CHANEL No1 L’Eau Rouge | British Beauty Blogger

[unpaid/sample] One of the things I was intrigued about with the new CHANEL No1 L’Eau Rouge was whether it would smell ‘Chanel-y’ or whether the brand had departed entirely from my favourite No5 in favour of something completely new. But, a generous spritz put my heart at ease because, yes, it’s still very much and identifiably CHANEL.

I’m much less enthusiastic about a body mist in winter than I am in summer – it’s just that icy chill on a just-out-of-bed warm body that’s perhaps more bracing than I’d like so I’ve been using it over the weekend as a ‘walk through’ mist, fully clothed, to take in the familiar notes.

I know that early reviews are finding CHANEL No1 L’Eau Rouge berry-ish but I can’t say I do particularly although I recognise some ‘juiciness’. My first impression is that of No.5 – those familiar powdery notes of iris and musk – albeit in a more watery setting, are very much there. The light hand with jasmine makes it a good option for those who can only take the smallest amount of that potent note. It’s a mistake to think of this as a full on fragrance – it’s not. It’s more of a fleeting impression … you might find it stays more easily in your hair than it does on your skin.

I think it was about 2019 that CHANEL brought out their special red edition of No.5 – I still have it- and the shade for No1 is the same. It’s very rich without being fiery and immediately identifiable as CHANEL which is interesting as the brand has only ever done this bottle colour once before. I’d sum L’Eau Rouge as a brief indulgence – something that your mood needs only fleetingly. You can spritz often, knowing that you’re not ever going to be over-doing it and I guess if anything, it’s a fragrance that only the spritzer enjoys to its full which I think I approve of! It’s £90 HERE.