Misia Eau de Toilette
Chanel (2015)

It smells like strawberry-scented bleach.
That’s what a student, wiggling her nose, said once as she came into the classroom.
Better worn on hot days when its complexity and beauty truly reveal themselves, the fruity part getting a bit acid in cold weather… hence my student’s comment.

Believe it or not, I actually find Misia EDT similar to Guerlain Insolence. The lychee opening is incredibly loud and fruity, almost too much so for me, and every time I wear it I'm reminded of Insolence EDP's grape-candy opening. Both fragrances have their fruity top notes sit atop a middle base of parma violets. Where the Insolence is more brash, Misia is more behaved, cheerful, winsome and light-hearted. I do find Misia quite a large departure from the other Chanel Exclusifs - not in quality, but in character.

Interestingly, there is no lychee listed in the newer EDP formulation as it appears to have been replaced with raspberry (which, ironically, is also the opening of Insolence EDT). I wonder how much this changes the scent as I get a huge dose of lychee from the EDT.

This, is "classic" Chanel. Worldly beauty. Well mixed florals and such. Divine! It smolders, with vibrant iris and mild fruit. Hints, of pale and refined rose. Dusty. Dry. Fairly discreet. The raspberry here, is understated - just enough to be interesting.
Iris, seems to be the star here. It dances with mimosa, violet, and vanilla, for the longest time.

Slight balsamic or resinous flavor, later on. Nice stuff!

The EDT. Iris has a big punch in the opening; it's surrounded by violets, aldehydes and roses. The direction is clear and straightforward, the iris has the lead. Misia is vegetal, fruity, powdery. It's very elegant, polite and serious. The very end is incredibly beautiful, a perfectly smelling buttery suede that feels like a second skin. It wears very close, it's light and intimate.

Misia EDT

Testing Misia EDT for the first time. I've sniffed the EDP. Maybe it's the difference between the EDT and the EDP, but this is not as I remember it. It's joyful! It kind of reminds me of the bubbly Rose in Miss Charming by Juliette Has a Gun. I think I could wear this! I have issues with violet as a note in general, but Iris does tame it down quite a bit. Such a great lipstick scent. I think it's what Maison Margiela's Lipstick On wants to be when it grows up.

I wonder if I could pull this off? It feels a bit like borrowing another woman's clothes... Another woman's too-chic clothes from an older era.

And there's a soprano Rose note that will probably give me a raging headache, but it's so lovely you almost want to cry. Not so facepowdery as its EDP sibling. But I think the EDP might be more wearable for me...

Regardless, it feels like wearing a real, live, still life. It smells how the illustration on the front cover of The Secret Garden looks like it would smell.

Within an hour it has calmed down to simple Iris and violet, with a much more vintage handbag vibe.