J’adore my very first vintage Chanel

As I lament how rough the stocks have been doing in the last two months, let me say that it has been an equally rocky ride on Chanel stocks - the price of the bags that is.

As people watched to see the US markets free fall, eBay bidders watched the price of Chanel yo-yo. Everyone adopted a watch-and-wait attitude.

For the longest time ever, the bids for Chanel were surprising low, I gawked and almost slapped myself at seeing a Jumbo Maxi XL go for a minimal USD$1600. Yes, the same bag that you see glorified on Richie’s and Beckham’s arms.

Or, how about that clutch bag that vintage classic lambskin that I saw auctioned for USD$800?

Comparing to the current Chanel price, that is great divide.

Those days of Chanel eBay hunting were one of the best past times ever. The exchange rate was in my favour, coupled by low bid rates. Hey, I think I was close to Chanel heaven.

Well, I confess, I got lucky and score myself this beauty for a really affordable price.

I fell in love with this bag on first sight when I saw it on eBay. What is there not to like about the golden logo, something so different from the usual CC turn-locks or the mademoiselle lock.

It’s really tiny, but manages to store my essentials - phone, lip balm, wallet, car keys. And over sometime, the purse softened, expanded and became more charming then when it first arrived.

The chains can be tucked in, and voila, it becomes a nice clutch with character.

After owning one semi-vintage Chanel, I have gotten over my fears of owning some old lady’s purse. Vintage Chanel prides itself for being extremely well made for its time. And its true. Some of the vintage Chanels are far superior than current seasonal (and classic) Chanels.

So here sits the mini lady that is 30 years old. She was born from 1980 - 1985. Pretty fine for her age.

J’adore, j’adore, j’adore.

C’est tu?

Chanel: You had me at 18

Chanel is addictive.

It’s cliche to say that “once you start, you just can’t stop”.

But it truly is.

My not-so-secret love affair with Chanel started exactly 2 years back. Way before the crazy price hike. Way before women, and for that matter, men, became obsessed with the CCs.

It was quite coincidental.

I found it a pity that my sister wanted to sell her bag to a reseller and decided that I had to buy it off from her. Poor reseller who practically drooled at the bag. But thank God for the lucky save. That bag probably costs thrice its price now and no way I’m parting with it.

And since, I have babied more CC bags than nieces. I have also succumbed to CC jewellery temptation. Not to mention, how infatuated I am with Chanel’s make-up.

My deepest love for Chanel has yet to begin and lies undiscovered, tucked away at Chanel’s l’Espace.

With an open mind, my sister and I made an appointment with Jean, the perfume specialist at Chanel. We were promised an olfactory experience the Chanel way, that is set to change the way we thought about perfumes. Also, unlike the perfume bar at Ngee Ann, at l’Espace MBS, we were guaranteed an intimate experience with Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum. It is notable that MBS perfume bar is the only fragrance boutique in whole of South-East Asia that retails Les Exclusifs.

The counter is overlaid in black and white. The chairs were made of tweet material. In an instance, I felt like a little girl in a gigantic boutique store going wow.

Before my eyes were rows of ceramic blotters. I was surprised to know that each blotter represented a Chanel perfume. I didn’t know that there were that many Chanel perfumes!

These are the 12 Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum. Lined neatly in a row with the ceramic blotter.

Advertorial postcard that I received two months back.

Our journey started at 31 Rue Cambon where Coco Chanel looked on the media and press through the reflection of the mirror-panelled wall alongside the infamous spiral staircase. Fresh grassy spring with a thin breeze of Parisian air. The scent journey continued into the bright floral of Spring and the woodiness of the forest. Say hello to Allure and Chance. As we walked through 28 La Pausa, and waved goodbye to the flora aroma, we were led to experience the variants of No. 5.

No.5 is powerful in its own right. It marked the turning point of perfumes. No longer do women need to spot a single scent of their favourite flower, but now, they were given the rights to own a scent that was rich and womenly. It was at this point in the journey that I realise that Eau de Toilette need not necessarily be a thinner and lighter version of the Eau de Parfum. It is all about what the perfumer wants to highlight.

A coffee-break later, we were led to discover some of Coco’s favourite haunts - 18 Place Vendôme and 31 Rue Cambon- and the Gardenia. Three unique scents that will appeal to different types of people. 2 hours later, as our journey came to an end, we were greeted with whiffs of masculine scents that were darker, more mysterious and woody. As a finale, the perfume experience ended with Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie - whiffs of leather and tobacco. An interesting ending note I have to say.

So the question is which fragrance hit all the right notes with me?

No. 18.

To Coco Chanel, this perfume was a representation of one of her favourite place. 18 Place Vendôm. The street in Paris that sold Fine Jewellery. No. 18  is essentially a fragrance that is to resemble that of a diamond. Multi-faceted, sparkly, and beautiful.

But to me, No. 18 is sweet, surprising and most importantly, it is my favourite number. It is also a scent that I have never owned - all my perfumes are flora, powdery with an underlying vanilla tone. No. 18 is also part of Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum - only the best and most precious ingredients go into the line. A rarely used perfume ingredient, ardette seeds, went into the bottle that I bought.

As a parting gift, Jean gifted us with this pretty little ceramic charms spritzed with our favourite scent.

Maybe its time for me to explore the Chanel clothes rack.

“Home” for Charity

Ever so often, I feel strongly towards a cause.

Two weeks back, we commemorate Total Defence Day 2011.

This year’s TDD is a little special.

Rooted in the theme “home”, the team got together and remade one of our nation’s favourite National Day song, “home”.

The re-mixed version sung by 39 local artistes breathed in new life to the old favourite. Can’t quite pinpoint which version I prefer. I think both versions are cool.

Nonetheless, let us do our part for charity.

With each click to download the “home” video at http://www.thisishome.com.sg at absolutely $0 fee, $1 will be donated towards the Community Chest by various organisations.

So do your part for charity. Click to download today!

NB: The website takes time to download so do be patient with it.

Gwyneth turns 3!

My oldest niece turns 3 today.

The photo is totally ripped from my sister’s facebook for I forgot to snap any photos!

Happy Birthday Gwyneth!

It feels like yesterday when I visited her at the nursery.

3 years on, she is as cute as she can be.

Many many happy days to come little one!

My birthday presents

This birthday, I’m extremely blessed by my family.

My sister got me the “Marry Me” Lanvin perfume on my wish list.

I wore the scent on my birthday.

I’ve got to say that this scent is really unique. A powerful concoction of flora fantasy.

In the first one hour, the scent was a tad bit overpowering. It smelled like my familiar mix of Chloe and Lanvin’s eclat d’arpege, yet different. It sure was sweet and not shy of making a strong statement.

For the next few hours till lunch time, there was a strong sharp note that I couldn’t quite decipher what it was. (A Google search revealed that this sharp note is a blend of bitter orange and peach. How intriguing.)

This sharp note soon trickled into whiffs of Magnolia by mid-afternoon. But by evening time, the mysterious scent evolved into a sticky sweet blend of red roses with an undertone of musk.

I’m impressed with the staying power of this perfume. Two spritz is all it takes to last you till dinner time. I’m thinking that it’ll go well with the Parisian winter.

And what did my parents get me?

I haven’t received birthday presents from my parents for many years. They usually treat me to a sumptuous dinner in replacement and I’ve always enjoyed it tremendously.

This year, my dad decided to get me a diamond eternity band. He also gave my sister an identical pair as an advance for her birthday.

The eternity band is so versatile and easy to pair with. It dazzles up all the gem stone rings that I’ve purchased over the years. I now want a stack of eternity bands!

And you probably know what I got for myself - the eye catching red Chanel bag that I posted on my birthday. On top of that, I got myself a beauty treat to pamper the delicate skin. Say no to ageing!

It’s also red.

The famed SKII treatment essence special pack.

Have a great week ahead!

Thanks for all the birthday greetings!

Thank you everyone for all the birthday greetings! It sure has been a great start to being a year old wiser. =)

I had a blast on my birthday. But it sure was a hectic start to being older one day after my birthday. And I’ve had little time to blog till now. I’ll respond to the comments over the weekend. Sorry to keep you waiting!

Meanwhile…

January is definitely my favourite month.

I really love it that it’s my birthday month. It’s the one excuse I can use to do things that I want without feeling much guilt.

Well not that much, till my bills come that is.

I’ve done tons of make-up Christmas shopping. Not only stores are having post-Christmas sales; I get to enjoy birthday discounts and privileges. I’ve done my fair share of monetary contribution to Paragon’s maintenance fund.

I’ve also pigged out at all my favourite food haunt. Hooray to sashimi overdose at Sushi Tei. More fried mushrooms from New York New York, pretty please. Need all the energy to shop till I drop.

This year’s birthday month was made special by all the special exhibits. Yes to Valentino’s retrospect exhibit and Pompeii’s. Oh and OpenHouse.

So cheers to a fantastic year ahead!

Happy happy birthday!

Last year, I bought myself a red wallet on chain to celebrate my birthday. Seen here.

I have used it only once; on that birthday. I lug my 2.55 far too much!

This year, I upgraded to a red classic in medium size. One down from my wish list!

It’s the famed classic’09 in lambskin which a lot of women clamoured for.

Bold in a red lipstick hue. It adds a pop of colour to my outfit.

Bought it second hand, simply because the recent addition of Chanel handbags are less hardy than those made 2 years ago.

Have a great day ahead!

Wishing on a new wishlist.

It’s 11 11, on 11th January , 2011…

A new year, a new start, and..

A new wish list!

With the currency exchange going a little haywire in 2010, it was a fruitful year for my wish list.

Red B bag - checked. Red CC - will post! I also got my Classic timeless pearls - will post too!

In the year 2011… My wish list has gotten a little diverse.

What’s on yours?

Snowflakes at Christmas.

It’s Christmas!

A great big hello from the two girls.

And I finally laid my hands on the Christmas snowflake from…

Merry Christmas!

Tags added!

Good morning everyone! I’ve added new chanel, tiffany and bottega tags to help readers navigate my site better.

It’s an honour to know that my chanel purchases have been complimented by so many chanel lovers.

So ladies, have fun browsing!