Calvin Klein Defy

Last week I realised that almost after two years of applying Dior’s Sauvage eau de parfum as my main cologne for everyday wear, it was starting to run out. I almost finished the entire bottle. It took that long to finish the 60ml bottle for two main reasons. First, the pandemic, which resulted in me going out less often so I apply less in general. Even during work, there was a period of time where I largely worked from home, so I did not have much of an opportunity to put it on. Second, it is an eau de parfum, a much more concentrated form of cologne which resulted in applying less on my body because the fragrance is so strong. It also really sticks to you for a long time.

So now that it’s finished, I am in the market to try something different. I love Sauvage. I will gladly continue using them from time to time. I still have a tiny little bit left in the bottle that will still last me a long time before eventually finishing it all. Sauvage however is a little too thick in my opinion. It is more suitable for formal dress wear or formal occasions, even a nice fancy dinner outing than an everyday fragrance you wear to work.

I largely wear a T-shirt and jeans to work, maybe a polo shirt. Sauvage doesn’t really go after for such looks to match with the fragrance. I wanted something more citrusy and less woody and spicy. Something that has a little more youthful, outdoorsy and maybe oceanic zest to it, rather than a more serious fragrant undertone usually paired with more formal occasions.

I was looking around and discovered that Calvin Klein recently launched their new fragrance with Richard Madden as the new face centred around this new product.

I quickly looked up at Fragrantica to look at some of the reviews and to look at the top notes of this fragrance. At the top, you have citrus, amber, aromatic, and spicy with wood notes at the bottom. Perfect. Usually, I would go to a store to try it out. But since this is so new, it hasn’t even been launched in Singapore yet, I decided to take a gamble. I bought a small 50ml bottle online. It was quite hard to find actually as not many countries have these in stock yet. But I did find it eventually, and a couple of weeks later the bottle arrived by post.

I tried it on and immediately it was exactly what I was looking for. The cologne is nothing groundbreaking. It is reminded of several popular fragrances for men out there. Unlike Sauvage with a bold combination of aroma that is particularly unique, Defy borrow inspiration from the very youthful (and a little sickly strong) A&F notes that appeals to young adults, as well as for Montblanc Legend’s minty and citrusy notes and combine them two together to get Defy. It’s almost like making A&F notes more suitable for a mature audience, by toning down the strong top notes and upping up Montblanc Legends top notes to appeal to a younger audience, and you have Defy. Choosing Richard Madden as the face of this fragrance is perfect for such a combination.

I am loving the cologne so far. I now kinda regret getting such a small bottle (50ml) which I know will finish rather quickly as this is eau de toilette and I can spray it liberally on my body as compared to Sauvage. I have no problems waiting for stocks to arrive in Singapore’s stores as the 50ml will still last quite a while.