Charlie

Charlie! So misunderstood for so long and by so many! Many many moons ago, when Charlie came to be, it was frowned upon by many. Understandably. Especially in Europe. With an array of Fidji’s, Miss Dior’s, Madame Rochas, Ô de Lancôme, Rive Gauche’s, Diorella’s and Cristalle’s, there was no need for a ‘cheap’ drugstore perfume like Charlie. I came to know it by a small silver apple pendant with a creamy formula that my mother had and never used. It wasn’t her style but I immediately loved its bitterness. I came to find a while ago a cologne from the 70’s in its baby blue box. Pristine. A time capsule of all sorts. And Charlie has won me over again! Upon first sniff, I can see where Charlie took its inspiration; Estēe and Fidji, its European equivalent. While Fidji was always a bit softer, Estēe, like a good American fragrance, was louder. And Charlie too. But instead of the polished sofistication of the Lauder, Revlon gave us a more approachable version. A rougher around the edges perfume, that just like its ads, didn’t need anything else to feel complete. Charlie greets me with a hyacintine floral beauty, with soft echoes of tropical white flowers. Some jasmine, some tuberose/gardenia but without a heavy feel. Flowers drenched in sparkling aldehydes and soft citrus notes that elevate this fresh cologne to last and last. Just like the box states. But the green heart soon comes along. Charlie has spades of oakmoss and galbanum, what mostly shows on my skin, with a touch of spicy coriander. Vetiver and sandalwood, which I’m smelling as proper Mysore, add a deeper woody background but never shadowing the green verdancy. Charlie keeps its slight floral character throughout, but as a background voice. The theme here is green. Green meadows, a freshly mowed lawn, your back garden. Things that would appeal to the newly independent American woman who was starting to take the workplace by storm, was sufficiently self-sustained without a man and could juggle her career and personal life. Things were changing, and Charlie came to be an affordable high quality fragrance for the modern woman. It was fresh, it was new, but most importantly, it was within everyone’s reach and it lasted the entire day. I love it. I’ve always had a soft spot for it, and now that I can wear the cologne freely, I feel in heaven with every breath. Carefree and wild spirited while retaining a certain elegance that within today’s market, increases drastically, Charlie is as unisex as they come. Its marketing and launch captured a moment in time that marked a change, but today, Charlie shines on its own merits. Sillage and longevity outstanding! Mid 70’s, 235cc Eau de Cologne reviewed.

Like so many in my generation I grew up with this fragrance around me. It was never one my own mother wore, not her style. But you couldn't be born in the 70s or 80s and not be aware of this iconic scent. I used to snag it from my sister and she's the one who taught me how to wear it. I like it, I love it. EVEN though it gives me a headache. Go figure. Once the initial aldehydic, kind of soapy smelling (headache inducing) note drys off this is a great scent. When I'm going to wear it I spray it on almost right after my bath or shower ritual of that morning. Gives time for the heart notes to begin to shine through. (Seriously, whatever is up with my body chem., perfumes don't seem to last as long on me.) I tend to think of this more as an open space, outdoor scent. Works well into the evening. Jeans, slacks (it was the first perfume commercial to feature a woman wearing pants). Wear it when you want to be casual but noticed. And expect to not really like the scent on yourself while receiving compliments from friends and passersby. (Though I'm one who loves it on herself) I have worn it to church, one of the ladies was like "Oh my gosh! Are you wearing CHARLIE?! Where did you get it?" I wore it to the office yesterday and my boss loved it. It's an icon for a reason. And I do love my iconic scents. It does remind me a little bit of Chanel No. 5, probably because of the aldehydes, but the differences are important and of course Charlie is the drug store, accessible to all brand. It's complex and beautiful, bold and not to be bothered with discretion. In today's world where the trend is boring, single note perfumes, watered down... everything, with little or no character - Charlie is a stand out. I'm editing this to say that after a week of using the perfume again regularly - no headache at all. I guess I established a good relationship with her and Charlie is now my best friend. Also, I can hardly stop sniffing myself. On my skin, where most perfumes go to die or fade into nothingness, she is NOT giving up the ghost. Worn to the park this past weekend I found myself standing up-wind of a man who was there walking his dog. He waved and said I must be wearing some kind of lovely perfume because there weren't enough flowers in bloom for it to be anything else! He laughed when I told him it was Charlie. Then he said he guessed good taste never really went out of style. Why do people laugh or act surprised about Charlie? I think I'm going to make it my mission to educate people about this perfume.

There are several negative reviews on here about Charlie. I think this is one of the more mis-understood fragrances that are out there. Charlie was and still is one of those perfumes that never tried to win hearts, and that was the whole point. It was introduced during a time when women were really beginning to make the effort to come into their own as hardworking and perfectly capable. The women who wear Charlie do not need the approval of others the concern superficiality, in order to feel good about themselves. Charlie is loaded with alhehydes, masculine and feminine florals, woods, powder, metallic elements, and all those nasties that give high marks to self-assurance. It doesn't try to win you over by smelling like the dessert line at the local country kitchen. It doesn't seek your approval by smelling like some niche concoction with a bazillion, perfectly blended notes. It does not attempt to seduce you with a romantic, victorian garden of tuberose, gardenia, and the like. It doesn't have to. For Charlie, it's the fragrance that is being worn by a woman who doesn't give a hoot what you think about her...or her perfume. This woman wears it for herself, because she likes it, and that's all you need to know. If you suggest to a Charlie wearing woman at the office that her perfume is not your favorite, she will respond with, "Good for you. Now, where is that report I asked you for?" Something that women were not able to do prior to its' introduction. This fragrance was a milestone. This fragrance is (to my nose) a powerful, slightly masculine, bright, edgy, green, aldehydic floral with a mineral and soft wood drydown. In my opinion, it smells like a green field of timothy hay, with one's nose to the ground, near the claybed. It is confidant and unique. It is a signature scent. It is not cheaply made. Every accord and note is included with purpose. I love it! And, for a fragrance that has such a bad reputation for stinkery...I certainly, as the sky is blue, recieve my fair share of compliments. I don't know a woman who did not own a bottle of this by 1980. That has got to say something. No, it's not accessible for the tender nosed. It does not smell like candy, pink flowers, babies, or sweet spices. It's an acquired taste, with a personality of its own. It is a challenging fragrance for many. But, if you ever liked it once, chances are you will like it forever. I know I do, and will continue to.

In 1974, my dad was a sales rep for Revlon in Southern California. I was just 6 but I remember him bringing home samples. I don't think my mom ever wore it but my grandma did. I loved how she smelled and have vague but fond memories of going into her bathroom and smelling Charlie. Once I hit my teens, I wore Charlie a lot. It seemed so earthy, warm and cozy. And it worked with my body chemistry like no other fragrance. Even when I dealt with weekly migraines as a young mom, on the days I didn't have a headache I would do a quick spritz before I ran out the door, kids in tow. It has probably been 20 years since I smelled Charlie. When I started collecting fragrances two years ago, I tried to find Charlie. I was sad when I found out it wasn't in circulation anymore but did purchase Charlie Blue because of how similar it was supposed to be. I was disappointed but I kept it and use it in late winter/early spring. It's nice but it's not MY Charlie. Recently, a friend said that she saw vintage Charlie on Ebay so I bought a bottle thinking that it was probably not my vintage Charlie. It arrived today and I am in heaven. The initial blast of aldehydes immediately brought up very old memories of my childhood. And while Blue is similar to the original it is like a less round version of the composition and definitely doesn't have the aldehydes. Charlie was supposed to be Revlon's less expensive version of no. 5. There are similarities but Charlie is more down to earth and relaxed. It's a vintage, aldehydic bomb/chypre/floral mess but it's fabulous. And it isn't linear. Once the heart notes fade, it turns into a sweet, musky skin scent. To my nose anyway It's, earthy, musky, a bit fizzy. It makes me think of walking through damp woods in November after a heavy rain where I'm wearing no. 5. Charlie is not an easy wear if you don't like vintage fragrances. I think it's unlikely to be a good option if you are under 40. You are unlikely to appreciate its carefree, earthy beauty. This has taken forever to finish this post because I keep smelling my wrist!

You will never get as many complements on how good you smell wearing anything else! Every person who does not like “Charlie”, will always like it on someone else, always! Every time I wear this, I hear the same thing...“Oh my, you smell so good, what are you wearing?”. And then I hear the same answer after telling them it’s “Charlie”...”Really? It never smells that good on me”! The reason People don’t like “Charlie” at first is because we’re so use to people walking around in todays world wearing their “J-lo’s” and their “Britney Spears” or their “Pure Vanilla spray” from “The body shop” that we’re bombarded with the same smelling perfumes everyday and they all smell the same ..that when you wear something like "Charlie”, EVERYONE smells what you’re wearing and it always makes a person become strangely attracted to the scent, that they HAVE to know what you’re wearing because it’s such a different smell that stands out, and has an immediate attack on the senses because it’s so rare! The best thing is that it has not changed from day one...even big names like “Estee Lauder’s Beautiful” has changed and “CK’s Obsession”! All of the big names have changed their signature scents over the years to adapt to the times of todays scents, but “Charlie” has always stayed the same. It fills the room as you enter and people love it! BIG TIP-When you try the sample perfume of Charlie at the store...DON’T! Hide the tester and tell a staff member you can not find the tester...they usually open a new box to be the new tester! That way, you can smell the real scent! Testers have been sitting out for years and have gone funky, so when you smell them, it’s always a toxic mix of floor cleaners and poisons ha ha ha! So please open a new box to smell any perfume, so that you really get to smell the true scent of a perfume like “Charlie”! Even though "Charlie" is a toilette...it's a strong toilette, which is a good thing! So for those with dry skin types, this can last up to 6 hours and for those with moist skin types, this can last up to 3 hours, maybe 4!

Mmmmmmm.....it's just. so. good. This is really out of left field for me as far as comparisons to other fragrances I have bought, but I am really happy with my purchase. This counts as a "Out for a while, but new to me" scent. Smelled it a few times at Walmart, didn't care for it, and then went through kind of a perfume purchase binge recently and re-visited this one, and really liked it! It is so much better on, and plays really nicely with my skin chemistry. Outstanding performance for longevity too. Way better than most of my really expensive stuff in fact. Some people have warned about it being a sillage monster, but I do not find that at all, and I have actually increased how much I sprayed b/c I wasn't getting as much from it as I wanted initially. As with all things, don't over do it. I feel like I'm at the perfect amount. :) It is a comforting aroma, slightly woody, and a comforting richness that is really well blended. It has depth. It reminds me a bit of a softer version of Ciara which my mother wore and I adored on her. I also really like that as it warms up and softens after a little bit, I smell a talcum powder quality. At the end of the day, I don't care if it is an older one, I like it and that's what counts. And it smells great on me. Very satisfying to wear! I can see why this one is a classic. Update: As I have gotten the opportunity to wear this one more, I just want to say how much I LOVE the dry down on this. It softens into something really beautiful that I keep wanting to smell up close. This perfume is awesome!

I was upset to find on a perfume site, for that matter that Charlie, an iconic fragrance any way you look at it, is being described as cheap, drugstore grade fragrance. So I went in the opposite direction, but still came up short of writing about the juice itself. I am pretty sure Charlie hasn't changed at all since it's release, yet over time my interpretation of this fragrance has, significantly. I used to experience a very dry burst of aldehydes at the opening. Next I would recognize an equally dry and powerful grass, very much like the sharp green scent of a freshly mowed lawn. An equally dry spiky carnation continues the sensation of a Southern California August kind of green. I wonder if my sense of smell has continued to develop, because aldehydes aside, Charlie has gotten sweeter to my nose over the years and presently I'm experiencing it as one of the most beautiful delicate florals. I'm smelling a variety of flowers, but non I can name yet in particular. I'm still getting those grassy notes, but now it's as if I'm in a meadow on a warm spring day. Instead of the aldehydes cooling the mix like in Chanel #5, it's effect is warm, like a warm breeze, like the sun. I have been wearing this for the last couple of days, and it stays sweet, green and fresh. I mixed it with Chanel#5, which was pretty, but dare I say that if I had to choose, I like this better!!!

I love Charlie partly for nostalgic reasons - it was my first grown up perfume. But the other reason is because it's so heavy in my favorite note - oakmoss! I can understand why this has so many dislikes - it is powerful stuff, and if you are not a fan of this type of scent, the strength of this one can seem like an olfactory assault. In the TV ad, Shelley Hack applies two large sprays of Charlie to her neck as she enters a night club. Whoa! That amount of Charlie would evacuate the whole place. I find this scent most lovely when worn with some restraint. It is dry, woody, floral, a bit aldehydic, and steeped in hyacinth and oakmoss. It dries down to a woody powder, not being totally linear, but always retaining the Charlie scent. Like most scents, it has to work with your chemistry, and I'm happy this works for me. It is one of the rare scents that surprisingly illicits compliments from my husband, who is usually a vanilla-loving male. I have vintage Charlie in concentrated cologne. The oldest versions of Charlie use dark colored lettering on the bottle. The newer bottles use white lettering, like the picture shown here. I haven't smelled the current version but the Revlon website describes it as "fresh florals and amber spice". I don't experience it that way at all. Charlie Blue is the most similar flanker but not nearly as good as the original.

Just a quick question first: How is this an aldehyde when no aldehydes are listed? Inquiring minds want to know. I didn't think I would like Charlie. I got a bottle as a gift probably 15 years ago and it's been kicking around in a closet. I decided to give it a try. I really, really like this stuff a lot! I think the reason I do like it so much better than before is that now I can appreciate different notes and fragrance concepts better. When I first tried it on I got such a fabulous green fizzy scent - oh how cool! I love the carnation green-ness of it. The first impression I got of Charlie was of women in the 70s who wore long dresses, made fondues and spinach dip,dabbled in tarot cards, and grew houseplants and did macrame. The sort of suburban housewife and mom who also had adult friends with whom they talked about adult things, like they read the Joy of Sex and Fear of Flying. Women who questioned what it meant to be a woman. I think of the old film, Season of the Witch - the woman in that movie would definitely wear Charlie. Having said that, is the fragrance dated? You betcha! Is that a bad thing? Not a chance and I think that is the beauty of fragrance - like capturing time and space in a bottle; being able to put yourself wherever and whenever you'd like to be while still being able to author your own here and now.

I just have to say I HATE THE SNOBBERY behind the idea some have that a perfume isn't to be bothered with if is sold at K-Mart and other bargain stores. All perfume has it's personal history of its relationship with it's admirers and then the very different tale of business decisions and outcomes controlled by money and fate. Charlie is a prime example. Charlie was my very first adult perfume when I was 11 back in 1974. It's release was one of the biggest media blitzes of 1974. This fragrance was heavily promoted in the cosmetic floor in first rate department stores. I was so estatic when my mother bought me a great big bottle during a fun outing to Boston. It was a reassuring condolence for my recent and difficult move over the threshold into puberty. Although I dutifully wore my Charlie off and on, I never understood what the heck I was wearing. My tastes ran with Love's Babysoft Lemon Cologne, easy for a 'tween to relate to. Fastforward to today. Revlon, although a quality brand will probably continue to be found at CVS and Rite Aid, and the biggest bottle of Charlie today can often be had for ten dollars, Charlie is a beautiful aldehydic floral, a classic example of a very trend-on fragrance of the time.

It is back! After buying what I thought was Charlie Blue, I was using this bottle everyday. So a loved one got me another as a stocking stuffer. Box wasn't the same, and what she gave me said Charlie Blue on the box and on the bottle. What I had bought for myself said only Charlie (in White) on the box and bottle. The box is a much darker blue rather than the metallic one Blue came in. It's original Charlie, back in stores. Such a lovely powdery, chypre sent. Neither the oakmoss or geranium overpowers the other components. Blue had enough Charlie DNA to see where it came from, but had a fecal note to it that I just couldn't get past. But Charlie, oh original! How I missed you. As a little girl I wanted to be Shelly Hack from the commercials. Brassy, sassy American girl with a fragrance to match. It was too adult for me to wear back then, and by the time I could really wear perfume, they had replaced it with Charlie Blue. Sure it cost more than the Blue, White and Red versions, but this is the one that started it all. So glad it is back! If you can find it ( found it at Walmart of all places), go for it. A classic is back!

I sampled this today and was surprised to find similarities with Arpege on me for the first hour followed by a unique and pleasant development over the next 4 hours giving this fragrance it's own sweet signature! The differences between the two are that Arpege has Patchouli,Vetiver and a few extra notes in it such as Violet. Can it be that as with Ciara's mimicry of Bal a Versailles that with Arpege's resurgent popularity in the 1970's marketed with slogans such as 'Arpege. Very simply the most beautiful gift in the world' and 'If she wants the moon, give her Arpege!' that Revlon sought to do the same with Charlie but with a twist towards 'the independent Woman' of the day with 'Charlie the gorgeous, sexy-young fragrance by Revlon' This is a fragrance that is now on my shopping list after going on a fragrance shopping binge the last couple of weeks!

I can't believe so many negative reviews for this classic. Charlie was my grandma's signature perfume and it only evoques some of my best memories. When I smell it on someone I can picture her gorgeous reddish hair perfectly styled, her make-up session finished with her Marilyn Monroe's beauty spot ( granny had it natural not painted ) and Charlie saying -I am ready and wonderful-. The aroma of flowers, peach and aldehydes is so delightful and feminine that I just can think of a beautiful woman. This along with Chanel N5 and Fidji were incredibly trendy here during the 70's and worn by the most sophisticated and gorgeous ladies. A woman might still wear it today and would stand out among all those fuitchuly-vanilla girls of theese days. Perfection, seduction, elegance and charm. This is Charlie for me and that was for granny Mary too.

I have worn vintage Charlie for nearly my entire life and I wear it well. It's very femme and always the right fragrance to wear whether I'm dressing up or down. Appropriate for work and hits the right notes for evening as well. When I was much younger, Charlie made me feel older and more sophisticated. Now that I'm a little older, it makes me feel free, confident, and sophisticated. I love the packaging and a little goes a long way. I get my fix on eBay and it never disappoints. I must assert that the current formulation is not bad -just less intense. The new formula is a little lighter on the base notes. Brighter. But the 'feeling' is all there. I always receive compliments when I wear Charlie. Men, women (often surprised at what it is I am wearing), children, etc. "A most original fragrance." Indeed.

THE queen of the drugstore. We are so lucky to live in a world where this wonder is available for a song. Even setting aside its importance in the history of perfumery (which we should not! But others have said more than I could on this), Charlie is a wonder! This chameleonic elixir has many faces so it’s no wonder it tends to divide opinions. Even just on myself it changes remarkably with the weather. On cold days it is a bracing, direct, vegetal needle of aldehydes, hyacinth, geranium, vetiver, and oakmoss, which I love! In milder weather it opens a bit more and soapy, waxy, spicy symphony of lily, coriander, and gardenia come into play. Lovely either way, though not for the faint of heart or aldehyde haters! And be warned — even in the modern formula you only need one or two sprays max!

This perfume has a very special place in my heart - my mom's signature fragrance. Need I say more? Growing up this perfume meant comfort to me. I often stole it from her vanity table and hide it in my bed to sleep with it. (such as her creams and hairpins and lipstics, I would hide all that in my bed!). Growing up behind the iron curtain women of the 80's had not much choice when it came to perfumes. I was lucky my mom had the privilige to use Charlie and I was there to sniff on her soft and beautifully smelling skin day after day! Until this day, it is her signature perfume, and I appreciate this beauty more and more every day. Every Mother's Day she gets her new supply from no other then her daughter - me!

Aromatic and yet somehow simultaneously Romantic...... I LOVE scents that were introduced before my birth. They have a flavor that feels like a vacation into the past I never got to experience. Vicariously, I am living the airy, natural aura of the 70's when I wear Charlie, and it feels great! Incidentally, I feel both alert and happy when Charlie's pungent yet gentle fragrance lingers throughout the day. And surprisingly, I DO receive complements. Not outdated after all. ;) Rating = Five Stars for a combination of perfect sillage, longevity, and value. The only caveat? Perhaps unsuited to temperatures above 70 or 80 degrees F.

I own a few vintage bottles of the "concentrated cologne spray". One being an areysol, and the others are regular non areysol sprays. @gyps and @grapefruit352 I have had a bad experience too, while wearing this one day. I'm not sure if I sprayed too much or what, but it gave me one of those awful headaches that only goes away after taking a very long nap. I am trying to figure out what note did this to me, if any. I've had the same problem with Aromatic's Elixir. Don't get me wrong I like this very much, so much that I own a few bottles. It projects very very well, and lasted around 8 hours on my skin.

I have a 70s bottle, and oh my goodness it is wonderful!!! It's strange because I find myself feeling like it lacks a certain level of depth and complexity as compared to something like Fredric Malle's Portrait of a Lady... and then I realize that I am comparing a luxury parfum to a drug-store cologne and it hits me how impressive it is that I even considered the possibility of them being comparable! It's a beautiful composition, but the longevity is what you should expect for this concentration and price range. If nothing else, it's a classic that any fraghead needs in their collection! :)

I love the original Charlie, which I first smelled when I was gifted a bottle right around 1978. I was in the fourth grade and it was the first fragrance my parents gave me for Christmas. We also got a stereo that year and a few record albums, so I smelled like this when me and my sister listened to our new records and pretended we were Debbie Harry singing Heart of Glass. Very few perfumes evoke happy memories for me like this one, and that's the simple reason that I'll always love it. I still wear it today and probably always will, as long as I can find it in its original formulation.