Contradiction for Men (1999)
by Calvin Klein

Contradiction is a like a very poor man's, generic rendition of Moustache or Parfum d'Habit. There's a sharp citrus/lime note at the top. Moustache and Pd'H go on to become fascinating masculine juices of forceful character. Contradiction (lame name, too) runs out of gas too quickly.

The smell is not quite as quotidian as others on men's counters these days, but I can't say this is worth the money and I don't recommend it.

20th May, 2011.

This one is quite good, serious and a masculine fragrance. There is a bit of Zino here, and a bit of Armani Attitude, but with something that separates it from the two mentioned. The thing that separates is the citruses and the lavender. I'm in fact a bit surprised that this scent recieved so many negative revivews as this is a rather distinguishing scent with quite a cahrachter. It is a whole year scent, but it could be ragarded as tad bit heavy on hot and sultry days. Longevity and projection are quite good.

10th May, 2011.

Like many of the CK products for men Contradiction is certainly packaged well and insinuates a certain faux sophistication on the dresser drawer when on display. The problem is in the pretentiousness of the fragrance itself. The opening salvo is heavy on the alcohol and a fruit bomb gone awry. It quickly turns into a mix of fruit set against common pepper and spice to gel with the marketing pitch and name. Wears very close to the skin after about a quarter of an hour and does not relent in the struggle that seems to be at play between the fruit and spice notes. Finally flickers out after a handful of hours, generally around the 4 to 5 hour mark, but similar to later creations Euphoria and Man in their low projection and subtle, close to the skin fruity vibe.
Very commercial creation that seems to have been designed purely to fit a marketing strategy rather than allowing the creators to find artistic freedom and conceptualize their own product and marketing to react to that. Almost too heavy handed, calling something Contradiction and then putting two seemingly opposing opposites, fruit and spice, against each other in a contrived attempt to assert something altogether new and revolutionary.
Very synthetic and though not all together vile, certainly not up to the standards set by the original MSRP. Has become a steady member of the clearance club recently and most likely will be discontinued as CK continues to over-expand its empire with bland and uninspiring fragrances that bring in solid money behind the CK name.
What can be said that Foetidus has not already said? Like usual, not much. Suffice to say this is nothing dreadful, but less than average. If spice is what you crave, look no further than Burberry The Beat. If it´s fruit? Ck Euphoria Intense is a better bet under the CK name. Escape another one.

16th April, 2011.

Contradiction for Men’s atrocious “lime” top note smells more like green Kool-Aid than lime. It’s also so loud and persistent that calling it a “top note” feels slightly disingenuous. If the note were a color, it would be the electric acid yellow-green used in pedestrian crossing signs. If it were a sound, it might be the Macarena. It’s the kind of thing I’d expect in a crass, fruity floral celebrity scent for teenage girls, rather than a designer masculine.

The fruit doesn’t really fade during the first couple of hours. (Maybe it has to smell this bad in order to last so long.) Instead it is only partially masked by a wood and kitchen spice accord that includes black pepper, nutmeg and cardamom. The combination might have been appetizing in theory, but in execution it’s more cacophony than contradiction. The chemical fruit, the unrelenting sweetness, and the hard edges on the spices add up to a harsh, discordant composition that’s extremely uncomfortable on my nose. The best commendation I can offer is that after a couple of hours’ wear, it’s not overly loud.

Four or five hours in, and Contradiction fades off into a drydown of clean musk and what smells like a sandalwood reconstruction. As a skin scent this drydown isn’t bad, but it’s not particularly interesting either. Not something I need to experience very often.

24th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 25th March, 2011.)

Citrus mostly, of a synthetic-fresh kind. Vague herbal notes. Kinda fresh.
Where are the spices? There should be lots, but I don't find any.
Lemon lifesaver candy with some laundry detergent.
Simple, shallow, most uninteresting.
For a quite young crowd, I guess.

20th December, 2010.

I have used this for a while. Did'nt think much of it when I got it but later on I really fell in love. I've heard some people complain about longevity but I never had a problem with it (I got around 8 hours out of it and that is pretty much is the minimum I expect from a fragrance). It had been a few years since I had it though. I'm looking for something new to wear to work and this might be the one for me so I might have a smell this week if I can find it in a store near me.

18th October, 2010.