Hiya Olfactoria’s Travelers,
Portia with you today from Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse.
I don’t know if you remember when today’s fragrance was released. The scentbloggosphere went ballistic. Lovers, haters, blamers and baiters all came online and there was a flurry of excitement. New regular range CHANEL No 19 flanker. So many people love CHANEL No 19 and how could they play around with it? Sacrilege!!! Then there were the people who were not so invested in CHANEL No 19 or found it was a complete horror on them, these people were thrilled that they may just get a bite of the apple. People snarking at Jacques Polge and barking at CHANEL, well tempers have had some time to cool so I wanted to re-examine a fragrance that I like very much.
CHANEL No 19 Poudre was created by Jacques Polge for CHANEL in 2011.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, galbanum, neroli
Heart: Jasmine, iris
Base: Vetiver, musk, tonka bean
Plush is the word that comes to mind when I spritz CHANEL No 19 Poudre . A softer, less uptight, modern update of the original that is all fuzzy and friendly. If you are after a stiff upper lip, give me some spine, arctic goddess fragrance then stick to that delightful evergreen the original CHANEL No 19. If though, you find the original too frigid but like the idea then maybe CHANEL No 19 Poudre could be the one for you.
Citrus, Galbanum, musk and (I think aldehydes) are what my skin throws on open, CHANEL No 19 Poudre is like sinking into a freshly made bed, cozy and comfortable but fresh and clean. MMMMMM. One of my favourite moments of the week is jumping into a Jin warmed bed on Wednesday nights after work. The house is clean, the sheets are new and the bed is just the right temperature. That feeling is exactly how CHANEL No 19 Poudre opens.
Photo Stolen Flickr
This is the scent of someone who wants you to know they are soft, precious and beautiful but strong enough to stand up to life’s pressures. What a great idea for a Wedding fragrance. Unforgettably beautiful but ethereal and wishful too. Deep in the heart though hides a breathy, softly sensual jasmine, an earthy/rooty iris and the far dry down ends up as a warm freshly powdered skin scent that lasts and lasts at a very quiet hum just above skin level.
You will never smell overdone in CHANEL No 19 Poudre and I can wear it for every occasion, or no occasion. For better fully fragrant wear life I like to respritz in the first hour, it plumps everything up and gives the whole fragrance more oomph. Also, CHANEL No 19 Poudre over Kiehl’s Original Musk Lotion is a knockout.
Before I close out though I really do prefer and reach for the original CHANEL No 19 far more often than the CHANEL No 19 Poudre. I think the stark green is more fun and less fey, and feels much more powerful. CHANEL No 19 is all wasp waist and shoulder padded suits with high heels and makeup, CHANEL No 19 Poudre friendlier, smoother, fluffier and of course more powdery. Thankfully they are both available.
Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Posse
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $3.50/ml
You can try CHANEL No 19 Poudre at most department stores if they have a CHANEL counter.
Are you a CHANEL No 19 Poudre fan or is it the original that rocks your socks?
Portia xx
Olfactoria's Travels 
I definitely prefer the original No19 but I do not want to part with my first and only unsniffed purchase – No 19 Poudre… I should probably wear it tomorrow. It’s nice. But I wish Chanel chose a different name for it.
Hey there Undina,
Yes, it is naughty of CHANEL to play the flanker game when they are only slightly related. Coco has had it happen twice with Mademoiselle and Noir.
An unsniffed purchase!! Love that you did it, but do you really regret it?
Portia x
Taking into account that it wasn’t the most expensive possible blind buy, it’s fine: I got it out of my system and I blogged about it ; -)
Hi Portia. I liked this quite a bit when It came out. I will try this again soon thanks to you. xo
Hey there Sandra,
It’s so pretty, I think you would smell lovely in it.
Portia xx
Thanks for reminding me that I *really* need to try no 19 poudre again. I have been searching for that one (vintage) incarnation of real no 19 that doesn’t go all uptight on me, and which actually leaves a bit of iris on my skin, but until I do, poudre might just do the trick.
Heya Asali,
Good luck with your search for the vintage. They are few and far between nowadays, and many are kept so badly you wouldn’t recognise them.
Maybe the poudre is the one?
Portia xx
I have set myself the task of finding the formulation of No.19 that’s right for me. I was hopeful at the launch of Poudre but it lasted all of 30 minutes on my skin. I assumed I just couldn’t pick up on the musk but I should give it another try.
Which formulation of the original do you prefer Portia?
Hey Tara, BUM about the lasting power on you. Interesting that I get such good life from Poudre.
I have a few versions of No 19, there is a vintish parfum that I quite like but to be honest I really like the modern EdP, it’s a little shrill at open but quickly settles into that old green monster. The end is less dank and brighter too.
Portia xx
What a good suggestion to reapply in the first hour! I at once tried it with my sample and not only does it gleam more this way but to me it suddenly has a little resemblance (at least for some minutes) to the original No 19! But I prefer Prada’s Infusion d’Iris and funnily your review reads to me like a take on IdI: plush, soft, beautiful, strong enough. (Btw, I like how you fantasized about the character of a person which suits Poudrè – “someone who wnats you to know that”).
Hey Anka,
I’m glad the respritz trick worked for you. Was its life longer too?
The Prada is very nice too, different but so wearable. I can see how that would be your favourite.
Portia xx
I don’t actually find No. 19 frigid or cold or aloof! Not sure why, but probably partially because I love green fragrances. I never got the hate behind No. 19 Poudre. I quite like it, albeit not as much as the original, and find its powder quite beautiful. But I wasn’t a fan of its white musk drydown.
Hey theSmellyVagabond,
I think most of the musks go missing for me and leave me with fluffy, powdery wafts. There is some of that laundry musk but for me it is not overwhelming at all. Maybe I’m anosmic?
Portia x
Fuzzy. I like that. It does make me want to curl up in mum’s fuzzy thermal blanket with a cuppa and the book of the day. Sort of like a filtered landscape. I, like TheSmellyVagabond, don’t understand the problem with the original though I think the sharpness may read as what? Rigidity? It seems to call for tweed, stilettos, an alligator bag, and the perfect hat.
Hi Mary Beth,
Yes, love the original. He he he, Tweed, bag & hat! Cool image. Do you really wear that when you have 19 on or is it an idea you carry with you as you wear it?
Portia x
When this came out I remember blurting out that Chanel must have adapted No 19 just for me(!), because it was so exactly how I would have preferred the original to smell. I felt in the minority back then as I recall, as people rallied round the original and lamented the fact that it had been inappropriately messed with in the flanker. Fluffy and powdery and approachable is fine in my book though. 😉
Hi Vanessa,
I love that poudre suits you so well. Does it still give you the green thrill that we get from original 19 or is it something entirely different?
Portia x
Ah! The arctic goddess you speak about, I worship her in the heat of summer. The EDP lasts forever compared to light, hesperidic perfumes. She is also rather androgynous. Men do like her, naturally. Outdoorsy and classic. Not terribly floral. More cool green and soapy clean.
I agree that Poudrè layers very well, even with its original namesake. It has bitter galbanum and extra sweet florals. The other has oakmoss and leather. Best of both worlds! Wear the original then top it up with the Poudrè. Never owned the edt but the combination done this way makes the scent lasts longer and it probably smells more closely like the edt judging from the notes.
Compliments are almost guaranteed.
You’re welcome.
Please let me know of any other layering options. I am wondering if “Lovely” will work.