Euphoria Gold Men
Calvin Klein (2014)

Yep – an actual good one, among an avalanche of not-so-hot product from the corporation that bought Calvin Klein's name many years ago, and ran quality control into the ground.

Starts off kind of harsh. Be patient. As others have noted, the dry down is way above its pay grade. Bonus points for the current inexpensive price point. A very nice balance of warm, sweet, ambery, with a nice undertone of spice.

Maybe someday CK will reestablish itself as a bona fide leader in fragrance. Until then, you might run across a few good CKs. This is one of them. Buy now, while it's still affordable, and in decent formulation.

i started out collecting what was available at places like Ulta , Perfumania , and Sephora...it was only after I joined Basenotes did I fid out there was a world of niche fragrances...I got lost in that world and stopped buying designer fragrances for the most part...Now I'm going back and checking out samples I have picked up when at the mall...Well , right of the bat , this one surprised me...When it blasted open it already smelled better than a lot of niche fragrances...From begiining to end, to my nose, it's a evolving accord of amber/vanilla/cinnamon/honey...I don't really detect much of any other notes, but I love all these notes and am getting a lot of enjoyment out of smelling this...If I hadn't discovered niche and didn't already have a wardrobe that needs to be cleaned out some, I would probably get a bottle of this...smells like the kind of scent that would give you a warm and fuzzy feeling on a winter night and make your significant other want to cuddle with you...not bad, not bad....

In contrast to the seemingly rarer Liquid Gold Euphoria, Calvin Klein Euphoria Gold is more of a spicy/sweet balance as opposed to the sweet-dominated Liquid Gold. The ginger is front-and-center during the first 20 minutes of wearing, mixing with some cinnamon and the herbal smell of basil, and gradually giving way to the base of amber, patchouli, and vanilla. I get a little more vanilla than amber in pairing with the patchouli. I'm relieved that the ginger wasn't so overwhelming in the opening as to ruin the balance with the honey and cinnamon, notes that I don't detect specifically but rather infer as part of the sweet/spicy mix.

Pretty versatile in the way of cold weather usage, Gold could probably work as well during the day as at night, for both casual and formal situations, but like Liquid Gold, it leans toward night usage in my opinion, as it simply isn't all that bright. Still, an enjoyable try during the day when the weather is still cool, albeit potentially cloying in the heat of the sun.

Definitely not as powerful a as the EDP Liquid Gold, Gold is more on par with the rest of the EDT Euphorias, very good but not unusually good performance. Still, potentially worthwhile at the retail cost ($78 for 100ml) but more likely one you'd want to nab on sale, and would expect it to be on sale, so it's all the more peculiar that it's scarce on the secondary market.

7 out of 10

Something about the combination of notes in the opening gave me a very brief iris like vibe?! Huh??? But was amazed at how it quickly morphed and evolved into this lovely, warm and rich slightly spicy vanilla/honey scent....staying this way for the life of the fragrance.(longevity is very good btw)

Absolutely delicious IMO, and a wonderfully surprising release from the CK house. One of their best and could easily work just as well on a woman IMO. Niche quality frag, with a CK price....now that's winning!

Lot of cinnamon, honey and suede in here. Euphoria Gold Men is a standout in its genre, modern-chic and classic all at once. A well appointed lush combination of a classic powerhouse approach a la Ungaro III or Boss Elements (in here polished, "de-structured" and simplified) and a new generation nutty-honeyed and suede-veined aura a la Valentino Uomo, D&G The One and Dior Homme. The aroma is spicy and multifaceted despite a basic silkier honeyed-nutty dry down. I detect a sort of silky suede touch along the base (sweetly spicy, kind of coffee-veined and secreetly floral in a smooth powdery way) while the opening is more classic (slightly citric, rooty, humid and herbal-aromatic). The final outcome is warm, soapy, "glamour-chic" and with an hardly describable suede-honey veined (spicy) spark.

A very solid offering from Calvin Klein, probably their best in years. Euphoria Gold opens on a powdery note that smells similar to the opening of Dior Homme. A few people have noted that this reminds them of DH, and I can see why. So at first I thought this was going to be an attempt at a clone, but thankfully, it's not. Euphoria Gold quickly turns into a honey/vanilla/amber fragrance that exudes a soft, enveloping glow. It's probably safe to classify this as an oriental-gourmand. Whilte it's not completely original, I'm surprised by the quality of this one. Gold has a nice, deep texture, it's not thin or flat like I had kind of expected. I've always thought Encounter was a fragrance that had the potential to be great, but was ruined by a deflated, two dimensional structure that didn't allow it to open up and take hold. Gold doesn't suffer from this problem. It has a healthy, full shape. As it dries down, the honey, vanilla, and amber remain, and sometimes it smells a little bit like Rochas Man, with its sweet, sugary vanilla. I would classify this as a fall and winter fragrance, good for casual use and nights out. It's sure to please a few people and unless you're averse to amber, or sweeter fragrances, definitely worth trying. I get very good projection and longevity from this. Thumbs up.

Think Bois d'Argent, Rochas Man, Dior Homme, Valentino Uomo. Euphoria Gold fits right in there somewhere, with a similar character and some common notes.