Comme des Garcons Series 2 Red: Carnation Comme des Garcons for women

CdG Carnation begins with a mostly bitter slightly sweet waxy green floral aroma. Doesn't necessarily remind me of a carnation, but more of a lily vibe. It very quickly changes, and gains a powdery aroma -and perhaps a whisper of an incense?- that takes away from the intial freshness. Then the clove tries to seep through the powder but is tragically muddied by it. I'm familiar with carnations that smell very sweet, fresh, and like crisp ground cloves - and that is the fragrance I was looking for with this scent. This doesn't smell like burying your nose into a lovely dewy bright bouquet of carnations, but instead smells something like an incense stick interpretation of carnation. I just don't understand the powdery note. I think it causes it to smell outdated and blah. This wears fairly close to the skin. Longevity is okay. If you're looking for fresh carnation I'd suggest you seek elsewhere.

A minimalistic, straight forward and tremendously realistic take on carnation reinforced by a consistent dose of clove and a slightly (slightly) powdery rose note.

While carnation is surely the main note at the same time clove plays an important role. It is really well rendered and never overdone so to avoid conjuring images of dental offices, clove cigarettes, baking hams and stuff like that. It adds the right amount of body and paired with a subtle note of pimento provides an intriguing piquant vibe. Rose and other floral patterns refine the fragrance with a discreet yet essential presence.

Possibly among the most gender neutral carnation-based compositions around. Easy to wear and pretty distinctive. Very well done.

Ratign: 7-7.5/10

Pretty scent. Reminds me a lot of the Roger & Gallet Carnation soap ("oeillet mignardise".) Thankfully the strong pepper notes of the opening mellow after 20 minutes, then it is just pure floral beauty, very feminine, clean and powdery (but not in a sickening way.) Very impressed. Think I might get meself a bottle!

Nice carnation scent but the clean musk smell in this fragrance ruins it for me

I did a small test spritz on the inside of my elbow when I was at a CdG boutique. . It was still there more than 24 hours later. One of the longest lasting ones I have ever encountered. To me, it is exactly like the carnations my father used to buy for us to wear to church on Mothers' Day. Or like opening a florist refrigerator that is filled with carnations. That fresh, dewy feeling is there. In my naive opinion, it is a carnation soliflore. I don't get much clove, although it is probably part of the formula to create the carnation. A bit of rose and related florals becomes detectable along the way. I would like to hear if any guys try to wear this. I am considering FB purchase!

This is wonderful!
I was a bit sceptical to start with because carnations are not what I would call pretty flowery flowers.
They are quite cold and harsh by nature and known as cemetery offerings in France.
BUT...
Comme des Garcons have managed to create something fabulous. This surrounds you in a delicious cloud.
The rose in its supporting role, adds a soft rounded and almost sugary aspect to this magic potion and the cloves complement it with a spicy edge.
The three together work in perfect harmony and it ends up being the perfect carnation scent. A soliflore, only better.
It is quite linear, but has great projection and stays on all day.
I love it!

Very sad. Yes, peppery. Eventually clove. Waited and waited but no carnations. All gone in a powdery finish. Perhaps my sample had gone off? Still looking for the carnation replacement for the beautifully spicy, slightly sweet, last all day one Crabtree & Evelyn made (before the Malaysian buy discontinued it in the late 90's).

It's harmony with clove and carnation.

2 Red Carnation starts with a very prominent clove note whose sharp spiciness is mellowed with a sweet floral note.But at the same time, this sweet clove note bears a heat with it which I not only feel on the skin but also on the nerves. As it starts to settle, it goes in the background and all you get is an emerging note of carnation. Here this carnation note reminds me of the florist, at whose shop, I always used to stop by to take a whiff of fresh flowers when I was taking my yoga teacher training classes.

This fragrance has meditative property and smells very calming on the nerves. A soothing carnation fragrance with a soft undertone of spicy clove. A must for carnation lovers.

Thanks Juliette has a gun for the sample!

8/10

I wore it a couples of times in a club and it was a bloody magnet! Somebody told me that night, it smells pretty much like love. Well, not exactly like love to me but it has that spiciness of the cloves along with the freshness of the carnation flower which completely ROCKS and it's more lust than love.
And that drydown, OMG, it's exactly the feeling you get after the lust is satisfied. You know, that feeling of being at the right place, the right time, with the right person..
Respect to Evelyn.

Having tested a few Comme de Garcon, there is one thing I know. Be prepared for a non-conventional perfume that will at best mesmerise and at worst, command respect.

Red Carnation did not fail to deliver on its non conformity with an initial blast of cloves that reeked of dental first aid. Hidden amongst this uncompromising opening was the suggestion of pimento which ultimately overtook the clove to mellow into a gorgeous creamy drydown that balances spice with a hint of sweetness.

Has it mesmerised me? -Partially
Do I respect it as a unique and well crafted perfume? -Totally

When I received my sample of this from Luckyscent.com, I was kind of suprised on how much clove seemed to come out of this, but it's so well balanced, I didn't mind too much. I am a big fan of carnation and would reccomend this scent to anyone who likes this flower. Nice fragrance to wear, esp. in winter.

A carnation soliflore, Tigerlillian's review below is just spot-on, hence I'll be very brief: This is a green carnation ... the heart is made of cloves - so you might experience a whiff of a "medicinal" smell here (cloves are still used as a herbal remedy by dentists in order to fight tooth-ache). The aroma is too harsh for me! The staying-power is great, but the scent is NOT my favourite carnation soliflore. Fragonard's Billet Doux is cheaper and much softer.
5 points out of 10 on my personal scale

When I think of carnations, I think of cold weather and this is how this fragrance opens for me.

Fresh, crisp aroma of carnations with a little cool green undertone that reminds me of the flower's blue/green stems.

As it heats up on my skin, I get the bitter zing of cloves. Carnation has a peppery undertone anyway and the addition of spices really enliven the heart. Rose refines the sharp edges and jasmine adds a little sweet whisper. The clove intensity starts to teeter the whole composition off balance, almost giving me a numbness to my tongue (much like the effect of cloves in natural medicine for treating toothaches), but then it seems to level out with the dry down.

The finish is like pure carnation where the spices give just the right amount of depth without any obvious heat. Definitely worth the wait. Still cool to my nose despite the firey ingredients.

A must for carnation lovers.

One of the finest carnation based scents out there!
The name pretty much says it all, but it's spicy and fresh at the same time. The pimento creates a fantastic addition to soft rose notes, and jasmine sweetens up the composition just a little bit, enough for the whole juice not to get too sweet but it also prevents it from being sharp. As compared to the other fragrances from the Red Series, this is definitely the nicest one, and it is naturale, wearable, and uplifting.

As compared to Etro Dianthus, it's lasting power is much much better, Etro being EDC lasts about an hour or so, while you can count a few hours at the very least for the CdG one. Thumbs up! I might have found the ultimate carnation!

Smells just like the little carnations ( Dianthus Barbatus) that grow in the garden in little but thick bunches... Very very natural , no added spices. Even the cloves some people feel, are subdued to the carnation smell. Silage and lasting power are average. I wish the silage was stronger, it is a little too soft considering the price of this perfume. Plus it's not discounted anywhere.
This is a carnation soliflore according to my nose, and I don't understand why it's classified as a spicy oriental.
Beautiful more than words can describe, delicate, serene, natural. A high quality perfume, very classy, elegant yet sensual, a pleasure to wear from morning till night.

Carnation is a beautiful spicy floral scent. Many people say it has too much clove and I disagree. It has the perfect amount, and after all another name for a carnation is a clove-pink. After the burst of clove the rose and jasmine are very easy to discern. I love this scent as it's a unisex floral, a little sweet and powdery but crisp and bright. CDG were right that rose, jasmine and clove do smell like a carnation. It lasts well on on my skin and forever on my clothes.

I've been testing carnation fragrances recently, because I just adore the spicy-floral-green smell of fresh carnations. This is one of the better ones: very spicy, very floral. It lasts about four hours on me, enjoyable every minute.

But I continue to test. I'll update when I choose my "winner" carnation.

The beautiful, true soul of sweet carnations. Next to Coup de Fouet, it’s a bit fakey, but still lovely. Very like the cream perfume I used to have a million years ago.