One of the highlights of "Le Tour de Chanel" exhibition, "A Passion for Jewels,"is the Gabrielle necklace created especially for the event. The necklace has 574 sapphires, 347 diamonds and 189 cultured pearls, and is valued at $150,000.

Chanel's National Fragrance Consultant Josette Legouix was in town this week to talk about tending this delicate fragrance, as part of "Le Tour de Chanel," exhibitions celebrating Chanel's expansion in Hawaii.

Allure is the creation of Chanel's Jacques Polge, who Legouix respectfully refers to as the Master Nose.

"With a musician it is his ear that will know if all the notes are right together. For Polge, his main instrument is his nose. He is the master composer of fragrance."

Polge creates fragrance "the way it had been created 2,000 years ago," she said. "The nose is constantly blending fragrances like an artist working on his masterpiece. If you walk into an artist's studio, you will probably see many paintings, but one day, he knows he has found his masterpiece."

Traditionally, fragrances have top, middle and bottom notes, but Allure is described as a "six-faceted jewel" with layers of scents ranging from the tanginess of Italian citron to the floral essences of rose, jasmine, magnolia and water lily, to the sweetness of vanilla.

In Hawaii's warm weather, Legouix said, a little fragrance goes a long way because the body's warmth increases the intensity of a scent.

"It should be worn without the 'shouting effect,' " she said, which happens when the wearer "gets immune to it, but everyone around them is thinking, 'a little too much.' "

The immunity can be combatted by switching scents for a while. Legouix wore Chanel's Coco before sampling Allure, and now she's a convert.

In the long run, the choice of a scent should not be made because it's the latest thing, or gender specific, she said.

"Egoiste Platinum, our scent for men, has been very well received by women, and I've seen men wearing Chanel No. 5. We are now liberated. It's OK because scent should be selected to your being.

"I can't tell a woman what to wear. I want customers to make the choice because it's something they are going to live with."

And to put more power into your scent, she said, skip the deodorant soap and choose a neutral one instead, or choose a soap that matches your perfume or eau de toilette, and layer the scent.

"Most women use deodorant soaps these days but it works against fragrance by delivering what it promises. Deodorant soaps fight odor, and odor can be good or bad," Legouix said.

Allure starts at $85 for a quarter-ounce size bottle or $47.50 for a 1.7-ounce eau de toilette spray.

Shoppers at the Chanel boutique in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center can also view "Le Tour de Chanel's" historic exhibition of handbags and shoes, and at Chanel's Ala Moana Fine Jewelry Boutique, view glittery gems from "A Passion for Jewels." Both shows continue through Sunday.