Reviews of
No. 18 Eau de Toilette
Chanel (2007)
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Reviews of No. 18 Eau de Toilette by Chanel
There are 33 reviews of No. 18 Eau de Toilette by Chanel.
To me, this is the best perfume from Chanel.
There's nothing smell like it in the market. So it's not like your everyday perfume, it's a little weird, but very warm and lovely. I suppose it's mainly because of the ambrette seed?
Oddly, on my skin, the top is very soft, but it gets stronger and stronger in time. So have to be careful when applying.
Very good sillage and lasts forever.
There's nothing smell like it in the market. So it's not like your everyday perfume, it's a little weird, but very warm and lovely. I suppose it's mainly because of the ambrette seed?
Oddly, on my skin, the top is very soft, but it gets stronger and stronger in time. So have to be careful when applying.
Very good sillage and lasts forever.
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.
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.
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.
Ginger Ale and Grappa opening. Then an abstract artist's notion. Ambrette streaks across the Universe to meet a singular note of a Floral Essence Rose perfection. Then a snap back to a notion of something Icy
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.
Ginger Ale and Grappa opening. Then an abstract artist's notion. Ambrette streaks across the Universe to meet a singular note of a Floral Essence Rose perfection. Then a snap back to a notion of something Icy
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.
I can see how I skipped over No. 18 for years. It's not an easy smell. The yeasty iris and wine cave darkness played against the extraterrestrial sharpness of the ambrette seed makes for some complex, unusual sniffing, but I really like it now. One of those perfumes I had to grow into...
I can see how I skipped over No. 18 for years. It's not an easy smell. The yeasty iris and wine cave darkness played against the extraterrestrial sharpness of the ambrette seed makes for some complex, unusual sniffing, but I really like it now. One of those perfumes I had to grow into...
I have had this scent rolling in the back of my mind for months. I finally purchased a full bottle. I'll do my best to tell you why:
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.
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.
Chanel 18 wasn't love at first sniff, but it was definitely intrigue at first sniff. Initially, I dismissed No. 18 as cold fruity-floral that seemed somewhat mature. Why was my nose glued to my wrist? Mature fruity-florals are typically not my thing–and was I smelling rose? Then it became a mystery and I was the obsessive detective, completely fascinated and ready to neglect my family and even kill if I had to. I kept spraying and snorting, spraying and snorting. WHAT IS THIS? Acid. Olive. Rose. Shakespearean musk. Powdery, yet green and tart. Retro, yet strangely accessible. Familiar, yet perplexing. I could wear this. This could be my formal perfume, my big girl perfume.
5/5, but really 4/5 because of poor performance
5/5, but really 4/5 because of poor performance
This has a dark, rich, deep rose center that is reminiscent for me of Lalique's PERLES and CORIANDRE.
The musk and the rose geranium combine to create an ethereal, light, but at the same time dense aroma, that is more masculine than feminine, and would be interesting for use when dressing for cocktails and dinner in the late afternoon sun of a summer's day.
I don't pick up the fruity aspects that other reviewers have, nor does my nose register the iris. I have never experienced ambrette seed, and indeed it may be this source that provides rose aspects to match the rose geranium.
Simple, complex, perfectly balanced and a great summer scent.
The musk and the rose geranium combine to create an ethereal, light, but at the same time dense aroma, that is more masculine than feminine, and would be interesting for use when dressing for cocktails and dinner in the late afternoon sun of a summer's day.
I don't pick up the fruity aspects that other reviewers have, nor does my nose register the iris. I have never experienced ambrette seed, and indeed it may be this source that provides rose aspects to match the rose geranium.
Simple, complex, perfectly balanced and a great summer scent.
Genre: Floral
Chanel No. 18 comes out of the bottle smelling like iris and the warm, savory musk of ambrette seed, and with the addition of a dark, wine-like rose note, that's pretty much where it stays. For all I know, No. 18's formula may be long and complicated, but it's really just these three notes that register. Fine by me. The nuance wrapped up in this apparently simple accord is endlessly fascinating.
There's a sort of minimalism at work here, but it's of a very different sort than that which Jean-Claude Elléna has pursued at Hermès. Elléna appears interested in transparency, so much so that many of his Hermèssence compositions read like x-rays, utterly stripped of flesh. Jacques Polge's aim in No. 18 seems to be simplicity, rather than slenderness. There's flesh on No. 18's bones, and a sense of substance behind its simplicity that makes it much more interesting and gratifying to my nose than skeletal constructs like Vanille Galante or Brin de Réglisse. After all, which is more expressive, a bare skull or a living face?
Part of No. 18's magic lies in the depth offered by its three starring ingredients. Few notes in perfumery are as inherently multifaceted as iris, rose, and ambrette, nor in fact are many as purely luxurious (or costly). How many three note combinations can there be out there with the potential richness Polge exploits here? While I can't imagine No. 18 ever being popular (it's well-placed as part of Chanels's Les Exclusifs' line,) it's a unique and rewarding scent to wear.
Chanel No. 18 comes out of the bottle smelling like iris and the warm, savory musk of ambrette seed, and with the addition of a dark, wine-like rose note, that's pretty much where it stays. For all I know, No. 18's formula may be long and complicated, but it's really just these three notes that register. Fine by me. The nuance wrapped up in this apparently simple accord is endlessly fascinating.
There's a sort of minimalism at work here, but it's of a very different sort than that which Jean-Claude Elléna has pursued at Hermès. Elléna appears interested in transparency, so much so that many of his Hermèssence compositions read like x-rays, utterly stripped of flesh. Jacques Polge's aim in No. 18 seems to be simplicity, rather than slenderness. There's flesh on No. 18's bones, and a sense of substance behind its simplicity that makes it much more interesting and gratifying to my nose than skeletal constructs like Vanille Galante or Brin de Réglisse. After all, which is more expressive, a bare skull or a living face?
Part of No. 18's magic lies in the depth offered by its three starring ingredients. Few notes in perfumery are as inherently multifaceted as iris, rose, and ambrette, nor in fact are many as purely luxurious (or costly). How many three note combinations can there be out there with the potential richness Polge exploits here? While I can't imagine No. 18 ever being popular (it's well-placed as part of Chanels's Les Exclusifs' line,) it's a unique and rewarding scent to wear.
No. 18 is one odd duck. What I get in the beginning is a blast of hard liquor so powerfully pungent that it almost knocks me off my heels. It smells clear, high-pitched, and fruity, almost exactly like sticking your nose into a shot glass filled with grappa or rakija - or is it Pear William brandy? Anyway, it's one of those clear grain liquors that old Italian and Balkan men knock down before breakfast with their morning coffee and separates the men from the boys.
Once the top notes eventually settle down, I can sense a subtle rosiness, but here the rose is really different from other roses in perfumery - it is transparent, green, high-pitched, and tight. There are no spices, no woods underneath, no supporting ballast at all. I see in the notes listed that there is iris as well, but I do not sense it, beyond a certain sharp/citric edge to the rose. Fruit notes support the rose, and also somehow alternate with the rose, so that sometimes you smell only the fruits (apple, pears, lemon) and sometimes only the rose (with the barest hints of fruit floating around the rose). The fruit smells amazing when it does come into focus, shifting in and out of the rosy picture - for me, it smells like the skin you peel off a hard Granny Smith apple - all green, astringent, juicy, and yet stalky tasting in your mouth. The whole thing sings in the same register pretty much throughout the life of the scent - high, clear, fruity-floral, pungent but transparent.
If I smelled this blind, there would be no way I could tell it's a Chanel, since the iris-rose combo here does not feature the typical Chanel buttery effect, and there are no aldehydes. It does not smell rich or heavy or complex. Indeed, it is so odd and so transparent that it could quite conceivably belong to Comme des Garcons. Only on reflection do you understand that only Chanel could pull off the superb balancing act needed to keep each of the elements from teetering off the edge. People say that this is a great essay on the ambrette seed, featuring all the various aspects of that rare material, from the rose-iris duet, to the fruity/alcoholic edge, and finally to the musky underpinnings (which I myself do not perceive or smell at all, alas) - I can't say if this is true, never having smelled ambrette seed. However, for me, this is a clear artistic achievement by Chanel and quite different from anything else in their stable, not to mention in the world of perfumery. It is odd, it is pretty, it is compelling, and it keeps you on your toes trying to guess what on earth it is that you are smelling. Pretty and interesting - well, that is an excellent and rare combination, I believe, no? I really like this for summer and I find myself reaching for it a lot.
Once the top notes eventually settle down, I can sense a subtle rosiness, but here the rose is really different from other roses in perfumery - it is transparent, green, high-pitched, and tight. There are no spices, no woods underneath, no supporting ballast at all. I see in the notes listed that there is iris as well, but I do not sense it, beyond a certain sharp/citric edge to the rose. Fruit notes support the rose, and also somehow alternate with the rose, so that sometimes you smell only the fruits (apple, pears, lemon) and sometimes only the rose (with the barest hints of fruit floating around the rose). The fruit smells amazing when it does come into focus, shifting in and out of the rosy picture - for me, it smells like the skin you peel off a hard Granny Smith apple - all green, astringent, juicy, and yet stalky tasting in your mouth. The whole thing sings in the same register pretty much throughout the life of the scent - high, clear, fruity-floral, pungent but transparent.
If I smelled this blind, there would be no way I could tell it's a Chanel, since the iris-rose combo here does not feature the typical Chanel buttery effect, and there are no aldehydes. It does not smell rich or heavy or complex. Indeed, it is so odd and so transparent that it could quite conceivably belong to Comme des Garcons. Only on reflection do you understand that only Chanel could pull off the superb balancing act needed to keep each of the elements from teetering off the edge. People say that this is a great essay on the ambrette seed, featuring all the various aspects of that rare material, from the rose-iris duet, to the fruity/alcoholic edge, and finally to the musky underpinnings (which I myself do not perceive or smell at all, alas) - I can't say if this is true, never having smelled ambrette seed. However, for me, this is a clear artistic achievement by Chanel and quite different from anything else in their stable, not to mention in the world of perfumery. It is odd, it is pretty, it is compelling, and it keeps you on your toes trying to guess what on earth it is that you are smelling. Pretty and interesting - well, that is an excellent and rare combination, I believe, no? I really like this for summer and I find myself reaching for it a lot.
I asked the lady at the Chanel counter what her favourite Chanel from the Exclusifs was, and she told me it was No 18.
I tried it out right there, and left with a small spray sample. It's a dry, light, transparant scent and it had a slight feminine-musty smell. I usually use the term feminine-musty as a negative description but in No 18's case, it's neutral.
Unfortunately, I am allergic to this fragrance. I used one spray of the sample on my wrist on Valentine's day and in minutes I had big red blotches where the perfume touched.
I tried it out right there, and left with a small spray sample. It's a dry, light, transparant scent and it had a slight feminine-musty smell. I usually use the term feminine-musty as a negative description but in No 18's case, it's neutral.
Unfortunately, I am allergic to this fragrance. I used one spray of the sample on my wrist on Valentine's day and in minutes I had big red blotches where the perfume touched.
Seems very similar to No. 28 -- a dry powdery iris, here with a touch of ambrette. Crisp, metallic. Arguably less interesting for some reason, seems to lack the depth of 28. More metallic than 28, not a selling point. Bit like pencil shavings (old cedar).
what a discovery for me! i did not give it a chance first time i visited les exclusifs line, it had to be summer for me to realise the beauty this parfume holds and why it has its place among exclusifs.ambrette seeds is rare and expencive ingredient, and gives it luxury and uniqueness, gives it unusual refreshing fruity note....together with rose and iris, makes perfect combination for me, rose is subtle and smells like some luxurious shower gel, not suffocating, also iris adds to its freshness and luxury too.
rose-iris combination with ambrette, rarely you can find even simmilar combination in parfume world
rose-iris combination with ambrette, rarely you can find even simmilar combination in parfume world
I do get the fruits in this composition, however they tend to be layered with spices and pepper. Chanel No.18 veers away from the typical fruity florals on the market, choosing to portray something a little less shampoo-like or juicy.
I rather like this fragrance, and that's a huge thing for me to say seeming that I quite often dislike fruity florals, and dread Summer for that same reason. No.18 is different, perhaps even a little bit metallic.
I swear that there is an apple note in there somewhere, however it's very subtle. There may even be cinnamon too, which reminds me of the scent of a freshly baked apple pie. However, this fragrance is nowhere near being a gourmand.
Like the sales assistant noted, it's difficult to classify this fragrance and to pick out the individual notes. When I really stick my nose to my wrist, I get lemon, apple, bergamot, pepper, rose, ambrette seed, cinnamon, olives, musk and herbs.
Thankfully this fragrance is rather subtle in a fresh, dry and green kind of a way. The lasting power is pretty good, however it tends to vanish every now and then, brought back to life by breathing hot air onto the spot where you sprayed it.
In conclusion, Chanel No.18 is not my cup of tea, however it's a lovely, sophisticated and refined interpretation of a fruity floral that does tend to be drier than most.
I rather like this fragrance, and that's a huge thing for me to say seeming that I quite often dislike fruity florals, and dread Summer for that same reason. No.18 is different, perhaps even a little bit metallic.
I swear that there is an apple note in there somewhere, however it's very subtle. There may even be cinnamon too, which reminds me of the scent of a freshly baked apple pie. However, this fragrance is nowhere near being a gourmand.
Like the sales assistant noted, it's difficult to classify this fragrance and to pick out the individual notes. When I really stick my nose to my wrist, I get lemon, apple, bergamot, pepper, rose, ambrette seed, cinnamon, olives, musk and herbs.
Thankfully this fragrance is rather subtle in a fresh, dry and green kind of a way. The lasting power is pretty good, however it tends to vanish every now and then, brought back to life by breathing hot air onto the spot where you sprayed it.
In conclusion, Chanel No.18 is not my cup of tea, however it's a lovely, sophisticated and refined interpretation of a fruity floral that does tend to be drier than most.
Don`t expect 18 to be an intense rose fragrance with a strong sillage. 18 seems to go more on the skinscent side of Les Exclusifs collection. Even if this one stays quite on skin, it`s not silly; the soft aroma is not a musky commonplace. Instead, it has a subtle rosy and fresh aroma. Never saw a quiet rose like this, with a green edge which is not sour and with a fruity aspect that doesn`t go to a sweet territory. There something slightly boozy at the background. The ambrette seed creates a lovely salty ambered area. 18 seems to stays always bright, fresh and subtle on skin, and it`s Chanel showing how to a minimalistic which is not boring or silly.
I'm usually not into rose fragrances but No.18 makes a pleasant exception as it happens very once in a while to smell such a simple yet incredibly fascinating composition. Quality and mastery are immediately (and clearly) noticeable when smelling No.18. An iris / rose structure supported by ambrette seeds and slight fruity patterns. The combination between rose and fruits gives the whole fragrance a fermented vibe that immediately recalls of wine or sweet liquors while iris circles in the air watching from the above.. No.18, being released in 2007, is the living proof that perfumery is not dead and it deserves to become an endless classic. Bravo Chanel.
This is real perfumery in my opinion and real perfumery trascends personal taste, real perfumery doesn't leave you indifferent.
This is real perfumery in my opinion and real perfumery trascends personal taste, real perfumery doesn't leave you indifferent.
Chanel N°18 smells like the color yellow!
It's like summer in a bottle.
One of the most original and unique of
the Exclusifs.
N°18 is a strange fragrance, and I fully
advise y'all, to sample before buying, as
this will not please all - far from it!
N°18 is not the strongest of juices, and
it has a reputation of having poor longe-
vity. Since it's as faint as it is, I simply
spray more times, and that way, I easily
get 6+ hours of decent longevity with
good sillage, too. It doesn't deserve its
rep.
As with most, if not all, of the frags in
this line, this one can be worn by a man,
as it is quite unisex - leaning towards the
feminine side, though.
Two thumbs up!
It's like summer in a bottle.
One of the most original and unique of
the Exclusifs.
N°18 is a strange fragrance, and I fully
advise y'all, to sample before buying, as
this will not please all - far from it!
N°18 is not the strongest of juices, and
it has a reputation of having poor longe-
vity. Since it's as faint as it is, I simply
spray more times, and that way, I easily
get 6+ hours of decent longevity with
good sillage, too. It doesn't deserve its
rep.
As with most, if not all, of the frags in
this line, this one can be worn by a man,
as it is quite unisex - leaning towards the
feminine side, though.
Two thumbs up!
Must agree with Hilaire and Off-Scenter (beautiful writing, guys!) on this one. No. 18 is simple and clearly fabulous. I love the Turn-Sanchez book which characterizes this one as "strange and spare," if memory serves. It's evocative, fresh, lovely, simple. Pungent yet not intrusive; floral but not cloying; feminine but not sweet. I think it must be great on a guy, too. Classy, soft, wonderful, different. The main notes somehow sing in a three-level melody , that becomes one unique strand, not a balanced harmony of discernible notes. Yet the compositional parts are clear. How can it be?
It opens great. It's almost stinky with ambrette, which can be sharp. Then there's this honeymoon of about oh, two minutes where the sharpness is fading and the sweetness is coming to the fore.
And then it's over. It's a fruity sweet thing that smells very much a product of a brand for a 21st century department store.
And if it cost $60 a bottle, I guess that would be alright. But it's almost a down payment on a car, so I want more than just inoffensive and eh.
And then it's over. It's a fruity sweet thing that smells very much a product of a brand for a 21st century department store.
And if it cost $60 a bottle, I guess that would be alright. But it's almost a down payment on a car, so I want more than just inoffensive and eh.
Somehow I was expecting... more, a lot more, from a Chanel Exclusif. I mostly smell an aldehydic, tart, and daintily sweet rose note that's almost uncannily like Gres Cabaret stripped down and brushed lightly with ambrette.If you love it, go for it, but you could do yourself a favor by sampling the aforementioned Gres fragrance first.
I adore this fragrance. It reminds me of a smell I encountered on a trip to visit the gardens of a Chateau in Champagne. It had been raining heavily, despite it being late June, and I wondered off in to a rose garden with hundreds of aged rose bushes dripping in summer rain. The smell of the slowly drying, damp earth (cumin) and the dark leafy greeness, combined with the heady, warm, rose scent and that hint of the greengrocers (Iris) which all damp gardens have was intoxicating. No.18 takes me back to that moment instantly. I understand why some find it difficult, but I find it bewitching, and it's my favourite of this range.
Chanel No. 18 is one of my favorites of the Les Exclusifs .It's delicate, sweet, a paradox and quite mysterious to me. Old fashioned yet modern, powdery yet with a metallic edge. Rose,cold iris ,ambrette and musk - beautifully done .This is so 'pretty' however I do think a man could wear this too .
No. 18 is definitely unique. I can understand why so many people dislike it. I think it is quite remarkable, personally. This is a fragrance that is built around the ambrette seed, along with rose and iris. This is a scent that is very difficult to describe, and I can imagine a good many people wrinkling their nose upon testing it and dismissing it out of hand. I find it a very intriguing, beguiling and completely original scent. It starts out somewhat green and strident, and softens into a hauntingly familiar floral/botanical musk scent that dries down into a somewhat calyx like petaled musk that must be experienced to understand. It is an acquired taste to be certain, but this is an exceptional work around the ambrette note.
