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"Eternity lasts a long time."

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White Floral

Florals are one of the easiest scents to recognize, even for beginners. But floral turns out to be a huge category. So many perfumes involve floral notes, it would be hard to name one that doesn't have at least one flower in the mix. But the term "floral" is reserved for those scents which are mainly or predominately (though not exclusively) composed of floral notes.

White floral refers to scents that have a dominating presence of flowers that are white. Freesia is a good example, but you can also count lilies (including lilies-of-the-valley) and peonies. You don't get to count roses and orchids, too, even though there are white varieties. But the idea is that the flowers in the perfume pot are white.

White florals tend to be "cleaner" than pink florals (roses fall in this categories) but both are strong floral scents.

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Eternity

You can't beat the classics, and this one may just turn out to be a classic. Even non-perfume-crazies know this scent, and despite its longevity, there are still some hard-core devotees to this fragrance. It's hard to find anyone who doesn't like it, although I know a lot of people who give it a thumbs up but don't actually wear it themselves. Will Eternity turn out to be a true classic along the lines of a Chanel No. 5? At the risk of making a pun, only time will tell with Eternity.

So far, so good. Eternity, which was first launched in 1988 as a Calvin Klein scent produced by nose Sophie Grojsman, has already won the FiFi Award in 1989 (that's the perfume industry Oscars) and was inducted into the Fragrance Hall of Fame in 2003. With just two short decades on the market, those are impressive landmarks. So what's so hot about Eternity?

As scents go, it's a white floral. There is freesia in the mix, a very cute little white flower with a powerful aroma. There is some patchouli in the base, which anchors the flowers without overwhelming them.

I think of Eternity as a big floral. Maybe because it's a strong scent (Eternity lasts a long time) or maybe it's because it's got so much personality (it's not subtle), it's big. If you're not in the mood, Eternity can seem a little bit excessive. It's like playing Ethel Merman when you're in the mood for Alanis Morisette. For me, this is more of a reflection of my mood than anything with the perfume. Some scents are big and if you're not in the mood for big, it's not the right scent.

Eternity is a nice feminine scent; it's one of the most feminine fragrances I know. I see it called "romantic" in some of the marketing literature, and I suspect that is what is meant.

Eternity has been such a popular brand that there is a nice spinoff in the form of Eternity Moment (fruitier than Eternity but still floral). This scent is widely available and almost universally appreciated by women.

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Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein was not an ordinary little boy. As a kid, he taught himself to sew. He was always interested in fashion and attended school in New York, where he opened his Calvin Klein line. Most Americans around in the 1980s remember Calvin Klein as a pioneer in jeans and underwear.

But Calvin Klein entered the world of perfume in a big way. He is credited with CK (the first "unisex" scent) and has met with wild critical acclaim for Euphoria and enormous popularity for Eternity.

Klein credits his success in the fragrance world by designing scents in keeping with the tastes of his daughter, that is, one generation down.

Other Scents by Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein is one of the main names in perfumery in the U.S. His scents Eternity (and spinoff Eternity Moment), Euphoria, and CK have won awards as well as high sales figures. And who can forget Obsession?