My dear friends, I bought a $35 bar of soap. I know you don’t blame me. I know you get it. I stood there in the drugstore, in my sweat pants, a pair of sad House Uggs™ (you know the ones that no one owns, yet everyone wears when they need to quickly run out of the house and pray no one will see them). I was sad self isolation sight, with no makeup, visible roots and undone hair. I’d been wandering the aisles, staring at my phone and the list of essential items I needed to grab for my family when I saw it.

The Chanel No5 milled bar of soap was sitting on the shelf, looking like a downright affordable piece of Chanel to me. That’s what luxury beauty does to you. It makes a Chanel soap priced at $35 seem like an absolute bargain. Relatively speaking, in the beauty world, a largish box, containing over five ounces of a Chanel branded fragranced item for $35 is a bargain. And, this is not just any Chanel scent, this is No5, the iconic and historic Chanel scent. I know not everyone loves it (sorry for those of you, wow) but anyways. I was mesmerized and bought it, keeping a safe distance from everyone as I left the store and carried my precious Chanel cargo home.

I couldn’t bring myself to open it right away so sat it on my bedside table. That night as I lay in bed I could smell it, the gorgeous airy soapy aldehydes that are unmistakably No5, but also the ylang ylang and rose like I’ve never experienced in the perfume. The smell of this soap was so beautiful and gorgeous as ONLY Chanel No5 is, but in such rich, airy *soapy* way. I’ve been stressed out lately (hey I know you are too, let’s hold each other virtually) and KNOW I have to chill out and count my blessings. Being grateful is an exercise for me. So lying down at night and smelling that box of Chanel No5 soap became an exercise in gratitude.

But the day came, around a week later, when I knew I wasn’t doing that bar of soap justice. Sitting in it’s box, wrapped perfectly in it’s cello, smelling divine, wasn’t the final mission for the Chanel No5 French milled soap. It was egg shaped and felt perfect in the hand. It was meant to be held, under water, and lathered.

Readers, the time had come. I took a bath. And the lather that ensued when that No5 finely milled beauty was finally submerged the soft foam I created in my hand were like the softest whipped meringue, almost lighter than air. I used a puff and there was so much lather, it was hard to believe it was all coming from a mere bar of soap. But – it’s a very dense & creamy fancy soap, a $35 soap, if you will, so you aren’t getting any pedestrian runny bubbles.

These are luxurious and rich creamy bubbles, and they leave behind a scent that lingers for at least a day on skin. The gorgeous soapy sandalwood and aldehydes of No5, and frankly the dry down of this soap reminds me a bit of Chanel Bois des Iles. It’s so quintessentially “soapy clean” in the modern white linen drying in the hot sun version of the genre, but with the complex woodsy musky base that elevates this soap to it’s luxe status.

As I lay in bed after I took a bath with my beautiful soap, I could still smell it on my skin. It was still there. I was grateful. How could I not be, lying safe in my home with my family, in my safe cozy bed, smelling like Chanel No5?

Chanel No5 bar soap is sold online and at most Chanel perfume counters.