What's your favorite perfume? Has to be Coco Chanel

Every woman has at least one favourite perfume. Coco is one of Chanel's perfumes, that is a classic perfume that makes a lady feel very special.

I first smelled Coco Chanel years ago as a teenager, dabbling in the department store testers. I had put it back, too heavy for me then.

Now I'm older, I love its powerful musky, woody base notes, and wearing it makes me feel spohisticated, mature and successful. As you would expect from a designer perfume, it is elegantly presented in its minimal angular squared bottle with its stylish black box. The price tag is what you would expect from a perfume with more than a touch of class.

It opens with fresh floral notes, with middle notes of oriental spices and a drydown of vanilla musk.

The notes for Coco Chanel are

• Top Notes
• Angelica, Mimosa, Frangipani, Mandarin
• 
  Middle Notes
• Cascarilla, Orange Flower, Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine
• 
  Base Notes
• Labdanum, Ambrette Seed, Opopanax, Benzoin, Tonka, Vanilla

The lady in Duty Free told me she can't wash the smell out of her work blouses, but I don't see that as a bad thing!!

Apart from the delicious smell of Coco Chanel, I'm also fascinated about the woman herself, coming from such humble beginnings, with her itinerant father and her mother who died when she was just 12, to achieve such success in life. There have been 5 biographical books published recently about the designer, all full of different stories, many of which she invented herself, revealing the stories behind the pearls, the little black dress, the nautical suits, and the tweeds.

Watch the film, Coco before Chanel to find out more about the fascinating life of the woman behind this complex fragrance.