Defy
Eau de Parfum, Calvin Klein (2022)

Smooth, fresh but also heavy without being overly sweet. I think that CK wanted to offer something in vein of YSL Y without actually copying YSL Y and I think they kind of succeeded in that. Will it gain popularity? I don't think so.

Dominant notes here are pepper and vetiver, making this fragrance very masculine. It is only slightly sweet and doesn't copy PR Invictus or Dior Sauvage in any way, which makes this fragrance even more interesting.

CK Defy EdP is dry, woody, almost smoky but never over the top in any of its own charecteristic. Rather under-rated fragrance that will probably never gain any serious popularity, but so much so better for those who recognise its value.

I highly approve of this work and idea.

Originality 5/10
Scent 8/10
Longevity 7/10
Projection 7/10
____________________________
overall impression 8/10

Wearing Defy EDP today in my first full day wearing. One thing that quickly popped into my head during my short evening wear yesterday was that it reminds me of Bvlgari Terrae Essence. Not saying it's too close, just that the vetiver in both leans smoky and earthy to the point of being leathery. In other words they fill the same void, "give a similar vibe". I had Terrae Essence in my wish list after trying it out of a sample so this is a great win for me.

Now today as soon as I sprayed it o layering idea came to me... This must go well with CDNIM! I'm not a big fan of layering but hear me out. The mandarin orange on the top of Defy EDP leans towards pineapple but is short lived. Defy EDP is actually quite base heavy with the leather+suede+smoky vetiver - at least on me it moves quickly to that phase. So the two fragrances shouldn't clash on the top. On the other hand since I tried Intense Cedrat Boisé I've been thinking that I could use some more leather on CDNIM. So on the base they should complement each other. I'll have to try it tomorrow. If it works this would serve me well until I get Intense Cedrat Boisé.

At this time, I see that six of us, deservedly so, pooh-poohed the EDT in its reviews, including me. However, I'm really liking this EDP, and I'm not typically a "modern fragrance guy." I find it to be a very pleasant spicy-leather scent that leans citrus fresh. Performance is very good. While I only have a Macy's sample now, I'm very seriously considering going full-sized bottle. Recommend.