Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
07/03/2018
Oriane
135 Reviews
Oriane
2
A Beautiful, Warm, Feminine Classic
This review is for vintage Houbigant Chantilly.
Top Notes: Fruit, Lemon, Bergamot, Neroli.
Heart Notes: Spices, Carnation, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom, Rose.
Base Notes: Leather, Tonka Bean, Musk, Benzoin, Oak Moss, Vanilla, Sandalwood..
I recalled this fragrance from many, many years ago, but I could not recall how it smelt. I read a few reviews wherein the reviewers stated that is smelt like Shalimar, so I never purchased it as I own Shalimar. Finally, thanks to another perfume lover who advised me to get it, I did purchase it, and all I can say is I am sorry I waited so long to add it to my collection. It really is a lovely, lovey, feminine fragrance. It is warm and a bit powdery with strong citrus notes that are not sharp at all because they blend beautifully with the floral notes. As for the notion that it smells like Shalimar, well, I can only state that to my nose it may in the same olfactory category, i.e. Oriental, but it could never be mistaken for Shalimar. If I had not read that a few years ago, I would have purchased it much sooner than I did.
As of this writing, I own Chantilly in EdT, PdT, and parfum formulations. I particularly like the PdT and parfum. I also have the dusting powder which pairs beautifully with the fragrance. Chantilly smells classic. To some young noses, I suppose it might smell dated, but I love and look forward to wearing it as much as any other fragrance I own. I think it works better as an Autumn and Winter scent, but it could certainly be worn all year round. If I try hard, I can tease out most of the notes except for the leather note. With Shalimar, I have no trouble detecting the leather note.
Chantilly is soft, feminine, warm, spicy, florally, and just plain scrummy. I cannot see how anyone could be offended by this elegant fragrance, so I feel it would be appropriate to virtually any venue. I am sure some men could carry it off as well.
My review is based on vintage Houbigant EdT, EdP, and dusting powder. I think the vintage packaging is lovely, too. It is no wonder to me that Chantilly has been around since 1941. It is a classic and well worth adding to one's wardrobe, especially for the price point which is quite modest compared to many of my other fragrances. Performance is average, but my bottles are pretty old, too, so that may have something to do with it. I have not tried the most recent formulation, so please try before you purchase as many feel the Dana formulation leaves a lot to be desired.
There is something very comforting about this fragrance. Perhaps I have unconscious associations of it, but whatever may be the reason(s), this is one fragrance I am very pleased to have in my collection. If you already own Shalimar, adding Chantilly to your collection will not be a redundancy. I wish I had known this a long time ago.
Fragrance: 8.5/10
Projection: 6/10
Silage: 6/10
Longevity: 6/10
Top Notes: Fruit, Lemon, Bergamot, Neroli.
Heart Notes: Spices, Carnation, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom, Rose.
Base Notes: Leather, Tonka Bean, Musk, Benzoin, Oak Moss, Vanilla, Sandalwood..
I recalled this fragrance from many, many years ago, but I could not recall how it smelt. I read a few reviews wherein the reviewers stated that is smelt like Shalimar, so I never purchased it as I own Shalimar. Finally, thanks to another perfume lover who advised me to get it, I did purchase it, and all I can say is I am sorry I waited so long to add it to my collection. It really is a lovely, lovey, feminine fragrance. It is warm and a bit powdery with strong citrus notes that are not sharp at all because they blend beautifully with the floral notes. As for the notion that it smells like Shalimar, well, I can only state that to my nose it may in the same olfactory category, i.e. Oriental, but it could never be mistaken for Shalimar. If I had not read that a few years ago, I would have purchased it much sooner than I did.
As of this writing, I own Chantilly in EdT, PdT, and parfum formulations. I particularly like the PdT and parfum. I also have the dusting powder which pairs beautifully with the fragrance. Chantilly smells classic. To some young noses, I suppose it might smell dated, but I love and look forward to wearing it as much as any other fragrance I own. I think it works better as an Autumn and Winter scent, but it could certainly be worn all year round. If I try hard, I can tease out most of the notes except for the leather note. With Shalimar, I have no trouble detecting the leather note.
Chantilly is soft, feminine, warm, spicy, florally, and just plain scrummy. I cannot see how anyone could be offended by this elegant fragrance, so I feel it would be appropriate to virtually any venue. I am sure some men could carry it off as well.
My review is based on vintage Houbigant EdT, EdP, and dusting powder. I think the vintage packaging is lovely, too. It is no wonder to me that Chantilly has been around since 1941. It is a classic and well worth adding to one's wardrobe, especially for the price point which is quite modest compared to many of my other fragrances. Performance is average, but my bottles are pretty old, too, so that may have something to do with it. I have not tried the most recent formulation, so please try before you purchase as many feel the Dana formulation leaves a lot to be desired.
There is something very comforting about this fragrance. Perhaps I have unconscious associations of it, but whatever may be the reason(s), this is one fragrance I am very pleased to have in my collection. If you already own Shalimar, adding Chantilly to your collection will not be a redundancy. I wish I had known this a long time ago.
Fragrance: 8.5/10
Projection: 6/10
Silage: 6/10
Longevity: 6/10
