Obsession for Men Calvin Klein 1986 Eau de Toilette
5
Helpful Review
The Calvin Klein From My Youth That Went Unnoticed...
*This is a review of the vintage version of Obsession for Men.
As I was in my mid-teens when Obsession for Men was initially released it is with some embarrassment that I admit to only trying the vintage version from my youth just recently, additionally not really noticing it on others over the years. The Calvin Klein release that I kept smelling back then (and loathing with a passion) was Eternity for Men... So with those unhappy memories of Eternity for Men coupled with my other failures with every Calvin Klein release I have come across, I forced myself to finally take a chance and blind buy a small bottle of the vintage Obsession for Men to see what I may have been missing all these years...
Obsession for Men (vintage) opens with powerful lavender before quickly morphing to its starring carnation and rosewood tandem in the early heart. The rosewood definitely features its rosy floral aspect that compliments the carnation while its woody facet grounds the composition. Joining the heavy woody florals is an underlying mild cinnamon and nutmeg spice combination that acts as further support for the woody floral accord while powdery vanilla from the base makes its way to join the party early in the late heart. As the fragrance enters the late dry-down, the powdery vanilla takes over as the focus, joined by slightly sweet amber and deep musk that replace the earlier florals, giving the composition a more warm finish. Projection is good, and so is longevity at 8-10 hours on skin.
The wonderful carnation and rosewood tandem featured in the early heart has a passing similarity to the heart accord of one of my favorite compositions, JHL by Aramis, but the two are dissimilar on the whole. Things get less desirable during the early dry-down as Obsession for Men (vintage) gets quite powdery; and when the powder combines in the late heart with the remnants of the carnation and rosewood it can be a bit too much at times. That said, once the floral aspects finally dissipate during the late dry-down the powder becomes much more tolerable and the composition is easy to wear again. The bottom line is Obsession for Men (vintage) has a lot to love with its fabulous carnation and rosewood early heart accord, but the later powder from the vanilla really ruins the effect to a great degree. Intrusive powder aside, Obsession for Men (vintage) is still a "good" to "very good" rated classic composition that earns 3 to 3.5 stars out of 5 and should be on any powder lover's radar as vintage bottles can be found relatively inexpensively on the after-market.
As I was in my mid-teens when Obsession for Men was initially released it is with some embarrassment that I admit to only trying the vintage version from my youth just recently, additionally not really noticing it on others over the years. The Calvin Klein release that I kept smelling back then (and loathing with a passion) was Eternity for Men... So with those unhappy memories of Eternity for Men coupled with my other failures with every Calvin Klein release I have come across, I forced myself to finally take a chance and blind buy a small bottle of the vintage Obsession for Men to see what I may have been missing all these years...
Obsession for Men (vintage) opens with powerful lavender before quickly morphing to its starring carnation and rosewood tandem in the early heart. The rosewood definitely features its rosy floral aspect that compliments the carnation while its woody facet grounds the composition. Joining the heavy woody florals is an underlying mild cinnamon and nutmeg spice combination that acts as further support for the woody floral accord while powdery vanilla from the base makes its way to join the party early in the late heart. As the fragrance enters the late dry-down, the powdery vanilla takes over as the focus, joined by slightly sweet amber and deep musk that replace the earlier florals, giving the composition a more warm finish. Projection is good, and so is longevity at 8-10 hours on skin.
The wonderful carnation and rosewood tandem featured in the early heart has a passing similarity to the heart accord of one of my favorite compositions, JHL by Aramis, but the two are dissimilar on the whole. Things get less desirable during the early dry-down as Obsession for Men (vintage) gets quite powdery; and when the powder combines in the late heart with the remnants of the carnation and rosewood it can be a bit too much at times. That said, once the floral aspects finally dissipate during the late dry-down the powder becomes much more tolerable and the composition is easy to wear again. The bottom line is Obsession for Men (vintage) has a lot to love with its fabulous carnation and rosewood early heart accord, but the later powder from the vanilla really ruins the effect to a great degree. Intrusive powder aside, Obsession for Men (vintage) is still a "good" to "very good" rated classic composition that earns 3 to 3.5 stars out of 5 and should be on any powder lover's radar as vintage bottles can be found relatively inexpensively on the after-market.
1 Comment
ExUser 12 years ago
Obsession was my first fragrance purchase ever -early 90's? I loved it & went through 2 bottles. Then the fragrance addiction set in & I never bought it again. Your review -excellent as always- is enticing me to revisit my former obsession ;^)