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yaroslavus – :
Why have the notes changed? Eau de Charlotte has always been centered around blackcurrent. The famous story is that Annick Goutal made the scent for her stepdaughter Charlotte who loved blackcurrent jam.
Personally I also sense more lily of the valley than actual lily. All the notes blend perfectly though. Sweet, soft and a bit powdery, perfect for early summer: butterflies, sunshine and a white cotton dress.
On an other note: I’m a bit overwhelmed by the new name and bottle change. I just visited the website, the prices have gone up and some perfumes seem discontinued – Vanille Exquise? Eau du Ciel? Neroli? Mandragore!? What is going on?
Fortunately I was able to buy some discounted bottles for backup during the last bottle change a few years ago, which it seems I will now have to treasure.
mich67 – :
This one smells like the Palmolive soap my grandmother used in her bathroom. So I find it to be a nice scent, a nostalgic, comforting scent whitch brings memories (of grannys bathroom) back to life. I like it for that, but I’m happy with my sample, I wont buy a bottle.
sifeassexia – :
First minutes it was very synthetic shower gel – shampoo. Then it developed to more light soapy scent. With time it became less synthetic. Then floral and mimosa started to appear. It’s sweet floral, cacao, bit soapy. After about 10 minutes there was something bit plastic-bag about it. This perfume is slightly “dark” and also sweet. Rather for woman than teen. After hour it was mostly warm, not overly sweet gourmand cacao.
DeniS79 – :
Gorgeous! Feminine, slightly powdery, romantic, very elegant and classy. Very pleasant surprise. It’s clean but not boring. I wouldn’t hesitate to reach for this one in most cases. It’s versatile enough to wear on a date, out with girlfriends, to work. Seems like the perfect “meet the parents” perfume when you know you’re the one! lol. it’s really beautiful, cheery, and exudes sophistication yet is totally approachable and a bit playful. Very warm and inviting.
edit: several more times, I have worn Eau de Charlotte and I don’t know what happened. Now, each time I try, Im so sorry to say this, but it reminds me of toilet water, mixed with baby wipes, and I unfortunately mean that in the worst way. It’s a young bottle, it would have to be impossible that it turned, and it doesn’t smell like alcohol, but I really do think something changed with this scent from the first times I wore and loved it. I’m so upset. There’s something kind of skanky about it. It just doesn’t smell clean. Could be my body chemistry too of course, but something is off. Sorry to leave a negative note, but I would advise everyone to definitely try this out a couple of times before buying a bottle.
pavel163 – :
Very difficult to review Charlotte. It is one of my most favourite among Annick Goutal house, I find it extremely well blended and complicated, but for many people it is hard to notice how complex it is. I suppose, brain drags the main piece for each person and verdict is “powdery” or “girly” or “clean”.
To me, despite been smooth and complete, it is full of contradictions, hence became my signature scent. It is sweet and chocolaty, yet it is tart of blackcurrant buds, it is soft and feminine, yet it is stubbornly sharply mimosa-green at the beginning, it is innocent, yet it is sexy, they are not of heavy touch, those chocolate and blackcurrant and vanilla, they are like emerging from the veil of past years, taking you into childhood, that we all tend to romanticize and idealize. It is bitter sweet fragrance, like a nostalgia itself, dusted by blossom of mimosa in a spring garden. Can’t believe it was launched in 1982, so much ahead of it’s time. I gone through so many scents and fragrances during my life, but Charlotte is one I loved from the very first sniff, as it has got something special, unusual, hard to catch, hard to call it this or that. It is Charlotte, like a life itself, with its twists and faults and angles. When sometimes you look at someone’s imperfect, but perfectly charismatic face and realize that beauty hides exactly here, not where all is predictable and polished. Big big love to Charlotte from me.
2012jerseysa1 – :
Hm. Very powdery, and somehow very European. On my skin, this fragrance reminds me of all the old country houses and castles I’ve visited – that old house smell, and yet powdered and clean. It’s not a bad smell (I actually adore it, in a house), but it’s not exactly how I want my body to smell. The dry down gets more and more powdery, although I could sort of smell the floral and cacao. It started to remind me of what I imagine a clean baby would smell like. Unfortunately, it barely lasted four hours on me. I won’t be investing in a full bottle.
tzu633intitytek – :
This is a lovely, delicate, powdery, very light, subtly sweet fragrance. There is nothing wrong with the composition except that you can barely perceive it.
The mimosa acts as a sort of buffer which blends well with the cacao and diffuses the gourmand notes amidst notes of floral powderiness. The Lilium notes add some fresh greenness to the whole composition balancing out any headlines making it a very innocent summery gourmand.
KerPlaibianen – :
bought blind because i loved the notes and had high expectations. Unfortunately to me it smelt like white flowery soap meets baby wipes. I guess at best it has a clean laundry smell- just not my thing. the cacao and vanille is so subtle to be almost not detectable until the fairly nice powdery dry down. Probably best worn in the spring or early summer.
rrs486speagoessenda – :
Lovely, innocent, clean and powdery. A little too girly for me perhaps, but I can imagine wearing it occasionally when I’m on the right mood. However, once my 2 ml sample runs out, I don’t think I’ll buy a bottle.
Edit. This has gradually grown into a love. I just received my bottle and it’s one of my favourites now! So lovely, beautiful, easy to wear, smells natural and the vanilla and cocoa are not too sweet or cloying at all. I think this works beautifully all around the year.
titoav – :
I was very excited to try this! I blind bought it online, but unfortunately I do not like it at all. When it arrived, about 60% of it had leaked out all over the box and bubble wrap, so when I opened the mailbox I was met with an explosion of fragrance, which may be why it smells so offensive to me. In theory I should love this, but it smells just far too strong and far too loud for my taste. I don’t know if it’s because of my bad intoduction to it, but I am unable to distiguish any specific notes. It just smells like an explosion of everything which makes it smell like a typical, mass produced “mall” fragrance to me, quite obnoxious, and unfortunately I feel like it smells cheap.
I also recieved a decant from Surrender to Chance of Annick’s Muguet- which again in theory I should love! I adore lotv and green notes, but this waa far too green, like chomping on a crunchy crown of very green foliage, vines, and leaves. Again, it was juat far too loud.
Unfortunately I don’t think I forsee any more of a relationship between AG and I, which really saddens me. I wanted to lovd this but I just can’t get past the headache inducing loudness of it.
If anyone would like my bottle, it is still between 30-40% full, feel free to message me! I know there’s many that adore this and I really have no use for it, its just sitting in my cellar along with all the other perfumes, decants and samples I haven’t been fond of.
сява – :
Ver feminine and girly. I got violet, then sweet oliander. Love the oliander, not so much the violet. A skin scent.
rimvydas – :
[Review originally posted on MakeupAlley in 2005}:
The friend who introduced this to me said to her gin never smelled so good. Since I have it I have been craving blackcurrant jam…Eau de Charlotte is a sweet and comforting scent IMO, the chocolate, mimosa and black currant combine to produce something that seems truly meant to scent the body–sensuous but somehow innocent and promising, like the first bite and taste of a dessert in a garden or yard under setting sun. A simple pleasure.
Saranxanda – :
At first spray I was not liking this scent too much. It was a sharp unusual green/floral scent. Within 2 mins I smelled baby powder. Now all I get is powder, no more green and no cocoa at all. Feminine and clean scent that I would be happy to own (I have a sample size).
иван0204 – :
I never thought I would be so hooked to this scent. I was looking for a clean everyday perfume, I couldn’t find one to suit me, usually those scents are a bit cold. EdC manages to be clean, refreshing and still warm. It is the cacao I guess and the hint of vanilla in the dry down.Precious preppy Charlotte!
Hrant89 – :
The reviews stating this smells just like Johnson’s Baby Lotion got it right. I spent over a decade working in childcare and this is absolutely the smell I associate with a clean, freshly diapered baby. While nostalgic, not what I personally want MY body to smell like. The good news is that I now have a much better idea of what mimosa smells like, because there is a note in this exactly like a note in Champs Elysees. This really would be a perfect fragrance for a young girl. It’s fluffy and pretty and not sexual in any way.
1101994 – :
I seem to be sensitive to lily of the valley notes, but I don’t dislike it (I just don’t find that it seems to fit in well with most compositions that I’ve tried that possesses it). Anyway, the lily of the valley is obvious to me here, and there seems to be some other, softer/milder floral element. Then there’s a mild green/powdery quality, along with the gourmand one. It’s not syrupy, too sweet, animalic, nor especially musky. The actual scent is really nice, but it doesn’t seem to last that well. Because of this, I’ll likely swap off my bottle.
apazissiori – :
If this is a floral fruity gourmand, then it bucks the trend big time and is ever so lovely! It has the feel of Vanille Orchidee but I can handle the vanilla and the strange bitter powderiness in this one (I think I just love Annick Goutal full stop). This does not cloy, it simmers and wafts, I get no sweetness in this, no chocolate, just green, powdered lily. And the most amazing tart freshness zinging in the background. This must be the cassis everyone seems to be mentioning. It is unusual, but I find it wearable and rather a lip-smacker. It makes my mouth water not because it smells like I could eat it, but because of the zingy, tangy note. Thumbs well up, but like all Goutals, test before buying, because her perfumes are unlike the mainstream.
kaiman43 – :
First sprayed, this is a tart, puckery blackcurrant that possesses a bit of a dry raisin quality. This is the part that I don’t like. As it dries down a bit, the florals and cocoa-vanilla creep up into the forefront, making the whole thing much more harmonious. I do like this part, although I don’t feel that it ever balances quite properly on my skin. I want to smell it on someone who loves it — I bet it is a completely different scent. Drydown is, as other reviewers have pointed out, much like the scent of Johnson and Johnson’s baby lotion. The whole thing is delicately full of character, but I don’t think it’s quite warmed up to me.
Annick Goutal makes such interesting, finicky, personal perfumes and I love that. I can’t wear everything from this house, or even most things, but it’s always exciting to smell one that is new to me.
Шурик-Иван – :
Fond memories. I’ve only ever smelled this on paper, so I don’t know if the notes truly represent it. I had a completely different impression than a gourmand, but a Gorgeous one.
A favorite magazine that whiled away so many happy hours – and made other unhappy hours endurable – held a tester of this. Picked it up once more today and was transported to the birth of many dreams. So although I may or may not love the real thing, which I really Must test, the residue shall always enchant me. It could be worn by all ages, but somehow it’s still surprisingly sensual.
I’m not as a practice sentimental, but this I would buy just for the memories. Soft, lightly spiced, genteel vanilla. Like all Annick Goutal, Magical.
перс – :
The fragrance is pretty but very weak. It fades away within an hour. Luckily I have only a decant. Wouldn´t buy a FB because of the poor lastingpower of this fragrance.
demon-morpeh – :
***This review is for the EDT***
I’ve always loved Annick Goutal’s bottles but was never able to actually find a favorite scent amongst them because there were so many, they had impossibly vague French names and most of them looked exactly the same. However after some research, Eau De Charlotte stood out to me and I ordered a sample from Luckyscent.
Upon first application I get this weirdly cloying note that punches my nostrils but disappers in less than a second, after that, this perfume is pure joy. To me, it’s a very clean and elegant combination of mimosa (the flower) and lily. The magenta-ish flavor of cassis/blackcurrant is present in the background as well but not in a tart way, a very soft pastel way. As the minutes pass a very soft cocoa comes forward and intermingles with the other notes. I shouls alo say that despite the cocoa/vanilla/cassis notes, this is not a gourmand, it’s inocent, feminine and floral. Also, I have not been able to actually smell any vanilla yet. The drydown is actually a bit on the sweet-lemony side. (But a very soft lemon, not sour at all. Imagine the palest pastel baby yellow with a hint of shimmery glitter on it.)
To me, this scent seems suitable to any age group, especially going as young as 10-12 or less. I imagine a rich young school girl from the 80’s who lives in a NYC penthouse and owns a horse named Vogue (that she only sees on the weekends,) dabs this behind her ears before she gets in the limo to go to school while more common girls clamor for Love’s Baby Soft or Anais, Anais.
All that being said, this is definitely a try-before-you-buy because it is pretty light on the sillage and fades quickly. And it’s very innocent a pre-teen could wear it so if you’re looking for sexy, this is definitely not it. Perfect first perfume for a young girl/teen though.
backlink service – :
Eau de Charlotte is a thing of beauty, the perfect retro baby lotion scent (if such thing ever existed).The name and the Goutal bottle suit perfectly this composition, soft flowers, cocoa powder and yummy black currant jam. A quirky delicious pleasure. I have the EDP and both the longevity and sillage are wonderful.
korol686 – :
This is an unique scent. Its not obvious, that’s why I love it. It’s completely different from the moment you spray it on your skin to five minutes latter. The word for this AG fragrance is “complex”. Not everyone will like it…
prosk – :
Eau De Charlotte is unique, feminine, floral. You can really smell all of the ingredients listed in this fragrance: lily, black currant blossom, mimosa, lily-of-the-valley, vanilla and cacao. This perfume is very well blended, but lily, vanilla & cacao stand out the most. Not too much real black currant berry tartness here. It’s a pity, because I was hoping black currant will be more predominant in this perfume, according to other revives. I like this offering but not blown away. It possesses some soapy and old fashioned note as well.
vladimir.kndr – :
As a long-time fan of Jo Malone colognes, I was led to the Annick Goutal line by my efforts to replace Verbenas of Provence, a lovely romantic lemon verbena fragrance discontinued by Jo Malone. Heartbroken, I finally discovered Eau D’Hadrien and was ecstatic to find such a wonderful replacement. I began exploring the Goutal line, and have fallen in love with it. I recently purchased Eau De Charlotte, and , to my surprise, I reach for it constantly. When I first tried a test spray, my initial reaction was “Johnson’s baby lotion!!!”” It’s a powdery, soft, comforting scent that really wasn’t what I expected. I usually like sophisticated floral or fresh crisp citrus scents. I wasn’t sure Charlotte was a keeper. I wore it that first day (EDT) and was surprised by the warm, creamy cocoa and vanilla scent that developed as the day wore on. And it has longevity, which also surprised me; I could smell the soft, delicious scent on my skin as I got ready for bed that evening. ( I’m usually happy to get 5-6 hours from most Goutal fragrances). I don’t know what it is about this fragrance, but I absolutely love it. This is a fragrance for ME, rather than to create an impression on those around me; it makes me feel happy and relaxed. It’s such a clean, powdery soft scent, it just seems like the perfect perfume to wear when you step out of the shower and want to smell wonderful. I now understand why so many women are addicted to this fragrance; I am now definitely one of them. Lovely, soft and delicious. Thank you, Annick Goutal!
NatalyCiti – :
This fragrance has confounded me for almost two decades. I have tried all the Goutals and this is the one I always, always come back to for some reason. The first time I smelled it I did not like it at all. I actually received a very generous bottle of EdC in my very first swap ever, back in…maybe 1996-7? Back in the day when if you had ANYTHING Angel, you were at the top of your swapping game. Hah! I miss those days. Well, at the time I did not like it. But I remembered reading about it in Sassy Magazine and it just haunted me. I always had a fascination with Annick Goutal and was a huge fan of her, period, for reasons that remain mysterious to me.
Fast forward, I’m out of college and I am in Nordstrom and I’m PMSing really badly. My hormones are raging, my sense of smell is vulnerable and I have money to burn. I make a bee-line to the Goutal counter and buy a bottle of the EDP and I don’t even really know why. I was just craving it. I opened the box and sprayed myself almost immediately, I had to have it that badly. That was 10 years ago, I still have that bottle.
Something about this stuff. At times it spurns me and turns into a syrupy mess, I actually hate mimosa, I don’t know what it is I like about this perfume so much. It’s so…mellow, without lacking presence. The cassis is tart and strong, the cocoa and vanilla mellow and round out the whole composition without adding too much sweetness. Not a gourmand by many definitions, but not your typical thing either. I think it best suits occasions when you need to be classy but can be a little carefree. Of all the Goutals, somehow this one stands out as the most unique, the most unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before. When I think of Goutal, Charlotte, Camille and Hadrien are who I think of most.
I have considered letting my bottle go several times, put it up for swap, just recently considered trying to sell of my bottle but I can’t do it! It is etched into my soul, this scent, and more so how I grew to rediscover this as a part of my being.
EDT is very mellow and mild and pleasant and doesn’t last very long. EDP punches you in the face with sour cassis and greenery in the first blast and sticks around for breakfast, lunch and by dinner time, she’s still around but as just the slightest whiff of cocoa and mimosa.
A true classic and certainly worth a try.
maksimsorokin – :
this fragrance is the definition of “powdery” imho. it is sweet and light at the same time, good for everyday use. it’s been 3 hours since i sprayed and i get whiffs of baby powder (in a good way). i think it’s one of the best by goutal but still, don’t think i will buy a FB.there are other similar fragrances oyt there, more reasonably priced.
sweexadeds – :
The first time I tested this, was pre-shower, at the end of a hot September day, that had been full of outdoor activities. I applied, sniffed, and hastily blew it off as “better than bad.” Just baby powder, I thought, and the nostalgic scent of a baby doll I adored as a child in the 80’s. (anyone remember “Real Baby”? It was weighted to feel like an actual newborn, and smelled powdery-sweet? ). It also reminded me a lot of Jo Malone’s Elderflower and Gooseberry. I scrubbed it off in my shower without a second thought.
Cut to today, where thankfully, I gave this perfume the consideration it deserves. It’s a chilly morning. I feel questionable-like I’m coming down with a cold, and I’m fresh from the shower, craving something clean and light, yet comforting. I decided this might fit the bill, so I generously dab-dab-dabbed….
How did Annick Goutal do this?? The suggestion of juicy berry/floral sweetness greets you with a smile, yet is restrained by the powdery, yet un-talc-like quality of the cacao/vanilla/mimosa. I’ve never tried a perfume with cacao, and was always curious about how it would fit into this blend, which includes lily of the valley! It’s so pretty. I was apprehensive about smelling of cocoa/chocolate, but I shouldn’t have worried. Cacao adds a dry, yet creamy quality. Perfect with the juicy black currant, and surprisingly complimentary of the sweet hint of LOTV. I don’t detect the vanilla too much-more just a hint of mimosa-sugar, if that makes sense.
I hate to sound cliche, or like I’m trying to recreate the very description of the perfume, but having a cloud of this around me this morning, as I sipped tea, and ate a biscuit with honey, was just perfect. Maybe my nose has grown a little tired of my bright-white, crispy-clean, soapy florals and citruses that I wear every day, because of the heat, and it welcomes this change to a more subdued, comfy, yet still clean scent. A cool fall morning, vs a grimy late-summer, hot evening makes all the difference in the world as to how I perceive this perfume. I feel confident though, having given it a proper test, that I could enjoy it at any time now.
Annick Goutal had such a gift. Others have mentioned the fact that you can actually “smell” the love for Charlotte that AG poured into this enchanting creation. It’s so true. It tugs at my heart strings. This is a special perfume.
zgj367bedyWelty – :
Happy and luminous fragrance. First I get juicy berries, then it softens to creamy beauty. I still cannot detect any cocoa. This is like I sunny sunday morning, makes you in a very good mood.
jemal21 – :
A very delicate scent. For me it smells like a luxurious bodylotion. I love that it smells not so gourmand as it should be if you look at the ingredients. Its creamy but not sweet. The sillage is not that good, but okay, it lasts about 3 hours on my skin.
Шныря – :
I’ve been thinking about this all night. Recently acquired, I knew it reminded me of another perfume, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Molinard de Molinard! The black currant, the LOV, yellow flowers…
rtj561speagoessenda – :
This is my holy grail blackberry scent. Yes, I realize it is black currant but the stuff smells like blackberry jam to me. Mixed with a touch of cocoa, a little vanilla and a smidge of wonderful. It is delicious and almost addictive.
When you first spray it you will be thinking…blackcurrant? Jelly? Um, where? Just give it a few minutes. This isn’t some blackberry body spray from the girly store. It has to brew. But once it settles into what it is to become…it borders on perfection.
Annick Goutal would not have named a scent after her step-daughter if it was only so-so. She would not risk “why did you name the crappy fragrance after me?” Oh no, she put Charlotte’s name on a masterpiece.
ixn278Diobtetty – :
Declaration time: I am in love.
I got a sample from this fragrance yesterday, and oh, boy, it turned my head completely! The lovely SA in the small London boutique told me the story behind the fragrance. Supposedly Charlotte was the daughter of Annick Goutal’s love (later husband? that wasn’t clear), and she was a lovely, mischievous child. The story goes that she loved having breakfast, her favourites being blackcurrant jam and cocoa. I got hooked already then, as for me breakfast is the highlight of the day. When I smelled this EdT, my lips curled up immediately, and I was enveloped by the carefree happiness of a lovely summer morning, in a beautiful, delicate dining room of a country house, where one can languish over breakfast infinitely, enjoying the fragrance of flowers wafting in through billowing white curtais. This is an absolutely beautiful, gorgeous scent, cosy and homely, yet open and spacious. Yes, somehow it does have the atmosphere of childhood summer breakfasts, when you know, that the day will be warm and long, and it may take you to wondrous adventures in Grandma’s large and secret garden. It has an airborne carelessness to it, the space of freedom and trust in childhood, when the world is but a lovely playground. Having said that, it is not childish at all, but for me it perfectly captures the ever present child in us.
However deeply I am infatuated with Eau de Charlotte, I have two complaints about it. The first one is that the blackberry (buds) stays for so sorrowfully short time…I wish it lingered on more, before the vanilla and cocoa taking over. The harmony of these notes together (i.e the fruitiness of the blackcurrant and the sweetness of the vanilla and cocoa, plus of course the flowers)is so extraordinary, I wish I could enjoy it for longer.
The other complaint is that the longevity of this EdT on me is 1.5-2 hours max, then it completely disappears For such a costly juice I would have liked significantly better longevity, especially that we are not talking about citruses, but notes with much more body.
All in all, I am sure I will buy the whole bottle, and decant it to a travel atomiser to keep in my purse and re-apply from time to time. Just love it!
P.s. When my husband smelled this fragrance on me, he just gave me a big embrace and whispered in my ear: gosh, you smell so sexy… :-))))))
UPDATE: Yes, it is a morning fragrance. So actually, the fact that it does not last long is not a problem. By the afternoon you can wear something else, something more p.m. 🙂 That is not a problem for a perfumista, is it?
crazynarik – :
I have never really liked the Goutal range of fragrances, they remimd me of a character from a British sit com called ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ called Letitia Cropley. This character used to make disgusting culinary concoctions such as marmite cake with branston pickle icing, parsnip brownies and pancakes with a hint of liver!
I find Goutal fragrances are a little like this character. They seem to me to be a concoction of ingredients and notes which really don’t blend well and to my nose, result in olfactory disasters.
Eau De Charlotte was a blind buy for me as it was going very cheaply on ebay and I was intrigued by the notes and by the reviews. Indeed, it was reviewed favourably by members whom I respect enormously, so I decided to give it a try.
The first spritz seemed to reinforce my thoughts on Goutal, Gourmand???? I don’t think so! There’s nothing gourmand about this frag. I thought it smelled like hairspray at the first spritz.
This frag gets better with time, I get a sense of an Eastern type of scent, something one would find an Arabian princess wearing. I can see why it was designed personally for her daughter Charlotte. This is a very pretty perfume indeed.
It is light and fresh and rather addictive and unlike any frag that I have ever worn before. I like it!! No— I LOVE it, I just can’t get enough of this scent. I still don’t put it in the ‘gourmand’ pigeon hole.
Longevity 6/10
Sillage: average
Wonderfulness: Fit for an Eastern Princess!! Gorgeous!
cunsellastume – :
To me, this is most romantic of the Goutal line …she leaves you wanting to keep spraying her all the time. I go on Charlotte binges. She seems to have everything I love about Goutal in her, but in a very subtle way and with the powdery note that enchants me about Goutal. She is the light breeze and lace of what makes Goutal so special. She sparkles. My love for Charlotte is forever!
In Eau de Charlotte edp, which I prefer, the lily of the valley is given a complex application. Rather than being a study of a child’s gustatory pleasures, she is an impish scent that hides her floral heart beneath the opening notes and which does not display those famous nursery notes as gourmand. She opens green and sharp with blackcurrant bud. Blackcurrant jam is not present and the bud is, unripe and a bit sappy. It lends fruitiness but not an overt sweetness. The sweetness that emerges under the blackcurrant is a vanilla of the type used in a baby product, meaning that the vanilla is not gourmand but is functional—it is the vanilla of a lotion and not that of a cookie.
At first, so remote is the lily of the valley in Eau de Charlotte that one must look for it as if hunting through winter for that first sign of spring. Once it settles in, however, it has a lovely feminine quality, backed by a supple white musk. Wait an hour and the idea that she has gourmand notes will disappear. Drydown is a soft white vanilla musk and traces of the mimosa bud and a dusting of cocoa.
Charlotte is not my signature. But, I have recently rediscovered her again after 25 years. She comforts me, I feel feminine, beautiful and unique when I wear her. I receive compliments galore. I am completely enchanted by this masterpiece.
eit707Diobtetty – :
From the first splash of my first old square bottle I have been completely hooked. The bottle has changed, but the pure joy that comes to all my senses is as fresh and exciting today as it was twenty plus years ago.
There are so many different levels, it starts off with a huge blast and then mellows to a wonderful mix of all that is lovely and good.
For day, I find a slather of lotion followed by edt to be enough but for night you really must use the heavier and headier edp.
hmc186speagoessenda – :
Probably my favorite Goutal (followed by Nuit Etoilee). Best mimosa out there (IMHO) and lillies, dries nice. BUT the EDT is (also IMHO) a far lesser creature than the EDP–if you can only afford one, spend the time and money searching for the EDP (usually far more available in Europe than in America).
yur1746 – :
A lovely bitter-sweet perfume. First I got lots of Lily-ofthe-Valley and cassis when it dries down the sweet-soapiness of lily and mimosa and the bitternes of the cacao. During the day I keep smelling the soapiness of the flowers and the cacao and casis are coming back every time just when I start to think that they are gone. Love it, it’s beautifull composed
darkflame – :
Interesting scent. Powdery but yet a little tart and sweet currant jammy smell. This is the first Annick Goutal I really like. 🙂
Modulator – :
I love this perfume. It is very unusual – the notes of bitter, powdery cocoa along with the lemon peel essence seem counterintuitive untill you experience them blended with the sweet fruitiness of black-currant jam, which I perceive as the glue that holds this whole fragrance together. There is also some sweet, powdered-sugar white musc dancing along in there, too, and while I am not usually too keen on muguet, the fresh lily-of-the-valley floral notes keep it from being a flat-footed gourmandaise parfum.
The sweet, honey’d acacia floral notes also have a certain dry powdery quality, rather like the homemade potpourris made by ladies in Victorian times, yet simultaneously, it is also the scent of mimosa blossoms bursting forth right there on the acacia tree in the open Spring air, you can practically hear the bees buzzing as they bumble from blossom to blossom, gathering nectar and bright yellow pollen.
There is an indefinable note that I can only describe as the smell of direct sunlight shining on clean human skin – perhaps it is just a hint of ozone, or the barely perceptible olfactive chemical signature created when ultraviolet light converts the layer of ergocalciferol lying just beneath the epidermis, into the form of Vitamin D that can be used by the human body directly.
I understand that Annick Goutal created this perfume specifically for her daughter, Charlotte, whose favorite breakfast-time confiture (jam or preserves) was black-currant. In reading the other reviews, I was a bit taken aback at how many reviewers seemed to be disappointed with this fragrance, or who really just did not like it. And then I had an epiphany and now I believe I understand why this is so. Here’s my theory:
Black-currant is a fruit that is much more popular and familiar