Carolina Herrera

8 Best Smelling Carolina Herrera Perfumes

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Carolina Herrera is known in the luxury fashion world for designing elegant clothing for women, including First Ladies of the United States. The fragrance line is no different in terms of its scope and accomplishments. Herrera provides scents for all personality types, fashion tastes, and occasions. For this list, I have selected eight perfumes which I feel are the best of the bunch.

What are the Best Smelling Carolina Herrera Perfumes for Her?

Most Popular CH Perfume

Good Girl– Good Girl has been out for a few years now and has become a best seller for Carolina Herrera. Also, one of the bigger sellers in popular women’s fragrances.

Obviously, the high heel bottle grabs attention from the start, but its powdery aroma is also quite captivating. Is it wholly unique? Probably not, but it is distinct enough to carve out a niche for itself.

Good Girl is sexy and versatile, with a balance between a spicy opening and a sweeter later act. Floral notes of jasmine and tuberose, sits underneath sweeter notes of cacao, coffee, and tonka bean. This is a safe wear and one that will definitely spur further flanker releases. My Good Girl Review

Top High End Perfume

Saffron Lazuli– This one can be tough to find in a retail environment it seems. But, I linked to the Herrera website, as they still carry it right now.

Saffron Lazuli is a part of the expensive Herrera Confidential Collection of unisex fragrances. A lot of them skew more masculine, but this one is the most interesting to me, that I’ve come across.

Saffron is obviously the main note. But, you get a fruity top, with smooth warmth and woody spicy touches (cardamom). Notes like iris, vanilla, tonka, and the namesake saffron are excellent. The black currant up top gives it a nice sweetness with some tart. Not too heavy, though.

It starts off bold, but it will settle into something more moderate. The performance is excellent, as it should be with this type of scent, at this price point (around $260).

best herrera perfume

Best Classic Floral Perfume

Carolina Herrera– A smart and versatile fragrance that can be worn on almost any occasion. This perfume is fresh, light, and clean. Plus, it tends to get a lady noticed.

The Carolina Herrera namesake scent kicks off with the light freshness of citrus and orange blossom. The other floral notes, quickly follow, and are led by: jasmine, ylang-ylang, and tuberose.

Later on, it really becomes about the tuberose, but I also have detected hyacinth in this. It’s got enough of that fruitiness, to keep it from becoming overly ‘green’ and plant like. Nonetheless, this is a great little pickup for those who want a throwback floral perfume.

carolina

Chic in the Warmth

Chic– Chic is a sophisticated and feminine fragrance that is probably best served in the warmer months of the year. However, this blend of floral and woodsy notes is a long-lasting and fashionable perfume to be worn with confidence.

Update: Unfortunately, it looks like Chic was changed from its original formula. It was a really nice clean floral. More of a pure rose and freesia scent, versus the option above. I think you can still find older bottles, so, I’ll leave it up here.

chic

Top Nightlife Pick

212 VIP– This one beckons the exclusivity of the NYC nightlife along with all of its excitement and energy. Rum, vanilla, passion fruit, and others combine to give the notes a unique spirit and beautifully youthful vibe. Great stuff.

The men’s version of this namesake is a vodka and gin mixed drink. It’s also bold and unique. 212 VIP for Her, is a great rum mixed drink with fruity undertones up top. Then, as it dries down, the perfume gets smoothed out by a mix of vanilla and tonka bean.

This is a nice boozy scent, with fantastic longevity, but not as much of a powerhouse as the men’s version. Still pretty strong sillage, just not a monster.

vip

Best Sexy Fragrance

212 Sexy– A sweet blend of seductive fruit notes and cotton candy, 212 Sexy is a playful and passionate formula bound to put one in the mood. An excellent choice for romantic evenings out.

Beyond the sweetness of this scent, 212 Sexy also features a warm and slightly spicy pepper note. Vanilla and musk act as supports and help to give this its attractive aroma.

As it dries down, it falls more into that warm pink pepper aroma, with light floral notes and the remaining sweetness. Good performance overall and can be worn in plenty of situations outside the nightlife, too.

212

Best Newer Release

Good Girl Velvet Fatale– The flanker to the original Good Girl, this stiletto bottle comes wrapped in velvet, and gives you some really sweet notes to boot. The base is a mix of woody and floral notes, but this is dominated by ingredients like praline, coffee, vanilla, and almond.

Very light fruit and spices from cinnamon and patchouli, dot the perimeter of this fragrance. Good Girl Velvet Fatale might still be a bit difficult to find, but it is a really pleasant example of a warm and gourmand blend of notes, done right.

For me, it is among the top of the Good Girl line. Better than the original and at least the Very Good Girl variants of this perfume. 

Very Good Girl

I’m adding this to the list, as it is one of the better newer options. But, I will say it’s not my favorite of the Good Girl perfumes. Actually, a similar one to this that I prefer is from Mugler.

That being said, Very Good Girl has enough to recommend about it. The litchi note is powerful up front, when combined with the red currant, the fragrance is sweet and tart. Then, it will shift to a more powdery scent with the rose note.

It is a fresher fragrance, when it dries down. Not as tart, with a nice rose, and the vanilla note. The performance is solid, this lasted 7-8 hours on my skin with a quite noticeable sillage. Very Good Girl Review

Very Good Girl by Carolina Herrera

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Good Girl has been a big hit for Carolina Herrera, and so, of course a ton of flanker editions have been spun off from the original. In 2021, the brand released, Very Good Girl. I got a sample of this perfume with a Macy’s fragrance order and have been testing it out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Very Good Girl Smell Like?

Notes include: litchi, rose, red currant, vetiver, vanilla

Click here to try: Very Good Girl 30 ml Eau de Parfum, 1 fl oz

My Full Review

Very Good Girl opens up with litchi, as the main attraction. Quite sweet and loud, with red currant, giving an added tartness to the aroma.  The red currant is much weaker than the litchi from the get go and will soon be replaced by the strengthening rose note.

After the initial blast, this one does get a more powdery aroma. Not overwhelming so on me, but the litchi and rose do have that effect. That’s a good thing, as much of the tartness up top will subside and it will be more of a fruity sweetness.

As it moves along, you will get more of the vanilla note and a general freshness to the scent. It’s not a thick or heavy feeling, rather, lighter and pleasant, which gives Very Good Girl some great versatility in its uses.

This is a pretty straightforward blend. The changes over time, are more towards the rose and the fresh feeling. Nonetheless, the rose and litchi are in control the entire time. Vanilla comes and goes and you will pick up the additional vetiver note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Very Good Girl starts off with a nice bit of power, but it isn’t too extreme. Call it the upper edge of what could be considered moderate. From there, the sillage will become lighter and fairly average after the first hour or so. Solid, but not monstrous.

On my skin, Very Good Girl lasted in the 7-plus hour range during testing. It did manage to hit 8 hours, but most of the time, it will be around 7. Pretty good, but you shouldn’t expect a marathon length of performance.

Seasonally, is where you do get plenty of performance, as Very Good Girl can fit in pretty much year round. Probably best around the average temperatures, but cold and warmer weather, can do just fine.

This is more of casual, daily wear, or nightlife scent. It can fit the role of pretty much anything except for super dressy or formal affairs. It is subtle enough for most daytime applications, but also has enough personality for the night.

Overall Impressions of Very Good Girl

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I like it. However, I don’t like Very Good Girl as much as other similar scents (hello, Angel Nova) and the original Good Girl is a bit better too. It’s nice enough, has good performance, and is versatile.

But, it’s not an amazing perfume.

The tart sweetness of the litchi and red currant is a pretty big punch early on. The litchi might be the note which makes or breaks your own interest in this scent, as it is rather prominent. The rose is fine, I like it better during the dry down than when it is paired with the heavier fruitiness.

The dry down is a nice pinkish rose, fruit, some vanilla creaminess, and a light fresh feeling. Honestly, it’s a good perfume, but it never screams that it is a must have.

It is worth giving a try, if it sounds like your style. It’s still somewhat a perfume like Good Girl. Very Good Girl has its strengths, but as a whole, is a slightly above average scent.

YSL Libre vs. Good Girl Comparison

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YSL Libre has become a very popular scent since its release. It can often get compared to Good Girl by Carolina Herrera, as both are floral dominant with gourmand elements, and are best sellers respectively. With that being the case, which of these perfumes smells better? Lasts longer? Is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape: Good Girl vs. YSL Libre

Libre EDP

Notes include: lavender, white musks, orange flower, vanilla, orchid

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum Spray for Women 90ml/3oz, clear

Read my review: Libre EDP

Good Girl

Notes include: jasmine, coffee, bergamot, tuberose, almond, rose, tonka bean, cocoa

Click here to try: CAROLINA HERRERA Good Girl Eau de Perfume Spray, 2.7 Fl Oz

Read my Review: Good Girl by Carolina Herrera

Opening

Libre opens up with orange blossom as the dominant note, but paired with lavender, and a slight spritz of citrus fruit juice. Libre is musky, somewhat soapy, and has a creamy aroma. Though, the latter isn’t as strong, as it is in Libre Intense.

Meanwhile, Good Girl is about the white floral notes and citrus up top. Lemon, jasmine, and almond are the main attention grabbers, but some tuberose will come through.

That opening is short-lived, the citrus fades, and you get coffee to pair with the almond. At first, it’s more of a nutty gourmand, but cocoa and tonka bean will play a greater role.

Which is better? For me, I prefer the opening of Good Girl more so than Libre. I like the lemon and jasmine pairing better than the musky orange blossom and lavender of Libre. It’s not a huge advantage, but it takes this round.

Edge: Good Girl

Projection

Libre is a fairly strong fragrance, more like the upper end of moderate, than a complete beast. However, it projects better than Good Girl, which is just pretty middle of the road. Not completely weak, but the YSL is better.

Edge: Libre

Longevity

On my skin, Good Girl will go right around 8 hours, but doesn’t seem to go beyond that. Libre can hit 9 hours and seems to have a stronger residue in those later hours.

Edge: Libre

Versatility

Good Girl is more of a casual or nightlife scent, that is light enough and not too sweet that it couldn’t be worn elsewhere, but it’s not really a formal fragrance. Nor is Libre, I don’t really see a distinction there.

Good Girl is more of a cold weather wear, so, autumn through most of springtime it would be fine. Again, it’s pretty much the same for Libre, as neither is a scent to wear in the heat.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I don’t absolutely love either of these fragrances and they’re indeed pretty close competition for one another.

Libre can be a good choice if you want more of a strong floral fragrance, with a heavy emphasis on the lavender note, in the latter stages. The vanilla note and creaminess is there, but it’s not the main feature.

Good Girl is more of a balance between the white floral notes and gourmand ingredients. The coffee and almond are really great and my favorite part. It’s not completely unique, as there are many perfumes that smell similar to Good Girl. But, still likeable enough.

Between them, I’d go with Good Girl over Libre. It’s the more interesting fragrance and smells better, in my opinion.

Winner: Good Girl

Good Girl EDP by Carolina Herrera

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Good Girl by Carolina Herrera has become a massive hit since its release in 2016. Since then, it has spawned a bunch of flanker perfumes in various decorated high heel bottles. How does it smell? When can it be worn? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Good Girl Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: jasmine, coffee, bergamot, tuberose, almond, rose, tonka bean, cocoa

Click here to try: CAROLINA HERRERA Good Girl Eau de Perfume Spray, 2.7 Fl Oz

My Full Review

The initial spray Good Girl gives me a blend of citrus and white floral notes for the first few minutes. It’s somewhat of a lemon and jasmine blend with hints of almond coming through. There is a secondary layer of tuberose.

Quickly after that, the citrus really fades away on my skin. Then, the gourmand notes begin to move in. Up first is the aforementioned almond, which is joined by coffee. Later, cocoa and tonka bean will play a greater role.

This perfume does have a sweetness to it, but it isn’t sugary or candy-like. Actually, it’s very well blended and there is a certain spiciness that is persistent throughout. That, mostly comes through if I press my nose to the skin.

On my skin, I do get a greater share of almond and jasmine with some lighter coffee and tonka bean notes. However, when I have smelled this on women, it comes across as more of a mocha latte with floral highlights.

In either case, the latter stages are semi-sweet, a bit powdery, and almost exclusively jasmine (in terms of the floral notes). Coffee, tonka bean, and jasmine are what I pick up during the absolute final stage. Though, it gets more difficult to distinguish, as no one note dominates completely.

It doesn’t have a ton of development past that transition to the middle notes. Doesn’t necessarily need it, but Good Girl isn’t a very complex fragrance.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Good Girl isn’t a super heavy scent or one that is going to fill the room. However, I think that it projects itself to a greater extent than people give it credit for.

It’s not a constant bombardment of my sense of smell, but I do keep getting whiffs and impressions of it throughout the day. It’s not fading fast, rather, it can be subtle.

Longevity is also quite good, at around 8 hours. I’m not saying this Carolina Herrera fragrance is elite, but it does a solid job for most purposes.

Seasonally, this is a colder weather wear. Autumn through early spring, is when it is going to be of use. Not the most formal fragrance, but isn’t so sickly sweet or overpowering that you cannot lightly use in a variety of situations.

Casual wear to a night out to a party kind of fragrance, would all work with Good Girl. Very versatile and mass appealing.

Overall Impressions of Good Girl

Do I like this scent? Yes, I do. It’s popular for a reason. Not the most original or greatest perfume on the market, but it does everything well, with an appealing presentation. It gets copied a lot and there are more alternatives to Carolina Herrera Good Girl than ever.

I like that it doesn’t go completely gourmand or sickly sweet. The floral notes and overall balance lend themselves well to its overall appeal. I really like the coffee and almond notes, the most in the composition.

It’s one most are already probably familiar with. It performs well enough, has a nice scent, and can be worn for a good chunk of the year in a multitude of scenarios.

There have been a ton of flankers released after this initial one and it doesn’t seem as if they’re going to stop anytime soon. Some are better than this one, while others are forgettable.

Nothing groundbreaking here, just an easy to wear perfume, that is sort of a jack of all trades. Though, it certainly has some charm.