The one that I am perhaps most grateful for is Bois des Iles byChanel, one of my “Holy Grail” scents; whenever I smell it after a (always short) break, I keep wondering why do I bother owning other scents, forever looking for more scents, and chasing after new releases, when clearly nothing can compare to the perfection that is Bois des Iles. Part of the exclusive Rue de Cambon collection, it is a blend of sandalwood, vetiver, tonka bean, vanilla, ylang ylang, iris, coriander, rose, jasmine and aldehydes. The notes sound quite ordinary, yet somehow they combine to create a miraculous scent, smooth, soft, infinitely wearable. Luca Turin said it best when he called Bois des Iles “un magique vin chaud qui guérirait des maux de ce monde”, a magic hot wine that would cure evils of this world (Le Guide).Created by Ernest Beaux as the first woody fragrance for women, Bois des Iles is the proof that wood can be feminine, warm and sensual. Ironically, contrary to that statement, the fragrance actually starts rather dry, earthy, and cool (iris), there is a certain astringent sweetness to it that I believe is the coriander note. This is the scent of a dryad, a tree spirit of Greek mythology, a creature that is both otherworldly and crucially connected with this world. As the fragrance develops, it “warms up”, and the sensual aspect becomes more apparent. Different lists of notes tell different things, some mention bitter almond and gingerbread notes, and some don’t, but, on a good day, with the right skin chemistry, those two notes are very apparent, they are like a dark golden shimmering core of the scent, the warmth that illuminates Bois des Iles from within. Sometimes, there is even a cinnamon-like note in the scent, and when it is there, Bois des Iles is at its warmest and most luxurious, not just hot wine, but a veritable magical elixir, an olfactory equivalent of liquid gold.
Bois des Iles is available at Chanel.com and Gloss.com, where 0,5oz of Parfum retails for $160.00 and 3,4oz for $80.00.
