REVIEW Carl & Claire EDP - Sovereign (and Black Orchid as a bonus!)
SPOILER ALERT: do you know that these variants from Carl & Claire are dupes for designer perfumes? Please keep on reading if you want to know!
I love perfume. If I had much more money, maybe I’d have hundreds of perfume in my collection right now, just like Tasya Farasya. Unfortunately, having a limited budget for tertiary needs make me think twice, or even thrice to buy some expensive designer perfumes. But, whenever I encounter well-scented perfume at a reasonable price, I can impulsively buy it without even thinking. That’s why it shouldn’t be shocking when I found out there’s a local perfumery brand (proud!) that’s affordable, it’s Carl & Claire, I really want to buy one. In fact, I added so many of their variants into the shopping cart in e-commerce. Lucky me, they had a 12.12 sale so, of course, I bought one when there’s an opportunity to buy something that I really want but still able to save some cash.
It’s a funny story, actually. It took me too long to decide which variant to buy, to the point I sometimes thought, ‘maybe I don’t need this…’ But, well, of course, I need it. Long story short, I decided to buy the Black Orchid variant because it’s a dupe for YSL Black Opium and the notes seem interesting. I should’ve decided much earlier because when I finally wanted to finish my transaction, that variant was sold out! I was quite annoyed, but I didn’t give up. I didn’t think much more and I just picked the variant Sovereign then. When the package arrived, I was shooketh to see the sample they gave me (yep, they will give you a sample of a random variant for every purchase) the Black Orchid one! I’m soo happy to be able to try this variant, even though not in the full size. Aren’t you curious which variant I like more?
Price
IDR199,000 for 30ml.
Packaging
It comes in a black and simple box that you have to slide to open. The bottle is square-shaped, black and matte. It's very classy! The spritzer works well and there’s no problem so far.
Notes
They don’t officially tell what the notes are, but they put it on a picture which will be available below. I’m going to list the notes based on the picture, and I’m sorry if I miss some notes. I also can’t tell the exact position of the notes, but I’ll try guessing it.
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| cr: Carl and Claire |
Plum, Amber, Saffron, Jasmine, Peony, and (maybe) Iris.
The possible placement of the notes:
Top: Plum (vs), Iris, Saffron (ns, between the top/mid)
Mid: Jasmine (vs), Peony
Base: Amber (vs)
(vs) very sure - (ns) not sure - it’s a wild guess if I don’t input any code
Sillage & Longevity
Moderate sillage, long-lasting longevity.
Result
I actually forget why I bought this variant. Was it because I was curious about the saffron note? Anyway, I might describe the scent of this perfume as a thick/condense sweet scent with a hint of floral, and opened with a fruity scent. I felt a little bit ‘meh’ because I usually don’t fancy a fruity sweet scent, and the scent of this perfume is a little bit too much for my liking. I mean, sometimes I like when my perfume comes out ‘too much’ or strong, only if it’s a woody kind of scent. Unfortunately, this perfume is more like a thick sweet scent and I suspect it comes from the saffron note. I suspect saffron because I know how amber usually smells, and it usually has a softer sweet scent. Well, even though I thought I wouldn’t like it at first, but after gave it some more tries, I think I kinda like it. Of course, it’s also because I already found my own ‘tips and trick’ on how to use this perfume to match my liking.
After knowing that this perfume is so strong, I start using it on three to four spots only. You don’t have to worry that the scent wouldn’t be noticed because, besides the fact that it has a strong scent, it also has incredible longevity! It stays put even when I use it for outdoor activities (not an extreme one) and travel around with a motorcycle. I also notice that the more I move around, the faster for the scent to settle down and be less strong. I’m not saying that the scent would be gone, but it becomes as if it's our ‘natural’ scent and the base note starts to dominate. The base note of this perfume is amber, that’s why it comes out as a subtle sweet scent. I like it better like this, I find the scent is soft but it’s there. I think my boyfriend also likes when it's already settled because he usually complains whenever I use strong scented perfume.
I didn’t know that this variant is also a dupe for designer perfume. I thought only a few other variants of Carl & Claire that are ‘inspired’ by other perfumes, but this one too! Thanks to someone who wrote on Carl & Claire official account on Shopee, now I know that this variant is a dupe for Marc Jacobs Decadence. I had no idea that this variant shares similar notes to MJ’s because I never had any interest in Decadence, so I never looked up for the notes. I also never sniffed it on a perfume store before, so I can’t tell how similar Sovereign to Decadence is.
Pros
+ long-lasting!
+ it smells better after a while, the scent gets softer but still very noticeable
+ local product
+ the alcohol scent isn’t strong when it first sprayed
+ it has nice layers, it’s easily spotted and very noticeable and it makes the scent seems ‘expensive’
+ a little goes a long way
Cons
- way too strong and too sweet for my liking (it’s a preference)
Overall rating
4/5
I’m going to review the Black Orchid variant too. Even though I have only the sample, but I think it’s enough for me to give my final verdict.
Price
IDR249,000 for 30ml.
Notes
They don’t officially tell what the notes are, but they put it on a picture which will be available below. I’m going to list the notes based on the picture, and I’m sorry if I miss some notes. I also can’t tell the exact position of the notes, but I’ll try guessing it.
 |
| cr: Carl and Claire |
Pear, Coffee, Vanilla, Jasmine, Pink Pepper, Orchid, and (maybe) Black Currant Leaf.
The possible placement of the notes:
Top: Pear (vs), Black Currant Leaf, Pink Pepper (ns)
Mid: Coffee (vs), Orchid, Jasmine (ns)
Base: Vanilla (vs)
(vs) very sure - (ns) not sure - it’s a wild guess if I don’t input any code
Sillage & Longevity
Moderate sillage, long-lasting longevity.
Result
Oh my, this variant is the BOMB! I looove the calm yet elegant scent. The scent is bold, but definitely not too much. It’s a sweet type of scent but has some kind of ‘depth’ that comes from the coffee note. Some notes are hard to spot, but you can easily tell the main transition. It starts from pear to coffee and, finally, to vanilla. Based on my experience of using this, pear opens the scent and it doesn’t take much time to move to the main mid-note, which is coffee. I think the transition from coffee to vanilla is the one that takes quite a long time. It’s probably because they share a similar tone of scent, so it’s harder to notice the movement. I also spot a hint of floral notes when the coffee starts to appear. It’s a very unique combination!
As I already said in the beginning, this variant is a dupe for YSL Black Opium. I’ve sniffed it once at their official counter in Bali, but, to be honest, I forgot how it smells so I can’t compare it to Black Orchid. But they share a lot of notes, so I think I can imagine their scents are quite similar.
I don’t have any doubt left for Carl & Claire’s quality after trying out these two variants. The longevity of this one, just the same as the Sovereign variant, is long-lasting. Even though Black Orchid scent doesn’t come out as ‘strong’ as Sovereign, but the longevity is comparable. Yes, Sovereign stays slightly longer on my skin, sometimes I notice the scent stays until the next morning if I don’t take a shower at night. But I don’t mind about that at all, because it still counts as a long-lasting perfume anyway. Plus, the unique scent absolutely sold me out. I’m actually so tempted to buy the full-size one!
Pros
+ a great, unique scent. It’s sweet and has a character
+ long-lasting
+ local product
+ the alcohol scent isn’t strong when it first sprayed
+ it has nice layers, it’s easily spotted and very noticeable and it makes the scent seems ‘expensive’
+ a little goes a long way
Cons
I don’t think there’s any!
Overall rating
5/5
So, perfume lovers… does this review make you wanna buy one right away?! Hahaha. I very recommend the perfumes from this brand if you want to have an expensive-like perfume at an affordable price!
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