I tested Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Elixir – like smelling a bouquet of roses

If you like the scent of roses, then you’re going to love the new eau de parfum spray from Carolina Herrera. The new Very Good Girl Elixir joins the iconic Good Girl perfume family, and it offers a powerful floral scent that’s long lasting and perfect for everyday – although it might not be for everyone as I found during testing.

Carolina Herrera arguably has the most recognisable women’s fragrance bottle on the market. In the shape of a high heeled shoe, the Carolina Herrera Good Girl line includes perfume sprays, shower gel, body lotion and even leg oil, and regardless of the bottle you pick, you have a fun fragrance to put on display.

The Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Elixir was launched earlier this year and I’ve had the pleasure of testing it for the past few weeks. Alongside the original Good Girl, the line-up includes the Very Good Girl and the Very Good Girl Glam, as well as the Good Girl Blush and the Good Girl Blush Elixir – try saying that three times fast.

Where the Very Good Girl Elixir differs is its floralness. While the original Good Girl is ambery and the Blush versions are floral, the Very Good Girl perfumes are more fruity, with the Very Good Girl Elixir described as mysterious and fruity with a strong intensity – but I think it’s more similar to the Blush range.

The Very Good Girl Elixir has top notes of black cherry and bitter almond, heart notes of tuberose and vanilla and a base of vanilla and cocoa. Carolina Herrera states that it’s a modern feminine fragrance that has an ambery, fruity and floral blend – so let’s put it to the test.

After many wears, I’d have to say that the Very Good Girl Elixir is much more floral than it is fruity and ambery with the tuberose really coming out in full force. Personally, I don’t love the smell of rose as I feel it can be too soapy and I found that with the Very Good Girl Elixir at times.

As the most intense fragrance from Carolina Herrera, Very Good Girl Elixir is vibrant and overpowering, but the rose doesn’t come across as artificial which was my main worry when I first smelt it. When you spray Very Good Girl Elixir, the first thing you’re hit with is the rose but once it settles, you can smell vanilla very strongly – as you’d expect considering it has vanilla heart and base notes.

I found the Very Good Girl Elixir to last all day, and I got lots of compliments about it. It sits better on clothes than skin but I could still smell remnants of it on my wrist after a few hours of wear.

What makes Very Good Girl Elixir stand out is undoubtedly the bottle. If they gave out awards for best fragrance bottle, Carolina Herrera would win every time. As is consistent with the Good Girl collection, the Very Good Girl Elixir is in the shape of a high heel and it has a beautiful red-to-black gradient colouring with a gold CH logo at the centre and gold heel.

Fun and dramatic to display, I felt that the heel of the Very Good Girl Elixir felt a little flimsy at times but it does help the bottle to act as a stand. The spray button is located at the back of the shoe which I thought was playful and didn’t disrupt the overall design. While it makes hardly any noise when you spray it, each spray releases a lot of perfume so you definitely get full coverage.

If you love the smell of rose, then the Very Good Girl Elixir could compete to be your new daily fragrance. Personally, rose-scented perfumes aren’t for me but I still enjoyed trying it and it’s given me some Mother’s Day gift inspiration as my mum fell in love with it!

The Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Elixir is £78 for 30ml, £113 for 50ml and £145 for 80ml. It’s available to buy at The Perfume Shop.