Coco Chanel was quite an amazing woman. A stylish, independent fashion designer, who broke the mould of what women could be and what they could wear. She was an orphan who made name for herself by founding a fashion house, she had an English Duke for a lover, and who lived in a luxury hotel room in Paris. She had vulnerabilities and strengths, and a free spirit, so people love to quote her inspirational sound bites. The new perfume from Chanel, Gabrielle, which is the iconic founders first name, is meant to personify those iconic qualities that Coco had in spades.

I was sent a mini sized perfume through Glamour magazines beauty program to try out the scent, and I was really excited to try it. I’m a Chanel No 5 wearer. I love the way the Chanel scents are iconic, elegant and feel lux but also wearable. So I really wanted to see what the latest scent was like and if it really did capture something of Gabrielle Chanel.

The perfume is based on four white flowers. Creator Olivier Polge wanted to create a dream flower, one that was elegant and unusual, just like the woman the scent is named after. Orange blossom, ylang ylang, jasmine and Grasse tuberose are used to create a floral perfume that has a solar quality, a sense of light.

I actually really like this perfume. It’s floral, which I like, but feels more bright and elegant than strictly girly. I can’t say that I smell or can identify all the ingredients, but I do love that it smells happy and fairly breezy. I think that Chanel perfumes have a richness to them that makes them last and gives the wearer a kind of luxurious quality, and this one has that character too, but also feels youthful and not over powering. I’m really in love with my No5, so I won’t switch, but I really like this perfume too.

Kristen Stewart is the face of this perfume, which at first I wasn’t sure about, but then I realised, she is a bit like Coco Chanel, with her playful androgyny, but also femininity. She’s a creative, independent, outspoken and youthful person, which was just like Gabrielle. There’s a film for the perfume, as well as a look at the inspiration herself on Chanel’s site, which you can find HERE. You can also find out prices for the various sizes of the perfume there and purchase too.

Do you have a signature scent? Have you tried this new perfume too? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below, or find me on Twitter @CravenWild or on Instagram @hermioneflavia