Calvin Klein • Escape For Women • Fragrances

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*TOP REVIEWER* YoHarajuku on 1/11/2013 6:02:00 AM more reviews by YoHarajuku

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

On the fence with this, its very hard too describe fragrance. Its dense, modern and does have a certain uniqueness, but still not a classic. I wouldn't put this in my favourites list but I might pick it up again at future time to try again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Olfactoria on 12/14/2012 7:18:00 PM more reviews by Olfactoria

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

For a mass-market fragrance, Escape is supremely weird in its pairing of watermelons and peaches with seaweed, saltwater, and white flowers. Somehow, it all works to provide a sense of lushness, sunshine and ocean breezes.

By using a new kind of aromatic called calones, which provide that melon/marine effect, Escape was groundbreaking in 1991 and paved the way for other "watery" scents like L'Eau d'Issey. It still has a distinctive signature and I can always pinpoint someone wearing it. I LOVE that about Escape.

It's not something I wear often, as I have to be in the mood for its weird alchemy. I do think the reformulation is just fine-- I have both vintage and current, and while the former is more rounded and fruity, the current is a bit lighter and more wearable.

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fcirone1 on 1/24/2012 5:05:00 PM more reviews by fcirone1

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I have had an on and off love affair with fragrance over the years - i remember loving it in the nineties. I would purchase the fragrance again some 10 years later...but ended up swapping it again. I recently repurchased today actually - it was only 19.99 so the price was right. I sprayed on the sample and automatically started to rekindle fond memories i had for this scent...fruity and fresh at the same time. Lasting power is amazing and sillage as we all know is amazing too. I think it is a classic that will never go out of style. I think it is a nice change from all the caramel cupcake vanilla scents that are all the rage right now....mind you i have several of those also...fantasy, heiress, fancy, mariah...but for a change i am welcoming the appley fruity melony and flowery sweetness from Escape!!

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LauLau215 on 1/19/2012 3:47:00 PM more reviews by LauLau215

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is a beautiful clean aquatic scent! Strong and pretty too! I wear this to work...and co-workers say that it smells beautiful! Works well wiht my pheromones! U can buy this at Ulta or Marshalls/TJMaxx!

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manvisudan87 on 12/28/2011 10:06:00 AM more reviews by manvisudan87

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

i like dis fragnance..it stays whole day n is kinda flowerly one...but i will prefer ck euphoria to it...i think euphoria is more classy...

i got it as a gift but i will never spend money on dis...its very strong so use wid caution...good for everyday use!!!

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godpsent on 5/3/2011 10:15:00 AM more reviews by godpsent

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Dark   Hair: Black, Kinky, Coarse   Eyes: Black    

There is something in this fragrance (as is in many CK frags) that makes my stomach turn. Other than that it is quite lovely and classic.

A dab will do, it is pretty strong.

Has incredible staying power.

Clean, white floral...perhaps the precursor to Marc Jacobs' frags

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keumoak on 12/11/2010 3:11:00 PM more reviews by keumoak

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I loved this when I wore it in college 20+ years ago. It was warmth personified if that makes sense. It always put me in a dreamy mood. i stoped wearing perfume but came across an ad for it recently and I was surprised it was still around and bought a bottle at beauty.com.

Uggh, it smelled like the ugly imposter. It had some resemblence but now smelled acrid and had a distinct smell of Cat pee. Maybe my sense of smell had changed? Then I read the review how Coty had taken over and maybe the formula changed. Another reviewer mentioned smelling fecal, so maybe what I need to do is find a "vintage" edition.

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*TOP REVIEWER* youdroppedabalmonme2 on 7/9/2010 11:07:00 PM more reviews by youdroppedabalmonme2

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

After reading reviews of this long-lost favorite on MUA and other sites, I concluded that when Coty took over CK's fragrance line, it cheapened the formulas. So I got "vintage" Escape pure parfum in a splash bottle online just to be safe. (FragranceNet and eBay sell 1/8 oz. bottles for under $10.) And I am surprised by how pretty it smells on me! It's actually a lot less sharp and headache-y than Eternity, which I can only wear a couple times a year, although it has a similar rose note in the drydown.


I agree with the reviewer who commented that the color of the juice should really be aqua. On me, Escape has a very clean marine/saltwater note, along with a touch of not-too-sweet summer melons. There is also a lovely tea-rose accord. The overall effect is clean, pretty, and lilting, with a delicate but entrancing sillage. But it's not bland, unisex, or ozonic; the fruits and flowers ground the scent and make it a true "perfume" and not a soapy-smelling body spray. It's lovely for summer, and not at all overwhelming when dabbed on in parfum strength.


I will say that I've smelled Coty's version of this in EDP/body lotion giftsets at Marshalls, and I found it to be more harsh and synthetic. I highly recommend the original parfum from Calvin Klein.

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happywoman28 on 6/6/2010 5:10:00 PM more reviews by happywoman28

Age: Unknown   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Watermelon and cantalope and pineapple. MMM! It makes me think of a big fruit and melon salad poolside at a tropical resort.
They named it right. The one very slight thing that bothers me is the lack of sex appeal, as melons have no sex.
But when I feel very neuter, and want to be off on a beach under a coconut palm, all calm and mindless and sunny, this is the one. Nothing else does it better.

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Pasha8888 on 3/17/2010 2:46:00 PM more reviews by Pasha8888

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I realize this is an older fragrance, but it doesn't mean it doesn't smell good. For some reason, I smell watermelon in this when it dries down.
Just use a little of this, or it has to potential to be too strong as it is an Eau De Parfum. This is definitely a summer fragrance because of the 'beachy' notes.

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RangerEmmie on 1/12/2009 10:18:00 PM more reviews by RangerEmmie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I wore this fragrance when I was much younger, and just recently found it again and realized I still love it. This stuff comes in quite a big bottle that will last a long time, while the color is a rich amber, the scent strikes me as being more of a light aqua. Scent breakdown features aquatic notes of salt air and floral and fruit notes of rose, apple and plum. The drydown settles into a light apple-y musk. This fragrance is lovely, it suited me at 15, and it still suits me at 21. We'll see how I feel about it at 30 :)

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MissTash on 12/11/2008 7:59:00 PM more reviews by MissTash

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I have repurchased this fragrance a couple of times because I love wearing when I am heading out on the town. It is a very strong, clean scent which, when wearing it, gets heaps of compliments. It's not for everyone though and I can see how some can get headaches for it. The trick I have found is that less is more and to only spritz wrists, and cleavage. I never put this one behind the ears as the smell would be too much. Really long lasting as well. Lasts all night and can even smell a hint of it after I've showered!

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jamielee983 on 12/8/2008 11:05:00 PM more reviews by jamielee983

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Smells so clean. Just a few spritzes and I get compliments left and right about how "good" I smell. Nice big bottle, although I feel like the top comes off easily. To me it smells like freshly laundered clothes (which is not a bad thing!).

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*TOP REVIEWER* katemvirginia on 8/4/2008 9:04:00 AM more reviews by katemvirginia

Age: Unknown   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

This has been one of my favorite perfumes for years! Great smell. CK has a great line. I also love eternity. I also love Juicy couture's women's perfume.

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*TOP REVIEWER* juad on 7/23/2008 8:01:00 AM more reviews by juad

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Burning tv's back + ink + fecal note + rotting canned pears and peaches. A sad, chemical "sultry freshness" of the 80-ties. One of the ugliest I have smelled.

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GoddessGreenEyes on 7/11/2008 6:30:00 PM more reviews by GoddessGreenEyes

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I think this is such a beautiful fragrance -- it tends to lean towards the sweet side, though, so if you're not into coconut and pineapple, leave this one alone. I've worn it on and off since 1993, when my at-the-time-college boyfriend gave me a bottle on our anniversary. He then proceeded to buy me the lotion and bath treatment. So, yeah, getting a whiff of this does remind me of him, but it also reminds me of a glorious day on the beach, cavorting in the sun (with SPF 55, of course!). I took off one lippie because it doesn't seem to last very long. But I don't mind respraying - and respraying it isn't a problem; just make sure you don't overdo it because people seem either disgusted with this or in love with it, and you don't want to smell like a stink-bomb to people who dislike it (they might rip it out of your bag and throw it out the train window). I'll always come back to this one, especially since I don't have a 'signature' fragrance. I'm happy CK has kept this one after all this time!

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*TOP REVIEWER* kayben on 6/14/2008 5:30:00 PM more reviews by kayben

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

It seems I'm very lucky; this fragrance doesn't induce a headache in me because it barely lasts two hours. The scent has escaped my body. Maybe that's where the name comes from.

While it lasts, it is a fruity marine scent on me, like cantelope wrapped in kelp. I wouldn't dream of purchasing a full size bottle of this.

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manda9794 on 6/5/2008 4:33:00 PM more reviews by manda9794

Age: Unknown   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

this fragrance is sometimes overbearing and wayyyy too sweet. i have a soft spot for it though because my grandma always wore it and it reminds me of her. =] it is a very unique and unmistakable fragrance and one spray of this in the summertime is great.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jiicky on 5/20/2008 12:44:00 PM more reviews by jiicky

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

Escape by CK is completely different fragrance from CK fresh and citrusy scents such as CKOne or Be. Under the new perfume nomenclature, it is characterized as an "oceanic" scent. I am guessing that it is supposed to evoke images of the maritime breeze or the seashore.

The only oceanic image I get from smelling this is the smell people have after a long hot day swimming in the ocean. Imagine sitting on the beach on a very hot day in close proximity to a gaggle of teenage girls who have been hanging out on the beach for hours --- perspiration infused with a random mix of shampoo, hairspray and other toiletry product residues, tinged with a bit of salt water. Alternatively, this fragrances smells like perspiration off of someone that took a bubble bath the night before-- not a putrefying or stagnant or necessarily even a dirty smell but definitely not a fresh scent.


I feel that the actual scent itself is so-so (not terrible but not great) but the headache-inducing potential is definitely there. Unlike Eternity which hits you between the eyes and knocks you out, Escape is the type of perfume that creeps up behind you and slowly gives you a migraine. Because it is not a strong scent and doesn't have sharp edges to announce its presence, it takes awhile to figure out why you have that headache. For that reason, it really should be used with a light hand.


Escape is not my cup of tea but for afficionados of CK or people who are into oceanic scents, I would guess that the body lotion might be better. Escape might be alright in the dead of a Minnesota winter or if you live in Siberia. If I lived some freezing cold place--I could see myself liking this fragrance more. Escape's scent emanates warmth and it reminds me of summer but somehow I wouldn't actually want to wear it in the summer time-- too perfumey to wear during sweltering weather. Moreover, the last thing I want to be reminded of is steaming bodies when it is 90 degrees in the shade.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jeantanpk on 4/10/2008 6:08:00 AM more reviews by jeantanpk

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

This is my first EDP. I actually adored it for nearly... 4 years of my life... (17-20/21) People around me used to tell me how nice it smelled but... ever since i stopped using.. i could never stay with a fragrance for more than 1-2 bottles. Even i do not know why.

I never went back to using Escape. I duno why either. It is not really feminine and has that effect of strength and melancholy about it.

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