Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Cristalle Eau Verte: A review plus a free sample drawing

Chanel seems to do everything right. There isn’t a fragrance from Chanel’s Les Exclusifs line that I don’t like. I find them fleeting (except Coromandel), which is a major problem, but the scents themselves are all excellent. So here we are in the spring of 2009 with a flanker to Chanel Cristalle called Cristalle Eau Verte. I knew I must have this – unsniffed – and so it was.

Upon receiving Eau Verte I immediately applied the original Cristalle edt on one arm and Eau Verte on the other. Eau Verte is its own perfume, it may share the Cristalle name and a citrusy quality but that’s about all. Eau Verte starts off like a Tanqueray gin & tonic with a dozen limes, a clementine and a lemon. Eau Verte is verdantly citrusy, and juicy limes and citrus are all I smell for the first 5 minutes.

I like Cristalle edt and edp. I wear them both but can’t say that I’m smitten with either of them. Cristalle is a practical fragrance for me, something I’d wear during the warmest months to feel fresh and put together. Cristalle is something I’d wear to the office, but not something I’d wear just because I love the smell. It’s more of a wardrobe basic than a true love. Eau Verte, on the other hand, is a fresh, green citrus that I rather like a lot. Eau Verte smells more contemporary to me, it seems fresher, cleaner and more natural than the original Cristalle, and it doesn’t have that synthetic Chanel aldehydic base that tends to bother me.

The difference between Cristalle and Cristalle Eau Verte is almost exactly like the difference between No. 5 and Eau Premiere. There is a contemporary crispness in Eau Verte that I don’t find in Cristalle, in fact, when I compare the two, Cristalle suddenly smells very 1974. The dry down of Eau Verte is lovely. To me, it smells like citrusy honeysuckles, abstract white florals and fresh spring air. The beautiful floral accord is much more pronounced in Eau Verte than in the original Cristalle. In fact, once dried down, the overall effect of Eau Verte is of a warmer and less sterile/cold white floral with hints of citrus and green. Eau Verte is lovely. I will now wear Eau Verte instead of Cristalle edt and rather than it serving as a basic wardrobe fragrance it will be a personally enjoyable scent.

Eau Verte’s longevity is better than Cristalle edt, lasting about 4-5 hours on me.

If you’re interested in the free drawing, please leave a comment along with your email address. Comments will be accepted until Monday, May 11th, at 5PM US EDT, at which time we'll choose the winner of the 2.5 ML spray sample. Good luck!

24 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing this information about the Chanel. It is wonderful to be reminded that new and different does not neccesarily mean not so good.I appreciate being entered into the drawing. Thank you.

Jenn said...

Great review! I will definitely try Eau Verte and would love to win a sample!

Abigail said...

Hey folks,
Please leave me your email addresses so I can contact the winner!
Thanks

dea said...

wow. eau verte sounds great! i remember buying cristalle when i was 15 right after i bought coco (1985). I doused myself in cristalle even though i didn't like it too much (i thought it smelled like weeds) but i convinced myself that this opinion didn't matter as much as being elegant. (this is from someone who had braces and wore esprit sweatshirts, not the most elegant girl)

btw- i've been wanting to comment for months, but couldn't because i wasn't a "blogger". and now i am able to. i don't get it.

this is my purse said...

I once wore Cristalle but left it because I wanted soething more like Eau Verte. Thank you for the nice review.

--cjw

Anne said...

Would love to try!

Anne

kathleen said...

I can imagine wearing this on our hottest, most humid, Virginia summer days. I would love to be entered in the draw, please, Abigail.

Tara said...

Uea Verte wonderful. I really loved eau premiere and I don't particularly like No. 5. I also find Cristalle difficult at times and fleeting, so I am excited about trying Rau Verte. Thanks for a wonderful review. Please enter me in the drawing.

Tara said...

Sorry I forgot to add my email address. tarammansfield@gmail.com

Thanks again

violetnoir said...

Please enter me in the drawing. I can be reached at violetnoir@sbcglobal.net.

Thank you. I love your blog!

Anonymous said...

This sounds lovely.

kzolin@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Count me in!

girlinthemoon80 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

Darn it, now I must smell this! I am not in love with Cristalle, in either EDT or EDP, but this sounds much more my style Please enter me in the drawing!

Stacy said...

I would love to try this. I am a longtime fan of both the edt and the edp, which I am wearing today, in fact. I am also a big Chanel fan; I was pleased by the Eau Premiere re-interpretation and suspect that I will like this one as well! (stacydell@gmail.com)

Unknown said...

Lovely review! Can't wait to smell it.
(guido.grossi@gmail.com)

krnszn said...

Hi Abigail. Great to read a review of this. It's one of the fragrances I'm anxious to try. I wore Cristalle years ago, and admit I haven't sniffed it awhile...but would love to try Eau Verte. Please include me in the draw. Thanks! - krnszn@gmail.com.

portoalegre said...

It sounds like like such a perfect spring airy scent. I would love to smell a Chanel Les Exclusifs fragrance so please enter me in the draw.

ScentScelf said...

I must say that while I will wear many a vintage frag, a lot of time it feels like "dress up," whereas I am more likely to find "me" in a modern iteration. Not always...Bois des Iles is an interesting exception, given that any other Chanel is dress up...wait, except for 31 Rue Cambon, which is fancier, but not put on...ANYWAY, please include me in the draw. (Email info to follow)

CagneyFan said...

Wonderful review! As a long time wearer of Cristalle EdT, I'm very curious about this new version. I thought Eau Premiere was a worthy flanker to No 5, and I hope the same is true of Eau Verte.

Count me in for the drawing, please. Thanks!
rgerfeplehwm@netzero.net

Tiny Oak (Caviglia) said...

Please enter me in the drawing. Our stores don't have it yet!
caviglia.web at gmail dot com

Sue said...

Lovely review as always, Abigail. I would love to try Eau Verte an this is a good reminder for me to try out the original again as well.

Have a lovely weekend!

Tania said...

I found this at my local store, and after one test, I bought it! So thanks, but you don't need to include me in the draw.... ;-)

You're right, it doesn't have that Chanel synthetic base. And the first blast is very gin and tonic (and I love my g & t). I can still smell Cristalle in there, but in a lovely new form.
All in all, I think I'll be wearing this fresh little beauty a lot this summer!

Hmmmm.... I think I should try Eau Premiere. I ignored it, because I'm really not a fan of No. 5 - but it seems whoever is doing the flankers, they are on the right track.

Unknown said...

It sounds great for the spring/summer!

snow said...

I was interested in purchasing Eau Verte , your comments really helped.