Dark Obsession for Men Calvin Klein 2013 Eau de Toilette

At first, one can perceive an intense and powerful sweet ethereal, finely herbaceous minty note, accompanied by a sweet green nuance that is thanks to the 'absinthe' and 'mandarin'.

These two notes are enveloped and carried by a note reminiscent of an energy drink, which appears quite sugary; however, I believe that the hint perceived at the beginning ensures that this is a pleasant, somewhat fresh-seeming sweetness, and I accordingly suspected 'Energy - Drink' instead of guarana.

A little later, an incredibly bright, creamy note reminiscent of lily of the valley can be perceived, which exudes a very subtle fresh herbal shaving cream-like touch and is underlined by a distinctive herbaceous nuance, giving the fragrance a certain satin aura that comes from the interplay of 'balsam fir' with 'sage'.

The entire heart note is enveloped by a very beautiful, soft, creamy 'Bourbon~Vanilla~Leather' that provides the fragrance with a very interesting transparent powdery veil and allows it to radiate an extremely sensitive stylish inimitability.

What remains in the last 3 hours is a balsamic, full milk chocolate-scented 'Benzoin' touch.

Normally, I do not make fragrance comparisons in my scent comments, as I always consider the fragrance as itself, even when certain elements seem familiar; however, with Dark Obsession, I would like to make an exception, as I could only experience this exactly identical fragrance aura, which might reopen some old wounds for some, with *Givenchy Insensé* thanks to "Turandot".

"So, did you get everything together now? - Yes? - Nice!

And now imagine 55% of the base - deoxyribonucleic acid of Mister Calvin Klein's Obsession added to this entire fragrance composition, and the result is: Dark Obsession...

... and I wish all people in this world a good slide into the new year, okay?!" :-)

'I perceive 'white vetiver' as a fresh herbal component in the heart note, but I couldn't name it.

Overall, the fragrance lasts 7.5 hours on my skin.

The sillage is designed from the beginning to be very noticeably a whole arm's length for 3.5 hours before it gradually diminishes until the fragrance fades away.

"Thank you for the decant, Honk1510!"

It starts off really unusual.
Green, unripe mandarin with absinthe. So green-boozy.

I thought to myself: "No, please not another blind purchase!?"

Wrong thought. A few minutes later, a resinous freshness with vetiver comes into play. The scent is still indecisively wildly mixed.

Finally, it reaches the base. A chocolate mint blend with vanilla that remains freshly sweet-spicy. Leather subtly swings in the background.

Definitely a sweet gourmand, although the sweetness is really subtle. After 20-30 minutes, it smells similar to After Eight. Unisex as well.

I've never smelled anything quite like this, but it's very interesting for the nose.

Give him a try!

The original Obsession rightfully has its loyal following and was one of the first mainstream perfumes that I took a closer look at last year. I only vaguely remember a lot of cinnamon and a strong stickiness. Now with Dark Obsession, one of the bigger releases of the year. I was curious once again: thanks DaveGahan101 for the sample!

It has little in common with the original. Much more has been borrowed from other bestsellers. I'm slowly getting the feeling that in the mainstream perfume industry, it's like in Hollywood: little to no courage left, everything is just slightly altered recycled or remade good old (partly B-grade) stuff. DO reminds me with its liqueur-like feeling of Roadster, LIDG(E), Le (Beau) Male, or even Au Masculine. Or better said, all mixed together.

It smells a bit like After Eight, only tastier. Mint, freshness, menthol, all underpinned by vanilla chocolate. A really strange thing and it doesn't smell as bad as the ingredients sound. Quite wearable year-round for the man with a special taste and style. CK Be is also a bit in there - very tailored and sophisticated. Somehow all stolen but still bold and different. It becomes powdery and sweet over time, with a hint of the cheapest leather, but still, the scent unfortunately doesn't win my fragrance heart. I would rather reach for the wintry original!

Sillage/Projection: decent, not a bomb like its similarly sweet current competitors (like Eros or Joop Homme Wild). Longevity: about 7 hours. I can live with that. The lettering, name, and bottle style remind me of the (mediocre) Johnny Depp vampire film Dark Shadows, and some of the quirky 70s characters there would surely have suited DO quite well!

A colorful often overwhelming mix that I unfortunately only like moderately well, but will surely find its wearers. Perhaps exquisite, fair-skinned, androgynous, vampire-like beings who wander through the night and like mint! Definitely better than Obsession Night and definitely a try!

Admittedly - in summer's sultry temperatures, the urge to try and test sweet and ambered fragrances is practically zero. Nevertheless, I occasionally catch myself "spraying" such candied delights, albeit less on the skin.

As heatwaves are currently not on the horizon and these days cool rain showers have swept across the country, I wrapped myself today in a warm, supple blanket of Calvin Klein's latest creation for men - "Dark Obsession For Men".

Officially, it has not yet been released in Germany, but thanks to a generous donation from Michael, I was able to try it out in advance. I think it will make its way onto our shelves by autumn at the latest. Until then, a few hot days should pass... To bridge the time until then - a little preview:

With "Obsession," Calvin Klein made a clear statement in the mid-1980s and ushered in the era of twin fragrances. With Obsession came the olfactory breakthrough! Lascivious advertising campaigns in black and white, athletic - almost god-like bodies, and absolute top models - led by Kate Moss!

After the misstep "Obsession Night" from 2005 (which, to my knowledge, has since been discontinued), the brand is attempting once again with the significant name and presents the male world with a new offshoot titled "Dark Obsession," which could easily pass as a women's fragrance.
Moreover, this flanker could have been named "Night," as for me it is an ideal companion for the evening and the subsequent night.

Dark Obsession starts gently and reservedly. Soft, slightly green/fruity, sweet accents form the opening - closely followed by a certain liqueur character. Parallels to its competitors Spicebomb, Joop! Homme Wild, and Versace Eros cannot be denied here, although the latter has a more aquatic undertone.

The progression to the end is very linear and complex. My olfactory dissection remains limited. Dark Obsession is not a blockbuster; rather, it is a smooth operator. While Spicebomb, One Million & Co are room-filling, Dark Obsession feels more subdued.

Ambered, almost powdery nuances remind me of Armani's Eau De Nuit. A certain, tingling vetiver note likely bridges to the big brother, yet I could not recognize any common tones without background knowledge. Dark Obsession stands independently in my eyes.

The final act is defined by sensual, sweet vanilla and gently embraces the skin. The longevity is in the average range. 6-7 hours can be considered positive. As mentioned earlier, the fragrance could easily pass as a unisex perfume!

However, Dark Obsession will not find its way into my collection - rather, I will get the original in autumn…