Charisma

My review is based on the perfume concentration of Charisma, from a luxe cut-glass 0.5oz perfume bottle in its presentation box that was produced for Charisma’s launch. Part of my vintage fragrance collection. My impressions may differ from those wearing the cologne, or later formulations. Charisma is often described as a “floral green,” but worn in perfume form it reads to me as a softly aldehydic, powdery floral bomb with a warm musky-amber base. It is elegant and intimate rather than being very overt or dramatic, very much in keeping with late-1960s sensibilities! The opening is brief but clean and luminous, led by aldehydes that feel cosmetic and airy rather than sharp. There is a quick top note sparkle from bergamot and neroli, and I can clearly detect the coriander which adds a subtle herbal dryness that persists as the heart develops. The peach note is present, but not in a juicy or fruity way; it feels more like a soft, fuzzy peach skin nuance that quickly blends into the powder. As Charisma settles on the skin the heart becomes its defining feature. Lily-of-the-valley, carnation and jasmine are the most distinct florals I can detect, supported by rose. A persistent orris (iris root) note develops early on and gives the composition its powdery, vintage cosmetic character (vintage lipstick and face powder!) it remains very present and noticeable until the dry-down disappears from the skin. While narcissus and hyacinth are listed, I just can’t confidently identify them individually; they may be contributing to the overall floral texture, rather than standing out as recognizable notes. The base develops gradually and stays refined instead of becoming the main character. Musk and amber provide warmth and softness to the scent without heaviness. There is a faint resinous nuance early on (likely styrax), but it smooths out quickly. Vanilla is listed in the base but I do not perceive it as a distinct note; if present, it functions only as a background rounding element rather than a sweet or gourmand accent. Tonka, similarly, feels subtle and structural rather than aromatic. Charisma in perfume form wears moderately close to the skin, with a gentle powdery sillage that feels quietly sensual yet proper and elegant. It invites closeness. Rather than being openly voluptuous, Charisma is composed, powder-soft, and intimate; with a classic elegance that feels timeless to me rather than dated.

Not sure what to think of this one. I tried a bottle from the early to late 90's, which I think was shortly before it was discontinued. Then I also came across a true vintage version from the late 60's or early 70's. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but the two smelled slightly different. Both had a strong aldehydic soapy scent, but the newer one seemed fresher and soapier. Although the older one seemed slightly more complex, there was a note in there that didn't quite agree with me. Possibly some woody or musky note, I can't quite put my finger on it. Was this my imagination, or was it reformulated at some point? Or maybe the older version changed with age? Does anyone know? Anyway, having said all that, this fragance starts off sharp and strong, and then dissipates into basically nothing in an hour. It does smell truly vintage, which isn't a bad thing. I'm on the fence with this one. Update: Got my hands on another bottle and tried it. It smells lovely! Both bottles were from the 70's, and the only difference I could see is that one was a spray and one was a decanter, with the decanter winning hands down. It's got a clean, spicy scent, if that makes sense. I have made up my mind, and can say I really like this one. I'm truly starting to appreciate Avon vintages.

I never quite understood the civet comments I'd read about Charisma until today, but boy what a beauty Charisma is! I actually wear this quite often. I love retro fragrances and I love the retro feel that wearing Charisma gives me. It is a soapy, slightly spicy fragrance that won't be up your alley unless you like experiencing vintage scent profiles. This does not smell like Je Reviens but it has that rich, soapy, sexiness about it like WJR has. A quiet beauty who sits back and watches, observes, people with her dark knowing eyes. It puts me in a mood of mystery, fashion of days gone by and definitely a more Charismatic time and place. I think I first smelled it when my older sisters had these little Avon sachets sitting around on their dresser tables. I was always drawn to the beautiful lettering on the boxes and the pretty red colored packaging. The fragrance is what has held my interest all these years. If you like graceful, soapy type florals with some underlying spices, you may just love Charisma too. A must sniff for vintage lovers.

I blind bought Charisma in the milk glass cat bottle, trusting that it would turn out to be another scent I remember from my childhood. "Grandma's purse!" She must have had a small bottle of it, and it might have spilled in there. I remember this scent radiating out from it even when it was closed. Lily of the Valley, vanilla, peach, and just a hint of musk stand out to me. The spice and wood notes seem to blend together into an afterthought. Unlike many other vintage scents, I don't find it very soapy at all. It strikes me as clean without much aldehyde. And it lingers! After about six hours, I still get a whiff of it now and then just from moving. My husband liked it; that's the best sign that it's a pleasant and inoffensive scent you could wear in public without irritating people who dislike fragrances with strong components. Charisma is another Avon cologne I'm happy to have revisited as an adult on my exploration of nostalgic colognes. The second time I wore it, it really reminded me of L'air du Temps, which I had worn recently.

Raised up with all kind of avon perfume in 90s and 2000s especially long time ago discontinued charisma. I familiar with 90s 2000s version charisma Its a creamy powdery slightly sweetnes in 90s version till discontinued.. i never agreed this creation similar to no.22 chanell until i found an old bottle 150ml charisma clogne in ceramic bottle i gues tis bottle early 1970s version in my grandma wardrobe. Opened it and sniff wow yes its chanel 22 vibes very strong animalic vibes. unlike 90s version more soft little sweetnes i guess from tonka bean and vanila and young vibes... for old 70s version is bomb SPL 8 to 9 hours even though its a cologne type.. i gues still have more 100ml inside ceramic bottle. Im so happy❤️🇲🇾

I have a vintage "perfume oil". Immediately on application, I got a pretty typical vintage-y aldehyde... all soapy powder and old-fashioned grooming products. BUT THEN... my, but this one has a surprisingly nice drydown! The powder is still there, but now feels darker and more oriental, with plenty of that mellow, warm animalic-and-mossy thing that I adore in perfumes from this era. And, a wild card- orange! As in, freshly peeled, juicy, squirt-you-in-the-eye orange. This adds a bright, sweet/zesty aspect to all that dark, powdery moodiness. Very unique! And, my little bottle is adorable. I wish I could post a pic here. I was ready for a scrubber, but nope... this one gets shelf space!

It's so much fun to wear Charisma, it has a structure with things I don't see much of in modern perfumery, like carnation and civet. It's probably the cleanest-smelling animalic that I've ever experienced, no dirty underwear here but instead almost clean/soapy. The spiciness seems mainly due to carnation, I miss this so much in perfumery and am loving it here. Somewhat similar to Norell but without the heavier green that Norell has. Also it's quite soft, you'd think it might be heavy looking at the structure, but it won't scare everyone out of the room when you enter, it's great to be enjoyed by oneself and a partner. One of Avon's all-time best.

One of the great Avons. The first thing I notice are soft, dry woody notes. Is there cinnamon in this? My nose is picking it up. The heart is cool, green and floral. The drydown is warm and ambery with a touch of vanilla. This is somewhat reminiscent of Norell but less sweet. The one it really reminds me of is vintage L'Air du Temps. As good as the current smells, the original formulation was incomparable. This is the closest to it I've ever encountered. Like most of the great Avons Charisma doesn't have a lot of sillage or longevity. Perhaps this is best for those quiet, intimate moments when you want to be close and capture someone's heart.

Perhaps my favorite vintage Avon formulation (with much respect to rapture, unforgettable, topaze, etc all of which are impeccable). Opens with a huge cloud of carnation, aldehydes, and civet, and continues to walk a dominantly floral-animalic tightrope through dry down where a rich but cola-like tonka accord joins the party. Rich, decadent, but not at all self-serious. I love wearing this fragrance!! One word of advice: like most vintage Avons the perfume concentration is the best way to appreciate this composition!

My review is of a beautiful 70s butterfly toadstool bottle. A spicy carnation soapy floral like a slightly muskier L'air du temps with less aldehydes. Peach and hyacinth meet retroness of carnation which give it a peppery clove note so I definitely get the comparison to Coco here too. A beautiful easy wearing vintage scent that's become a fave Avon for me along with Imari, Perle Noire, Candid, Timeless and Occur.

Bought it at least 3 dollar for a dozen roller-size and then discontinued. Dont know how hard to find but I give it all to my granmom. Seems like Ebay-expensively price! :-) . I still remember how strongly smell of it that i dislike, it's overwhelming of soaply scent and aldehydes, maybe cause of my body chemistry cant connect to it!

Charisma...how I love thee! I recently bought a new bottle; new formulation. It isn't as good as the original, but it's still beautiful. It has become more of a soapy floral than it used to be. The musk and civet have pretty much disappeared. I do miss it! The one I bought is the clear red bottle shown in the pictures.

Okay so I run an overnight educational camp for elementary schoolers and today on break I oversprayed the cologne mist and then in evening activity all the kids were asking why the room smelled funky and I was like *emitting civet stink lines* “let’s stay on task 🤐”. Anyway LOVE this one. The woman who wears it has it!

Uso este perfume desde hace más de 30 años. Puedo decir categóricamente que es un perfume "afrodisíaco". No existe ningún hombre al que le desagrade. Es absolutamente sexy y atrayente. Muy atractivo y cálido.

This is the best of the vintage Avon perfumes I've tried. Silky is the best way I can describe it. No complaints from Husband but no compliments either.

This is 1000% unisex, smells like a feminine ysl kouros if you're in to that. Some of Avon's best! 9/10.

Charisma begins heavy on the civet, wrapped in deep musky overtones of bergamot. This is a fragrance of mystery, for people who are willing to go out on dares, ladies who wear trench coats with beautiful lingerie underneath and killer heels. This is a black eyeliner, false eyelashes, red lipstick, pull out all the stops perfume. Just when you think Charisma has melted away, she will come back to haunt you with delightful fumes. This frag will surprise you. Charisma sits low and stays closer to the skin for a reason. For when the other person takes your arm and begins to sniff your wrist, go a little higher, sniff the crook of your elbow, you'll see a difference in their eyes. This is not a child's perfume. If Charisma was developed at the turn of the 1900's, Mata Hari would have chosen it. Luckily today, it's available at flea markets/thrift stores/Ebay etc., and if it's been properly preserved, you can enjoy the delights of it and use it lavishly. When Avon first introduced their perfumes they used quality ingredients. Their perfumes that we now call vintage are absolutely beautiful fragrances and should be explored. I have a splash and don't get the aldehydes stinging my eyes in the initial outburst. I do appreciate the hyacinth dancing around with Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine, Orris Root and Ylang-Ylang. These flowers dance a waltz, they don't overpower. They're refined. Charisma has such a glorius mix of notes, blended so perfectly, it is a hidden vintage treasure for noses that appreciate the true glamour of perfume before regulations have interfered and reformulations have changed the mixes. Charisma has been likened to Coco, but I just cannot appreciate the similarities within the two. If anything, I'd compare it to Tabu, but Tabu is for bad girls, Charisma is for both good and bad girls wanting the same effect. It's not strong in it's sillage, but it's strong in it's effect. It's a hidden power perfume. An elegant perfume that still boils down to a delicious scent that will be appreciated. Sometimes a fragrance needs to be discovered on your body and not discovered in the airspace around you. Charisma fills this need.

Diving back into my vintage Avon haul this week! Next up...a bottle of Charisma circa 1983. I definitely wasn't allowed to have this one in the house growing up. Upon opening the bottle I got a rather intense whiff of stinky soap, which doesn't sound like it should be possible, but it is. I don't let it dissuade me though, Occur! also had a pungent opening. First application to neck, wrists and pits with a pipette. The aldehyde, civet, and jasmine hit first, but the pungency melts away in about 5 minutes into some lovely coriander, carnation, and smooth sandalwood. 40 minutes into the drydown and the bergamot peaks out, maybe a bit of peach is still in there, but it's more of a bitter peach. The sweetness comes more from the sandalwood, tonka beans, and the slightest vanilla. She's a floral, but not an intense floral, more a gentle powdery white floral. (the "Avonade" as it were). This one would be considered a slightly more feminine unisex scent now a days. I like it so far. Hour 3: Yeah, she's pretty much gone now. This is normal for a vintage cologne from Avon. I hold out to hour 6 to reapply. Hour 6: Noon, time to reapply! The "stinky" civet soap lasts a bit longer this time, but then the flowers and sandalwood are a bit stronger after drydown this time too. She lasts about 4 hours before she's gone. Hour 12: I decided to reapply her with a little of the modern Imari. The woods smell lovely together. Just, nice and warm. This combo got the hubby sniff of approval as well. 👌😘 Overall, very nice. I'll probably wear the rest of this little bottle this winter, when it's a tad bit cooler. There's no cinnamon in this one, but the cardamom and woods just give off warm vibes. I didn't mind her in the heat though. She is very similar to vintage Windsong (which is quite different from modern Windsong), so I have no doubt this was Avon's sister scent. Once again they don't make this one anymore (they literally can't) so if you spot a vintage bottle out in the wild for $5-15 snag it. Just make sure you're ok with civet first. But, if it is your first real civet scent at least you won't break the bank finding out.

The Golden Age of Avon Fragrance! To appreciate this Avon era completely, DO watch the Youtube posting entitled "The Joy of Living With Fragrance (Avon)"! The first half shows the source of perfumery ingredients, with lovely images of lavender fields and such. The second half? Glamour......... A gorgeously coiffed 60's woman enjoys all the Avon fragrances ~ one for each mood and moment. What a trip back in time! I took such a trip yesterday, courtesy of a fabulous Fragrantica member. She sent me a full 6 oz edc of Charisma, perfectly preserved in an Avonshire bottle! ( For those of you who don't know, Avon offered several fragrances in variously shaped, reusable vases. This blue and white pattern is known as Avonshire.... ) If I had a nose, I could properly detail each glorious note. Alas, I don't. The only fragrance comparison that comes to mind is Liz Taylor's Passion. Give Passion an added dose of powder and replace the castoreum and gardenia with gentle jasmine. THAT is what I smell! And if you care to compare notes, they share about 10 in common. While the overall impression of Passion is strength, Charisma takes a softened, ladylike approach - suiting my chemistry perfectly! Slightly soapy, nicely powdered, and warmly floral. Sillage is much lighter than Passion, but longevity is about the same. Rather good for a mere cologne, don't you think? No doubt about it..... Christmas came early this year! HIGHLY recommended.

Vintage blind buy. 1973. I was so stunned to get something which was purely sold as the (rather ugly) bottle buy with a side mention that it still had a fair amount of content for a pittance that I really expected it to be off. It's only ODC after all. 40 years old! I had a sniff, popped it on a pulse and took little notice. That should have been the big clue but I had a really stress mess day. This just lived, melded, melted, wafted gently through with me. All day. It's now gone midnight and still with me. I have only just checked out the notes ( no thought or time to test and analyse) and it ticks pretty much every box for my favourite scents and in retrospect I'd say holds true in balance and bridge throughout. It's like an understated cashmere elegant sweater which just fits perfectly. The perfume fairy is smiling on me because I bought a few other blind guess bottles which as they arrived turn out to be another of this and another on the way. I'd seen this flagged up as a sought after lost vintage and see it goes for much more. Don't you just love it when that happens?