Charlie Revlon for women

my daughter had a bunch of these charlie fragrances small ones this one and charlie white and red I think idk but they were all stinky they are probably still somewhere around in one of her old purses or something I just don't like these kmart/walmart fragrances some I have never tried but these charlies ughh no thanks!

I saw a 100 ml. bottle on special yesterday and though I own one already, I had to get a backup. Intemporelle beauté et féminité... ( timeless beauty and femininity) is what it is all about to me. I wore this 10 years ago but no matter how often i smell it, it still ravishes me in this lovely old-school way. It is ever so surprising how many compliments this perfume gets when I wear it: longevity is awesome, composition is classic and brilliant, the sillage is quite impressive too... Charlie,(like s.o. said) goes with my L'air Du Temps, Fidgi and other classic collection that never go out of style. Loves it!

Charlie does not semm much changed since it's first introduction in 1973. It is a green, powdery fragrance that many women the world over love. It is an icon, much like Shalimar,etc. While I do not like Charlie much since powdery type frags and I don't seem to mix well, I don't despise it either.

OMG, I remember growing up with girls wearing this in the seventies - eighties! LOL.

I owe this review to my knowledgeable perfume friend.

I cannot speak to longevity, but this smells exactly like Quelquel Fleurs Original, which sells at Neimen Marcus for over $100. Thanks to my very knowledgable perfume friend, I learned that Quelquel Fleurs used to sell in France at the drugstore for a very low price, like Charlie.

Things that make you say hmmm....

Charlie is a surprisingly very nice floral, especially if you turn your snob meter off. I am not a floral lover, but I am going to give this a whirl the next time I see it because I am certain those of you who like or love Quelquel Fleurs could perhaps be wearing the Charlie of France, at a much higher price tag:)

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.

You know how a certain fragrance can bring you right back to a specific time and place and remind you of someone special? Charlie does that for me. One of my highschool teachers wore this every single day. You didn't even have to look and see if her car was in the parking lot. She would leave a trail of Charlie in every room she walked through, and the scent lingered in the room even after she had already left. Her classroom smelled so good, and I couldn't wait to switch classes and go to hers because of how great it always smelled. Funny, a lot of people did not like her perfume, and often made jokes about how strong it was, but I always enjoyed it, and even now, all these many years later, I keep a bottle of Charlie to remember Mrs. Krull. A friend of mine ran into her a few months back, and heavens, she's still wearing Charlie. That made me smile to know that. :)

Charlie runs along the same track as Norell, Fidji, L'Air Du Temps, and all the other green galbanum and carnation ladened '60's and '70's classics. There is a lot of jasmine in this perfume, along with moss, musk and sandalwood. Charlie has a harsh note to it, but it somehow works here, at least for me. '73 classic.

OMG we had a client come in our office this morning and I went sniffing her out! Absolutely smelled wonderful on her. CRAZY I wanted to stay up front and smell her all day.

This was my first ever perfume, my dad gave it to me when I was about 12 or 13. I loved it then. But this bottle doesn't smell anything like what I remember. Faulty memory? very possibly. But I dont hate it.

My mom gave me her half enpty bottle when I about 11, I really loved it at the time and I think I made everyone around me sick because how much I spashed it on myself. I wouldn't use it now but I do have a small and very old bottle just because of the memories attached to it.

My mothers favorite Perfume.
I will always cherish this scent because of my mom

My mother used to wear this perfume in the 80s and it always smelled so good on her. It smelled very expensive and she got compliments all the time. These days the perfume is very watered down and does not last more than 30 mins. Such a shame... because it had become my mom's signature fragrance!

I received the original Charlie perfume in a beautiful crystal bottle with a crystal stopper, not like is pictured above, sometime in the 70's. It was a gift from a young boy that had a crush on me. I was so impressed with the gift. I felt very grown up and chic.

In the bottle it smelled powdery and delicious. On my skin, in no short-order, it became "uh, who let one?" or lingering cat pee. And, it had tenacious staying power. Either way, as much as I tried, and I did try, it never worked out for me. I don't really understand why, because some of the fragrances I love today, have those very same notes. I guess the combination is just lethal for me.

By the way, the love with the young boy never blossomed either.

É um clássico dos anos 70, porém continua atemporal em minha opinião. Afinal, perfume não depende de idade e sim de personalidade... Eu adoro as notas de aldeídos, me remete em alguns momentos muito Anais Anais da Cacharel ... Muito intenso, fixa de forma espetácular... No seu ano de lançamento ganhou o FIFI Awards, o "Oscar" da perfumaria...Experimente antes de comprar...

I gave away my Charlie Blue but kept my Charlie Red. Blue was such a blast of fragrance and it refused to calm down as the day wore on. Maybe some young lady has adopted it. I can still hear Bobby Short singing the song introducing..."there's a new girl in town, and her name is Charlie..." IMO it should be worn by someone with youthful energy unless they immediately label it as "old l..y'

To my nose, it has much similarities with Mackie- Bob Mackie.

That sharp and shampooing/ balm smell, maybe cus a excess of aldehydes, that makes it leaves a burnt and cristalline trace in the air.

My mother use to wear Charlie and Byzance, and when she is out of home, I love to spray it in the hall to disperse "her" smell throughout the house.

Sometimes, Charlie resembles to Giórgio. Give me the same sensation, tho Giórgio hasn't the animalic smell, that note that makes Charlie seems old.

However, this similarities is not enough to put it in "This perfume reminds me of..." cus I know, as always, nobody will agree.

"Charlie"?
My English language professor used to wear this perfume.
I entered the building and I could almost smell it from the stairs below!

Of course it is a fantastic perfume, of course the other Charlies don't share a fraction of its magic and of course it was/is shockingly cheap!
If you can find it, you may as well buy it in abundance, wear it day in/day out, and don't bother reading perfume reviews here or anywhere else for the rest of your lifetime. :-)

Charlie was a turning point of the perfume industry. In 1973, when it was introduced for about $3. a bottle, all women had to try it! It was a floral aldehyde obviously inspired by Chanel No 5. Sassy, full of quality ingredients and commercially appealing. It was a "women lib" signature.

The flankers to endlessly follow it never really matched its original beauty. I sampled some last year and yes, its still Charlie-stretched out as far as it can go on a chemical frame.

I have Charlie in vintage pure perfume,it smells wonderfully class,unlike the new Charlies

A trademark of the 70's.I still remember my mum wearing it.Charlie was a modern perfume(and extremely cheap)

oh mandana your review is amazing!i found charlie very modern too,a warm scent ,unisex .i can pick the woody but not the flower,still very sexy lasting power is just powerful.x

Back in 1975 my best friend wore "Charlie" at school, growing up in New Jersey, and it smelled wonderful on her. I got a bottle too for my graduation. "Charlie" (strange unisex name for a feminine fragrance) was a modern bright and confident young woman's fragrance, much ahead of its time, and I think it would be still lovely to wear today. I dont get the rich woody notes, just a wonderful accord of lovely flowers balanced by ... cedar ? and something else undefinable. I cant pick out the lily-of-the valley note but it must be there! Strangely, I dont find "Charlie" dated at all, but I have some great memories of it; whenever I smell it, I think back to travelling to the high school parties in New York, wearing flared white jeans, cropped waistcoats and flicking back my long blonde curled hair LOL and hanging about the diners sucking on a thick chocolate shake, feeling so grown-up and ultra cool! Charlie is simply a classic! The sillage - needless to say - lasts for ages! In those days you could smell "Charlie" a mile away. Wearing it made me feel confident, happy and energetic!
I feel this was the 1970's young version of "Eternity"; I realise that they are not really comparable but both fragrances are bold and energetic but to me, "Charlie" is warm, sexy, "loud" and appealing in a way that "Eternity" is not. But probably "Charlie" is like "Eternity's" kid sister!

I wore this scent a lot in the 80's. Havent tried it since then.

A family friend had given this perfume to me as a christmas gift. I never knew at the time that Revlon made perfumes, so I was excited to try it. I was 14-15 years old and I thought it smelled ok. It isn't expensive and you can tell by the scent that it isn't. It's one of "those" perfumes you have just in case you run out of what you really like and you haven't done your laundry and you need to spritz something on fast. blah.

I agree with F_A. Great classic, never forgotten. My dad gave this perfume and lotion set for my birthday many years ago. Ive never opened it to keep it as a keepsake in memory of my dearly departed father who shares the perfumes name.

I have the Charlie perfumes but this one I just cannot use it more than one day at a time. It smells like harsh hairspray and a little dusty at the same time. I have Charlie White which I know some people think smells like dusty flowers but Charlie Blue I think smells that way. I have the lotion and perfume. My husband got it for me in a set when were in the Chemist Warehouse. I find sometimes if you wear the lotion it softens an otherwise harsh perfume but with this one it just stays very sharp. It smells like a pine forest to me. I will continue to use it because I do like sharp perfumes and it is a classic but it is not a safe one to buy without sniffing. A lot of people who are only used to todays perfumes will think it is very dated and too harsh. If you are like me and have worn all the older perfumes you may warm to it easier. I don't know I am very undecided with it. It does last a long time.

My mom wore this when I was young and it always seemed like a chemical odor to me, gave me a headache. I received it once as a gift and gave it to mom. I have not smelled this in years, I would like to try it now. Isn't it odd how our tastes change and how we may detect different fragrance notes as we age?

I got a bottle of Charlie some months ago, i wanted to remember past times... i am amazed.

Nowadays most perfumes smell generic fruity candy ...soft inoffensive florals...eau de cologne citrics...we struggle to find good sillage and good lasting power. Of course there are exceptions!!

Charlie, even being such a cheap drugstore fragrance has a great sillage and lasting power. It is a pleasant floral aldehyd with a strong hyacinth and carnation notes, with a very nice musky drydown. Call it old lady if you want. But to be honest i wish most perfumes i have (that are a lot more expensive) had this great quality.

Anyway...i enjoy it..i will dab on a little bit before going to bed :)

One whiff of this and i was transported back to my Auntie's house in the 70s with the red shagpile carpet, thirsty orange curtains, and a matching painting of orange horses.

Plus. Bay City Rollers. Tartan 3/4 flared pants. Just no.

Who knew, my cousins must have worn it. How strong is scent memory, I'd forgotten that carpet!
I seriously never want to go to that place again - I put the bottle down and ran away whimpering.

Which was a pity cause I'd probably have bought it, I really like sourcing and owning drugstore classics. I ended up with Charlie Red instead.

The original vintage 1970's hip Charlie is a wonderfully complex oriental floral. The original formulation does not contain aldehydes in it's composition which leaves me wondering why the 'floral aldehydes' olfactory group classification?? It's also very difficult to blame a 'blast of offensive aldehydes' for disliking a perfume when none exists in the composition, LOL.
Now Charlie Blue, the reformulated cheapened sister of the classic 70's hip original is a linear mess. So possibly there is an assumption that both are one and the same perfume which could not be farther from the truth, and such a shame. The original formulation is a bold and beautifully complex jus with an oakmoss, cedar, musk finish that is wrist or neck sniffing wonderfulness. The challenge is in finding a bottle of the original vintage formulation of Charlie especially when both are in a blue box that looks almost identical except for the word "Blue" on the reformulated version.

Edit: Osmoz.com has this fragrance in the Oriental Floral Olfactory Group. This makes more sense to me than the Floral Aldehyde classification on Fragrantica. Below are Osmoz's descriptions of both groups.

Floral Aldehyde: Animal, powdery or slightly woody notes often enhance the floral bouquet. The top note is a marriage of aldehydes and hesperidia. This sub-family came into existence with the creation of Chanel n°5, the first floral-aldehydic perfume with an unusually high amount of aldehydes.

Oriental Floral: Traditional oriental base composed of sweet, powdery elements, accompanied by an exotic floral note such as tiare flower or 'spicy' flowers such as carnation.

Fragrantica's loose interpretation of olfactory groups and habit of bouncing fragrances around from one group to another without explanation has been very frustrating.

Floral aldehydes just really work with my skin chemistry and this one is no different. I have loved Charlie since I was a child first opening up to the world of scent and how fascinating it can be. Charlie has seemed to follow me throughout my adult life--whether it is a relative or a colleague, someone always seems to have it on and of course, I always notice it...and tell them how much I love what they are wearing, never surprised when they say, "It's Charlie." So, why am I so surprised that EVERY time I where this one, someone...at least one person tells me I smell great and asks me what it is I'm wearing? Clean, woody, powdery floral. Sparkling. Will always be part of my collection, but have to be in the mood for it. Enjoyed during the colder seasons, for sure.

my Nonna (grandmother), loves this fragance, its her signature scent :D brings back memories of the good old days ;)

I was looking through what I do not wear and spotted a vintage splash of Charlie that came with a vintage box lot. Well, it smells good and I suspect it will last. It strikes me more as being an oriental than anything else. I am trying to make room for everything but cannot give up this vintage Charlie.

What is the difference between this Charlie and the Charlie bleu? Does anyone know?

Well everyone, I being a Gentleman wear this Charlie Esu de Cologne an a daily basis, and you know it's FABULOUS on me ! It's very much a " Unisex " Fragrance...to me at least and I see NO problem with a Man wearing Charlie, why not, not only is it CALLED " Charlie " but it's aroma is rather Masculine and smokey, warm and inviting....Give it a try, I think it's great, and SO WHAT if it's cheap, God dammit, it's a Fragrance, not a " Car " so spending less don't mean it's a bad thing, and trust me, I wear some of the very, very BEST in Fragrances and I know good stuff, this Charlie, it is, just not as expensive as Guerlain ( Whom I LOVE ) so, stop bitching and buy it and enjoy, that's all....

I really love Charlie, is so strong, nice, powdery and at the same time, unique... never smell a perfume like this,,, love you

its an old classic scent that's a warm, powdery floral, bitter and sweet and develops nicely once u spray it on.

somewhat reminds me of dark amber coloured classic edition of Chloe by Chloe and Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt.

I've developed a love-hate relationship with this fragrance over the years. There are some days where I can't stand it; the aldehydes stand out & I get a very synthetic smell. Then there are days when the florals shine through. I've learn to like this when I layer it with a lighter scent like my violet splash or my Egyptian musk oil. It is definitely a classic and still very popular since I've noticed women still wearing it. Its an affordable fragrance with great sillage.

you know guys first i used charlie....my world become flesh,a little bit naughty i swear you love me....ha..ha... you know guys again all of user of charlie is intelligent...and smart

that's all thanks more power

I had this when i was a teenager, actually , my mother had it, and we used to use it also...
Hmmm...nice, strong, feminine.
I used to like it back then, now not anymore , too dated.
I don't find it similar to Chanel n 5 ...actually Charlie remindes me a bit of Rive Gauche YSL...less the metalic note that Rive has...
I know this might sounds crazy but as soon as i tried Rive Gauche , remembered Charlie blu...;)....
A classic...i still find it here in the perfumery shops !!!:)

I'll submit a review for Chaz here, which is a men's fragrance, because there is no listing for it:

I have the vintage Revlon formulation. The opening is crude and "synthetic," which I've now learned to ignore with these older fragrances. Give it time, and it settles very nicely. Some have compared it to Zino, but I find Zino to be more complex and cruder. Zino also has a tobacco note that is missing here. Chaz seems to be a "woody/amber," but it's smoother than others with this kind of base. I'd describe it as a creamy woody/amber. Other than that, I'd guess there is some leather or suede, patchouli, spice, and perhaps an herbal element. It is not musky, and the wood note is much less powerful and wearable than the modern cedar notes so common in recent "men's" fragrances. I was surprised at how mellow this is, in fact, though I would advise against smelling it up close on the skin. It's one of those fragrances that needs to mix with air before it gets to you nose. Longevity is at least very good and projection/"sillage" is good. I don't spray much so it might have much stronger sillage is you spray 4 or 5 times per wearing. I don't find this too "old school" for those not used to such fragrances, but only spray once on your first wearing!

My sister liked Charlie when it first came out in the 70s. My father would tell her she smelled like cat pee. I have never much cared for it myself, it had a sharpness to it.

I didn't like it as a child, as it seemed too brash and harsh. Trying it now as an adult, it doesn't seem as loud, but it still isnt' something I like. It goes on like soap and Arpege. After a few minutes I can identify the soap as Camay, which I do like, and the tarry-sticky aldehydes of Arpege which I am undecided on. I think it's the carnation, peach and aldehydes together that suggest that dark, black edge, and in Arpege, it's part of the mystery. Here, with the soapy notes, it's just sort of a jumble. It doesn't offend me in small doses, but it doesn't wear well on me either, and I had to scrub it off in the end. Dated and strong, and the modern formulation dries down dusty and cheap smelling.

i really like this fragrance,i also wore it when i was a young girl in the 70s,as we all did.now i am older an a friend bought me it foe christmas,i still like it,but as oppose to wearing it when young for a night out.now it would be worn as a casual fragrance around the house,many other better perfumes to wear,for my nights out.

Actually very pleasant perfume, I got it after Christmas, just a small bottle on clearance and am enjoying it for the price, its basenotes are pleasant. I almost wish it took a little longer for the fragrance to develop all the way from beginning to end,perhaps today is too warm for this fragrance,it bloomed so quickly for me. I can't say I understand the difference between "cheap" and expensive perfumes, I must be too new to this.

esse perfume faz-me lembrar da minha adolescencia! eu adorava usar! tive varios vidros desse perfume!! vi em alguns comentarios acima dizendo que ele tem cheiro de perfume barato! nw acho! pra mim ele é único! e sinto saudades de sua fragância!! me traz ótimas e doces recordações!!

For me, this is a naughty relative of Anais Anais. Equally strong in projection, but less bothered with elegance, this scent picks up from where Anais Anais leaves: in a whiff of powdered incense over hyacinths and carnations.
From there the scent amplifies with citric fruit peel and peach skin.
Very zesty. For the young and invincible.
The fragrance melts down to a synthetic resin note, quintessentially my
memory of Charlie.

Many people talk about Charlie and i can't believe this fragrance was a FiFi winner. For me Charlie is like the poor unglamorous cousin of Chanel N5.

Please revlon working womans deserved a better fragrance! This doesn't even have own identity..

Cheap perfumes shouldn't smell horrible..

Thank you Tala.

Your mention of Carnation prompts me to try this again after many years. I love carnation notes.

I use Caron Bellodgia and Floris Malmaison even though both have to be bought online from international sites, and are expensive and not always available.
I can pick up Charlie at the local pharmacy.
As a sidelight, given the restrictions of fluid one can take on aircraft, the Revlon pocket size perfumes are very handy.

I9ve got it when i was sixteen and it was with me when I was in love at first time, at my first relationships and at many other situations :) Nice memories...

The spirit of my childhood...My mother used this perfume for long years. Then I found this perfume in Germany!I surprised beacuse I haven't seen this bottle for 15-20 years. I bought one bottle in the memory of old nice days. The message of this perfume is clear for me "I'm a mature woman also have motherly soul"

it seems quite fashionable among online perfumistas to proclaim how cheap smelling this is,i sampled it again after many years and can pleasantly confirm the contrary..try it for yourself!..thats all i will say.

I had this perfume when I was a teenager.I was sixteen and thought wow I must have this and loved it very much.It smelled very nice on me and I received a lot of compliments. But from what I can remember the only drawback was too much gave me a headache, it was a strong perfume. Eventually I got tired of it and gave it away.This is looking back in 1980.

I remember this perfume from my childhood days - my mother used it. I thought it was a perfume only for an adult lady not for teens, it smells classic, strong with some sweet and bitter notes in the same time. I don't remember any disturbance caused by this fragrance, but quite opposite - I was very curious about it, but always hesitated to try it, because it's smell was very obvious and you just can't hide it. So my mother would guessed that I borrowed her bottle.))

I never liked this scent. I had an Aunt that would wear this scent sometimes. Sadly I think this scent smells cheap and very strong.

I wasn't even born yet when this came out...I have tried it though..not a big fan of the frag but what i want to know is why don't we see great perfume songs anymore like Charlie or windsong "i can't seem to forget you..your windsong stays on my mind"...and what about Enjoli?..."I can bring home the bacon...da..da..da..da..fry it up in a pan"...i would love it if someone would bring back perfume tunes...even if i didn't like the frag i would still buy it...just because.

PS Thank you for that old commercial!

Watching that first video above makes me want to be a ''Charlie girl''! Looks so fun. Unfortuneately, the actual scent of this is very strong and harsh. I'm sure it was great in it's time, but now, it smells like a very outdated chypre. Floral peach with a strong, STRONG aldehyde overtone. This is not a scent for today's young teen. You'll need to try this one before you buy.. I think most people who buy this now purchase for nostalgic reasons, not because they like the scent and want to wear it everyday.

I never liked "Charlie". I was in my early 20s when it came out and it was clearly being marketed to women around my age. I tested it but never bought it. I like some inexpensive perfumes, but Charlie always smelled bad and chemically and, well, cheap to me on anyone wearing it.

My mother use to wear this scent because my father's name was Charlie. I saw it in a drug store a few year's back and bought a bottle on a lark. I get GREAT complements every time I wear it. Something about it mixes well with my body chemistry. I usually wear Halston, Chanel 5, Fidgi, and L'Air du Temps and I never hear anything. Put on Charlie and everybody loves me.

An evil little perfume if ever there was....words cannot describe it! & to market it for teens - what were they thinking...Chanel No5 for teens??! This has put me off aldehyde-rich scents for a long time. Totally fake. YUK!

I just could not picture a teen age girl in this day and age wearing this fragrance. Good gosh if you make your teen/pre teen wear this they will have no social life.

The scent is very dated to the early 1070's with it aldehyde and powdery floral woods.

This scent reminds me of the dinosaurs who's time has come and gone - Sorry Charlie!

I don't know why but to me it is really similar to L'air de temps by Nina Ricci.
Sweet floral, not for every body but if someone can carry carnations it would be a dream scent. Carnation is that spicy powdery note which some people seem to complain about in perfumes.
Charlie is confident and bold. There is no lightness about it. It exudes confidence but there is something innocent about it as well.

The original, and best "Charlie". Charlie "Blue", which is what is supposed to be the new version of the original is a bit paler version of this lively, seamless scent. An underrated classic.

Great for a teenager.
I had it !
It is a great scent for a young girl.

UGH - bought for me as a teen. Hate it hate it hate it. Cheap and disgusting!

Ich habe diesen Duft geliebt. Blumig - aber doch irgendwie speziell.
Leider gibt es das EdT in Deutschland nicht mehr zu kaufen.

I have loved this smell. Florid - but anyhow especially.
Unfortunately, there is not the EdT in Germany any more to shop.

I got this as a Christmas gift when I was pre-teen and used it as a weapon of stink against my brothers. I think if I tried it again I might enjoy it because of the memories attached to it. I only remember how strong it was.

Strong, heavy, rich, woody and dusty fragrance with nice flowery top notes.

Growing up my mom used to wear this. To me (at that time) it smelled like dime store drool, one step up from Jean Nate.
Now that I am older I would give it another sniff.

Che bei ricordi questo profumo... una cascata di fiori.. dopo tanti anni è ancora uno dei miei preferiti.