Obsession For Cats by Calvin Klein

...And I'm not talking about my crazy cat lady tendencies. This Wall Street Journal article is the best thing I read today.

Do your pets respond to your perfume? Mine are kind enough to tolerate it, but have never shown much interest.

Calvin Klein Euphoria (women)

A few years ago my mother and I were discussing some popular perfumes. I mentioned Euphoria which was a fairly new release then (2005) and she commented that while Euphoria wasn't awful, it was "too much of this and not enough of that". I knew exactly what she was talking about, though I do think it has the potential of being godawful when over-applied (anything over two sprays is too overdoing it in this case).

The "too much of this" is easy enough to define- too much sugary synthetic red fruit with a Angelified patchouli edge. It gets very cloying very quickly and sucks all the air out of the room. The "not enough of that" part is more difficult to explain. Euphoria has some potential and on the odd winter day it can actually be oddly pleasant to wear and more than a little sexy in a red velvet way. But it's not dark enough, lacks some edge and mystery. It is supposed to have a mahogany wood note, but I can't say I get any. Some real wood with a masculine touch would have given the perfume some much-needed balance and save it from that poisonous synthetic territory.

It feels like someone at Calvin Klein perfumes (or rather at Coty Prestige that holds the license) was desperate to create a super sexy, irresistible tempting fragrance, or what some tend to interpret as such. The red fruity sweetness can make one want to bite into Euphoria and take it all in. But in reality, the poisoned apple can be hazardous to your health.

Euphoria by Calvin Klein  is available everywhere under the sun, from Sephora to any self-respecting online discounter. Prices are around $45 for a 1.7 oz of EDP. I always have a sample or two around, so I've been testing it for years, feeling both fascinated and utterly repulsed. There's no way I'd wear it in public, though.

Party Like it's 1988 (Memory Lane, Chapter II)- Calvin Klein Eternity

Technically speaking, Eternity is an 80s fragrance (it was launched in 1988). However, the Calvin Klein scent of the 80s is unquestionably Obsession, a heavy and sultry scent, worthy of Alexis Carrington, your mother and that lady who just left her mark in the elevator.

Eternity, on the other hand, is much more of a 90s scent, with the entire minimalist Calvin Klein look, Christy Turlington and your old pair of black pants. I started wearing it in late 1993 as a day fragrance, and have always had a bottle around, even at times that I could go for months without actually putting it on.

It's my happy scent. A sunny, sparkly little thing, never intimidating or pushy. It's floral, and a white one at that, but not in a diva, tuberose way. Christy Turlington embodied it well: pretty and clean, yoga-practicing, scandal-free, no drug benders or assistant assaulting. Who doesn't want to look and smell like Christy?

The long lasting drydown, with its sandalwood goodness, is still uplifting and cute. It's not deep, moody or very evocative, but the reason for it is perhaps all those years of Calvin marketing. It does call back some old memories, but they can't be separated from the Eternity image and ads.

I no longer bother with full-sized bottles. My local Target has it in 0.5 oz bottles of EdP, which are perfect and just enough for my needs.