Through Smoke (Calvin Klein: Obsession, Eau de Parfum)

Member Name: cbpotts

Product:	Calvin Klein: Obsession, Eau de Parfum
Date:	30/10/01 (728 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ocelots love it.

Disadvantages: Absolutely none.

"It'll turn him on," she said as she squirted me liberally before I could defend myself. This was my mother talking. My boyfriend and I were visiting my parents and she was showing me a new perfume she'd gotten called Pheromone. Pheromone is, for those who don't know, a scent that is secreted by one sex to attract the other. My mother saw this perfume on the Home Shopping Network and bought it. Why, since she's been married for over 43 years to my father, I don't know. However, she was certain that it was this simple spray that would put my boyfriend of three years over the edge and entice him to drop to one knee and beg for my hand in marriage. It didn't. (For those who know us, my charming personality did finally win him over six months later and I became Mrs. GBOPotts.)

Perfume has been used to entice the opposite sex for thousands of years. The word itself comes from the Latin per fume, or through smoke, which describes probably the oldest use of scents, burning incense and herbs for religious purposes. While the French are known as the perfume masters of the world today, in ancient times Egypt held the corner on the market. Not only did they use perfume for medicinal purposes, but they were also the first to realize that a liberal dose of rose extract, and others, went far in covering less appealing odors emanating from embalmed mummies. This was strongly evidenced in the case of Tutankhamen. Howard Carter had to warm the coffin in order to melt the carbonized mass of resins, which cemented the royal mummy in his sarcophagus.

We still use scents to cover other, less attractive odors today. Whether we call them air fresheners, deodorant, or perfume, our intent in using them is to cover up something less savory to the senses. Case in point is our lovely puppy Bailey. How an animal as beautiful as a golden retriever can emit such noxious gases is beyond me. I've taken to spraying my neckline wi
th perfume so when I see the toxic green cloud approaching me from her general direction, I pull my turtleneck or other shirt up over my nose and inhale the sweet, pleasant fragrance until the cloud dissipates.

Ok, back to the perfume history lesson. Amazingly, the distillation process was not developed by the French, but by the Arabs in the 8th century. This resulted in the production of essential oils and scented waters such as rosewater. Blends of rosemary, neroli (extracted from orange tree blossoms), bergamot and lemon were used in a multitude of different ways; for scenting bath water, mixing with wine, eating on a sugar lump, as a mouthwash, an enema (an enema???) or an ingredient for a poultice, injected directly, etc.

In the 19th century the development of organic chemistry led to the production of synthetic perfume materials for the first time. This opened the door for designers such as Chanel, Dior, Ricci and Klein to make their mark.

Ah, Calvin Klein. Closer to our opinion's subject matter, I can hear you say. So, how about some history on our friend? Born on November 19, 1942 in New York, NY, Calvin Klein graduated from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in 1964 and formed his own company. Brooke Shields brought his jeans to the forefront of everyone's attention in 1980 with her naked topside, skin tight pants and tagline, "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins." Personally, I think she probably brought other things to attention with that ad, but that’s another subject altogether and probably had little to do with pants and maybe a more than a little to do with pheremones?

Calvin Klein's first attempt (and best attempt in my book) at breaking into the perfume market came in 1985 when he unveiled Obsession. This perfume is classified as a light, oriental fragrance that possesses a blend of vanilla, amber, orange blossom, oak moss and other oriental spices. It is s
till his best selling and best known fragrance, and, I might add, my favorite.

I am generally very smell oriented. Most of us are. The sense of smell is the strongest memory trigger. Several years ago I was walking down a hallway and a man passed me. While I am of firm belief that no man's cologne should ever overpower a woman's, I was quick to forgive this instance because the cologne he was wearing was so wonderful. I turned and followed him, breathing deeply all the way down the hall until I caught up with him and was able to ask what he was wearing. Today I can't remember what he looked like or what he was wearing, but I'll never forget what scent he had on. It's the same one that's on my husband’s dresser; Drakkar Noir.

Obsession is the only fragrance that has had a place on my vanity for over twenty years. It comes in an oval, smooth bottle, is a dark, rich amber color and is available in a host of products, including perfume, eau de cologne, shampoo, soap, lotion, and powder. Perfume is an extravagance that we should all revel in. Whether I am washing the dog, going to a movie with friends or working in the garden, I'll put on perfume. Chances are good that it will be Obsession. I spray it on my pillow on occasion, and not just to keep my husband from using mine in addition to his own. Perfume also becomes a trademark of sorts. Many times people have told me that they smelled Obsession and thought of me. Recently, an ex-coworker that I had not seen in months visited and right off mentioned that he noticed that I was still wearing the same fragrance. Other reasons I wear Obsession are that it's not an overpowering scent and does not smell like insect spray, as so many others do.

However, I and other human beings, are not the only ones that find Obsession an attractive and attracting scent. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials use Obsession at the Lagune Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Te
xas to lure ocelots for scientific tagging and identification. After experiencing frustration when other scents (including rat urine, ocelot feces and snake musk) failed to bring the wild cat running, a zoo researcher used Obsession for Men and it worked famously, drawing female and male ocelots to the area in droves and making them rub roll and lie on the spot where it was sprayed.

So, speaking for myself and the ocelot, Obsession probably has a better chance of "turning on" your man than all the other perfumes out there in our book. However, as with all fragrances, please visit a boutique and try a sample of the perfume on yourself (not just smelling it) since body chemistry plays a big part in the way a scent scents you.

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