Mom wants some Chanel No 5 for Christmas. Since it is something she can’t afford to buy for herself, I will probably get it for her. Since I know nothing about perfume:
What is the difference between EAU DE TOILETTE and EAU DE PARFUM? Which is the nicer? Is there anything else I should know when buying for her?
Thanks!
Eau de Parfum has more perfume oil in it that Eau de Toilette - the ranking goes something like this:
Parfum
Eau de Parfum
Eau de Toilette
Body Spray/Refreshing Spray
Body Veil
Body Lotion
Cleansing Products
and Chanel has all of these products available.
The higher the concentrate of perfume oil, the longer the scent will last on the skin.
Pure Parfum is the most luxurious product - it’s applied by dabbing it behind the ears - however, it’s also the most expensive ~ $150 for a teeny, tiny bottle if I recall correctly.
Depending on what sort of routine your mom has I would actually suggest getting her more than 1 less expensive product - for instance you could get her a Dusting Powder, Body Lotion and small size Eau de Toilette - by layering the scent it will last longer.
That being said, depending on your mom’s age and your budget, I would probably recommend getting the dusting powder and the Pure Parfum - very popular with ladies around mom type ages. 
I immediately thought of jfortun’s post in the thread titled “Guys: The Best Cologne in the World”
The difference is in the concentration of perfume oils. An EdT will contain 4-8% fragrance oils (the rest is alcohol) and EdP will contain 8-14%.
The effect is that the EdP is often richer, longer lasting and more expensive.
No. 5 also comes in a Perfume, that is, the highest concentration of oils, about 20-40%. Very expensive but if you can afford it ($90 for .25oz) well worth it. Because it is so highly concentrated you don’t need more than a dab so don’t be put off my the small quantity you get for the price.
I see others are helping me repeat myself.
Kind of a side note :
A lot of people find no. 5 to be pretty old-fashioned, so if your mother hasn’t used it for a while, she might actually prefer something a little more newfangled. Of course your mother may be a little older than what I’m imagining…
I think No. 5 has kind of a modern edge. Here’s a bevy of interesting info on the perfume.
Incidentally the above article also mentions the house of Creed which is also a great source for classic fragrances (but that’s a bit OT).
Mom is 65 and she is sure this is what she wants. Dad used to get it for her every year, but since he passed last December, I’m gonna pick up the tradition. I asked her if she would find it painful, but she said no, it would be a wonderful reminder. It is possible that Dad got her the less expensive stuff, as they never had a lot of money, but I want to get her the best that I can.
Thanks guys. Now I know what to buy!
Pure Parfum
Body Veil
Dusting Powder
Mom will feel like a queen every time she uses her products - and in case you’re wondering, she wont reek - the powder and veil have very low concentrations of perfume oil in them so they will just enhance the staying power of the parfum.
I would also check out a Chanel counter - they get some lovely gift sets in around now for X-mas - a sales woman should either be able to show you a set that has a nice selection of items or prepair a nice basket (free of charge) for your mom.
And by the way, you sound like a very nice son, Khadaji. Good luck with your shopping.
We are definately wandering into IMO territory but…
It is my opinion that if you buy a fragrance of perfume concentration you should use it alone. It is the ultimate expression of the perfumer’s art and adding other elements like moisturizer or powder messes with it. Sometimes moisturizer can be used to extend the life of a fragrance on the skin, but that will not be needed with a perfume.
IMO, anyway.
::Blushing:: Thanks! and thanks to all who helped!
I loooove Chanel No. 5. Over two birthdays, I bought/got all three: the Eau de Toilette, the Eau de Parfum *and * the Parfum itself. Contrary to what I expected, I found all three to have a distinctly different smell. Sure, they all were Chanel 5-ish, but I liked the Eau de Perfume best, followed by the Eau de Toilette. The advantages listed (smell that lasts longer) definitely apply to the difference between the Eau de Toilette and the Eau de Parfum.
The Parfum (the most concentrated variety) was a very expensive wrong buy. I really didn’t see any advantages over the Eau de Parfum. The smell wasn’t nicer, you didn’t need less of it, the smell didn’t stay with you longer. I suspect the Parfum is bought mainly for status reasons.
Perfume as strong as Chanel no 5 is hard to dosage anyway. It comes in unpractical bottles with a stopper or in a spray. I do’t recommend using a spray: just one or two sprays yields enough perfume to be smelt two rooms away. Insteqd, I transferred some perfume to a a little ball roller. Empty cally-along rollers can be bought quite cheap and make a nice complementary gift.
While were at it what is Pour Homme?
For men, in French.