Van Yulay Obsessed: An Obsession Homage Worth the Wait
Howdy, welcome back to A Texan Shaves. Product spotlight, and this is one I’ve been excited about for a while. Monica over at Van Yulay just released Obsessed, her homage to Calvin Klein’s Obsession, and I’ve got it in hand.
We’ve got a big couch with a center console that folds down, and that’s where this bottle has lived since it showed up. Every time I sit down I catch Obsession right through the glass, and every time I think, I’ve got to shave with that. I almost wanted to leave it sitting there just to make the room smell good. Blizzard Battles and a few other things kept getting in the way, but we’re finally getting to it.
I did have a sample Frank Mease sent me a while back, from Strike Gold Shave, an Obsession homage he made off some leftover fragrance oil from a collaboration he did. I don’t think he’s bringing that one back. So a proper release of an Obsession homage means a lot to me. It’s one of my favorite fragrances, and I’ve been asking artisans for more homages to it for a long time, to anyone who’d listen.
Obsessed is built the same way the original was: bright citrus and aromatic lavender up top, a heart of exotic spices, rich florals, and smoky myrrh, finishing on creamy sandalwood, smooth vanilla, warm amber, earthy patchouli, and musk. That’s the shape of a fragrance that stuck with me all day, every day, for years.
The Razor: LIK Shaveware Attila
For the razor, I’m using something I haven’t shaved with on camera before: the Attila from LIK Shaveware. It’s crafted from 316 stainless steel in a matte finish. They also make it in a polished stainless finish, and there’s a polished bronze version with a different handle. Check Lik Shaveware’s site for more information; I’ll drop the link below. The Attila pays tribute to the vintage Swedish Swing A3.
I took it apart to get a good look at the top and base plate, and the handle. I really love the dimpled knurling on that handle. Loaded it up with a first-use Personna Gem blade.
Brush duty in this shave goes to my CB Brushworks black and white barber pole, a 26mm Pure Bliss knot. I didn’t have much stubble going into this one, but I wanted the full three-pass experience anyway. This is a fragrance I wanted to sit with.
The Lather
Scent strength on the soap starts light. Once I got it fully hydrated with more water, the lather turned wonderful, thick and slick, and it just kept giving. It never got loud on strength though. I’d put it around a three, maybe a four out of ten straight off the soap. That’s about what I expected off the tub, but I always wait until I’ve worked a lather before I call it. Some fragrances wake up once you start working them.
Even at that strength, it smells like every bit of Obsession to me. And here’s the thing: this is the Obsession I remember. The one I started wearing back in the 80s and 90s. It’s not the same Obsession from the past. That version has gotten sweeter and softer over the years, and in my opinion it lost some of its masculinity along the way. Monica brought back the muskier, dirtier version I fell in love with.
I probably got more compliments wearing Obsession than any other fragrance in my life. It was my signature scent for years, the only thing I wore for a long stretch, and it holds a lifetime of memories for me. I caught myself going quiet a few times mid-shave, just walking down memory lane instead of talking to the camera. When I go quiet like that, it usually just means I’m enjoying the shave too much to narrate it.
Final pass done, and I’m calling it here for a day or two. I’ve been getting such good shaves lately I probably didn’t need a full three-pass, but this fragrance was worth it. There’s another micro-artisan video in the works I think you’ll want to hear about, so keep an eye out for that.
The Splash
Then I got to the splash, which is where the real magic happens with this one. This is where I finally got all the notes coming through. Versus the actual Obsession I remember, and it’s been about a year since I last wore it, Monica’s version leans a little more into the citrus up top than I recall from the original. That top note moves aside fast though, with the mid notes already coming through right behind it.
Every homage has its own subtle differences. Nobody nails a clone a hundred percent. But this one is close, and it’s a genuinely good homage. Monica did outstanding work on this fragrance.
Obsessed is made by Van Yulay, in soap, splash, EDT, and bar soap (I bought the bar soap too), plus lotions. Monica can put this fragrance into pretty much anything. If you’ve ever liked Obsession, loved it even, the way I do, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Find your peace in what and where you can. See you next time.