Cristalle Eau de Parfum (1993)
by Chanel

Cristalle smells like cut grass galore. After a while on skin, it softens and warms up slightly and develops a more powdery/aldehydic quality beside the cut grass that is still going strong. At this stage, it reminds me of the smell of dandelions - not just the flowers but the entire plant. I don't mind the smell of dandelions, but it's not something I want on my skin as the harsh, sour green notes can get a little sickening.

Anyone considering Cristalle, I highly recommend you go with the Eau de Toilette rather than this Eau de Parfum. They are actually by two different perfumers. The Toilette is much fresher, sweeter and softer. The Parfum has an acidic bite that can be nauseating and overwhelming. As a child we had a guest from overseas who wore the Toilette and her room used to smell divine. I went to a department store years later to buy this nostalgically evocative scent and the (ignorant) saleswoman talked me into the Parfum "cos it's exactly the same it just lasts longer". What absolute rubbish that turned out to be!

Once again in my search for the perfect summer fragrance, I purchased this, untried, from the Chanel website. My first reaction was TOO strong, a sentiment that I rarely express. Immediately I put this in the "give away" box. Curiosity got the better of me, so I tried it again. Nope! Back to the box. (Will I ever grow into anything but No 5 from Chanel?) On the third try, I began to understand. This is like some people...hard to love. Yet there is something that keeps me coming back. Cristalle is definately a chypre but it lacks the beauty of Mitsouko and the complexity of Diorella. However, anyone who is serious about perfume should try this once...maybe three times.

I'm in the "this turns my stomach" -camp for Cristalle; unfortunately. It's a perfume I wish I could like and wear, but Cristalle is absolutely not for me - both the EDT and EDP smell very bad on me and right from the opening, the scent is too pungent, synthetic and yet somehow hollow.

I was feeling nostalgic for Cristalle EdT, and not knowing that the EdP is a completely different formulation, I purchased it, and was a little surprised at how it differed from my memory of it. It wasn't until I checked on Basenotes that I realized my mistake.

The EdP definitely smells more floral, to me. It lacks the metallic sharpness that I remember from the EdT. I thought it smelled fairly nice on my skin, unlike the EdT, which somehow turns sour. My husband, however, found it completely vomitous, and told me so with great force.

Today, I also encountered a lady at work who was wearing it, and something about it made me feel like retching. Perhaps it was the lady, herself. But, in any case, with two episodes of nausea, neither of which can be attributed to pregnancy, I've decided the Cristalle EdP is just not for me.

I tried Cristalle EDP and nearly bought the bottle on the spot - on me, the scent is green but with a floral note that is nearly identical to what you smell when you put your nose right in a flower. It lasts quite awhile, as well.

While not marketed as a "male" scent - a man can pull this one off easily - and if one is looking for a good floral that can be masculine, this should be near the top of the list as it is quality, floral, but green enough for that "non floral edge" that helps a man wear a floral.