Obsession Calvin Klein 1985Eau de Parfum

Obsession (Eau de Parfum) by Calvin Klein

Bottle Design Pierre Dinand

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Obsession (Eau de Parfum) (Calvin Klein)

7.7 / 10 417 Ratings

Obsession (Eau de Parfum) is a popular perfume by Calvin Klein for women and was released in 1985. The scent is oriental-spicy. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by Coty.

Scent goes well with Stash (Eau de Parfum Elixir)

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Perfumer

Jean Guichard

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Basil, Bergamot, Green notes, Mandarin orange, Peach, Vanilla
Heart Notes	Exotic spices, Jasmine, Coriander, Orange blossom, Rose, Sandalwood, Cedar
Base Notes	Amber, Oakmoss, Musk, Vanilla, , Frankincense, Civet

Ratings

Scent

7.7 (417 Ratings)

Longevity

8.8 (304 Ratings)

Sillage

8.4 (293 Ratings)

Bottle

6.2 (304 Ratings)

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 21.11.2020.

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Reviews

08/23/2020

8
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 6
Bottle

Serres74

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Serres74

Helpful Review 10

What must, must...

...I've been sneaking around this smell forever. I knew it from the old days when it was first released. I liked it already then, but somehow it never found its way to me...but now I had to strike...the price for a 100 ml bottle was really cheap. Now it is mine and I love it. Of course not exactly at 38 degrees...but the autumn is not far away and in this time of the year he fits in perfectly.
You don't need much of it, two or three squirts, and then it's good. It also lasts quite long, easily 5/6 hours. I smell vanilla and amber right away, followed by spices, not as harsh as opium, but present and in the finish it smells like sandalwood and incense The only thing that bothers me about the fragrance are these "green notes"...which you can thankfully only smell when you press your nose directly to your wrist, otherwise not. During "normal" activity the vanilla/amber combination envelops me like a delicate veil. After almost an hour this herbaceous "something" on my skin disappears and just smells deliciously vanilla, delicious to bite into.
So girls, if you have a date in the evening, make sure to spray on an hour before and let the scent unfold, otherwise it could be too much for the person opposite... don't say I didn't warn you ;-)

5 Replies

08/07/2020

9.5
Scent 10
Longevity 9
Sillage 9
Bottle

Primel

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Primel

Top Review 24

Obsession killed the cat

It is of course the "Curiosity" that got the cat into trouble, a saying that warns against too much curiosity (and name of a band from the 80s).

I first tasted the fragrance in 1989 on a stone-rich and beautiful South American woman during a language stay in Worthing/England. Margherita, as she was called, told me radiantly: "Obsesssssion!" I was thrilled and from then on downright obsessed by this scent, by the way, you could have scented a whole gym with this extract!
Obsession is an oriental scent, but for me it is not "spicy" or even dark, but rather "golden", fruity, flowery and spicy and very sensual, wearable for both sexes equally and absolutely timeless. And what is most beautiful: Not an exploding civet stink bomb, but the fuse glows softly and extinguishes gradually...

Young and unattached as I was then, I then travelled to the South of France to learn a little French as well. Unfortunately "Obsession" became a little bit disliked there. The huge, black (and a bit threatening) tomcat of the host family went crazy and even came to see me in the bedroom at night :D After listening to the howling and howling for a while, I even thought that the animal pronounced my name! Was I going crazy? It was just creepy :O .........Oh Obsession!

That this scent has a pretty strong effect on cats, I read somewhere (maybe here?). In any case, I did not wear this scent anymore from then on.

After careful consideration I came to the conclusion that I had only imagined this whole thing.
:(

13 Replies

02/29/2020

9
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 7
Bottle

Elysium
389 Reviews

Elysium

Ain't No More The Grandma's Best Cake

Do you remember when you were a kid? The memories of childhood are like the cover of Linus; each of us holds the most beautiful close trying to make them unforgettable over time. Imagine having a favorite cake that only your Grandma was able to make, a recipe wrote on waste paper consumed and handed down from generation to generation, Grandma's recipes were genuinely irreplaceable. My Grandma often made cakes when I was young. I forgot about those cakes until I came across them. So you went away for a while, you grew up, and when you came home, Grandma made you your favorite cake, but that cake isn't exactly what you remembered. Although it looks the same, the smell and taste are similar, but they are not what drove you crazy.

I didn't wear Obsession in the '80s, but I remember it very well. Likewise Thierry Mugler's Angel later, it was everywhere, and everyone seemed to be wearing one spray too much. A bottle of recent Obsession has been in my collection since last April 2019, and I've to say that I've wanted to test Obsession for the longest time and finally got around to it today. I bought a bottle online on the spot. I was expecting something big and aggressive like Obsession for Men and all the infamous '80s perfumes, so imagine my surprise when I got a cuddly cloud of woody-vanilla powder. If you had me smell this while blindfolded and told me it was a Shalimar flanker, I'd believe you. The Shalimar vanilla, dust, and incense are all there, wrapped in soft spices with a touch of citrus on top, and that's because I probably bought the reformulated version. In the '80s, Obsession was too much, and it filled the entire room. Fast forward 30+ years, you will notice its thinness, its lesser animals, and how much the sillage had reduced.

Nevertheless, I cherish Obsession on the initial spritz, the spiciness, and the vanillic accord. It's kind, charismatic, but sweet, just the right balance. The top notes of mandarin and orange blossom chime loud and clear, as does the coriander. In the early phase, where a bitter herbal-green edge laced with spices seems to linger longer than you'd expect it would or could. It smells very green in the top, then the spices start coming through but also that sweet vanilla with hints of cinnamon.

As it softens, the floral notes are rich but grounded by the amber, and the vanilla in the base is nicely dry in comparison to today's overbearing dessert-fests. But spend some time, and you'll notice notes within Obsession's heart not listed like sweet nutmeg, licorice brown sugar, spicy chili pepper, come through the strongest to my nose.

Then after a few hours, I keep getting whiffs of a manly scent, the sweetness has evaporated, and the healthy spices plus vetiver, oakmoss they turn the smell into something harsh and rough. Ain't a bad thing, but all too powerful, assertive, and spicy fragrances.

Applied heavily, Obsession lives up to every '80s power bombs: it's obnoxious, it's overpowering, it's as complicated as a jackhammer and as irritating to be around. But applied softly, and when viewed in the proper context, all bets are off. It is a plain excellent composition, to beat the band or anything a niche house has to offer.

Vastly underrated and unisex, given its musky profile and admirable lack of sweetness, fruity, or whatsoever. By creation a winter fragrance, it might bloom gorgeously in the summer heat, which ramps up the spice, darkens the musks, and turns the florals into neon versions of themselves. It's an Oriental with a capital O.

-Elysium

1 Replies

11/26/2018

9.5
Scent 10
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

Schwälbchen

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Schwälbchen

Top Review 35

Not the holy grail, but damn close

Vintage and current version - a comparison

A bottle of recent obsession has been in my collection for quite some time and I have to say that I really like this fragrance. The warm and flattering vanilla - omnipresent but not nose-filling - gives the current version a very attractive aura. The fragrance is warm, ambry and slightly spicy right from the start. I cannot grasp herbs or even green notes, rather the Eau de Parfum is underlaid with a fruity orange hint. The impression of a freshly peeled orange peel is tangible. Individual spices, on the other hand, do not want to be revealed to me. For example, I don't notice cinnamon at all on my skin, although I love it very much. It is rather this inviting, benevolent spiciness that makes obsession so irresistible. A very sensual pleasure and even if the reformulation cannot hold a candle to the original, I find both fragrances fascinating and see them as independent orientals in my collection.

The Vintage is even more sensual compared to the current version. Many stories entwine around this fragrance icon. And I also get the impression of eroticism when I sniff it for the first time. No, not subtle eroticism. This fragrance is a vamp, self-confident, radiant, refined seduction and ... yes, sex. No other fragrance is able to create such three-dimensional associations of hot and sweaty skin, damp sheets and (I completely agree with JUMI) wet hair. There's no flirting here. Facts are created here. To be able to wear a vintage obsession, a woman must give herself completely to her femininity. Pride and self-confident grace embody fragrance and wearer. For example, there is this angular, green-herbal start with a lot of incense. Animalic resonates and surrounds the wearer with a (by today's standards) wonderfully unadapted fragrance restaurant. Musk, civet and vanilla meet for a rendezvous of unimagined endurance. In overdose - and this is quickly reached here - he is able to take the breath away from his fellow men. Gently applied, it is a fragrance that has no equal.

If you compare the two fragrances, I would say that the current version with its balsamic feel-good character is definitely suitable for the office but always for daily use. Well-made designer quality with high durability at a top price are combined here.

The VINTAGE, on the other hand, with its irrevocable influence on the limbic system of apparently civilized forms of life and their predatory behavioral changes as a result, is ZWINGEND subject to a weapon licence.

Well then: Waidmanns Heil und Namaste,
your Schwälbchen

8 Replies

09/19/2018

Pinkdawn

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Pinkdawn

Top Review 21

Noble mix for drama queens

If there is a reason to look forward to the cold days in late autumn, then it is - obsession! Because for me this heavy, velvety soft, warming, sweet, oriental perfume is a typical winter scent.
My first obsession was a gift. At first I wasn't too enthusiastic about the massive scent bomb - probably I got it in summer. Meanwhile I appreciate the fragrance so much that I just bought the EdT - Obsession is only available as EdT - in order to meet cool times in a stylish and fragrant way.

I like oriental scents very much. I love Shalimar from 1925, whose powdery sweetness reflects the extravagance of the late 1920s. A similarly opulent fragrance experience lets us experience Calvin Klein with his obsession. However, this fragrance is less playful than Shalimar, for example. It is much too earthy, spicy, passionate and sensual. The manufacturer speaks of a warm base of ambergris and musk. I would even call them fiery.

The most famous protagonist for this fragrance from the eighties was probably not by chance Kate Moss in 1993, who is known for her excessive, excessive lifestyle. At that time she was, of course, a 17-year-old, malnourished model.

For me, Obsession is a fragrance for very feminine women who appreciate and wear the sensuality of Zibet and the sweetness of vanilla. It is sweet, heavy, intense and guarantees a great performance. Therefore one should dose extremely sparingly.

Obsession by CK comes in a simple, egg-shaped bottle made of heavy, thick lead crystal that fits well in the hand and radiates noble simplicity. The perfume has a bright brownish, clear colour reminiscent of amber.

After spraying on Obsession starts very sweet. Vanilla is immediately present and pushes bergamot, peach, mandarin and basil into the background, where these chords do not ebb away, but give the vanilla a refined and harmonious background.

It's hard to believe. But in the second act it gets even sweeter. Jasmine, rose and sandalwood are combined to create a strong appearance, to which the spice of coriander adds depth.
Finally, vanilla comes back into play, lots of vanilla. Plus musk and civet. Frankincense brings a touch of mysticism, while vetiver ensures that not everything sinks into dark red plush - metaphorically speaking. A noble mixture for drama queens.

For me, the characteristic aroma of obsession vanilla - velvety, sweet, heavy vanilla notes - is and remains. Especially they make the fragrance so sensual and beguiling. I would say that he guarantees a great performance and many compliments, especially from the masters of creation, who do not always make subtle decisions about women's fragrances, but often, so to speak, from the gut. And of course the passion and eroticism of obsession scores points. The name does not mean "obsession" by chance. So the fragrance seems to be quite appealing to male primordial instincts. That sounds good, but it also has a downside. If applied too much, what happens here easily, the scent can be a bit vulgar and intrusive for some women.

What I particularly like about Obsession, however, is its silage and durability. With most perfumes I am annoyed about their short shelf life. Obsession, on the other hand, has an exceptionally strong "fragrance tail" and lasts all day long. The scent can still be found everywhere for days - in scarves, sweaters, bed linen, hair, handbags, gloves - without losing any of its powdery sweetness.

No wonder obsession is a fragrance you won't soon forget. It is very intensive and has a high recognition value. In the meantime, perfume has long since become - and rightly - a classic that has won many fans.

If any alien who happened to land on our little blue planet ever asked me what it is, a perfume like the one people use, I would keep obsession under his hopefully existing nose. I think he'd understand right away. Without long explanations.

For me, obsession is exactly what you imagine perfume to be: It smells good, is sweet, striking, intense and - seductive.

4 Replies

09/18/2018

7.5
Scent 9
Longevity 8
Sillage 6
Bottle

DonJuanDeCat

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DonJuanDeCat

Top Review 17

For the possessed!!

Today I describe a fragrance that should certainly no longer be an unknown fragrance. But I think that its name is a perfect match for you perfumes. "Obsession." Because you're all obsessed with scents. Who among you is not happy when she (or he) gets a little bag full of scent samples? You get a bag of mixed sweets just like a little child... and I have to admit that this "mixed bag", as you used to get it from kiosk traders, was one of the biggest things in life back then :D Well, now it's just a mixed fragrance bag. And this brings a smile to your faces, doesn't it? It just goes to show that you guys are crazy about scent! Obsessed! Especially if you can't go to bed at night without taking another look in the souk :DD

Great,... and now my mouth watering when I think of all the marshmallows, jelly bears, gold thalers, clams, sour apples and cucumbers, liquorice snakes, smurfs, Haribo sharks, gum earthworms and and and :D

But I prefer to come to the smell, before I start drooling here again. It's a good thing that it's almost autumn, because the cooler air makes jogging more pleasant when you've stuffed too much into yourself again and want to do some sport :D
Oh and autumnal is also this fragrance here!

The Scent:

The fragrance begins sweetish, but then you smell green and spicy notes. There is some basil, but it will soon disappear. Then I smell some peach, which soon disappears again.
Then the sweet and spicy notes become stronger again. You smell the amber quite well, as well as the vanilla, then general spices (generally because you can hardly determine what you actually smell there), something resinous like incense, a little oakmoss, and finally you can still smell animal notes like Zibet, which already smells stronger than most other fragrances here.
A little later it actually continues to smell as described, only the intensity of individual fragrances changes. Zibet becomes weaker (but still smells pretty good) while the resinous and vanilla fragrances become stronger, oakmoss and amber remain the same and cedar wood is added. In general, the fragrance is now slightly softer and less scratchy.
Even later, the fragrance becomes even smoother. Because the vanilla is now stronger, which also makes the fragrance more powdery. The animal notes, on the other hand, are now clearly losing strength. Also the oakmoss is now in the background in the base. The scent remains sweet, but also soft and spicy, whereby everything harmonizes beautifully with each other.

Sillage and durability:

The Sillage is quite strong, so strong that one could already speak of room-filling here. Because the charisma remains on a strong level for longer, so that it should always smell good on one for a good while. The shelf life seems to be eternal, because I could smell the scent sprayed on in the morning until late at night.

The flacon:

The bottle is roundish-oval and bulbous. The last third of the bottle is darker in colour and represents the cap. There is no label, the name of the fragrance is directly on the bottle.
The scent liquid is amber, which gives it a nice appearance (but you might wonder if the scent liquid leaves stains on light-coloured clothes...). Looks okay.

Hmm... Obsession is one of those fragrances where you have to think of the scents of the 80s/90s right from the first sniff. Strong, sweet, ripe and classically fragrant with oakmoss etc.... but it does not smell bad, but might not go down too well with the younger ones.

Otherwise the fragrance is no longer a hit, but it certainly has its loyal fans, for whom this fragrance is the greatest. It smells quite okay and is particularly suitable for an evening or evening fragrance, especially in autumn and winter. So you can test it!

...
Sooo... as indicated yesterday:
This was my last comment here!
Before all of you now weeping and sobbing screaming "Nooooo!!!", this is of course only temporary. I'll only be gone for about two weeks! :D

On the other hand, some really disappointing faces have already come up here, so I decided to put some commis on my mobile phone, and maybe write here every few days depending on the time, even though it might do you a lot of good to miss me here for a while, who seems to live on perfumo anyway, every day as I normally am here :D

Well, you'll see if I get to publish something from time to time, otherwise see you soon :)

4 Replies

08/05/2018

9
Scent 9
Longevity 8
Sillage 7
Bottle

Carlitos01
282 Reviews

Carlitos01

Very helpful Review 6

Guichard's intemporal artwork

Jean Guichard is the director of the Givaudan Perfumery School.
Besides being highly praised by his students, he is an incredibly accomplished master perfumer whose signed works include such hits as Cacharel Eden, Cartier So Preety, Madame de Carven, Soleil de Fragonard, Hermés Concentreé d'Orange Verte, Montana Parfume de Peau, Paco Rabanne La Nuit, Donna Trussardi, Dior Poison Esprit de Parfum and... Calvin Klein Obsession EdP. He grew up in Grasse - the perfume capital - where his father grew flowers for the perfume industry. His son Aurelien Guichard is also an accomplished perfumer in his own right.
Women perfumes have always been the preference of Guichard. Well... some unisex as well.

Calvin Klein Obsession is a terrific Oriental Spicy feminine fragrance, with niche quality and superb blending.
I bought it for my wife after being really impressed with the men's cologne. I could not help judging it as an unisex scent right from the first sniff. This fragrance has been around for a while. It's 35 years old now. After knowing it as somebody else fragrance more than thirty years ago, I rediscover it as an "I must have it" about three years ago. I consider it the first spice bomb and Its spiciness is amplified by its oriental facet. It's damn good and alluring. I think I prefer it over the masculine edition, even for my own use.

It opens with a shy citric, fruity and herbal green and sweet accord that quickly unveils a dry woodiness, and a glorious vanilla and spicy accord. A bitter deep balsamic incense envelopes the leathery civet, as well the warm and powdery amber. Before the drydown starts, a different dark vanilla accord develops in this swirling complex scent, fooling you to believe this to be a sweet fragrance.
Unlike other CKs, Obsession is very long lasting perfume. Two generous sprays is more than enough to give you all the juice that you need for a regular day or a night out. Obsession gives me more satafaction with cold weather when the vanilla and amber notes projection are more noticeable. The dry incense and the musky animalic civet impresses me more as a skin scent, during the drydown phase. In all stages the fragrance reveals class and sophistication. A supreme quality and a general sensual, rounded deep feeling, is quite evident.
It's one of the best "not feminine but unisex" I ever purchased. Obsession made me happier than with the Angel and Muse acquisitions I did already some time ago.

How do I rate my feminine obsession?
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
- Scent opening............8.5 (enchanting semi bitter, semi frity sweet, bitter orange, spicy opening)
- Scent Dry Down.........9.5 (supreme balsamic ambery musky vanilla accord)
- Longevity....................9.0 ( >10 hours, 2 initial sprays)
- Sillage..........................8.5 (sillage peak at 6~7 feet, projection for 2.5+ hours)
- Versatility....................8.0 (Avoid hot days; This is a Winter/Fall/Spring fragrance, intended for night use, and very good at it)
- Usability......................9.0 (very good for almost any situation; superb for fancy events, a night out, clubbing, open air gatherings and intimacy; don't use it in places where you may sweat like the gymn or by the seaside)
- Compliments..............9.5 (a natural compliment grabber)
- Uniqueness.................9.0 (some minor similarities with some other upscale fragrances like Must de Cartier, Krazy Krizia... and with Obsession for Men; the vanilla powdery accord recalls me the powdery vanilla of Shalimar; there are no other look alike fragrances that I am aware of)
- Quality.........................9.0 (it smells very expensive and classy. It really competes with fragrances that cost five times more; very good over all quality)
- Presentation...............7.5 (a "does the job" bottle; nothing fancy but simple, easy to hold and not tacky flask)
- Price...........................10.0 (€21,00 for 100 ml tester.)
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Average:......................8.86/10.00
between 7 and 8 = Above average;
between 8 and 9 = Recomended;
bigger than 9 = Don't miss it;

Opinion on CK Obsession:
It's damn good!
Blind buy worthy? Yes if you belong to the female gender, or if the perfume is a gift for a lady friend. If you are a man and intend to use it yourself, it's better you try it before you buy it!

Music: John Miles - "Music (was my first love)"

07/30/2018

7.5
Scent 9
Longevity 6
Sillage 4
Bottle

Jazzy76
320 Reviews

Jazzy76

Spicy liqueur

This scent is really powerful and its name is right because you have a sense of trouble in mind when you smell this potion.
You mark immediately that there are dark spots on the mouillette when you spray it. It seems a liqueur not only for its color but for the notes which arrive at your nose: first, the spices, warm, strong, quite intoxicating, after the base made of amber and warm incense. It could be associated with the fire and it is a typical fall-winter scent. The sillage is very strong and this is typical of the "bombs" of the glorious and opulent Eighties.
I love its result on my skin: it becomes a little bitter but always pleasant.
Only pay attention to the dark spots if you spray it on your clothes.
What else? wearing this scent is like singing "Come on baby, light my fire!"

07/31/2017

Germanblonde
85 Reviews

Germanblonde

Love potion number One

If one of the main accords is listed as balsamic, it is a pretty sure bet that I like it. And with Obsession it is LOVE. I always have a back up bottle, because I dread the day that I might not be able to get her anymore. Now, I usually wear her just at home and so far didn't dare to take her with me for a night out. I feel that she is too intimate, too close to reveal my REAL intentions. So much so, that even when being with my man, I keep her for very private moments - just the two of us. She is almost like a dominatrix, like she is saying: "I'm here boy, watch out, because this gal is getting right to it and knows what she needs." Not ladylike at all, but hot, driven and super sexual. She is one of my bedroom staples - a real love potion. Maybe I will be able to build up the confidence to actually wear her in public. But as of now, she is WAY too erotic for me to dare to leave the house with her.

02/07/2014

9
Scent 10
Longevity 10
Sillage 7.5
Bottle

Karinoula
82 Reviews

Karinoula

Very helpful Review 1

Spice magnet

I really love this perfume and I don't know how blind I was not to have spotted this so long. It is a superb smell which lasts all day and if preferably wearable for winter. The incense along with spices makes it a total mysterious and rare perfume. My husband likes it too.

Show all reviews (18)