Perfume-Calvin Klein-CK IN2U for Her, CK IN2U for Her Pop, CK One, Obsession Night, Secret Obsession, Eternity

Calvin Klein, a brand that most people who don’t normally wear perfumes would know, due to its highly successful unisex perfume CK One launched in the 90s.

When I was a newbie, not sure why, CK perfumes were always on my to-try/try-to-love list. I guess marketing and popularity do play huge roles in perfume choices when it’s more an accessory rather than a passion.

CK IN2U for Her

This was the first CK perfume I actually bought, that was back in 2007, when the commercial was like everywhere and even though I find the type of commercial rather mindless and use something sex-y to sell; I felt to the trap and purchased a bottle. “Well, it’s a bottle of Calvin Klein, how wrong can that go?” Well, when I look back, how naïve it was.

So… about the perfume, it is nothing ground-breaking or mind-blowing. In fact, it is more like a perfume trying hard to mix everything together. Fortunately, the end result isn’t too bad.

The start of CK IN2U for Her, is like a burst of clean/sport vibe from some type of vague citrusy notes, which smell nothing citrusy. It’s a burst of active, spontaneousness made from artificial non-cloying sugary notes, which gives anyone a sugar high. Somehow, it reminds me some of the guys’ deodorants. Or maybe, it’s the legendary cactus note CK claims to have in this perfume.

After the initial burst of sporty accord (thank goodness, this is the most pleasing sporty accord I’ve ever smelt, due to its sans-aqua-note, oriental vanilla themed intension), I can smell fuzzy vanilla mixed with some vague sweet citrusy and floral notes, which mingles around til the end. Not bad at all. In fact, I do find IN2U for her rather pleasing to wear to some sporty outdoor gatherings, and yes when it was 2007 or 2008, I can always spot one or two persons wearing this perfume in a lecture theatre.

Not a bad perfume at all, I can see it become heavily discounted nowadays and soon would become some kind of drug-store-thrill-find for many.

CK IN2U Pop for Her

This is the limited edition/a flanker of the original CK IN2U for Her. This is a much smoother and more a suitable scent for the IN2U name in my opinion.

CK In2U Pop for her is a rather nicely-done perfume from CK. It starts really fruity, fresh, kind of melon-y. It makes think about bubble gum and carefree childhood, but the scent is quite nicely blended and doesn’t give me any headache (while scents with such fruity fresh opening, like Victoria’s Secret perfume, would definitely give me a big headache).

Soon there’s a creamy (something like plum blossom plus vanilla, and creamified maybe 10 fold) and woody accord added in, makes the whole concoction cuter in a fluffy kitten way, it makes me feel lazy and laid back, like in those sunny Sunday afternoon, wearing a huge jumper and reading a nice novel at home.

The dry out is lovely too, like the middle phase being tamed, plus some sweetened papaya. If you’ve tried Boss Orange Sunset, then CK In2U for her at this stage is like a creamy, slightly plumier and papaya-infused version of Boss Sunset. Both of them have this creamy, quasi white floral scented blended really well.

I liked it a lot; however, after wearing this several times, I can’t help but feel a little bit bored and slightly annoyed by Pop for Her. It is a lovely fragrance, but somehow I find the creaminess in it somewhat too demanding, like an attention-seeking child, to me. It is not the same as, say…loud, as in Chinatown by bond no.9, the plum blossom and other notes, but even though the accord in Chinatown is loud, sweet and bold, but somewhat I find it easier to wear. It’s like something in CK In2U Pop for her just doesn’t want to be fitted or tamed. Or maybe that’s why this days I kept on smelling floating perfume clouds around people, maybe it’s the evil intension of most of the designer commercial perfumes, they want to stand out by themselves; and the wearer sometimes just being victimized and become a perfume carrying vesicle when the perfume’s applied with a slightly heavy hand.

CK One

CK One is like a modern classic to me. It does not have that much edge or dazzling personality, but it is surely comfy to wear by many due to its clean/soap water quality.

The beginning of CK One is like bright, sweet-y citrusy with some ‘clean’ factor, just like soap, it smells likable to both the genders. After about 2 minutes, CK one becomes the clean shirt smell. There’s this citrusy, watery factor here steers CK One away from the typical ‘soap/laundry detergent’ category, yet its water and soft enough to not being pushed into a typical citrusy/sports pile. CK One is just versatile and easy to wear. No wonder it has been really popular in many Asian countries where an inoffensive clean scent is what you need to walk in a city full of people.

The dry down of CK One is slightly more powdery than before, which makes this scent a rather linear and safe one to try on.

A nice fragrance preppy scent!

Obsession Night (Women)

Sharply sweet in a peculiar watery way, mingled with something vaguely orchid flower, this is what’s oozing out the small sprit. Somehow there is a really familiar feeling this scent gives me, something vaguely everywhere when it was years ago, but not necessarily that pleasant or well selected.

The scent develops rather linearly, towards the dry down, it is just slightly creamier in the vanilla aspect.

I find this CK offering is not that much a ground breaking scent, definitely doesn’t live up for its name in my opinion. A ‘merhhh’ choice, yet a safe-y choice for a night out or some occasion like that.

Secret Obsession

First spray get me a really masculine (dead straight masculine, not the sweet cute average guy perfume masculine--say like Euphoria Man, or Pi from Givenchy) type of scent. I get a lot nutmeg and spicy kind of scent instantly. I can’t smell anything rosy or plumy even though they are listed in the official notes. I guess the nutmeg is really dominant at the start.

Then after 5 minutes, when the scent starts to settle down, I don’t feel that against it, and actually I start to like it a little bit. I can smell something dark, woody, mysterious, maybe a little bit seductive (but nothing like your usual cameral/chocolate/sugary sexy seductive), it’s purely something makes me curious and want to know/sniff more. Soon the tuberose-y white floral note comes and balances out the strong masculine feeling a little bit.

It is a strong and hypnotizing-in-its-own-way perfume in my definition, even in the relatively softer dry down, I still get a lot of woody scent, with a tiny bit vanilla sweetness. Sensual and dark are quite good description of Secret Obsession.

Even though it’s not the ‘usual’ female perfume I would really love to wear, but I find it definitely wearable and somehow I feel really different and kind of really like to wear it occasionally at night—to mentally teleport myself to somewhere totally new. I guess Secret Obession is just one of those scent for typical feminie-perfume-wearers to step out of their comfort zone and still enjoying the scent.

If Secret Obsession is just a bit too masculine to your liking, Crystal Noir by Versace is a really good alternative and personally I am a bit partial towards Crystal Noir.

Eternity

Eternity starts with lovely cough syrupy(in a nice subtle way), sweet rich YSL-Paris-style rose, with a touch of clove-like spiciness. It is just so Sophia Grojsma.

Later on, I can smell the spicy floral combo (which is carnation dominated), which is really weird in an amazing, unusual way. It is big, bald, with a little bit glamorous touch, really 80’s.

Later on it dries down to something really nice, spicy floral, still has the heart, but tamed, wind-down, with a little bit bee-wax kind of hint.

Eternity wasn’t an instant like, due to some weirdness there, but I know I don’t repel it the way I hate some weird plastic odd synthetic notes. When I gave it a second chance, I’ve started appreciating the weirdness in this perfume; I don’t mind have a sniff once a week. However, I wouldn’t recommend this perfume to most young 20-somethings or even the 30-somethings. It has a certain vintage feel to it, might be hard to pull off on a regular day, in this society where toilet cleaner cleanness or overly sugared sweetheart or aquatic sports accord are the ‘in’ things.

Anyway, Eternity is a lovely perfume and I can see certain people can pull it off effortlessly and elegantly.