CH L'Eau
Eleven materials go into Carolina Herrera CH L'Eau Eau de Toilette 100ml, which makes it the light reading of the CH idea and also one of the busiest things the house makes.
Citrus dominates the first half. Lemon runs through both the opening and the middle, sharp and peely rather than sweet, and blood orange gives a rounder, slightly jammy red citrus beside it. Tea is the material that sets the mood, dry and faintly astringent, more leaves in hot water than anything bottled, and ginger adds a prickle of dry heat. Orange blossom and rose soften the centre, the orange blossom clean and a little bitter, the rose kept crisp rather than full. The base is where the work happens. Vetiver and cedarwood make it dry and rooty, patchouli adds damp earth, cashmeran brings that warm, faintly resinous quality which modern bases rely on, and musk smooths everything into the skin. The result is a citrus that does not collapse after twenty minutes, which is the usual failing of the type. Olivier Cresp composed it in 2017. As an eau de toilette it gives five hours or so with a bright opening and a quiet, drier finish. Three or four sprays is appropriate, and it tolerates reapplication well.
It reads feminine but not strongly so, it is built for warm weather and daytime, and it is one of the better choices in the range for an office or a long flight. Anyone who finds the original CH too rich should try this before giving up on the name. New York is home to the fashion house, whose founder came from Venezuela and showed a first collection in 1981. Her perfume business began in 1988 under a licence with Puig, the Spanish owner of the fashion company since 1995.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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