'Givenchy - play intense' is one of my favourite men's Eau de toilette's that I am eager to repurchase. Being a lover of colognes and perfumes, I have a small library of fragrances that I am determined to use before repurchasing this , though the itch is hard to resist scratching!
Play Intense is the brother to it's predecessor 'Givenchy play' , a more fresh and light version. This takes the notes of the original Givenchy Play and , ( as the name suggests) , made the notes more deeper, richer, and well..... intense!
The fragrance notes include :
Bergamot
Amyris
Mandarin Orange
Pink pepper
Coffee
Tonka bean
Vetyver
Patchouli.
Coffee is a strong fragrance note that can easily be distinguished in fragrances , as well as tonka bean. The note of tonka bean can be found in David beckhams - intamately yours and the ever famous Jean Paul Gaultier - Le male. To me , the two notes of coffee and tonka bean are prominent in this fragrance and mix together to create a hot drink concoction of their own. The mix of tonka bean and coffee give this rich caramel note or a sweet cappuccino scent. It's very warming on the skin by being sweet and has a spicy undertone to the sweetness from the pink pepper. I would say this scent leans towards the gourmand end of the fragrance house.
I find it difficult to detect any of the floral notes with exception to perhaps patchouli that subtly gives a more earthy and dirty tone to the sweetness. The mandarin is more recognisable in the original Givenchy play though difficult to detect at all in this fragrance.
The projection on this fragrance is strong which will definitely get you noticed. The scent is long lasting and lingers on the skin around 6-8 hours , perfect for night outs where you want the security of your fragrance lasting through all those killer dance moves on the dance floor. It's certainly a night time fragrance due to it's heavy accords , perfect for warming up the air on autumn and winter nights.
The strength of the fragrance means you don't need to use many sprays or the need to top it up throughout the day , meaning it makes makes better value for money as you're using less fragrance than one that you having to constantly apply.
The bottle design
My only pet peeve with this fragrance is the bottle design. I can see where Givenchy has gone with the design, making it appear like an MP3 player to target towards the younger market and for a more modern approach. Despite it's youthful and playful design , it looks short from being tacky and I wonder if this may discourage a mature man from taking a sniff. It has a rubberised curved sprayer that's easy to use , and is visible through the plastic lid. At first glance the entire bottle appears black but when you shine it into daylight , you can actually see the glass bottle is indigo and only the lid is black. It would have looked more aesthetically pleasing if the same colour was continued through it's design.
Conclusion
Overall a great sweet and spicy compliment getter, with good projection and better longevity. I wouldn't recommend it for those who aren't a fan of gourmands. I hear this is constantly being compared to Rochas - Rochas man though unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to smell it and find any similarities.
I would love to hear your opinions on Givenchy- play intense? What's your favourite gourmand fragrance?
All the best , Harry
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