Cuir de Russie Chanel for women

I had only smelt this on paper before now, and I really don't think that I ever quite understood how beautiful it is.

I tested this on my skin and I nearly fell off my chair! It's the most spellbindingly gorgeous perfume I've sniffed in a long time. It's starts off incredibly floral with the Rose, Ylang Ylang, Iris and Jasmine exploding with sensual sweetness and powdery creaminess.

Woodiness, smokiness and Cedar create a peculiarly incense-ish note which takes over the background of the dry down but the florals never leave. The effect is of the most sublime and heavenly temple incense in the world.

It's woody, floral, smoky, creamy and powdery all at once and I think I have just fallen totally, madly and completely in love with it! My tester must now become a full bottle!


This is what my dreams of perfume smell like.


10 out of 10 for everything. <3 (I literally have goosebumps writing this, I'm so crazy about this perfume!)

smells like a smoky classy ashtray... in a bad ass good way. after a while it started to smell like dark new leather boots with a bit of sweat... also bad ass and cool.

if you have a tough as nails personality this is great. i think it might also be interesting if you mix it with some kind of sweeter perfume, it would still probably hold that edginess but be more dynamic.

I can't wear this perfume to work because it's so beautiful it's distracting. I like the parfum best: so rich, subtly spicy (the carnation?) beneath a gorgeous jasmine-ylang-leather blend. Subtle vetiver and amber notes come out after an hour or two. I think the EdT has a drier, lighter, more hay-like feeling -- I prefer the richness of the parfum. People always comment that it smells expensive! It is, but it's worth saving for. I also have a vintage bottle of the parfum (60's?) and it has much more barnyard -- I really get not only hay but horses for the first bit in that one, more than I find really pleasant. The contemporary parfum is a perfect floral-leather blend. If I didn't have to work, I'd never buy any other perfume.

During the first 15 minutes I was not so excited, must be the aldehydes part.. but then the flowers, dry vetiver, I would say incense? and leather are just so perfectly balanced. I just read this has civet? well in that case hands down! Normally I cannot stand this note. It is complex and has great sillage. For me one of the best perfumes I have ever smelled.

I really love leathers. I have Cabochard as well which I am crazy about. I love this too but in a different way. Cabochard is a rather loud fragrance that makes me feel like a really tough broad from way back who can do everything like ride motorcycles and fly planes. Chanel's is totally different from that. The first time I smelled it the words somber and austere came to mind. It smells like gloom and sadness in a way - like something out of Edgar Allen Poe. Love it. One day I will have enough money to go buy a great big bottle!

i am fascinated with this scent, becasue it lasted more then 12 hours without me loosing the sense for it! never experienced anything simmilar...
and my first reaction to it was, jezus this is like some horse sh.t :)...but later it turned into such a gread leathery scent, so feminine..so unique :)...and i was sure i will never buy it, i bought it :)
just amazing!

Wonderful creation that has no equal!
Super super super.
Sophisticated, balanced and long Sillage.

I think this is a men's fragrance. When I put it on I imagined riding in a fancy taxi in some European city, in which someone had been smoking Turkish cigarettes. It is very urban, sophisticated, and vintage. Smoke and expensive leather. The drydown in s little sweeter; I can detect the amber. I wish I could smell clary in this as I love it, but I don't get it. Very evocative scent, but not for me.

EDP vintage. Very distinctive scent, makes no.5 appear mundane in comparison. Reminds me of tweed, blazers, and cool old sports cars. Sporty, not for night or formal or the weak of heart.

Esta fragancia es masculina. Deliciosa y nada femenina.
One of the must delightfull and masculines leather fragances ever

Just been given a very old bottle - (probably 20s) by a friend sorting out her Mothers rooms - the bottle so classic - sheer elegance and style - sophisticated -so chic - worn by a lady happy in her own skin - the glass wand dips deep into the elegant bottle - I am in love - brought tears to my eyes - a fragrance reminiscent of yesteryear - but still a 'now' fragrance - still relevant today - wow it reminded me of sitting in the interior of my uncles ancient Rolls Royce many years ago - the sumptuous leather - comfortable - priveleged - says it all- Bliss.....

This is my guilty pleasure. It is too"pay attention to what I am saying to you" for my day. I work in a library. Even though we say we are not a "quiet zones" this perfume is no matter how much I love this scent I could not pull it off at work. I get home in the evenings change from work clothes to my comfies get a couple of dabs of cuir de russie.

Although this was originally supposed to be a feminine fragrance, I bought it for my husband some years ago and it has become his favourite. More and more, I find my self sneaking a spritz, and not only for the pleasure of being reminded of him. As a leather scent, I guess it will evoke different memories for each person, but mine is of a dusty old library with leather chairs and mouldy leather-bound books...warm, fragrant, comforting, but it reminds me of that feeling of being a young girl in a men's world. Not a happy political sentiment, perhaps, but still a pleasant nostalgia. It is a warm, classic, beautiful but assertive scent.

I've recently obtained some samples of the EDT... I cannot get enough of this scent. I'm absolutely obsessed. I went into five different department and fragrance stores before finally seeking out the nearest Chanel boutique just to know what it smelled like. Now, I'm on a mission to find the parfum. As much as I like the EDT, it doesn't have lasting power and I believe it to be watered down. I can only imagine what this fragrance is like full-power.

It has everything... it's a contradiction of itself in every way. It's lofty, but grounded. Sophisticated, but can be appreciated by anybody. It's bold and wild, but controlled and wraps its wearer in an almost tangible air of quiet dignity. If you are seeking something rare and unlike any other, this is it. As far as the nose profile, you can trust this one to smell exactly like you imagined. This smoulders with passion and is for ambitious dreamers everywhere.

I've always loved the raw, sexual quality of Chanel's Cuir de Russie. The very slight animalic funk that compliments the balsams and leather is just too damn sexy - I definitely can understand why Mick Jagger wears this one. I believe that Cuir de Russie (especially the vintage EdT) is totally unisex once the opening blast of florals subsides. It has that thick, rich quality that Chanel is able to pull off so flawlessly. Love it!

This is such a warm, enveloping fragrance and it really just smells amazing, although the opening is quite soapy. The leather note gives it such a nice smokey effect, like a soft haze over the warmth of the vanilla, amber and vetiver. The orange blossom brightens it, like a light through a fog and there is something almost creamy about it that makes it so comforting, which I think is the ylang ylang. It is rather masculine and so quite daring for a woman, but well worth it. This is for those dark months of autumn and winter, when you're wrapped up by a fire with a good book. :)

Ok, start to save your money now because you "NEED" to buy Cuir De Russie. This is absolutely fantastic and it's one of the richest, most lascivious and elegant leather scents around. Perfectly balanced to be at the same time wearable and " risky", it runs in that tiny, thin line between glory and precipice and it does it with an incredible awareness. Floral- animalic-leather at their best. Magistrally crafted, this is pure perfumery virtuosism. One of those scents that you encounter once every 100 years (i.e. Knize Ten). Buy it!

Cuir De Russie has been reformulated since 1924, but despite that, it's still one of the most luxurious and terrific iris/leather around. That's how reformulations should be!

Rating: 10/10

Cuir de Russie is brilliant. And I say this as someone who can't, or rather, shouldn't, wear it. There are two main components to Cuir de Russie. The first is very delicate, romantic flowers. The flower accord is similar to the one in Bois des Iles. The second part is the most manure covered leather that I have come across yet. As a comparison- If you've tested Bandit, this leather note is absolutely NOTHING like the one in Bandit. Bandit is saddle leather or new car leather to my nose. Cuir de Russie is dark, used leather with horse droppings. When I tested it, I really thought that there were two types of people who could wear this one well- either very girly, romantic type women (think Nicole Kidman in Far and Away) or men who have been around the block a few times (think Mick Jagger). Anybody in between these two types and this seems unwearable to me. I'm in between, therefore I won't wear it. But I do admire it. Brilliant juice.

This review is for the modern EDT..

Smell like leather? - Yes.

Nice leather scent? - Yes.

Is better than Caron's leather Fragrances? - No.

Anyway this fragrance is pure leather on my skin. The lasting power is good.

Being half Russian, trying this was a given but I was not prepared for how deeply and extravagantly I would love this amazing beauty. This is THE leather scent for me. If only 1) it lasted on my skin and 2) I could afford it. Still, I will make do with eking out my sample until I have $1000 to spare. This one is for me - I don't wear it to please anyone else. BTW - I heard this is Mick Jagger's scent. How cool can one frag be?

For me, Cuir de Russie has to be the last word in extravagance. I find it amazing that Ernest Beaux managed to weave a dry, smoky, animalic leather note into a magic potion that maintains the soft luxurious Chanel style.

This did not work for me at all.. It's leather, but it's a dirty leather, like leather boots with cow dung on'em.
I so wanted to like this as I know many who love this and revel in its elegance, but alas.. This cow dung/henna haircolor powder note drowns out all hopes of elegance for me.
Bear in mind that if a fecal/dirty note is latent in a scent, my skin will always always send this note front and center..

So leathery... nice and warm... i like it when my hubby wear it... i hugs him all night long and fall deeply in love.. very comforting and warm.
A good winter fragrance too.

My boyfriend gagged for 10 minutes after I applied this on my wrist, I was smart and did not sniff, because I knew that I sprayed too much and I knew that if i'll smell it then I won't like it. It's been an hour since it's on my wrist and I like it. I feel leather only a slight bit, but most of all I get loads of jasmin and tobacco. As a smoker myself I enjoy it, but I find jasmin a little bit too heady and nauseating. And the thing I dislike is that it has something really old fashioned and skanky, can't tell what, but on me it does smell a little bit like strippers boudoir. Funny. I will give this a "like", because on the right and daring woman it would be amazing! Definitely worth a try or two,

Upon first wiff, Cuir de Russie is an olfactory time machine that transports me to the turn of the 19th century as the Russian Revolution was heralding the end to an autocratic empire. The imperial government collapsed and the royal legacy of mother Russia came to an end. However everything Russian at the turn of the 19th century was high fashion in Europe. Cuir de Russie is a time capsule for the “Russian Leathers” worn by the Romanov dynasty.

Coco Chanel had a transfixion with Russian style and it influenced her aesthetic. Chanel worked with the brilliant perfumer Ernest Beaux in 1927, to create a truly liberating fragrance for the modern woman. This fragrance is very much like Victor / Victoria – its dark, leathery emanations straddle the paradigm of sex and defines the allure of a mature woman that is in command of her sexuality.

Cuir de Russie is not for the neophant, it takes a seasoned nose to appreciate its smoldering notes and intense tobacco chords. I would not say it is a pretty fragrance, but burns into a refined luxury aromatic reminiscent of Connolly Leather and Burl Wood in a vintage Bentley Arnage, layered with fine cigars and sweetened by cognac.

There is a common top note thread between Chanel fragrances. Cuir de Russie is unmistakably Chanel. It shares top notes with No.5, the same sparkling dry Aldehydes, Citrus, Jasmine and Rose accords. That’s where the similarities end and the Russian dinner party begins. This fragrance is tailored for a specific type of women. This aristocratic perfume requires a dynamic presence and maturity that adorns her charisma to beguile.

Cuir de Russie feels a bit old fashioned but everything good has it renaissance. The fragrance drydown enfolds into rich Animalic notes of Dark Leather, Smoke and Musk. The heart expands with Tunisian Orange Blossom, Calabrian Bergamot, Sicilian Mandarin, Albanian Birchwood, Iris, Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Amber and Vanilla.

Now I feel like I need a shot of frozen Stolichnaya to toast my Russian heritage. Nastrovia!

perfumeaficionado.com

As far as feminine leather perfumes go, this is as good as it gets. Smooth, classy, sophisticated and indulgent.

Cuir de Russie is very much saddle leather, resplendant with a metallic undertone, suggestive of buckles. It is a buttery smelling, firm, dry leather. Quite realistic.

Despite the profusion of florals listed in the notes, I cannot detect any real floraly florals lurking in here, it is pure leather and cool sweet tobacco leaf. I might concede some earthy, powdery iris but that is as far as I would go.

Does anyone know if the current EDT of Cuir de Russie still uses real Castoreum? While a lot of perfume wearing necessarily involves a good deal of self-delusion about the ingredients therein, I find castoreum to be a particulary disturbing concept.

My sister gave me this scent as part of a gift set almost 20 years ago. I was young and daring and LOVED it, I had the nerve to splash it on during the hot New York City summer! I wore it to bed, I sniffed the bottle constantly and kept asking my husband if he liked it (he refused to comment) eventually he broke down and told me the smell drove him nuts, and not in a good way--he absolutely hated it! Sadly, I gave the bottle away. Recently, my daughter and I smelled HdP's #1740 Marquis de Sade with its smokey-burnt leather (I liked that too) but I think Cuir de Russie is much more sophisticated.

this reminds me of leather and bondage. like a heady, heavy session of s&m. i can't help but be aroused by a woman who wears this. alas, very few do....

I'm another woman who this doesn't work for. It goes on bitter and dry, with notes almost of galbanum, green and sharp.The leather has been tanned with harsh chemicals they didn't get entirely off. For the first ten minutes, this is all I get, a harsh, chemical composition. Then some spice creeps in and a sensation of beeswax, which is much nicer and sweetens the whole thing just enough to mellow it out. In the end, it is still very organic and odd. Not for me. Try this before buying it because it's a strange one.

The scenerio Black and White themed Concert Salon Circa 1875 with Black Leather chairs white Marble fireplace
the eatherial glow of the Candelabras
A glass chandelier hanging from it's
Sistine like Angels from it's statly
celling Black vases with White Roses
and a black grand piano The concert
Pianist with it's black and white Tuxedo Playing
Chopin's Nocturne for Piano in C sharp minor. sitting amongist the audience
is a young woman no younger then 18
Slender with Long dark hair wearing A white Bustlle Gown Overcome with the music Tears sreamed down her long face
she quietly Leaves and slowly walked down it's hallways and comes to a room
with large framed windows and Snow is falling down she approches the window
slowly and gently opens the window and
with her long white Gloves touches the snow and realize that there life out there then getting married to a stuffy
old accountant or Baron who has been Married for 45 years and left a windower Going though Predicable
Social Hierarchy like that. she yearns
something for herself so out of the Blue got her black velvet cape and walked out of the gilded mansion and walked down the snow lined forest
And the rest Is History

This perfume is diffinly for brave Women.

what i can say that hasn't been already said ? i assume nothing .
a Beautiful elegant haunting leather / floral scent . for leather die hard fans out there , so mellow so realistic.
brilliant !!!

I've only tried the Vintage Extraits & I am hopelessly hooked! I never thought I'd like a leather & smoke scent! Come-on! What genius! First off it reminds me of my hubby's Harley & the sweet scent of his leather jacket & mysterious scents that waif from his garage & cling to him. The sweet Rose & Jasmine Incense is so heady & the vanilla dry-down to die-for! I salivate at the first whiff & am shaky at the knees. I am like an addict always looking for my next "fix"! I haunt e-bay sites searching for every drop just incase . . .

Beautiful perfume, so chic, so Chanel....
a leather with beautiful flowers...this one is the mind ,the heart and the style of Coco Chanel ..

I've been exploring leather scents recently, but this has been the worst I've tried. I don't know how they managed to get this result out of these notes, this smells dirty. Horrible. Be prepared for surprise with this one.

Cuir de Russie by Pivert was the best cuir fragrance ever formulated, before it was reformulated in the 90s

I tried this Chanel classic after finding out that I really like the floral-leather combination of Jolie Madame.

However, the opening smelled not of finished leather to me, but distinctly of barnyard. I live on a cattle farm, so I do have a real-life reference for that smell, with its manure-dirt-raw cowhide odor. I do not want to smell of barnyard, but I thought that if I could struggle through the opening, then that rich, elegant iris common to all of Chanel's classic fragrances would take over and bear me on its soft, powdery wings. Alas, the iris element that serves to smoothe and underpin the other classic Chanels, with their focuses on other notes, is musty and dusty on its own. I could not sense any other florals, although it may be that I was still too traumatized by the barnyard to notice them.

I begin to realize that iris-focused perfumes turn musty-basement on my skin, and other people have different experiences. If you can wear this one, lucky you.

Love this classic original x

Opened very similar to the Guerlain Chant D'Aromes, only added the skin. I can just say - it is elegance, it is gentle as a luxurious silk on the skin.
Thin leather handbag lying in a flowers field,on the cedar shade. Near sit a man and smoking.
Not sweet, but warm. It's perfect scent.

I managed to snag a 1/2 ounce of the Parfum at the Chanel boutique. I tried the old version of the EdT, before it was reformulated to even a sheerer version for their Exclusifs line. The old EdT was somehow too harsh and too brash for me to appreciate.

The parfum version of this fragrance is excellent, smooth, albeit rather animalic for many I think. But this is a leather scent! You can't deny what this scent is all about.

I've smelled other leather scents, but this one mimics the scent of leather without fault or flaw IMO. I'd like to look at the face of those who are into fruity-florals try a sniff of Cuir de Russie.

For those who can appreciate Cuir de Russie, but find it too animalic at times, they should try Arpege which is more restrained, but definitely carries sensual leather notes much like Cuir de Russie.

I would love to try it. I haven't seen Cuire de Ruisse around but it sounds like such an interesting scent that I must try it.

My second choice of next Chanel-must-have!
Never realized it was made almost a century ago!
The leatherly sensation is almost lost to me
The richness of sensations developing from a surprisingly fresh blend of florals into a more feminine jasmine-rosy blend interwined with the cedar whiff and a slight trace of vetiver - almost indiscernible among the variety of flowery scents, to rest on the warm flavour of vanilla and amber...
Lovely and mysterious!

i guess i like CDR as much as the other gal. I admire it, i recognise it as a masterpiece and the one that made eligible for a lady to wear wood and leather on her skin, but i don't need it often.So it's not a love affair but it's a good and rewarding acquittance.This is abstract leather with not much leather on it, still it reminds to many of us highly fragrant leather gloves by the rich vintage of a 30's lady.This starts with a classical orange blossom and it slowly becomes spicier with a smidge of carnation. Ther's also a deep grassy resiny cedar. As it dries down the warmth of vanilla envelopes the senses. A highly elegant scen that smells like diamonds and a old red pinot by the fireplace!

Love It! It's rare, very hard to find. The leather note tapers off to an exotic drydown. It's risky and a dab goes a long way, but on the right skin it's "class" in a bottle. One of Chanel's finest!

I was a little confused by the leather note at first. I had not tried very many 'leather' scents besides Bvlgari Black so I really didn't know what to make of it. I'm glad I gave it a chance, though, because it is a lovely perfume. All I can smell at first spray is leather and not so much any citrus notes. The perfume has excellent staying power and the vanilla and amber that stay on the skin are beautiful. I found myself sniffing my wrists all day the last time I wore it because it is an interesting perfume. I would suggest giving it a try if for no other reason than to try a rather unconventional and sexy scent.

I tested this today, quite a strong leathery start 'hits' you, then lightens out though still off putting, as it reminds me of wesring leather gloves, which would have been popular in the 1920's... I am not sure who this would appeal to today in 2008?!

We love this perfume.Hard to finde the same igredients again.My sister say: When I wear it I feel like I came from PARADICE.

Actually I don't like this. I thought I would, but I don't so much smell leather as a rather nasty horse.