Good flanker alert!!! Well, whodathunkit, the original CK One ravaged the world in the mid-nineties with its lemony-laundry-in-a-bottle charm and brought unisex fragrances back in vogue. Several zillion flankers later, all trying to build on the basic citrus-musk theme and failing miserably, this latest Shock is a shock indeed - it actually smells good.
The genre that Declaration (Cartier) created of woods and spices was a welcome change from the aquatic nightmares of the late nineties/early 2000's, and I'm thrilled to see that new releases like Bang (same perfumer) and CK One Shock are following that trend. Shock opens with a terrific topnote of herbs and cardamom that recalls delicious far-eastern confections. The mid-notes focus on a sweetened, ever-so-creamy sandalwood note reminiscent of Guerlain's terrific L'Instant Pour Homme and maybe even a touch of Dior Homme's toasted tobacco, before drying down to a decent (but not mind-blowing) base of woody ambers, musk, and maybe a touch of patchouli to satisfy the latest market-trends. The formula is probably entirely synthetic, but that makes it even more interesting to me because it comes across as very relaxed and easy to wear. Suprisingly, it doesn't smell any less luxurious than the latest Hermessence at eight-times the price.
My only complaint in general would be that it's all a bit strong for my taste, but that's quite a minor detail considering the price-point...just go easy on her guys.
Year: 2011
Perfumer: Ann Gottlieb
Notes: Clementine, cucumber, "energy drink accord" (seriously?), black pepper, black basil, cardamom, tobacco, musk, patchouli, ambrene wood
side-note - my first review of a Calvin Klein fragrance...even though Fragrantica lists some 80 scents(!)
I like Shock a lot. To me though it opens with a fruity accord (green melon?) and dries down with dessert (vanilla/chocolate something or other). It falls into the gourmand category IMO but YMMV. ;)
ReplyDeleteI need to try this one again. Smelled it on paper once a couple months ago and was, indeed, shocked: it reminded me of my beloved Egoiste! (The herbs, spices and sweet sandalwood.)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review. I get a sort of fruity opening and more tobacco in the dry down. I find it perfect for this time of year. Overall it feels like a sweet oriental and perfectly unisex.
ReplyDeleteI think I read before that "energy drink accord" was "red bull accord". Perhaps they got a letter from Red Bull? I hate the way Red Bull smells and I always thought it smelled a bit "perfumey" in a bad way!
ReplyDeleteEgoiste is another good comparison...and I can't believe I didnt' mention Amouage Dia (men's)...this is not far off, and a million times cheaper (literally...I did the math!) ;)
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