Les Exclusifs de Chanel Cuir de Russie Chanel for women

I purchased my first Cuir de Russie yesterday and I am in love! It is a masterpiece of perfumery and Ernest Beaux is a genius.
The fragrance is like pulling on a buttery soft leather jacket trimmed in plush lambs wool, so comforting and reassuring.
Wore it for the first time this morning and had compliments from the guy in the corner store, the girls in the bakery and the lady at the coffee shop. Definitely money well spent; I only regret not buying the 200ml now!

Absolutely love this fragrance and wouldn't at all be surprised if it quickly becomes my signature!

This is really what I would have thought Chanel 5 should have smelled like! Perfection, perfection, perfection! On me it begins with a dark leather and jasmine note (I cannot usually wear jasmine at all but in this concoction I can!).

The soft and gentleness of the leather almost reminds me of suede rather than a leather! The flowers blend beautifully into a fragrance that just delights me!

On the drydown I get a good caramel scent - not overly sweet but just enough.

On my skin Cuir de Russie is just a pleasure to wear!

Now I am drying to try the classic version!

Wonderful animalic and dark leather.

It's deep enough to make you think you're all covered by leather.

The opening is a bit rancid leather, but then turns to a smoother leather with the tobacco note.

Not an easy fragrance to wear, but beautifully constructed and blended.

Sillage, lasting power and projection are medium-high.

Despite after Bandit by Robert Piguet or even Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford this leather fragrance seems too quiet and not leathery enough, I can say that it's good and noble enough.

But I'm can't say that Cuir de Russie makes a huge impressian on my Russian nose:) I would choose Tuscan Leather as a leather scent.

Thank the living daylights I got a sample and saved myself a whole lot of cash! Sillage poor, longevity - medium!

Saddest thing is that Jasmine (unless it is the BEST) projects up my nose like 'cat pee' and I am getting that scent now! I expected something sexy and leathery - instead I got aldehydes, cat-pee and iris! Yes, there is some leather but not classy enough for me - or deep enough to call this Russian Leather!! (Mongolian leather maybe - if you know the history there !!!)

I see wads of prose written and this perfume lauded over - and why? Because it is Chanel and because it is old? I suspect the original composition smelt far better back in the days before the aldehydes!

Reminds me way to much of No.5 - and I can't stand that either - still I have the 4ml snifter - I suspect if I hand it down it will be worth even more when the frag is changed again!

Cuir de Russie Parfum

Cuir de Russie is a masterpiece, and quoting another fellow reviewer from basenotes (of-scenter), it belongs to my pantheon of leathers. Its so beautifully done, the overdose of iris, the smoky birch tar with the citrus in the opening creating a sour animalic aura, its very dark and luxurious at the same time. An image that comes to my mind is Coco wearing a black patent leather cape over a white satin gown or even the famous Helmut Newton photo in witch the model is wearing a Couture Saint Laurent tuxedo.

Beaux and Coco managed to capture the essence of the feminist movement and the free spirit of the contemporary woman, that is, the duality of femininity and amazone fighter. I can see the working girl that uses seduction as a weapon, the dominatrix controlling her male slave and even house wives that knows how to convince their husbands to do what they want. The strange thing its that its is so classical and modern at the same time, i think thats why it reminds me of Yves and Helmut Newton, the erotic gender bender game, women dressing as men, women taking control over their desires and taking care of their lives. I fell like it represents Coco's own personal way of life, financially independent but emotionally dependent of her lovers at the same time.

CdR is a very feminine fragrance and you can smell that because its full of flowers but then again its so masculine, the flowers are very animalic, the birch is incredibly smokey and improper for a women and I think thats what makes this fragrance so grand and important. Its full of contradictions, its very personal, not the type of fragrance you would wear to attract someone but rather to satisfy your own desire. This fragrance and nº19 to me represents much more then nº5 whats Chanel is all about but unfortunately they doesn't get the attention they should specially Cuir de Russie...

5 out of 5

very shalimar !! is it me only think about that ??

Cuir de Russie, to me, is leather and jasmine with woods. Not what I would usually go for but I find it delicious. My husband may not find this sexy but there is something comforting about this scent. It may be the vanilla that lingers at the end of each sniff. I find it softer than Coromandel. I can also detect the sweet tobacco note -- not strong at all. Together, if I don't separate the notes, it is like powder. This won't win any awards for sweetness but I don't mind. I enjoy the whole scent -- classy, unique and elegant. One reviewer mentioned Catherine Deneuve and I agree. I want this for its elegance. Toss up between Cuir de Russie and 31 Rue Cambon.

One spray on me:
Sillage: close to skin
Longevity: about 4 hours
Rating: 5/5
Price: Holt Renfrew 75ml C$145

Cuir de Russie is an angular officer of the Tsar's cavalry mounted on the back of a black thoroughbred horse.

It is worldy, sensual, rough and exotic. Yet at once has vulnerability: it offers glimpses of tenderness and hints at a melancholy as vast and unending as the Russian Steppes themselves.

This is hide: black, burnished, animal and unclean.

This is not the polite, precise, bridled up leather of a Hermes saddle or bag: fit for French fops on manicured ponies.

This is military leather, hardened by battle and burned birch. Impervious to the elements and sentiment , at first unyielding and unconscious of compromise.

But wait, something resides beneath the apparently impenetrable surface.

For at once with the St Petersburg splendour of Empire so comes its underbelly. The Caucuses, the conquered kingdoms of Mohammedans, Cossacks and Stans.

There is something of the souk: cardamon perhaps, the charcoal burner of the water pipe and its sweet and flavoured tobacco, a slow cooking stew of meats and fruits and spices.

Yet, through the bazzar of boots and belts and bags, specially cured to disguise from whence they came. Beyond the army supplier's oleaginous smiles and eternal deals, without the Medina's walls: here resides the truth.

The tannery. It's filth, it's excretia, it's putrefaction. The inevitable and unbearable pain that brings forth such beauty.

And it is all too much amongst the stink of the skins.

Our officer raises a pomade of flowers and bergamot to the nose, hoping hopelessly to ward off the evil and the smells. Spinning on sculpted heal, turning a back on reality. An old pipe is lit with french tobacco and our soldier departs in search of sex, sollace and forgetfulness.

As with every aristocrat of a declining Empire, our officer is open to offers from either man or woman - at the right price.

The mercenary promises to love no one. When present the presence is intense and enveloping as a lover's close embrace. Alas, it is gone too soon leaving only absence and the heart to yearn through the longeur to its return.

Cuir de Russie is the angular officer of the Tsar's cavalry mounted on the back of a black thoroughbred horse that every man and every woman wants to be or be with.

In the opening there is a strong pronounced leather and sandalwood soap. Seriously, reminds me of the kind my chinese grandma kept in her drawers to scent clothes. Very inexpensive. Still available today, comes prettily wrapped in colorful paper with signature flowery sandalwood scent.

Though this eau may not contain actual sandalwood it smells like it to me.
This smooth, soapy, woody (cada wood and balsam) flower accord is creamy and develops a light dusting of sweet powder. Subtle wafts of incense appear. The leather gets soft and intimate as genuine glove leather does. Suede in particular.



Luxurious, soft, refined, intimate oriental floral leather eau.
Very nice would love to buy this at some point.

Perfume "cuir" always has something specific, something sensuel in itself! "Cuir de Russie" is ideal for the sophisticated lady and for the elegant gentelman.

Unfortunately the longevity is poor...

"Cuir de Russie" is the typical example of a perfume which everyone admits is good, only because it is not bad (with the prerequisites of the big nose and the big company behind it, fulfilled).
Nothing more to say here, just don't order it without first sampling it, as I find the comments below a bit exaggerated.
Longevity and sillage not brilliant, either.

Warning, PG18 ahead. Ok, I am risking getting stoned for this but here goes, this smells of sex! Wild, animalistic, no-holds and no-frills sex like what Samantha has in Sex & The City. First blast I smell sourish sweat (in a good way, not BO) mixed with tanned hides. As it dries down the sourness of it calms down and the light florals dance their way into this smoky, erotic, narcotic scent. (I really wonder how far Ernest Beaux researched into getting "the essence of Chanel's affair with the Grand Duke")- it's almost as if someone bottled their bedsheets, carpets and wherever else their amour took them. This never becomes floral or sweet, it stays firmly in the Oriental-Woody for me. This is not an obnoxious leather scent for those who are wary of leather notes like I am, having once tried a Serge Lutens one that made me think of leather couches and turned me off forever. I have to say THIS is the scent that has changed the way I look at Chanel forever, although having had or tried many others in the range, none have knocked the socks off me the way this one has. This is an EDT but it lasts forever. Sillage remains close to body. I have to excuse myself now as my fevered brain goes into overdrive. To Russia and decadent sex, with love!

This is the most glorious beautiful leather scent I have ever met. It is so beautiful on skin and the balance of the leather and the florals and the gorgeous musky woody drydown is like honey on leather.

I see a fine gentleman all dressed up in his leather equestrian gear, smelling like the finest leather and a softly spicy floral cologne. He tries to finish his toast and honey before he goes off to the early morning hunt but he spills a drop of honey on his finely polished boots. "Oh, darling I'll take care of it," says his lovely wife, still in her morning deshabille. She leans over, scoops the trail of honey with her finger and then puts it in her mouth. "Hmm, leather and honey. Maybe I'll have that on my toast tomorrow," she says with an impish smile as she kisses him and hands him his tophat and riding crop. Cuir de Russie, the dream-maker!

Cuir de Russie Parfum starts with a sweet warm floral leather smell, after few minutes the leather becomes more prominent turning the whole scent into a powdery leather beauty. It stays more 8 hours on clothes, on skin about 4 to 6 hours.

Classic yet still very modern. Clean and dirty at the same time. For both men and women, old and young, and everyone in between.

"Leather Perfection"

All should try this!

Les Magnifique, C'est Magnifique , Nous Magnifique, Vous Magnifique..Tojour Magnifique...lost of french words for now ; classic iconoclaste leather masterpiece! period - if you are a smoker; this will smoke you.

Brutally beautiful.

I cannot find another leather fragrance with a greater appeal so that can hardly compete with it, even the most recent versions are still top of the list.

The vintage formula was just a rain of paradise!

Womderful even on women.

This review is for the EDT (which I like better than the extrait: better smell, longevity, power and sillage).

I love this perfume. It opens with an amazingly sharp blast of acid notes that slowly settles down to reveal a beautiful equestrian leather with flowers in the background (namely the signature Chanel jasmine, rose and ylang ylang). I call it equestrian because I actually get hay, a leather saddle in the front, horse and... I'll say it, horsesh*t. However, the composition is so perfectly balanced that it plays with these animalic pestilent notes making them beautiful with the aid of the flowers and a little wood and tobacco, with hints of citric notes showing up every now and then. I never thought that the smell of a stable could become my second favorite perfume ever (surpassed only by vintage Narcisse Noir), but Chanel has proven me wrong. As the hours go by, the leather becomes more and more prominent, yet it still allows the rest of the heart notes to play around under its supervision. Many people seem to fin it sweet: on my skin it's nothing of the sort: the sourness of the flowers is revealed, thanks to the other notes that prevent their sweetness to come to play. As it dries down, it's like the stable had caught fire and it was burning in front of me. Im left with a beautiful, smoldering bonfire that goes on on my skin for hours and hours. I can almost feel the fire crackling. I only have so many words to describe how beautiful this is.

On my skin, Cuir de Russie has crazy sillage and longevity, more so than the parfum. I get compliments all the time when I wear it. But, most importantly, I cannot stop sniffing my hand.

Cuir de Russie is a masterpiece, and to me, the best Chanel ever (followed not too closely by the original Coco). This is a horse ride, followed by a moment of passion through the hay of a stable. The lovers have left their inprint in the stable (the woman's flowery perfume, say Chanel no 5, their strong cigarette after sex, their sweat...). As a result, the stable now has a characteristic smell: it's Cuir de Russie.

Very nice review Lanier...

Indolic, animalic, jasmine, soap, stables and saddles. This is beautifully equestrian, softly spoken leather and so far the sillage is intense and holding well.

It has next to nothing in common with Cuir de Lancome on my skin I would say it has more in common with Joy.

try to get hold or the perfume to inhale

Paris 1921. Dawn. The snow was falling outside. It was a white coverlet that blanketed the Place Vendome like a soft wet whisper. Coco stretched and smiled eyes still closed. She rolled over in the bed and opened one eye. In the cool steel grey light the Grand Duke was still asleep. The beautiful Russian’s scent had permeated Coco’s bed. She breathed in the aroma of tobacco, it mingled with his musky sexiness. He was delicious.

She sat up in the bed and looked around the boudoir pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged them. A new lover; what could be more perfect this winter? She gathered the mink throw about her naked shoulders and arose like a sylph to ring for breakfast. As she passed a bouquet of African orange blossoms, roses and jasmine on the vanity she noticed how lovely the scent was as it mingled with the trail of musky masculinity that followed her progress from the bed. It hovered near her cheek daring her to kiss the air.

Once breakfast was ordered she turned to enter the bathroom and a glint of light from the foot of the bed snatched at the corner of her eye. The Duke’s gorgeous noir leather boots were there where he had dropped them the night before, one upright the other having fallen over on its side. Coco swept one up in her arms and held it like the most precious thing. The strong masterly fragrance of fine Russian leather embraced her. The room seemed to be swimming in leather and tobacco and some faint spices from the Orient that emanated from one of her perfume bottles. “Odeur incroyable, merveilleux rêve…” she whispered softly. She dropped the boot and fell back into bed with him. She squinted and studied his profile. Then playfully she ran her finger along his imperial Russian forehead over his nose and lips down to his chin. “Wake up Cheri! I have an idea.”

That Idea became Cuir De Russie by Chanel inspired by her brief love affair with a Romanoff on the run, the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. Created in 1924 by master nose of the house of Chanel, Ernest Beaux this fragrance is a masterpiece of the leather perfume group.

It opens like a rich silver box lined with plush maroon velvet. It is well-appointed and sumptuous in the smoothness of its first notes of African orange blossom and mandarin orange. These citrus accords are only momentary and they sink back to reveal the heart of jasmine, rose and ylang ylang supported by incredible spice. This all sounds very feminine and lovely but the over riding structure and genius of this fragrance is the persistence of the rich smooth polish of a great leather note. It is there from beginning to end. This leather blends in with the rose and jasmine to create a dominating masculine presence that somehow is not pushy but rather intuitive and clever. It is a seduction of insinuation that is in the end irresistible. It smells of a clean wonderful athletic body that isn’t intimidated by rough roughish edginess that comes with the musk. The dry down is clean as the birch wood note enters along with a taste of tobacco and bergamot. The projection is substantial and it lasts around six to eight hours. Cuir de Russie is most definitely for both men and women.

Plane and simply put it is a magnificent scent. Cuir de Russie by Chanel Les Exclusifs is a classic from arguably one of the best noses ever to have lived. Legendary, iconic and timeless and as modern today as it was when it was introduced 88 years ago.

FIVE PLATIUM CAMILIAS *****

This is the big tease. The beauty that glances at you but then suddenly recants on the idea.

Take the beautiful leather found in Knize 10 take away the chemical leather treater smell add iris and a few other gentle florals and you have Cuir De Russie.

This is so sexy so proper yet so bad ass ! The problem is sillage and longevity. There is hardly any projection from this fragrance. Even as a skin scent you would need to apply and reapply then apply again within a few minutes. So why own it ?

Bought it as an impulse buy and all it has brought me is heartache !

This experience has made me determined to find a good leather fragrance.

This leather masterpiece was made in heaven!

This is the white floral I have always craved. Light white florals -not too heady, deeply grounded with with woods and strengthened by twirling leather strands, and a little of that special Chanel powder.

As I first smelled this on my wrist I wanted to run from this fragrance. There is nothing to really run from. I smelled it again, and thought maybe my husband could wear it. I washed it off before the top notes unfolded. Mistake. This fragrance is made for a real woman, and therefore takes some time to get to know.

A few weeks later I got restless for adventure, so I checked my account and calender for opportunities to travel. No can do. Wistful, I remembered this scent. I ran to my husband's counter and tried this on again. Adventure at last.

Ladies, if you put this on while your husband is gone for the day, I think he will surely come back and ask you "Where have you been today?" just a little envious and hoping you will show him where you got all that mystery.

Wow, this is a fabulous fragrance. I'm a man and I love wearing this. I guess the connotation of leather and men go together somehow. It's rich and long lasting and projects nicely. Delve in and wear this while dressing up, running errands or an evening wear before going to bed. What is it about wearing Chanel at bedtime? The magnetic cap is fantastic. JG 022012

Being used to rather harsh, bold and daring leather fragrances, I must admit it was a genuine pleasure to encounter a soft and delicate leather scent for a change. This one is for sure refined and smoothened to the maximum.
I get lots of leather and jasmine at the background, which altogether make a kind of mild yet slighltly nauseating and animalic smell. It is both alluring and somehow distancing at the same time.
Sillage is pretty low on me as Cuir de Russie is definitely a close to the skin and intimate concoction, but longevity is excellent for such a delicate scent - about 10 hrs.
All in all, a really nice experience, but I guess will stick to my "crass" leathers, also because of the price!

On me, this Chanel is so different than as described. The initial notes are just slightly leathery, the middle notes are smooth and buttery and what really surprises me - the drydown stays on my skin forever. And it's sweet! Not cloyingly sweet, but sweetly tempting enough that I'm wondering 12 hours later, what smells so delightfully sweet and warm? It lasts forever on me, the sillage is excellent and I am saving up for a full bottle. I've gone through one sample and I know the second won't last long.

Cuir de Lancome, which I was prepared to love, is another story. On me it's loud and fractious, the drydown is a little better and the sillage is good, but I'll only be wearing it when I'm a little too mellow (or sleepy)- to smack me awake.

For me there is nothing in the Chanel that even hints of the smell of horse manure, or a barn, and I grew up on a farm and enjoyed ample contact with horses, cattle, rabbits, chickens, ducks and geese, both feeding and cleaning cages and stalls. Perhaps the Chanel appeals to me because I love the scent of a hay or horse barn and the smell of newly hatched fowl?

Fragrance is memory, and memory is mystery.

This smells like horses washed in a soap, it becomes better scent after 2 hours, recommend trying before buying this cant appeal to everyone, i have noticed parfumes with oak moss and leather can be stinky to half the people some like it and some cant stand it. I like leather scent like kely caleche very much although first 2 days i thought its not a nice smell at all. But this here is just too much animalic and horseslike,although it gets better with time
And yes this could be for men too!
and yes i can imagine this is like russia smelt at the begining of 19th century :)it does smell luxurious after several hours..and not after horses...and stays 12 hours!! the longest from all les exclusifs....

I am so impressed with this sent. Until now, I have not found a chanel that I could love. I also never thought a leather sent would work for me either. I dont really smell but a slight hint of leather. Lovely. Simply lovely. A must add to my collection.


Edit. I finally purchaced this fragrance. So glad I did. I moved to the chicago area from the warm south. Ive had trouble adjusting to the cold. This fragrance will help keep me warm over the cold winter nights.

As much as leather is one of my favorite scents, of the (limited, I admit)leather-featured scents I've tried most have gone into plasticky-PVC-bondage leather rather than butter-soft leather gloves passed down from a chic female relative. Cuir de Russie, however, was love at first sniff. It opens with a dirty animalic note that's borderline fecal, but the soft, creamy, spicy florals seep in and smooth out this animal's shaggy fur until Cuir de Russie becomes this heart-achingly beautiful blend with an undercurrent of barely-bridled danger; a lady in leather and lace, a sleek panther at repose in a meadow. I feared the bergamot and mandarin might ruin CdR as citrus is my skin's nemesis, but the two are either nonexistent here or (more than likely) thankfully so well interwoven with the other notes that I can't make out their presence.

I have the current Exclusifs EDT, and so cannot compare to past formulations or the parfum, but I can imagine those are as beautiful if not more so. For an EDT sillage and longevity are quite long, and I only regret buying the smaller EDT. Ah well, more wiggle room in my budget to save for the parfum!

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

After having worn the so called butch leathers for several months now, I had to revisit Chanel's Cuir de Russie, and I must say the leather here is something else entirely.
In comparison to many of the leather fragrances I've worn, CdR starts off on a very plush, feminine, almost floriental accord. It's all about powder and spice, with a good dose of ylang and fleur d'orange, and just an odd drop of tar that at first seems as if it doesn't even belong among all these pretty things. However, as it melds into skin, the leather takes on a more assertive voice, and animalics start to make their entrance, turning what seemed an utterly innocent composition into a sensual, luxurious and altogether very grown-up skinscent.

Sillage seems to diminish with introduction of those sensual elements, making this scent quite deceiving. The beauty will be noticed by many, but the darker, sultrier, more dangerous side will be visible to only those allowed into the intimate space.

Other reviews have covered all the bases. This is a most beautiful, smooth perfume and to me more gently spicy than leathery (thank goodness, after having experienced the brutal Cuir d'Iris by Parfumerie Generale). I cannot pick out any distinct floral notes so this is obviously a clever blend. This is quality in a bottle and next on the list for me to try is Sycomore. In the Exclusifs range though, IMO you cannot beat Coromandel. Chanel = class.

I think this fragrance is so rich and luxurious. I definitely get that brand-new-leather smell, and it's heavenly. It's sultry, seductive, and smooth. Sillage is excellent (considering it's an EDT). The dry down smells like honey and incense. I want it, but the Chanel store only carries a 6.8 oz. bottle!

I'm male and discovered this a few years ago. Its amazing that on a female it smells female and on a male its very male. I often get asked what's the amazing smell. Its exclusive enough to be confident you will be the only man in the room wearing it. The classic takes a bit of time to run in but you still get hints of it the next day. I've just bought the EDT 200ml and look forward to using it for a long time to come.

I was preparing myself for a strong leather scent, bigger and bolder than what I've previously tried. I was amazed to discover that this is a feminine and soft leather, nothing like Bandit by Robert Piguet or Cabochard by Gres.

This is leather with pretty floral and soapy nuances. I find nothing like what some have described; there's no animalistic qualities, (at least to my nose), no saltiness and no bitterness.

It almost smells inky to my nose, like a room filled with regal, black leather armchairs, big red cedar tables and ink-wells, with a vase filled with jasmine, ylang ylang and rose sitting near a window overlooking a courtyard.

I also don't get the masculine references, to me this particular scent is very feminine, pretty almost. I think it would work well in a casual atmosphere too.

I recommend Cuir de Russie as a leather scent for beginners, the perfect subtle leather before the transition into the bigger, harsher and stronger leather scents. Strange as it may sound, this fragrance is more romantic than dominatrix in my opinion. If you want sexual, animalistic leather try the men's department or douse yourself in Bandit.

Cuir de Russie has great lasting strength, however the sillage is extremely intimate and subtle, making it somewhat difficult to detect at times. All in all, a beautiful powdery and floral interpretation of a leather classic from Chanel.

This has got to be one of the most outstanding amazing perfumes i've ever smelt. It's not particularly "girly", but then neither am i. it smells absolutely great on my BF too. i think it's got something timeless about it, when i smell it i've got no idea it's from the 1920's, although i believe it has been reformulated for the new collection of exclusifs. what i love about it is the clean soapiness of the topnote. when i was a kid we always had Cussons Imperial Leather soap in the house and it reminds me a little bit of that, with lovely warm leathery smokiness in the drydown. i first smelt it in the Gum in Moscow but didn't buy it till i got home to Amsterdam. but for me it's a memory of my lovely holiday in Russia. this is so special that i wonder why it ever disappeared from general sale. in short a wonderful, amazing, timeless classic with a sort of edgy attitude about it. Definitely here to stay in my collection. i haven't smelt any beef in it yet, but i'll keep looking!! This one did get the thumbs up from my cat, who has a very discerning taste in perfume!!

Chanel CUIR DE RUSSIE is a full-fledged leather perfume. No idea why they've placed it in the oriental floral category, as this creation opens as dark leather conditioned with something like railroad grease and evokes images in my mind of black leather whips and Catherine Deneuve's afternoon lover in "Belle du jour". Not a flowery fragrance at all!

In the drydown, CUIR DE RUSSIE becomes lighter, more akin to soft suede, but it takes a while to get there. In the meantime, this is a dark leathery, yes, large-bovine-animal-roaming-free-through-the-prairie kind of scent.

I definitely would not recommend this for your wedding, among other occasions. Perhaps CUIR DE RUSSIE would work well--and even seem feminine--at a rodeo or a bullfight.

Layered with a rose perfume along the lines of Guerlain ROSA MAGNIFICA, I imagine that CUIR DE RUSSIE could be very beautiful, but I do feel that, as this composition stands, the florals have been entirely overshadowed by the dark leather and railroad grease. CUIR DE RUSSIE might very well appeal to fellows who like to don Dior FAHRENHEIT...

The smoothest richest softest leather ever! This is a pair of soft leather gloves, holding a bouquet of flowers with lots of jasmine, in a private library with glowing polished wood shelves and leather armchairs. After 8 hours it becomes a sweet vanilla, amber woody dream.

Eau de Bovine? Chanel Cuir de Russie is the "beefiest" leather scent I have sampled so far.

I like it, but it has a pronounced animalic aroma that doesn't exactly stink, but is not especially perfumey, either. I am surprised at the number of fruit and floral notes listed here, as my nose cannot smell any of them. This one comes across as fine, freshly tanned leather on my skin, with just a touch of meaty "beef jerky" scent. (Truly!)

It is 100% linear and stays close to the skin, with average persistence. I enjoy wearing it, but I save it for my days at home, as I can see how others might find this one a bit unpleasant.

Cuir de Russie is definitely unisex, as are most leather fragrances I have tried. It is one of the most unusual aromas in my collection and worth a try for fans of leather scents or unique perfumes.

(Please note: this review is for the new Les Exclusifs version of this scent, in EDT stregnth. I have not tried the "classic" version and can make no comparisons there.)