A legendary, if divisive, Chanel masterpiece. You either get it or you don't - those who do fall madly in love with its rich, complex character, while others are left scratching their heads, or worse, running for the hills. Definitely not a blind buy.

China Affair is inspired by Chanel's Les Exclusifs Coromandel, an earthy-woody patchouli with a white chocolate twist. It keeps the bitter orange opening and patchouli-white chocolate core, but reads thinner and less resinous than Chanel's dense, long-lasting original.