Part of my wedding preparations, way back in 2001, was to find a new perfume. I had to be perfect for our big day, dress,hair, make-up & even my smell! I hadn't realised that choosing a fragrance for the most important day of my life would be so difficult, I had loads of bottles of perfume that I liked, but most (such as Lou Lou, Amarige and the ever faithful Soft Musk by the Body Shop) were the same as what my friends all wore and although nice, just not special enough. I will admit that I'm not really great with fragrances, I don't have a strong nose and can hardly ever pick out the individual notes of a perfume. I just hoped I would find something that stood out from the crowd and that I would love.

I did and that perfume is Eternity by Calvin Klein. It wasn't a new scent, it was created in 1988, although it does smell quite contemporary in my opinion. I found it a nice change from the other perfumes I had been testing and quite unique. And hopefully the romantic name was a good sign for my upcoming nuptials!

'Eternity, inspired by the ideal of lasting love and intimacy, is a romantic, floral, fragrance'

I can't say it was the bottle that attracted me. Available in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml, It's almost a little masculine, very straight edged in a tall, rectangular bottle. It is made of clear glass and you can see the pale yellow liquid inside. The top is silver coloured plastic, in a 'T' shape which covers the silver coloured spray nozzle. In larger sizes the 'T' shape top is incorporated into the nozzle so the whole piece needs to be depressed but in the 30ml it has to be removed. The name Eternity is stamped onto the front of the bottle near the top in caps. To some it may look boring, but as a fan I find it clean and classic, which is a perfect representation for the perfume itself.


'Romantic, timeless, luxurious. Eternity is an endless bouquet of white flowers, created to reflect romance and timeless quality'

Top notes: Freesia, Mandarin & Sage.

The first spray of perfume is quite potent and heady. Fairly sharp, but also powdery I find. It smells clean and fresh, but also strong. Now I know what the three notes are, I easily recognise them all. The freesia is floral, but brings the powdery taint, while the mandarin keeps it fresh with subtle citrus hit. The sage brings it all back to earth and provides the freshness but in more of an earthy, autumnal tone.

Heart notes: Muguet, White Lily, marigold, narcissus.

I find it hard to associate any of these notes with the fragrance on my skin. Although it does mellow, I do not feel the fragrance deviates much from the first spray until the base notes come through. I'm really not a fan of white lily or narcissus and do not detect those at all, although the perfume is certainly detectable throughout the day.

Base notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli & Amber.

It seems I am attracted to amber fragrances, but also love the unusual scent of patchouli, so it is no surprise to me that they are included. These three notes seem such a big contrast to the others that you would think it smelt like a completely different fragrance at the end to the beginning - but at the end of the day and the residue left on clothes the next day, it still has the distinct aroma of Eternity, just warmer and mellower. The citrus hue has definitely disappeared and it certainly can't be called fresh anymore, but the powdery, heady freesia scent is still evident and mixes well with the base notes.

'As long as intimacy goes on, so will eternity' - Calvin Klein


To my knowledge, it is only available as eau de parfum which is probably why this scent lasts so well on the skin and the aroma clings subtly to any clothes it comes into contact with. I find it quite a versatile perfume and use it for both daytime and evenings, although I only use one spray for day wear as two can make it quite strong. I love that it is both fresh and warm and even though there are a lot of floral notes, it isn't a strong 'flowery' smell, to me it is more of an exotic floral rather than cottage garden.

Eleven years on and this is still my favourite fragrance and one I can't do without. I haven't found anything similar and definitely nothing to beat it. I've been wearing it so long I feel I can certainly call it my signature scent - I once left my scarf in my friends car, she gave it me back a couple of weeks later. She said she knew it was mine as it had my lovely smell!

Obviously prices can vary from shop to shop but are usually around £25 for the 30ml and up to £45 for the 100ml.