Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera
190 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Watermelon and cardamom hit simultaneously, creating an almost savoury opening that's disarmingly herbaceous—the citrus notes (bergamot, mandarin) struggle to brighten what feels like a fundamentally warm introduction, the lemon cutting through like a sharp breath of air before disappearing almost immediately.
Cinnamon and pepper emerge with deliberate intensity, transforming the fruity opening into something considerably spicier and more austere; the fragrance becomes less about pleasure and more about presence, developing an almost peppery dryness that sits uncomfortably on the skin yet prevents any softness from creeping in.
The musk and sandalwood finally claim dominion over the composition, though the tonka bean prevents complete austerity—what remains is a dry, woody whisper with just enough sweetness to suggest warmth rather than deliver it, fading rapidly into a faint, almost undetectable trace within 4-5 hours.
Chic for Men arrives as a peculiar collision between a sunlit fruit stand and a spice market, held together by threads of sandalwood. Carlos Benaïm crafted something that feels neither fully fruity nor genuinely spicy—instead, it occupies an uncomfortable middle ground that somehow works. The watermelon opening is oddly unsettling; it's not the juicy, summery watermelon of popular imagination, but rather something closer to the dusty, almost herbal quality of the fruit's rind. Cardamom enters immediately, wrestling with the citrus notes (bergamot and mandarin orange) in a way that suggests warmth rather than brightness.
This is a fragrance for the man who finds conventional fresh scents too vapid yet isn't quite ready to commit to genuine spice territories. The cinnamon and pepper in the heart prevent Chic from ever becoming soft or comfortable—there's an astringent quality that persists throughout, a slight prickling sensation on the back of the nostrils. The tonka bean adds a whisper of vanilla sweetness underneath, preventing the composition from becoming aggressively dry.
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3.8/5 (310)