Obsession for Men (1986)
by Calvin Klein

Obsession for men is a very spicy, ambery, soapy concoction from the 1980s and it should have stayed there. It is not the worst designer frag out there but it is nothing special and rather annoying. The opening is cinnamon, bergamot, clove, and other spices much like your favorite holiday eggnog. Dries down to a heavy amber and musk. Obsession is a rip off of Creed's Ambre Canelle from the 1940s. CK cannot compete with a vintage Creed by the way.

This is an amber powerhouse, and in my opinion one of the best scents from CK. Opens with a heavy herbal blast with very faint hints of dated citrus, and dries down into one of the best amber bases I have ever experienced. Potent stuff.

In the late 1980s there was a chemical incident which became the subject of one of the biggest cover-ups in American history. Scores of people were injured, among them women who grew hysterical while many others were found to be mentally incapacitated albeit temporarily. Only one man came out of it smiling. His name? Calvin Klein.

Frag Bomb Unit was activated; someone had detonated OBSESSION...

Even though this is really sweet, the spices are exactly the right mix to counterbalance it. The top notes bring you a gentle and exquisite woody spicyness...the woods aren't sharp or sour and the spices don't burn or cloy, and somehow a bit of Geir-like freshness finds its way in. It's kind of a more natural predecessor to Envy, for those who are familiar. I also catch some florals (jasmine?) in the top and middle that are a bit like those in Bois du Portugal, though not as much of them. I only wish it didn't devolve into such a vanilla-heavy base, though admittedly it's a pretty natural vanilla. Still, it's impressively strong overall, and lasts longer with more power than almost anything else I have, so I feel like I really got my money's worth, but I'm very conservative in how much I use. It might kill people in summer, but one of these days I may go out on a limb to see if that slight freshness can make it behave in the heat. Pretty amazing stuff considering the others by this house!

I was given Obession, Hummer, and Lacoste' as a gift. Obession was definately my least favorite... as I matter of fact, I can't seem to get rid of it.

The bassnotes are...

okay, I can't speak fragranese yet, but I did not like this cologne. I'd say its definately an "old man frag" for formal occasions but as far as those go... I've smelled better, far better.

Maybe this just isn't my cup of coffee, being I am from a somewhat young generation and tend to stay away from colognes that my grandpa used to wear to church.

I ultimately agree with Ken Russel on this one. Campy. Along with the list of ingredients. Ultimately, past the mandarin, this is a cinnamonic/patchouli scent, a little churchy for me in its clove and sandalwood. Readily sold as a knock off essential oil on a table in a park. Somewhat overrated despite it obvious cheap, yes I said it, cheap theatrics that eventually settle down.