Calvin Klein • Obsession • Fragrances

*TOP REVIEWER* Codeblue on 12/5/2010 4:39:00 PM more reviews by Codeblue

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I tried to find something to like about the one but just don't get it. A pleasant scent, but a big yawn nonetheless. Everyone and their dog seems to be wearing it which goes to show you that a frenzy of advertising can sell almost anything. Probably my chemistry, but after the drydown, I seem to pick up something synthetic, like melted plastic.

I view it as a poor woman's version of Anne Pliska, which is one of the classiest fragrances around.

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*TOP REVIEWER* thespacecowgirl on 10/21/2010 5:56:00 PM more reviews by thespacecowgirl

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Has no presence or complexity on me. I spray it and smell a syrupy-sweet sandalwood for a few moments, then nothing for the rest of the day unless I stick my nose right into wherever it was sprayed. Boring. I hoped for more, as warm, sweet Orientals are usually great on me.

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shaaralee on 10/18/2010 11:01:00 PM more reviews by shaaralee

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

This was my first real-deal perfume. I first got it when I was 16 and wore it for maybe 4 years after. However my tastes in perfume changed vastly and I didn't enjoy the strong woody/oriental scent I once did. Unfortunately now it does give me a headache, but for anyone new to oriental fragrances you can't go wrong with Obsession.

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nm1981 on 9/19/2010 2:15:00 AM more reviews by nm1981

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

A girl who sat in front of me in biology in High School used to wear this. I used to sit behind her and just inhale her scent for an hour everyday (i'm a hetero-girl for reference..). I asked her what perfume she always wore and she said "Obsession". Anything by Calvin Klein was WAY out of my price range at that time, so when I found a Designer Impostor's "dupe" called "Ostentation" I was beside myself. Turns out it didn't quite measure up and I ended up having to sit at the back of the room because I gave the girl behind ME a headache. Lesson learned.. Spring for the real deal.

This is the best. "Obsession" is an intense and womanly oriental scent. Incredibly heady. A little goes a long way. It's unbelievable. Do yourself a favour- Pick this one up.

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*TOP REVIEWER* youdroppedabalmonme2 on 9/10/2010 8:33:00 PM more reviews by youdroppedabalmonme2

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

This review is for vintage Obsession--before the CK brand was bought out (first by Unilever, then by Coty Prestige). I was lucky enough to get an ounce of the pure parfum at an estate sale, and to my delight the scent was still fresh and brought back a wave of great memories. It's smooth, vanillic, rounded, and intensely sexual, with marvelous cola-like tonka and cinnamon notes, and a citrus-bergamot opener that tempers the underlying sweetness. I find some similarities here with Shalimar, but Obsession relinquishes the strong vanilla in Shalimar to a cooler, spicier base reminiscent of Arabian attar oils (Jannat-al-Ferdous comes to mind in particular). It's definitely not a scent for wallflowers, and it will wear YOU unless judiciously applied, but there's a reason Obsession was a runaway hit 25 years ago and continues to be sold like hotcakes today. There's just no other oriental fragrance like it, and I find it delicious and extremely sexy.


If you love orientals, I highly encourage you to purchase older stock of Obsession (mini parfums and EDPs can be had on eBay) and give it a whirl. The current reformulation, available only in EDP and manufactured by Coty Prestige, is thin and sour by comparison and bears only surface resemblance to the masterpiece of the vintage version. (The new version comes in an egg-shaped bottle with brown plastic cap, whereas the older versions came in a wide, flat bottle and/or had a gold band around the cap.)

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luxwasfourteen on 8/21/2010 12:11:00 PM more reviews by luxwasfourteen

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I am so in love with this fragrance. It's my go to for every day/event. I have to basically force myself to wear any other perfume now. I mainly get a musky incense with some amber and vanilla. I hopefully will never have to be without a bottle!

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*TOP REVIEWER* CarrieLynnJ on 8/11/2010 3:30:00 PM more reviews by CarrieLynnJ

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I got this for a steal on ebay and I have to admit I still love it. This type of perfume (obsession/opium) just have this warm enveloping scent that just makes me want to spray it and wrap up in a blanket and just keep sniffing myself lol, ok maybe TMI;) I can see how people would think of this as too retro, I too wore it to excess in high school but even with that said it still appeals to me. This bottle (1.7 Parfum) will last a while and I am sure it will take me years if ever to rebuy.

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jela011 on 5/25/2010 12:17:00 PM more reviews by jela011

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

This fragrance does not smell the same now as it used to. It was reformulated and is much more chemical now than it was before. I loved it, but I don`t like it now. Old bottle had golden ring on a cap, and oldest bottles had spray-cap. New bottle is with dark brown plastic cap.

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*TOP REVIEWER* crickett85 on 4/29/2010 1:05:00 AM more reviews by crickett85

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

Obsession is a classic and classy sweet spicy oriental. It has monster sillage and must be used lightly. But if used lightly and properly, Obsession can be worn for almost any occasion. Dab lightly for work, daytime, church. A little heavier and you're ready for a night on the town. Apply quite heavily and you're likely to suffocate persons in your immediate vicinity.
The mandarin and bergamot combine with the jasmine in the top notes in a most intriguing way, giving off a little spicy mysterious aroma. Warm and inviting yet still cool and mysterious. The amber and oak moss bases give this scent depth and substance.
I highly recommend Obsession to lovers of spicy sweet oriental scents. Or to anyone tired of the current pandemic of generic white florals and fruity florals being offered up by the thousands these days.

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ainabarad on 4/6/2010 6:14:00 PM more reviews by ainabarad

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I fell in love with this back in my teenage days and this was my go to scent for years. It had a deeper scent than the floral scents most of my classmates adored (and smelled a little woodsy to me) and that only made me love it even more as floral scents smell cheap and disgusting to me. The boys always seemed to genuinely love it and complimented me on it all the time (I can't say I blamed them since all the other girls and young women seemed to always smell like that damn Vanilla Fields which I always hated and thought it did not smell at all like vanilla! LOL).

Now here it is, upteen years later (13 or 14 years I think)... I recently realized I haven't been wearing perfume often at all and wanted to get back to wearing it... And realized this smell, though it smells exactly the same as it always did, now smells, well, HORRIBLE to me. Let's be honest and blunt, shall we... It's too damn strong, a bit too sweet, the smell invokes a headache for me now, and if one more person asks me if I'm wearing Obsession (because EVERYONE recognizes the smell of it), I think I'm going to scream. LOL I have a little left, but doubt I'll ever manage to finish the bottle because EW. I suppose my nose matured too much over the years to enjoy the smell any longer. I can say one good thing about this fragrance though (okay, so this is only a GOOD thing if you LIKE the smell) and that is that it lasts and lasts and lasts. One spray, ladies. Just one. And even then I'd recommend doing one spray out in front of you and walking through the mist because this is STRONG and it DOES NOT wear off. (Hell. it takes about an hour for just one spray to die down enough so it doesn't smell like you tried to drown yourself in a damn vat of it and I thought that even back when I was a teeniebopper! LOL)

Oh, and I agree 100% with the reviewer who pointed out the bottle is fugly. I gave it a 3 on package quality for that reason. The bottle is nice quality as far as spraying well, not feeling like cheap plastic or anything, but it's so damn fugly I had to take two away on packaging for that.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Wyrmiax on 2/13/2010 2:24:00 AM more reviews by Wyrmiax

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My opinion of this is sort of conditional--dabbed on sparingly from a sample vial, I like it a lot, in all its orangey/spicy/amber loudness. But I can't imagine applying even one full-size spritz, much less more than one. It would choke the wearer and everyone in the vicinity.

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metalmynx on 2/5/2010 10:22:00 AM more reviews by metalmynx

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I have worn this for years, and it is hands down my favorite perfume. It's strong, so you only need a little. My special twist on this is that I use a spritz of Obsession and then a spritz of Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Cannelle (Cinnamon Vanilla) - the combination is wonderful. I've been complimented by complete strangers on my fragrance and my boyfriend adores it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* abrad1967 on 1/26/2010 1:37:00 AM more reviews by abrad1967

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Black    

This is a fragrance I used to wear many years ago and I absolutely loved this scent. I tend to like Calvin Klein's fragrances and at that time, this was my favorite. I was so paranoid that they would discontinued this that I would buy two at a time. Soon afterwards, I found that many women were wearing this, which turned me off. I also became bored with the scent as well. Imo, this was a very sexy scent. At this point in my life, I would not repurchase this because I'm so fickle and like to rotate fragrances.

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RikaTika on 1/12/2010 3:34:00 PM more reviews by RikaTika

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I love bergamot and sandalwood, so, Obsession is right up my alley. Very musky and very sexy! It's got a lot of *heat*, if that makes sense.

IMO, you should ALWAYS try a fragrance on before purchasing and I'd say that goes triple for Obsession. Though I love the scent, I totally understand why the muskiness of it would be a total turn-off. A friend of mine says it smells sweaty on her. Sweaty, musky - it's a fine line and it really depends on your body chemistry.

Also, a little dab will do ya! Obsession has major staying power and you really do not need more than one spritz.

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CheekyLady19 on 12/24/2009 2:57:00 PM more reviews by CheekyLady19

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My aunt has this perfume and I've only sniffed it once! The smell is so distinct that I can STILL recall it. As the viewer below notes, it has a slightly spicy punch to it, which I personally like. However, I can definitely see why some people would find it offending and far too strong. It reminds me of a more feminine cologne. To me, it's not a cheap smell. It's very distinctive and has an edge to it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* boombutt on 12/16/2009 6:07:00 AM more reviews by boombutt

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

this is strong!!! very sweet and spicy. there is no mistaking this scent when someone wears it. i go into a time warp when i smell this...an 80's flashback!! when this came out it was all anybody was wearing and i got sick of it. now that so much time has passed i can appreciate it but still can rarely make myself wear this powerhouse.

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slimm on 11/27/2009 11:59:00 PM more reviews by slimm

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I used to wear this a lot when I was younger, but now I am really sick of the scent. It is too heavy and sweet for me. Primarily too sweet because I like heavy scents like Paloma Picasso. It's just the combination of heavy and sweet that doesn't work for me. I have some of the lotion, body cream and perfume spray, but when I wear it, it just isn't me, However, I do like Obsession for Men (on men).

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*TOP REVIEWER* luckylouie on 11/7/2009 6:55:00 PM more reviews by luckylouie

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

On me this is amber and sandalwood with a small amount of rich white floral notes thrown into the mix. While it's not my personal favourite oriental, I wear it regularly because my dh absolutely loves it on me and it's one of those perfumes I regularly get compiments on from total strangers. It all comes down to your personal chemistry. I can get away with wearing this to the office in cool weather, and I work in an open office with 3 other people, and it's not too strong or overpowering. Whenever I wear a new perfume to the office, I ask the other people I work with if they are happy with me wearing it, or if it is annoying them. Everyone in the office says this smells warm and spicy on me and not too strong at all. ON the other hand light florals are lost on me. Yes you should apply it with a light hand, and I must admit I would prefer to have this in a bottle without a spray so I could apply it much more precisely, but what are you gonna do? Don't be bound by the rules of sexy oriental frags should be worn only at night on a hot date. Ask those people closest to you if they think the perfume is suitable for office wear and day wear. If they think its not too OTT, go for it. I regularly wear other orientals to work (Tabu, Ciara, Bal a Versailles), with the blessings of the other staff.

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dewdrop on 11/7/2009 2:25:00 PM more reviews by dewdrop

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Oh boy, I keep forgetting what great stuff this is. This one has a wonderful not-too-sweet dry-down that puts the newer cookie-cutter fragrances to shame.

The trick with Obsession is to use the tiniest amount possible! I learned this the hard way years ago when I used to spray on enough to kill bugs.

Now I spray a bit onto a little saucer and then dip my finger in the couple of drops there and dot it on the torso area before getting dressed. That way, later on there is this soft, woodsy, incense-y aroma wafting up, helped along by body heat and buffered by clothes. So by the time it hits any nostrils it is rather "quiet" but still noticeable, in a good way. A really good way.

The shower gel is terrific too!

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amey75 on 9/27/2009 2:59:00 PM more reviews by amey75

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I received my first bottle of Obsession--the 3.4 oz EDP spray for Christmas last year.
It took me nearly 6 months to get up the nerve to actually wear it. See, it smells a lot like the knockoff versions when you smell it straight out of the bottle, and I think that's what has always scared me off. But wait—there's something extra that starts to unfold about 5 minutes into it.
The hotness and sharpness of the first spritz begins to round itself out into a smoldering melange of incense and spices, with some kind of green, herbal overtones. Then it morphs into a sexy gossamer version of its previous self, fading into a sweet chocolaty gourmand scent.
Don't get me wrong, it is a very strong scent, not for fruity, floral, or cupcakey chicks. I can imagine Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan smelling like this.
Does it smell like the 80s? Absolutely. But I imagine it smells like the all best parts of the 80s...

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