Cheap & Chic by Moschino

Sweet, with intense vanilla that stands out against the florals; ideal for formal parties. It doesn’t feel youthful like other scents in the line. I wouldn’t buy it again.

It’s a rare scent that doesn’t fit into any perfume category. It blends into the skin and becomes part of the body; I can’t describe it, but it makes me feel good. Worth trying on skin and giving it time. You might end up loving it.

This is my wife’s signature scent. She wears very few perfumes: CK ONE, CK BE, Versace Blue Jeans, Cartier Baiser Volé… She met me with this Moschino, and that smell drives me crazy. I think it carries pheromones. It’s fresh, subtle, exquisite. A perfect 10.

Fresh and citrusy, with yuzu, very soft. A summer scent. It leaves no trail. It’s super light and lasts about two hours on skin. I wouldn’t buy it again because it doesn’t last on my skin. Unlike other Moschinos which do have good longevity.

I love reading reviews; I agree with many. I’ve been wearing it since I was 15, used it daily and have bought more than 15 bottles. Now I use it as an all-rounder sometimes for work; it smells clean and soapy. This fragrance was me at 17 and always brings back those memories. It always brought me compliments; I’m very sensitive to flowers and that’s what lingers on the skin. It never runs out for me; I feel it’s timeless. I live in a climate of 50 degrees and it never gets old. For me, it’s nostalgia in a bottle.

I don’t know how to define it; it’s rare but not ugly. It’s an uncommon scent: not sweet, not floral, nor citrusy (even though it says it has bergamot). In the 2000s, I only noticed woods, spices, and a touch of sweetness, so it seemed strong and more masculine. Today, with all those sugary bombs out there, it’s refreshing to find something different and not cloying.

The only thing I regret about this blind buy is not having known it before. It is rare, yes, but for those who prefer uncommon scents, far from all that ‘candy in a bottle’, it’s a great alternative. It smells soapy, clean, and fresh; it’s unisex and very versatile. Its trail is short, ideal for the office, and on my skin, where nothing lasts, it reaches a couple of hours, which is perfect for me.

I can’t describe it well; it’s floral, musky, fresh, and warm all at once, very special. It’s a non-typical perfume; I like it because you don’t smell it all the time when you pass by. Very rich and original.

Here it is, waiting to be used. To be honest, I liked it, but no more than Chic Petals. I wore it to work and my colleagues said it smelled like ambient air freshener… and they looked at me from afar, waiting.

I perfectly understand the success of Cheap and Chic when it came out in the mid-90s. It was a bloody rare perfume. Twenty-five years later, it still smells rare, and I even think I don’t like it. But it always makes me think and doubt. When a perfume has you sniffing non-stop even if it’s not your taste, it has something. Cheap and Chic has something. It’s a handcrafted, talc-heavy citrus with memories of fake aldehydes, a mix of yellow citrus skins and lacquer, perfectly nailed at 80%, because the remaining 20% comes from a fatty, solar lotus, with flashes of musky, violet sweetness. Every time I test it, I die of disgust; I love it, I pull my nose away in horror, come back to smell it, and that cold, soapy cyclamen goes crazy and makes me smile. Then the yuzu and lotus mix up my insides and I put it away because I don’t know what the lotus is about that reminds me of melon. Cheap and Chic is a Frankenstein; it reminds you of 50-year-old aldehydes, like a 90s sport version of L’Air du temps, but it smells like Eau d’Issey pour Homme if you listen closely. I can’t stop making associations: a VHS tape? an industrial detergent? a video club? a waiting room? a vodka shot? a leather jacket? a young, pretty auntie playing cards on her porch? Cheap and Chic smells like that, like those posh Madrid girls of the 90s, tanned, sporty, with long mèches, touching their hair, not going to the hairdresser, no dresses, with loose or suede jackets, trousers but not wide because they have great backsides. Brown nauticals or white trainers. A little shine on the lips. No adornments, except the Chester pack. Plain clothes, white, grey, bottle green, beige, at most checks. But they look like haute couture. Perfect teeth, radiant smile, constant laughter. Cheap and Chic doesn’t smell like Popeye’s girlfriend or that 90s comic book kitsch. It smells like a 20-year-old posh girl, radiant, divine, a bit masculine, gorgeous, and natural. It smells like lacquer, combs, rushing, cigarettes, ash, terraces, motorbikes, pools, tequila, kisses. It smells like a breed of auntie that no longer exists, a mix of innocence and sex, of femininity and masculinity. A little piece of bottled time. Smelling it again makes you think it’s outdated, and instantly you think it’s very wearable today. If you sniff it again a while later, it will seem masculine, then feminine, totally unisex. One of those cases where the campaign has nothing to do with the perfume, much more of a daily wear than the ad suggests. PD: I love Mojave’s review; I’ve always perceived Cheap and Chic as she describes it, the cool auntie’s cologne of the group, but the zero-tortured, luminous, and well-fed kind. PD II: It’s a very repulsive perfume; I understand people who find it repulsive because it has something disgusting. It smells like hair lacquer and leather sofas, but also like cleanliness and something very sexy. Sold in a neutral bottle, it would have been a 90s unisex, only much dirtier and talc-heavy.

I remember smelling it for the first time in the 90s, visiting my little cousin, and that soapy halo she left in her wake caught my attention. The bottle is simple and elegant, with those red and black tones and the shape of a woman. The scent is perfect for the coldest months of winter, where this type of aroma is not overpowering but comforting. It is a warm, dry, powdery, soapy, musky, citrusy, floral and slightly sweet scent. As for trail and longevity, it is quite subtle and soft; compared to what my cousin wore in the 90s, which left a huge trail and smelled strong, I don’t know if they have reformulated it, because when I wear it I notice it leaves a scent on the skin that lasts, but on the contrary, very, very subtle, too much. The truth is, the other day I applied quite a bit to my clothes because for me it is soft, and a colleague said: ‘Do you smell like coconut?!’. I knew she thought this perfume smelled like coconut, haha. So despite being subtle, if others manage to smell me. I am addicted to that clean after-scent it leaves on the skin.

I have been using it since it came out. Sweet, dry and very long-lasting. I use it in any season. I love it.

It’s the king of the Moschinos I’ve tried. At first, it smells rich and normal, but within minutes it becomes unique and special. Despite being around for 20 years, I hadn’t noticed it before, and I think it will become my staple.

What a charming perfume, it’s a wonder. Before, judging by the bottle colour, I thought it was for older women or the most mature of the Moschinos. But I’ve fallen in love; it’s floral, very youthful, cheerful and informal. Long-lasting and it left me in a daze.

I’m wearing it today; it’s now one of my favourites from Moschino. Last year I fell in love with the brand across all its products. It’s a serious scent with a touch of opulence. I like that strong, woody feel; it’s assertive without being overpowering. It gives presence with a moderate trail—only noticeable if someone comes close (unless you apply too much, which can be annoying). It’s for strong personalities who want to stand out. I wasn’t keen on buying it, but my boyfriend gifted it to me one day and I absolutely adore it. I reapply after about six hours to keep the scent going, but I try not to use too much. Ideal for cold weather and serious occasions. I recommend it if you like to make an impression; although it’s been on the market for years, I haven’t found anything like it.