Hello Crew,
We’ve had some excitement around here in Australia. The news breaks that CHANEL is releasing a new Les Exclusif, and only the Middle East are getting it. Dubai! Not even Paris by all reports. Oh CHANEL, how well you know us. Suddenly LE LION de CHANEL is hyped beyond the stratosphere. It’s this, it’s that, just wait, you’ll die, it’s their best offering since Coromandel, when can we get it? It’s been a long time since a release garnered so much interest, excitement and speculation. I was agog with lemmings.
The fact that the world has been going through trauma, we’ve been locked down, life has become a very small circle, yet we are attached by the computer & TV to everything that’s happening worldwide 24/7. Watching POC around the world with their friends, families and supporters marching for an equality long denied. Trans people being told, again, that they are not their gender (that doctors and psychologist have agreed they are), and that they deserve to be placed in the “OTHER” category, preferable far far away. A pandemic that threatens lives and livelihoods that no one can seem to get a handle on and that has different symptoms and virility in every person it touches.
We needed a ray of sunshine. 99 years on from the launch of CHANEL No 5. The perfume world has been given something to write home about.
LE LION de CHANEL 2020 by Olivier Polge
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, Bergamot
Heart: Labdanum, Madagascan vanilla
Base: Sandalwood, Patchouli
Imagine the love child of CHANEL Coromandel, Guerlain Shalimar and DIOR Mitzah.
The first day I tried LE LION de CHANEL there were a group of about eight perfumistas having our first get together since C19 lockdown. We all had a spritz within about a minute. Every person got a different enough ride that they could have been different perfumes. On some it read crunchy toffee, others got animal resins, there was smoky incense, creamy sandalwood, citrus gelato, caramel. For everyone the timings were different, the depth, warmth, heft and also interestingly, WE ALL LOVED IT! Not one person in the room was less than spellbound.
My personal ride goes something like this. A swirl of pine lime gelato. Labdanum rich amber with a distinctly animalic bent. Creamy sandalwood tempered by a vanilla rich amber that has strong hints of the crackly toffee on the top of a creme brûlée. All day I was getting wafts of the most incredible resinously sweet fragrance out of the blue, and I’d think it was someone walking ahead, on the bus or train or in the department store. NOPE! It was me. The life of the fragrance is unbelievable. I’m still smelling a lived in vanilla and humanity over 24 hours later after running around town all day yesterday and then sleeping till 11 am.
How did I get it? One of my buddies owns a perfume chain here in Australia. His family owns department stores in Dubai, and they are selling LE LION de CHANEL. My buddy saw an opportunity and jumped on it. He brought in as much from Dubai as he could, which wasn’t very much. Last time we spoke he was waiting on a second order. I grabbed two 200ml bottles, and another buddy Matt and I hosted a split. We sold 150ml in 10ml batches at our cost price plus decant bottles and postage from each bottle and kept what was left for ourselves. The spots sold out in less than an evening. That’s why my picture is of a 3/4 empty bottle already.
Have you a lemming?
Portia xx
Image: My own
Undina's Looking Glass 
Hey Portia
This was so fun read. I loved hearing the different facets people amplified. I fancy a smoky incense with a bit of lime gelato but we’ll see. Really exciting that you got your hands on it.
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Hi Tara,
Thank you.
Fingers crossed LE LION de CHANEL wears to your personal expectation.
Yeah, just the luckiest of luck.
Portia xx
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Looking forward to sniffing this. Shalimar smells like petrol on me, but hopefully I’ll get more of the Coromandel & Mitzah vibe, which I love. If it’s good I see a birthday gift coming up next April. :-)
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“Shalimar smells like petrol on me” HA HA HA HA HA!! Sorry to laugh but that is FUNNY!
I’m hoping you get all the stuff you love from LE LION de CHANEL TaraC. It would make a terrific birthday present.
Portia xx
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When I have a lemming, very rare, I kill the sucker dead within a week. When I want something I get it. Simple as that. 🤩
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I like your style Val. Best way to be.
Portia xx
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I gotta do a writeup on this frag soon. It’s a very animalic leather on me. Glad I got in on the split, it’s so much more lovable on skin than when I sniffed it on a card. Think I’ll wear it again tomorrow!
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Hey Sam,
Interesting! I love that it goes leather for you. YUMMY!
Can’t wait to read your post.
Portia xx
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How fab that you managed to get 2 big bottles.Very generous of you to make splits. I’m not usurprised you sold them all so quickly X
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Hey Matty,
Naah, not so generous. Those bottles are expensive. Sharing makes the experience affordable for everyone. So, kind of selfish. SHHH!
YOU are going to go bananas for this beauty. It’s CHANEL meets Guerlain in perfect symmetry.
Portia xx
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Sounds even more fab……..meeting Guerlain XXX
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You make it sound so appealing dear Portia!
I know Val the CQ Queen fell for it too.
I wish I could try it but Poland is far from Dubai. But one day I’ll have my chance for sure :)
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Hey there Lucas!
So good to see you.
I think they are sending anywhere in the world that perfume can be sent to.
Portia xx
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Do I get lemmings Portia? Well I have one now….
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HA! SV, YAY! My work here seems to be done then.
I’m taking enabler pins from all over today.
Portia xx
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Sounds like a successful ménage a trois 🤣. I have a connection to Dubai but it doesn’t look very promising that I would get my paws on a bottle until proper launch. Never say never though!
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Hajuusuri,
It is.
If you want me to hook you up, give me a yell.
Portia xx
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There are not that many (if at all) Chanel perfumes from Exclusif line that I dislike, so I expect either love, like or at least be OK with this perfume. I’m curious to try it, but I’ll patiently wait untll either it is released in the US or hajusuuri gets a bottle ;) so, it is a lemming but a well-behaved one.
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You have so much self control Undina.
Give Rusty a hug from me please.
Portia xx
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It’s already being sold on eBay and city perfumes have a few bottles too. Would cost over AU 700 ( incl postage) for 200 mls. Had 75 mls on eBay. So there you go, boys and girls, something to spend your pocket money on! Much as I like Chanel, I really couldn’t justify spending that much. Sometimes I wish I weren’t so sensible 🤣
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Hey Sandra,
Yeah, getting it early is not cheap. That’s why I needed to share the burden of cost.
It’s only a six month wait till release and then it will be priced like the rest of the Les Exclusifs line.
Portia xx
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Well, I am sure you smell absolutely fabulous. Enjoy and stay fabulous xxx
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Thanks Sandra. XX
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Val piqued my curiosity about this one, which your post has done nothing to diminish. So interesting that Le Lion plays differently on different people’s skin. If it wasn’t such a gloomy comparison, I’d say it sounds as shape-shifting as the virus!
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HA! Vanessa, you didn’t.
OH yes she did.
Portia xx
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Hello Portia
Thank you for your feedback
I am lucky even if stores are closed I had the opportunity to try and I agree the life of this fragrance on skin is unbelievable
Will dig it in order to decide to grab a bottle (I think I already the answer….:)
keep up your awesome work
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