Question:
Yesterday I woke up with money burning a hole in my pocket and I went to a mall. There's a discount store that has Creeds and a bunch of really obscure stuff that most stores don't have.
I bought a bottle of Eau de Cartier (it smells very much like a gin and tonic/gin martini) and I wanted to get one other thing.
The store guy sprayed some Creed Original Santal on my arm and it was incredible! Granted it did smell very similar to Joop!, but whereas Joop! is kind of loud and cloying, the OS was really perfect. I would have bought a bottle of OS but he only had the 2.5 oz bottle, and I wanted to get the big bottle since I have the big bottle of Original Vetiver, and they'd look good together on the shelf.
As i was sniffing the OS, a few thug-types walked in and asked about Aqua di Gio. I looked up at the shelf behind the counter and saw a single bottle of Chanel Antaeus!!!
I had been trying to get a bottle of Antaeus for years. The first time I sampled it was when Allure came out and the store had all the Chanels and the SA made me smell all of them-- I though Antaeus was disgustingly bad--but I couldn't get it out of my head. Then over time I decided I liked it and wanted to get a bottle. By that time it was impossible to find in stores.
So I was really excited. I asked the price and he told me $80... damn, pretty high but WTF. I had to get it. Even though it's not something I can see myself wearing very often, it is a work of art.
But has the formula changed? Also the bottle looks different from some pics. On my bottle, the cap is squared and continues the lines from the bottle--weird because I think this makes it look like a giant lipstick tube!?! Whereas I've seen other pictures where the cap is small and round and basic. I prefer the look of the other bottle, I think.
And the smell is not as strong as I recall-- though in the old days anything that wasn't aquatic and fresh struck my nose as being too strong. It just seems that this scent is watered down a bit, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for me. Good, because this formulation is very wearable on me without being overpowering-- I don't think I could pull off the Antaeus I remember, but it's bad because I don't quite get that intense "hit" from sniffing it for "huffing" purposes.
And I'm wondering this, since we're on the subject of Antaeus-- Does anyone else find a similarity between Antaeus and Bandit? And do any of you DIY perfumers think Antaeus might also contain Iso Butyl Quinoline? I'm thinking it may.
I wish I would have been fortunate enough to have gotten Antaeus in winter instead of Spring, so I may have to wait for a good time to wear it.
Welcome to the 'drobe, Antaeus. We've been expecting you...

Answer:
Congrats. I love Antaeus. You can still find it easily at Bloomingdales.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Indie_Guy I looked up at the shelf behind the counter and saw a single bottle of Chanel Antaeus!!!
I had been trying to get a bottle of Antaeus for years.
But has the formula changed? . Yes, Antaeus, along with all the other, once brilliant, Chanel masculine fragrances, has been been dumbed down by the bottom line driven Wertheimer dynasty. A shame.

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I just purchased a bottle of Antaeus from FragranceX two weeks ago. Sure, it may be the current 'lesser' version but it smells great and my wife loves it on me.
I think I paid about $40 - $45 (too lazy to go check)
Enjoy.
Serendeep

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Love Antaeus, and I have my bottle coming from a fellow Basenoter.
One question, it's pronounced "On-tay-us", right?
- Rich

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http://www.bartleby.com/61/52/A0325266.html
This dictionary link includes a little sound thingie you can click to hear proper pronunciation.

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Originally Posted by Indie_Guy Does anyone else find a similarity between Antaeus and Bandit? Damn good question. I'm going to play with both and get an answer for me.
It happens that I've always thought Bandit was a bit of Bel Ami with some flower stems in it (especially Bandit edp). Not to far to move between Bel Ami and Antaeus, time wise, so maybe the comparison will work really well.
Good idea, Indie.
--Chris

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I don't know if Antaeus has been toned down over time, but my relatively
new bottle (maybe 2 years old, or so) is still plenty loud. I like it.
I don't think Chanel has been dumbing down their masculine frags, but
some of you have more years of smelling than I. I still regard it as the
best designer fragrance house, period.
I hadn't thought of Antaeus and Bandit as cousins, but maybe you're right.
I have them both and will spray some to compare.
Nice to see you posting again, Indie.

Answer:
Indie:
AZ is right, I bought my Antaeus at Bloomingdale's as well. That was last year in April--when I tried it for the 2nd time.
The first time I was on 'frag overload.'
I don't know about the rest of you, but 2 different juices on each arm + at least 15 min drydown is all I can handle to arrive at an intelligent buying decision--or at least one that doesn't leave me wondering I was smoking stuff I couldn't spell when I made the purchase.
Anyway, it was in the exact container that you describe.
It's one of my all time favorites---THE most sophisticated romantic evening frag in the arsenal.
If it has been 'dumbed down' and there was a better original---LET ME KNOW WHERE TO GET IT!
Congratulations indeed!
Mario

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Yeah, my bottle looks like the one pictured in the Basenotes directory:
an enormous lipstick capsule. This has been the style for a long while, I
think.