Anne Klein 2

If I am doing anything wrong by posting this here, I apologize. I will make a forum post as well. But I wanted to recommend Duality by Long Lost Perfume as an alternative to AKII. I just received a purse-sized spray, and I have a full bottle on the way. In my opinion, Duality is lovely as an AKII alternative and lovely in its own right as well. I adored AKII in 5th and 6th grade. It was everything right about 80s/90s perfume - rich, spicy, and impossible to ignore. I still own two partial bottles, by now concentrated and used as home scents only, but thankfully, not rancid. I long for a fresher bottle to wear out and about, but refuse to spend more money on vintage bottles of this perfume, as I do not believe they will be any better than the ones I already have. I heard murmurs on the internet about Duality and decided to give it a try, despite my typical aversion toward dupes. At first spray, I could smell Duality's resemblance to AKII, but it seemed much softer than I recalled. I had to remind myself that, at this point, I have only a couple ancient original bottles with which to induce childhood scent memory. In any case, Duality smelled immediately delightful. Two hours later, I could definitely smell that spicy vanilla goodness I remembered. How true to the original is Duality? I can't say after this much time, but compared to my vintage AKII, the essence is nailed down pretty tightly. Perhaps, it is a bit lighter than the original, but I'm not sure to be perfectly honest. Either way, go for it. You won't regret buying Duality if you liked AKII.

Soon I will return to my budget and end the blind buying habit I acquired during Covid, but I have found some very lovely perfumes based on articles and reviews here. Anne Klein II is certainly one of them. On me it is heavy amber, sandalwood, and patchouli - all notes that make my heart sing! Vanilla is also a major component, but it ebbs and flows throughout the journey, which to my delight is a very long one. I applied 3 good sprays yesterday at noon. It is 9 am now and this scent is still discernible. It lasts on clothes for days. Unbelievable! The ending mirrors the opening on me, where the sandalwood, patchouli and amber are very much equally there in the final stages, lounging on a bed of powdery musk. The opening is heavenly - big juicy blast of the three major players propelled by bergamot fireworks. The vanilla really comes through about 2 hours in. I know it’s not listed, but not long after that I detect a cumin note similar to the one in Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant. I love cumin in heavy perfumes. It makes everything more interesting while it lasts, which is about an hour for AKII. I never get the individual flowers, only the blend of them. Longevity 10/10, sillage 8/10, scent 10/10. And I can’t believe the price - $19 for 3.4 oz. EDP. Gorgeous!! I wish there were bath powder, lotion, and shower gel, too! To me, while it does occupy a lot of the same space as Tabu and Obsession, it differs enough that I will reorder. I strongly prefer AKII to the current version of Tabu, and I love it even a little more than I love the current Obsession.

I just bought a mini bottle of this after decades without one. What was I thinking? This stuff is gorgeous. Redolent roses, carnation,and orris with base notes that arrive within 30 minutes. I really don't smell anything but bergamot and maybe the peach as top notes, and they seem to last less than a minute. Of course this bottle I bought is probably at least 30 years old, but I don't remember it opening much different before. This is a rosy floral oriental, and a 50's fragrance masquerading as an 80's fragrance. Around 1992 or so, I believe I read in the press that Anne Klein had died, and without a plan for the continuance of her business. I just checked Wikipedia and it says she died in 1974, so that reasoning can't be true. But something must have happened to the business around 1992, because all the fragrances were discontinued. I think the clothing line may have changed for a time. I was still working and buying clothes in Macy's and elsewhere, so I'd have noticed if Anne Klein clothes weren't there. They're back now of course. I think if this fragrance, along with the earlier Anne Klein (just Anne Klein, not Anne Klein I) would have been made longer, they would have been considered classics. I always considered her earlier fragrance, Blazer, to be inferior to the two later ones, and I think it was discontinued earlier, maybe even before 1985, when Anne Klein II came out.

This review is for the reissue of Anne Klein II, which I found recently for $12.99 at TJ Maxx, to my surprise. I wore the original during the 1980s, and I still have a partial bottle with which to compare this reissue. Like the original, it is a semi-sheer, vanilla-based floriental, not too heavy but with a warmth that is very alluring, especially in autumn. If you buy online, it will be important to know the difference between the original and the reissue, as the packaging is so similar but the prices so different. The original was made in France by Parlux, and it will say so on the bottom of the box. The reissue lists many more detailed ingredients on the back of its box, as is now required, and it will say “Designed in the United States, Made in China” on the back, with the company name of Palm Beach Beaute LLC and its website, palmbeachbeaute.com. I find this new version to be very similar to the original, though it is not quite as rich and deep (that is likely because of 1) an absence of some now-restricted ingredients and 2) the age of my original bottle, well-preserved in its box, which has allowed it to age gracefully and become richer). For $13-16 for 100 ml, you really can't go wrong. I've already ordered two back-up bottles! Thank you, Palm Beach Beaute, whoever you are!

Vintage Powdery AMBER-ORRIS-VANILLA with Sandalwood & Carnation (and a Hint of Vintage Green). In the first minute or so before the spray dries, I can feel the vintage amber-floral tones. After the spray dries, and the sillage starts to open up there's a vintage perfume-y green tone, and already the amber is swelling through. As it transitions to the heart, I get a powdery sweet iris/orris-root and spicy-floral carnation. As it dries down it gets sweeter, with a powdery amber sweetness. Civet passes through in the background and adds a vintage twist. Overall I get a powdery sweet vintage amber-floral with a muffled spiciness that's filtered through carnation. Reviewers have got it right with the top 5 rated notes imho: amber, orris-root, vanilla, sandalwood, carnation. Performance is well above average, but the vintage powdery amber tones make it most appropriate for cooler months. Contrast to Obsession Calvin Klein: These are different, but there;s a similar vintage amber vibe, and similarities with amber, sandalwood & civet. Obsession has a more forward spicy-cinnamon quality, while Anne Klein 2 has a more forward powdery orris-root. Both have excellent performance. Overall: gorgeous vintage powdery amber-floral with excellent performance. It's a love for me. Enjoy!