Chanel Cuir de Russie, and Luca Turin’s review of it from the first edition of Perfumes, the Guide. I’ve seen people write this perfume off as being too soapy or not enough, but for me, it does just what it’s supposed to do. It’s the classic Chanel blend of florals, toned down a bit, and a barnyardy castoreum, and leathery birch tar. You literally get the feeling of washing your saddle in the barn with the most luxurious soap, and yes, that’s what I want to smell like some days. This isn’t a hard leather… it’s buttery soft, worn in, touchable, velvety.

The perfume needs to be worn to be experienced, and not smelled on paper. On paper, it’s ok, and the barnyard aspect can be off-putting. On skin, it’s a compliment-getter, and even more so on hair. The cool blend of florals is made more interesting by the addition of the dirtier notes, the smokiness, a sweetness in the drydown that comes out when I wear this on my skin.

A note on Perfumes, The Guide. I got this book in 2008, and you know, I was already a couple of years into my perfume journey. When I read this book, it made me feel like I was missing out on a lot, and I just didn’t get all the descriptions. I put it away because I knew that to begin to sample everything would cost me time and money that I didn’t have. Energy that I wasn’t willing to spend at the time. When I was culling 10 years ago, I decided what would stay based on some of the reviews in this book – that was a terrible idea. Always trust your own taste, I had some good memories with some of the perfumes I gave away!!!

I looked through the book again recently. Now I’ve smelled a lot more of the perfumes, and thought about them in different ways… I’ve also grown up a lot, of course, so that maybe makes a difference, but the book, the reviews, make more sense. Smelling perfume ingredients in isolation has helped me understand more of what I’m smelling and pick apart perfume as I smell it, help me appreciate what stands out to me.