Contradiction

Absolutely hate-love relationship with it. Sometimes I get easily tired of it but I barely realize coming back to it more often than I would like. I suppose it is because I love the opening which it seems to me one of the most original I have ever tested; sparkling and fresh but dry, elegant, magnificent at the same time. Little by little it starts to turn into the "powdery" fragrance that many people talks about. This is what it causes me a conflict because it is nice and also pleasant but nothin special and in my opinion it ruins the amazing start although it gives the fragrance enough versatility. This is a contradiction itself and this is also for what you can lengthen your office time to an informal event or to have a dinner without going through a shower. It lacks a little bit of quality and consequently the cheap price, and the design is superb as you can check but who cares in this sea of products? Basic wardrobe 7/10

Despite being discontinued, I spotted it again in a shop and finally gave in and bought a bottle for myself. What a wise decision! This is perhaps the finest male fragrance of the turn of the millennium. Although nowadays it appears retro, the fragrance as such is beautifully composed: elegant yet casual, youthful yet manly, sweet yet fresh. Hence it is aptly titled, and it comes in a stylish bottle. To be sure, CK did create some fine male fragrances during the 2000s (Man, Euphoria, In2U), but this one makes their last truly great creation. Have a go and let yourself be warped into the times when the internet was new, the war on terror wasn't yet declared, the euro about to be introduced, and the Cardigans made their best records. I'm not saying that those days were better, but CK's fragrances certainly were. *****

Awesome Fragrance ! Fresh, Spicy, Clean, Airy and Unique. In my opinion It is one of the best men's Perfumes from Calvin Klein that smells so good and very pleasant with reasonable price. I really enjoy it because it has a masterful and well-blended composition. Easy to wear and Easy to love, I'm so happy that I have it in my collection. It opens up with fresh spicy and spices notes in the background then dry down is musky woody, Overall, A very soft and smooth scent. Longevity is Good , I love Contradiction for Men by Calvin Klein. Two Thumbs Up. Bravo Calvin Klein ! Rating : 8.5 / 10

I get the reference to clean linen, it is a very clean, crisp fragrance. It's light and fresh, the opening is dominated by a bright lime note, what follows is a very soothing soapy lavender, the Vetiver is there but it's subtle. It is very cheap, and arguably great value, it's a lot of fragrance for your £. Projection is a little soft after about 45 minutes, longevity was four hours. My favourite aspect, is the bottle, it's one of my favourite ever designs, it's masculine, substantial and unique, it's a great bottle to handle. A thumbs up.

Three hours into my third wear I smelled my wrist and said "Oh sh*t!" Contradiction is quiet, but very beautiful. The heart is dazzling: black pepper, lavender, orange, cardamom, coriander, patchouli, lily of the valley, violet, cashmeran, bubinga wood, nutmeg, clove. It may project the too familiar crabapple, sandalwood, amber and musk, but close to the skin there is real artistry. If this were in an Hermes or Chanel bottle ... years ahead with effective use of vetiver, peppercorns and white musk.

Really nice clean scent, maybe a bit safe. I really get a lot of the lime and vetiver on my skin. The vetiver in this is more of a clean soapy type of vetiver. The cardamom note also adds a nice touch in my opinion. Smells like a clean 2000s fragrance. Safe but unique at the same time, I can’t think of many modern fragrances that smell like this. Also a very nice minimal looking bottle in my opinion. I just wish the performance was a bit better.

The same nose is behind this as Yves saint Laurent La Nuit de L'homme so there is no denying that the cardimom note is very prominent, and i dont know why people keep dismising its performance as I sprayed it on my pillow one night and had a very pleasamt sleep, when I awoke after a soothing 12 hour powernap, I could still smell it on my pillow. The performance on this is not just good but amazing.

One of my favorite fragrances, If longevity was better, it could be my number 1.. close. It has the fresh powder that burberry brit had before reformulation and without being old-womanish.. with the citruses of adidas adrenaline (you know if u have smelled it) bit the dry down is the best sensual, natural body smelling musk almost like pheromones. Love it 9/10 only due to longevity.

Powdery lime. And I love it. I use this after a nice shave as it smells clean (light talcum) and slightly citrusy (less lemon and more lime). Very relaxing and whether or not people consider this a barbershop scent, this makes me feel clean and relaxed like leaving the 💈 barbers. At this price, I’ve already obtained a backup bottle. This will always be in my collection.

I briefly dated a guy that wore this and to this day, the slightest whiff of it makes me weak. It's clean, peppery, and indisputably masculine but with a slight roundness to the finish that makes it less aggressive without losing its assertiveness. It's a good for any time of day and any season, but probably best in the summer.

This is on my top 10 list and I just love it. It's my choice for a light, morning scent. On my skin it evolves beautifully and gives me a lot of comfort when wearing it. It gets a lot of compliments wherever I go, and has great projection too. In my opinion maybe the best CK out there.

I just ran into it in a shop which still sells it, and nowadays it already gives me a strange sense of nostalgia. How quickly time passes! Now it suits those who want to revive the years around the millennium change. Nice one if you're into retro stuff. *****

This is sweet, woody and soapy. Longevity and silage are moderate and OK. In fact, the silage is a smooth, sweet musky aroma. A pleasant fragrance from CK that you could wear anytime. Should be a bit more potent though.

Nothing takes me more quickly back to thirteen years old. And it’s still a hitter. Great stuff. Smell hasn’t changed. Still fair enough performance. This was me trying to be different but not that different. 😂

A classic favorite of mine. I have kept a bottle of this since 1999, and it has never failed me. This is a great cold date-night scent, and my woman always appreciates it.

Great smell , still relevant , but today reformulation lacks that depth and longevity it was before... but very charmy frag,,still love it for the sake of memories.

beautiful smell, not sure why calvin klein would want to discontinue it. smells clean, fresh and need to wear it with summery colours

Love this - always have. I wish it lasted longer but at £20 for 100ml you cant really complain

Love this old perfume still now. Its different, unique !!!

Quality: 3 out of 5 – It’s smells good, but doesn’t make a lasting impression. Originality: 3 out of 5 – This is different, but with some effort you could find something similar. Projection (Sillage): 2 out of 5 – soft; only people intimately close to you can smell your scent. I lightly applied 4 sprays; 1 on each side of my neck and 1 on each wrist. Maybe I should have been more liberal in my application. Longevity: 2 out of 5 – weak; 3~4 hours. I couldn’t smell it on afterwards even as a skin scent. Versatility: 4 out of 5 – This scent is very versatile; in my opinion it works well for either day or night, autumn, multiple occasions, for males around 25-50. Value: 4 out of 5 – £18 for 100ml is cheap. This would get 5 out of 5 if I didn’t want to put this £18 towards something I actually love rather than just like. Oh, it’s on sale? Even cheaper than £18? Great! Compliment Frequency: 2 out of 5 – Nobody moved away but I didn’t get compliments on it either. Packaging (Bottling): 4 out of 5 – Much thought seems to have gone into the packaging; it’s attractive and highly functional. Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 – Mediocre – It’s not bad, but not inspiring either. It is receiving a bad score due to a combination of quality, originality, projection and compliment frequency. This can easily be worn by people without discriminating tastes, but fragrance collectors will likely avoid it. Recommendations: Try before you buy.

First time wearing Contradiction in ages. This was my first ever "complex" or "challenging" fragrance. I bought this in my early 20s and at first I hated it. I wore many other Calvin Klein fragrances that were linear and simple so I was taken on a roller-coaster 🎢. My first wear [years ago] I wore it on a date and i was nervous the girl wouldn't like it because, well frankly I didn't. But after 2 hours the drydown was gorgeous sweet and at that time to the girl, it came off mysterious. The lime in the opening reminds me of Topo Chico mineral water. In the middle it has this damp hay or straw type of smell with a slightly sweet synthetic note like syrup. 🥞 The drydown smells like a balanced blend of it all together excluding the initial citrus. Projection is close to the skin; for the classic types out there. But the longevity is an easy 4+ hours. I understand the dislike of this fragrance, but I enjoy it. I bought this is in 2019 for $18 at TJMAXX and It's my favorite CK fragrance. I think this a great starting point for a fragrance journey. Especially if you're used to linear fragrances and want to branch out. Scent: 6/10 Perfomance: 4/10 Value: 10/10 Overall: 20/30

I find Contradiction for men to be a dark, slightly peppery, musky scent with a light bit of citrus at the onset. This isn't one that blows me away; it's no masterpiece, but it's fine as a cheapie. The scent isn't modern anymore, it's reminiscent of the 90's and 2000's. CK is infamous for low performance fragrances and this one also doesn't last a long time, but I'm okay with this being a skin scent after an hour or two. It would probably get me compliments if I wore it out more. Definitely masculine. I don't think it smells luxurious. This is for the guy that wants to smell fresh and clean with a spicy/woody/musky twist. Would work in many occasions...safe enough for the office and interesting enough for social settings. This one is cheap enough ($20-$25) that you can blind buy it and try it out for a while. If you don't grow to like it, give it to a friend. They may be very pleased with it. UPDATE: My gf doesn't like it. So, this may not be such a crowd pleaser.

It's a nice fresh smelling scent. However, the longevity is not that great and the sprayer is quite stiff. I don't know if it just applies to my bottle. I have to press quite hard to get a spray. The sillage is moderate too. The smell is quite nice actually and is good for daytime or evening wear. It's got a mix of sporty and mature scent, that's how i'd describe it as. You can wear it on dates in the evening. I wish the longevity and sillage was a bit better though. I got myself a 50 Ml bottle. I won't be getting this one again though. It's a nice perfume overall. I actually wanted to buy David Beckham's Intimately Yours. However, i saw the CK Contradiction box and wanted to take a look at the bottle and how it smelt. I was surprised when i saw the classy and stylish look on the bottle. This is one of the main reasons i bought CK Contradiction for Men. However, the scent is quite good too.

I once owned this little gem a few years ago and I remember the softness and lightness of it! Its a feather disguised as war hammer but still has a nice kick to it. Just why was it discontinued? So my first impressions on this rare gem...soft woody aroma with a very strong presence of vetiver. The musky smell later turns to a soapy and sweet scent but not overwhelming at all. I do remember getting compliments on it and would wear it to work comfortably without offending anyone. It did lack staying power but overall it was unique and did its job in keeping you smelling fresh. Well now I can not say much else about it since its been discontinued but if you do find it for a good price (under $50) I would recommended it. 8 out of 10

I do like this but I don't love it. It's plesant enough but not one I automatically reach for when considering what to put on today. I don't give it the attention because it don't grab mine, because it lacks that Wow factor. It's an okay kind of scent and lasts about 4hrs on my skin. You need to give yourself a fresh blast as longevity isn't that good and the projection isn't great either. If you got a mini travel sprayer you can give yourself a couple of sprays to help you get through the day if you're out and about. It is likeable but it has little to write home about. 6.5 out of 10 is being kind to it but if it had more stamina it could be a really lovely fragrance!

Good lime-cardamom combo, period. Maybe it's me, but it doesn't last. I Used to like it a lot, now I found it boring. Still there are some 10 ml. in the bottle; I will wait for the memories to grow old, maybe time can take some of that charm back. Meanwhile, there won't be more CK in my wardrobe, it just don't work on my skin. *** Buen combo de lima-cardamomo, punto. Quizá soy yo, pero no dura. Solía gustarme mucho, ahora la encuentro aburrida. Quedan unos 10 ml. en la botella; dejaré que los recuerdos maduren, quizá el tiempo pueda traer algo de ese encanto de vuelta. Por lo pronto, no habrá más CK en mi guardarropa, simplemente no funciona en mi piel.

Scent: 6/10 Value: 7/10 Longevity: 4/10 Sillage: 4/10 Versatility: 6/10 CK Contradiction is a fresh citrus scent that has an "I just got out of the shower" vibe. The opening is citrus and vetiver and then a spicy lavender. It reminds me of an updated barbershop smell. The spice and wood really come through towards the end. The atomizer is excellent... If I could reuse it, I would. For the price, I like this one. Longevity is good, and sillage is just OK. It lasts 5-6 hours, but I only get sillage for the first hour or so. My wife doesn't care for this one, but I like it. For the price, you can't go wrong. Hope this helps...

I bought this on a limb cause. I know Kevin Klein fragrances. You can't go wrong with they're pretty safe byes, but I like it, but there's something about it that makes it super unique to me. The bottle alone is awesome. The smell. I can't really describe what I'm smelling. I just know it smells good. Maybe a vintage bottle would be better because that would have the better materials than the one I bought at Burlington. In twenty twenty six I said, give it a try.If you don't know what to get, a guy could be a good fragrance for a young man.Just starting off his collection

A pleasant woody fragrance. The ebony wood and spice notes make this fragrance seem rich, while the light notes of the citrus and sandalwood balance it out to make it lighter. Very nice. While it smells really good, the primary issue with this fragrance is the poor performance. Weak projection (maybe a foot if you're lucky) and it's basically gone in only about 4 hours. There are also plenty of fragrances that smell similar, it's not exactly unique. I'd love to give this one a higher score but unfortunately the performance ruins it. 8.7/10

I remember selling this scent when it first came out, and have to say it was better back then. They have changed it somewhat. This opens a tad soapy. Fresh, clean yes. After about 20 mins, it settles better into a light fresh scent that lasts about 4 hours. A good choice for the office, or summer wear. A flexible choice that would appeal to most but the very discerning frag fan. Reason being is the new formulation has taken something away that made Contradiction special, and the discerning nose will pick up on that. Still a solid choice.

Although I'm not a fan of Calvin Klein's fragrances, I quite like this one. It's very fresh, citrusy & a little bit sweet, but I like the fact that the citrus dominates rather than the sweet; at least on me! Someone below mentioned citrus candy and I have to agree that this is a most apt description. For the price (I got mine for AUS $25 for a 100ml bottle), and considering the reasonable sillage & longevity, I say go for it. A word of warning though; try before you buy, as the quite dominant (synthetic) citrus may not be for everyone.

Got my piece just now. You will get great feeling to wear it at office. Try it once. 27-Apr-11 After 2 months use i have gotta feel bad about it, cause it has so strong smell that gives me headache I checked this frequently to testify my statement and it is the fact, at least for me. For good or bad reason its longativety is about 4 hours, for first hour it smells great but after 3 hours it starts giving me headache. And I don't consume more than couple of puffs. Can't use it regularly but still want to wear it after a week. 02-Jun-11

I recently purchased it and on my first wearing received multiple compliments. Goes to show that sometimes it's the less expensive, less complex fragrances that get the love. Concur with others that it is very clean smelling. nice blending of the notes. deceptive sillage. just when you think it went to skin, you grab a whiff in the air. Unfortunately, like most Calvin Klein fragrances, this doesn't last longer than a couple of hours, but it does a great job while around. Inexpensive, but not cheap smelling.

This fragrance does have some contrast. I get some sweet powderiness mixed with some mild spices and woods. This is a nice scent, reminiscent of the 90's and 2000's but it doesn't last that long. I really only get about 4 hours and then I don't notice it that much. For the price it's a good one to have you just have to spray it more. The sillage is fantastic though. You can get noticed beyond arms distance after application. It's a good one for the gym as well. It's a good guy's scent.

Blind bought this at Marshall's alongside Davidoff's Horizon (I'm telling you, blind buying fragrances is a kind of addiction lol!) Green, powdery, fresh, a bit abstract. CK Contradiction is a very interesting and pleasant aroma that I can't believe I am only trying now. Came out in 1998 apparently, but smells modern, timeless. This stuff is pretty good! Versatile, shower fresh. I can't see any occasion that this stuff wouldn't work for. I'd give it a solid 8/10.

Fresh, light, clean and citrusy, leaning heavily on the (synthetic) lime with some lavender and a little wood hanging out in the background. Reminds me a little of a green deodorant soap scent (without the soapiness). Skews a little young/youthful. The lightness and freshness renders it a little more unisex than most colognes. The bottle is well designed and constructed for the price point, too.

The House of Klein picked the right noun to describe this fragrance. Just when you think it is the right scent for formal use...surprise, it also wears well on date night, in the office or any time for that matter. Taking that name a bit further, what first opens as some serious citrus calms to what I'd categorize as "sporty powder." To me, these contradictions are what the House intended.

[from a decant] It opens with some lemon/lime and sage, but quickly drops into a spicy heart of pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg. That lasts for a decent amount of time until shifting to a base of a smooth cedar and sandalwood. Longevity is supposed to be 6-8 hours; I only need 6 so that works quite well.

I'm always surprised when a cheapie gets me compliments, but that's happened a few times with this. My regular guy nose characterizes this to be (on my skin in the dry down) a lighter version of Xeryus Rouge Givenchy or Xeryus Rouge after 2-3 hours, which sometimes is exactly what you want.

The opening isn't that special but I like the woody smells in the drydown a lot, especially during the first part of the drydown when you also get some aromatic smells with the wood smells. Excellent, too bad the aromatic smells don't last longer, but then again, they usually don't.

This was my signature scent back in the late 1990's early 2000's. I wore it year round. Peppery-citrus. I always thought it was grapefruit like. Some people think it's synthetic...it was pretty natural on my skin. I think it resembles Perry Ellis 360, without the projection.

Pues la tuve, y recibí cumplidos, pero creo que ha sido reformulada tantas veces que ha perdio su encanto, la noto muy similar a Platinum Egoiste de Chanel, es mi percepción, pero nada más, su aromas es rico, pero su rendimiento es muy malo

I am really mad at this bottle. This smells very good, sharp cardamom and vetiver for cheap, but has abysmal longevity - one or two hours max and suddenly it fades away, then it completely disappears by the third hour

I gave it to my brother who is 20. And I wanted to purchase for my husband who was 30...but I didn't : this fragrance doesn't last. It's annoying because I really liked this perfume : positive, young and soft.

Nice and rather unique. For me the final woody-lime drydown beats Escape's, but it's almost apologetic in its quietness and brevity. Could have and should have been a classic rather than nearly forgotten.

The most average blue fragrance doesn't stand out but isn't bad just needs to be more unique compared to other Calvin Klein fragrences and needs to be stronger as it's a very weak fragrence.

Its a nice scent. Lime and a woody aromatic background. It dries down to a woody spicy concoction that reminds me of Envy for Men. Performance is suave, like many CK.

Generic but it smells good especially for the year it came out doesn’t smell outdated or old school in my opinion

Contradiction for men is an unique fragrance. Is perfect for work. A little spicy, but soft at the same time.

That was one of my first parfumes and for sure i ll be happy if i would get it as a gift.