I have had Chanel Gabrielle since before it was launched. I was offered it before it was available to the public, and of course, I took the chance for an ‘exclusive.’  But sadly, it did nto excite me. The SA at my Chanel store was raving about it, and telling me this is going to be the No. 5 for the next generation (‘Millennialls love it,’ she says) but for me it felt ordinary, so I just kept quiet.

Fast forward to now. For some reason, this was one of the bottles I took with me when I moved, and I have been wearing it a lot. I don’t dislike it, for sure, but I just feel like I wear it as some kind of of obligation. It’s a pleasant office scent, and idea-wise, I love the floral bouquet of jasmine, ylang ylang, tuberose and orange blossoms. But my problem with this is that it feels so synthetic, and so familiar. It doesn’t feel like a Chanel – I keep on wanting to put some aldehydes in there. (For some strange reason it reminds me of YSL Baby Doll, which I used to wear a lot int he 90s – maybe that’s why it smells familiar) I get compliments on it from people at the office, and I take them, but it lacks the one thing I look for in my scents – an emotional connection. I don’t crave this, and that just makes me sad.