free, recently I've started to incorporate a bit of road running so am using the Mach 5 a bit more and also a pair of Asics Novablast 2.

Actually, looking at your mileage I can understand why the NBs were probably perfect for you, I found them good for slower, longer runs but prefer HIIT training with sprints or tempo runs myself.

 

[ultravisitor]

Ha, the worst shoes I've ever worked out in, which just shows how important it is to find the right brand and model for you! Sounds like they've served you very well. I have found Hoka to be the best brand out there for me, I do shorter runs and use Speedgoat 5 for trails and Mach 5 for road running. I'm a bit overweight and suffered from shin splints and joint pain, so using max cushioned shoes on trails was the perfect solution for me and now I run completely pain-free, recently I've started to incorporate a bit of road running so am using the Mach 5 a bit more and also a pair of Asics Novablast 2.

Actually, looking at your mileage I can understand why the NBs were probably perfect for you, I found them good for slower, longer runs but prefer HIIT training with sprints or tempo runs myself.

Yeah, with my mileage, the More v3s were fantastic, especially since they last so long. While I do like Hokas, too, the problem I have with them is that I grind through them way too quickly for me to rely on them as anything more than something I’ll only wear occasionally. I also have very wide feet —EE or EEE sometimes, depending on the shoe—and New Balance is probably best for accommodating that. Right now, I’m working with some New Balance More v4s and am loving them.

And you’re right. I don’t like to do a lot of tempo work very often! I like slow and steady and comfortable.

Anyway, someone wants to judge and say that people who wear high stack shoes don’t really work out? It’s time for that guy to put up or shut up. I wear high stack shoes, and I’ll put my numbers up against anyone.

 

[UESNYC]

I do 50 cl

I'm not sure where you get this idea, as a lot of people who actually really run or work out use Hokas or other shoes with thick, squishy soles. You can look at a lot of running shoe review sites that give positive praise to shoes with thick stack heights.

Me? I'll let you decide whether or not I really work out or am simply concerned about fashion: each year for the past three years, my daily average mileage has been over 10 miles. For 2022, my daily average mileage was 13.7 miles. I did that in various New Balances with thick stack heights, but mostly New Balance More V3s, which are as thick as any Hokas (but longer lasting). I haven't been injured; rather, I've remained comfortable.

I think my opinion that the squishy thick soles are beneficial is one that is valid, and if someone would like to challenge that idea, I welcome them to do so and discuss and compare their own experiences with mine. We'll see which one of us really works ou

 

[NickZee]

Unfortunately, no matter how well crafted or regarded a fragrance is, our expectations can still exceed what they can deliver.

Sometimes it takes years of sampling and buying and selling to realise that some of the best fragrances out there were in front of you all along. Bleu is for many people one of those fragrances. For me it was love at first site. If you are fortunate to live in a city where department stores are not pushing it on every guy, it can be a huge compliment getter and thoroughly enjoyable.

I know in Melbourne where I live, Santal 33 and Baccarat Rouge are sold to just about every woman who requests a non-floral fragrance. These are very common smells now in Melbourne all because of this one chain of stores. It really put me off wearing Baccarat

 

[flamechief]

Glad you've found things you dont like! Sincerely.

Like many have said, Bleu - in any formulation - just isn't for me. At all!

Platinum Egoiste is an instant scrubber, any year I've tried it; even on other people I feel the urge to move away.

Love Egoiste but never owned a bottle.

Antaeus, Boy & Pour Monsieur are current for me and immensely loved; No.19 keeps nudging me to add it to the shelf. Le Lion perhaps.

 

[HammerFist]

Not sure whether I'm looking for convincing, validation or moral support here, but I really want to like the male Chanel fragrances but can't seem to! I genuinely respect them as having a complexity and longevity I really want to like, but something is just not right about each of them for my nose.

Should I reconsider any of these, or accept my tastes?

It's entirely personal. If you don't like it, then you don't like it. There are thousands of other perfumes to test so don't waste your time on what you clearly don't like.

- Bleu - Great fresh scent but something about it is too sharp or too spicy. I like Dior Homme EDP more, followed maybe by YSL Y.

I don't like the bleu as well!

- Allure - Same, the various versions are not my fresh scent because there's some spicy undertone I don't like, and Blanche has way too much citrus for me.

What about the Allure Homme Sport? And then there was also an Eau extreme version that was good from memory.

- Pour Monsier - I should like the chyptre and the citrus, and there seems to be some spice underneath I don't like.

Try Le 3e Homme de Caron instead!

- Egoiste - Love the complex smell, but the note smells messy and a little too musky to me. Platinum is lighter and fresher but doesn't grab me either.

Looks like you're clear on these two then.

- Exclusifs - Tried the range from Coromandel to Sycamore to Eau de Cologne. Love the complexity, don't like something about each like a spice note. I may go back to try Cologne but it didn't grab me as much as something like Dior Homme.

The only other thing I would suggest trying will be Antaeus.

 

[Redfish365]

First of all Antaeus is a crucial masculine Chanel that you seem to have missed. While vintage is preferred the current formulation is quite acceptable.
Egoiste in a more vintage version is second to none. Any bottles from the 90s will blow you away. Even into the first decade of the 2000s and you're still cooking with gas.
The EDT of Pour Monsieur is another near perfect fragrance. Any bottles from the 70s, 80s or 90s should suffice. This relies heavily on the oakmoss. The Pour Monsieur EDT Concentree is not recommended and the 2014 EDP is an abomination. Truly, avoid both if you really want to experience Chanel Pour Monsieur as it was originally conceived and intended.

 

[freewheelingvagabond]

On Chanel: from my experience they need some investment in terms of wearing them for a few weeks at least. They grow on you. They are not designed to draw you in with alluring top notes like Tom Ford or Creed, with a few exceptions (like Bleu de Chanel or the Alllure Sport line). They also retain and sustain one's interest beyond the initial few wears. This is especially true of the Les Exclusifs offerings. A quick spritz followed by swift judgement is not the way to test them out.

 

[ShawnS]

Where do you live that everyone is wearing Chanel fragrances? I need to move there. STAT.

I occasionally smell Bleu De Chanel in the wild but that is about it. While Chanel is very available at Macy's and Ulta stores folks don't gravitate to them. The other fresh fragrance brands are all the talk whether be due to price or that's what everyone is wearing. I have been wearing fragrances for a good while now and appreciate that Bleu De Chanel is not worn much by others. I enjoy Bleu De Chanel quite a bit and consider it a excellent work signature fragrance it smells phenomenal and just works better than others in it's class.

I have smelled Anteaus in the wild many years back and it smelled golden but have not come across it since then. Chanel is not as popular where I live I imagine large cities or where folks travel through they would be.

 

[Salumbre]

I occasionally smell Bleu De Chanel in the wild but that is about it. While Chanel is very available at Macy's and Ulta stores folks don't gravitate to them. The other fresh fragrance brands are all the talk whether be due to price or that's what everyone is wearing. I have been wearing fragrances for a good while now and appreciate that Bleu De Chanel is not worn much by others. I enjoy Bleu De Chanel quite a bit and consider it a excellent work signature fragrance it smells phenomenal and just works better than others in it's class.

I have smelled Anteaus in the wild many years back and it smelled golden but have not come across it since then. Chanel is not as popular where I live I imagine large cities or where folks travel through they would be.

I am a bit of a snob and tend to shun ubiquitous scents, and there was a point when you could smell it everywhere*. Maybe I need to give Blue de Chanel another chance. It's Chanel, after all.

I harbor an oversized, fully irrational hatred for Platinum Egoiste, because it is so easy to get yet the OG can only be bought either from Nordstrom (when they stock it, which is NOT often) or directly from Chanel. Maybe at some point I'll give it another chance, too.


*Same with Armani's Acqua di Gio, a perfectly decent scent, though aquatics as a rule make me retch for some reason. And I don't mean it in a judgey way, but in a literal, physiological response kind of way.

 

[SPACEDOUT]

Its not that i dont like Chanels, just that they dont do anything for me. I do recognize the historic significance and quality, the blend etc.

From ones i DO like, i love Coromandel, 31 Rue Cambon, Boy and Bois Des Iles

Cuir De Russie gets too pissy and animalic on me.