Charlie Red was the first scent I ever wore from about the age of 15 (and I'm 28 now) and it reminds me so much of my teenage years! It's a scent in the Charlie range by Revlon, aimed at younger women (though my mother in law loves Charlie Red so it really is suitable for all). This review is for the Eau De Cologne however I also used the body spray, and in fact they often are sold as a set.

It's very reasonable in terms of price - a mere £4.99 for a 100ml boxed bottle. A real bargain! It comes in a red cardboard box with a script font Charlie on the front and RED in capitals. Inside there is a frosted glass bottle with a silver spray dispenser. The perfume inside is slightly beige.

The dispenser sprays OK - a bit wet, as in the drops it sprays are more of a direct spray than a mist which you get with slightly more expensive atomisers. It's best applied to the decolletage and wrists though you can also spray it in your hair - I'd recommend not using too much as it is a fairly strong scent and it is pleasingly long lasting.

The scent is apparently oriental floral - I'd class it as a floral scent, definitely, however I'd say it had a strong musk undertone, too. The scent has three 'layers' to it (according to the Perfume Shop), main notes are carnation, tuberose, orchid, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley and rose, with top notes of orange blossom, gardenia, plum, black currant, violet and peach. The base notes (the longest lasting) are honey, sandalwood, amber, musk and cedar. Of all the different scents in Charlie Red, I'd say the most predominant are the lily, jasmine, musk and cedar. It's a sweet floral with long lasting undertones.

I do like the scent, and do own a bottle of it but I rarely use it now. I think I associate it so much with my teenaged years it feels almost silly to wear it at nearly 30. I do like the scent and every now and again someone will buy me a can of it which I'll use, but this eau de cologne will last me forever, probably. I do wear it now and again for nostalgic reasons. As a budget every day scent you really cannot knock it, most people I know like the smell, and most can identify it as Charlie Red. It's not a scent I'd give as a gift to anyone over say 17, and it's not one my husband would buy for me as a love gift, but it is one that I wore for years, still like, even if it might be a bit old fashioned now, in the same way that I quite like Brut but it is still pretty old fashioned!

Overall I will have to give Charlie four out of five stars. It's a pretty scent and it lasts a long time, and for a fiver, you really can't complain. It might have been surpassed by more modern expensive scents but I wore it every day for years and loved it, and I'm sure the same goes for today's teenagers (and my mother in law ;) )