Obelisk 1985 Eau de Parfum

Obelisk (Eau de Parfum) by MCM
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7.9 / 10 252 Ratings
Obelisk (Eau de Parfum) is a popular perfume by MCM for women and was released in 1985. The scent is oriental-spicy. Projection and longevity are above-average. It was last marketed by DC Design Cosmetic / Art & Fragrances.
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Main accords

Oriental
Spicy
Woody
Sweet
Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
PeachPeach GalbanumGalbanum BergamotBergamot Citrus fruitsCitrus fruits Green notesGreen notes
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Ylang-ylangYlang-ylang JasmineJasmine RoseRose ThymeThyme RosewoodRosewood
Base Notes Base Notes
AmbergrisAmbergris MuskMusk VanillaVanilla CedarwoodCedarwood SandalwoodSandalwood MossMoss
Ratings
Scent
7.9252 Ratings
Longevity
8.5208 Ratings
Sillage
8.0207 Ratings
Bottle
5.9191 Ratings
Value for money
8.948 Ratings
Submitted by Kittycat, last update on 13.04.2024.
Interesting Facts
Apparently, after MCM's licensing rights expired, Loft Monaco acquired the rights to Obelisk.

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Pricing
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Ponticus

28 Reviews
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Ponticus
Ponticus
Top Review 70  
Girls' night out - just like a woman
"Surprise gift for everyone, please don't put on perfume, Anna"!
This message raised the expectations of the wartsab group girls' evening in the run-up to the evening meeting, and the excitement was intensified by a slight crackling of the tender phone as it was stroked. The wartsab message had been sent by Anna Lühse, a therapist with her own practice who was unfortunately unable to attend the last meeting. Ms. Dipl.-Psych. Anna Lühse recently celebrated her 40th birthday, is professionally very committed and divorced.

After the first chatter somewhat flattened, Bärbel's Schnittchen effusively praised and the Proseccogläs were filled again, Mrs. Dipl.-Psych. Anna Lühse placed her recently newly purchased MCM bag in the middle of the flat table, directly in front of Jackie, alias Jacques jelly, who sat as always with his cat puss on the sofa. Jackie got wide-eyed at the pretty, cognac-colored shopper. Before he could pull this to himself, Anna reached in and distributed to each in the round a bottle of the perfume Obelisk of MCM
Somewhat sadly Anna reported to have found Obelisk in the sale for free in the three-pack in the drugstore. There the idea came to her this 80/90s fragrance today all girls to transfer and to revive with it perhaps memories and experiences from elapsed time. The first remarks were lost in the general and joyful surprise. Anna called for a little calming down and suggested that everyone apply two/three sprays to themselves in order to give free space to their own thoughts. No sooner said than done, all the girls looked for a comfortable spot and off they went.

A fresh juiciness spread in the room. It smelled very fruity, like orange, also lemony and green-spicy, not sweet, but tangy-spritzy. Freshly squeezed, citrusy fruit juice on mown green herb meadow probably sums it up well.

At such a meadow parked in the mid-90s at a retro meeting also my old VW bus mused Melody Vögele-Schmitz, young at heart old 68erin. For her in the self-sewn dress from self-dyed batik sheets and the VW bus it was the last big ride together. And a smile flitted across her face as she closed her eyes to remember more clearly the days and especially nights she and Francesco spent here together.

Anna, by now somewhat at peace, also enjoyed the spicy-juicy olfactory experience. She immediately fell back into her own self-pity, however. In this, Anna fancied herself somewhat very much on the sidelines as far as life and love were concerned. Actually, I'm an obelisk too, it went through her mind. Well-built, beautiful to look at, full of inner values, but in the meantime on the residual ramp of love, little valued, not yet completely forgotten by life, but left behind in the junk box unnoticed.

Meanwhile, a larger oriental carpet has already been rolled out on the lush spice meadow and earthy-woody tones make the place on it soft and cuddly. This oriental undertone mixes with subtle florality and slightly musty-hay floral notes before everything melts into a wonderful creaminess. This wraps itself velvety-warm and very aromatic around a sandalwood/cedarwood melange with slightly sweet dips of vanilla, ending in a comforting sense of warmth. There is no heaviness in this warm, balsamic butteriness and even the juicy spicy aromatics of the beginning are still present deep in the background.

Bärbel, butcher shop saleswoman at Metzger Axthelm, also felt this comforting warmth. Both in the scent of obelisk and in her love affair with the butcher. Since the last girls' night out, their relationship had taken a turn for the best, and they were likely to be married soon.

Optometrist Klara Sicht tensed her muscles a little, not quite wanting to get involved in this scent-well. For as long as she could remember, her life had been one long struggle. Not ugly, but with her glasses, even as a schoolgirl, never the prettiest, never the smartest, never the most fashionable, never the first on the dance floor and never the most desirable guy as a boyfriend. So she fought glasses jokes, prejudice, calories and not being noticed. She also had to conquer her husband! Now she is a strong woman and a role model, not only in the girls round!

The other girls sat relaxed together, one smiled, one whispered and two held hands familiarly. Only Jackie, holding the MCM shopper tightly in her hands, had fallen asleep next to kitty on the sofa.

With the removal of the MCM label from the bottle and packaging, Obelisk was stripped of part of its identity. Nevertheless, Obelisk remains a fragrance full of liveliness and elegance, a fragrance for an independent woman! Obelisk does not get woman as a gift, Obelisk buys woman herself and treats herself with it a few hours of charming vulnerability for her otherwise so demanding life.

As the round dispersed a little later today, the room still had the smell of a waxy, oriental vanilla, it smelled spicy and a sense of balmy warmth accompanied the girls home. They were somewhat introverted and each held her bottle of Obelisk in her hands. The canapés were eaten and also the empty Prosecco bottles testified to a sociable evening
Thanks to all of you for listening to the second girls' evening, and especially to Schatzsucher for establishing contact with Anna Lühse, Dipl.-Psych.
55 Comments
7
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
8
Scent
Serenissima

608 Reviews
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Serenissima
Serenissima
Top Review 20  
the female side of MCM
After I recently received a generous filling of "Obelisk" and successfully tested it, I do not understand myself: what kept me at that time, in the mid-1980s, from this fragrance?
Why did I buy "Success" instead?
Maybe it was really only the honey presence, which I liked very much, which made me - together with the name - choose "Success".
Or was it the long known saleswoman who advised "Success" because she thought it was better for me?

Today I feel "Obelisk" as quite tame, almost tender.
And I also like cinnamon after the first contact. But who knows what corner the cinnamon bark is hiding behind.
In addition, Galbanum immediately registers his spicy claims with me: Hello, we know each other!
This resinous friend brings along a fruit basket with ripe peaches and many different citrus fruits, including bergamot, of course.
It invites to a picnic in the green; it smells very appealing and the freshly mown lawn is already warmed by the sun.
Jasmine and rose are not to be missed here either. They adapt so well that the noble and in the aroma very fine rosewood is clearly recognizable and also remains some time.
I like that; most of the time the stronger fragrance brothers and sisters are running a little over the pile.
A hint of thyme is in the air; the heavy fruit basket has probably crushed part of this robust and very herb-scented plant so that it defends itself aromatically.
Too bad about the herb: the herbaceous-spicy addition is good for the previous fragrance.
Ylang-Ylang waggles around brightly and as always shimmering and chattering cheerfully; this fragrance beauty is already looking forward to the forthcoming meeting with cedar wood; both like each other and so they enrich "Obelisk" richly, before the now arriving sensuality settles down lasciviously on a dark green mossy cushion. This capricious person settles down to stay.
Now her followers come rushing up and cause some trouble!
Warm vanilla wraps generously around apparently white musk - how good that sandalwood is there and that this somewhat sultry eroticism is slowed down with its own spiciness.
So this felt viscous scent does not fly around my ears and I can be happy about Ambra's great appearance: his resinous magic had been missing to bring "Obelisk" into the "right fairway".
Now this fragrance composition is wonderfully balanced and develops into a refined being.
To a fragrance creature that is faithful for many hours and not only sprays its undeniable magic throughout the day, but also most of the evening.
I feel as if I am surrounded by a vibrant golden veil of fragrance. It feels very good!

Here one knew with MCM obviously, what one did, when one "Obelisk" exactly so from the baptism lifted.
Now Michael Cromer could not have built his "empire" at that time without scents; that was simply expected. If you wanted to play, you had to have more than one stone in your board.
With Cromer's presence on the "colourful pages" (and also in serious journals), at numerous parties of the jet set, which he enriched in Munich, Marbella, St. Moriz and elsewhere, it is not surprising that his scents - as Turandot wrote on the occasion of my "Success" commentary - became "bulk goods".
As you know, she knows what she's talking about.
It was in the nature of things that every "Adabei" who wasn't there bought one of the MCM bags and if that wasn't possible, at least one or even both fragrances.
It is a well-known theme that much with the original predicate "luxury", eventually becomes common property.

But that doesn't change anything: I like "Obelisk" very much!
His oriental spicy opulence seduces into a time when there was even more room for these luxurious things. Everything seemed richer, more generous at the time Maybe I only see it through the glasses of nostalgia: but if "Obelisk" was saved from this epoch without leaving too many feathers, I should be happy Here I find another pretty gem of perfume art
10 Comments
10
Pricing
5
Bottle
10
Sillage
9
Longevity
6.5
Scent
Bayadere

7 Reviews
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Bayadere
Bayadere
Helpful Review 8  
Classic oriental fragrance monument
In the 90's I had a liaison with a man who wore opium (for women) with preference. At that time not yet reformulated and a neat firecracker. Along with Shalimar and Cinnabar, one of the all-time great classic Orientals. I still remember how enraptured I was by the man and the scent! I actually still have a bottle of the unreformulated version of Opium as a reminder of those special times. I have also added Cinnabar and Obelisk over the years for everyday use. As everyone knows, Opium is a mere shadow of its former self. If someone were to ask me what fragrance could replace Opium, I would recommend Obelisk without hesitation. Not fragrance twins in the true sense, they are at least close relatives.

While Opium actually seems to consist only of base notes, Obelisk comes up with more distinct top notes. Only unfortunately, I may not really like it. Therefore, also no maximum rating from me. I feel the same as Eriele: Summer and winter, indoors and outdoors, tested during the day and in the evening, Obelisk always seems synthetic to me. My guess would be that the citrus and green notes (maybe galbanum too) in the top notes combined with the amber base notes create this scent impression, which is somewhere between resin, forest and orange and in the interplay doesn't seem natural but rather artificial. Nonetheless, this is a great oriental - if you can manage to block out that synthetic whiff. But if you miss the old Opium, you should at least give Obelisk a try. Obelisk does not have the erotic radiance that the original Opium possessed, but in wintry weather, it fulfills its purpose and envelops you gently warming.

Now I have to confess that while I like the classic Orientals a lot, I unfortunately don't like them on me. To my amusement, even my environment reacts irritated, with words and looks, when I reach for heavy, oriental fragrances. Somehow I obviously don't possess enough projection surface for these kinds of scent monuments. So I have now decided to weed out the classic orientals from my collection. The same goes for Obelisk. He finds a new home with a good friend and will hopefully be loved more there.
5 Comments
Christinax

3 Reviews
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Christinax
Christinax
9  
Christmas in the nineties
The fragrance I had to try immediately, because he absolutely fits into my current Beuteschema. So off to the drugstore of confidence and sniffed.

The first impression is very green and biting spicy, but that evaporates after some time and what remains is pure Christmas spirit.
Attention, not the sweet and sticky kind of Christmas scents that make you smell as if you had bathed in marzipan and cookie dough.
It remains a deep multilayered fragrance that reminds me madly of earlier Christmas. Discreetly citrusy and minimally green like dried orange peels on the Advent wreath , insanely warm spicy and dark like the fresh chai tea and a bit fruity as would a baked apple waiting in the oven. (Although peach and not apple is listed in the fragrance pyramid)

The scent lasts hours on the skin and is also well perceived by my environment, but not too intrusive. Despite the unbeatable price of less than 15€ in the store, I did not buy it for the time being, because it is very similar to Obsession from Calvin Klein except for the fruity part.
6 Comments
10
Bottle
9
Sillage
10
Longevity
9
Scent
Gipsy1982

7 Reviews
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Gipsy1982
Gipsy1982
5  
Perfect replacement for Organza indecence
Obelisk is a warm spicy, but not harsh oriental. I perceive fruity notes and especially cinnamon. I thought about what it reminds me of and after a while I realized that it smells almost identical to Organza Indecence. So for all those who love these no longer available scents, this is a great replacement. Perceptibility and durability are great and you get it for a pretty reasonable price
3 Comments
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