Scent Intense

Few scents will move my opinion 180 degrees from repulsion to eye-rolling pleasure. It may have been COVID, or the bottle or my nose developing, but this one did. At first I needed to immediately scrub it off, but after more than a year in storage, an AMBER-WOODY beauty emerged. Scent Intense has a thick, resinous and incense-y amber with a sweet tea & hibiscus note in the air. (Benefits from dark storage after first sprays to really blossom and sweeten - a year or more). Contrast to Bentley for Men Intense: These are different but similar with the thick, resinous amber. The tea note in the air sweetens as it dries down coming close to the plum-y rum note in BFMI. Contrast to Ambre Lumiere Molinard: These are different, but again the thick, sweet and resinous amber is similar. AL doesn't have tea or hibiscus. Contrast to Ambre Sultan Serge Lutens: These are different, but the amber is similarly thick and resinous. AS has the standout bayleaf instead of tea & hibiscus. Contrast to Armaf Niche Oud: Another Amber Fougere, these have some similarities while they're still quite different. Similar thick and resinous amber but Armaf Niche Oud is spicier and lacks the tea-hibiscus combo. Overall: Well above average performance, this scent has grown on me and my appreciation continues to develop the longer I have this in my collection. It's a love for me. Enjoy!

Perplexing at first. On spray, I was determined to smell amber, woods, maybe flowers and at least a hint of tea. But instead got something a little crude, slippery and gently sour with a sweet undertone. Giving in to suggestion and stretching my imagination, I decided I thought I could smell sour hibiscus blossoms, but then it didn't seem floral at all. Amber? Maybe a salty accord created with botanic ingredients. At one point I also thought I caught a whiff of an old, dilapidated wood jetty infused with salty beach air, perhaps some agarwood (oud)--even then I was pushing way too hard for the reported notes to make sense. Directly to the brand's website I went. Amber and cystine are the notes mentioned. Cystine? Apparently a sulfurous amino acid found in human hair, skeletal and connective tissues and digestive enzymes. No wonder people here are smelling sex, sweat, flesh and devils. That in combination with a transformation into a gentle, sweet sandalwood and amber drydown actually makes for an incredibly magnetizing fragrance if you don't think too hard about the notes. And if you just embrace the effect--it might even turn you on. I think this fragrance also functions much like a mood ring, transformative and dependent on the aura you're projecting; very reactive to your unique chemistry. Indeed an enigmatic skin scent in the truest sense.

SI opens with a dense and humid concoction of smoked tea, amber soaked patchouli, and rich florals tucked in the madness of the jungle this fume is. I can't help but imagine stumbling up some ancient ritual in the heart of the Amazon, so beautiful yet so foreign to the civilized world - it feels carnal and bewildering! The fume hits you in waves - sometimes it's a pleasant amber, sometimes it's a humid patchouli, and other times it's a dense smoked woodscent. This fume is magical in its own right and something everyone should experience. It drifts somewhere between masculine and femenine and it comes off as more of a beautiful/sexy scent on me - it is amazing if that's your thing! Some 8 or so hours later, the scent begins to transform into a deliciously creamy and floral white musk that lingers for hours more. Truly an experience to get lost in! As a side note, this smells like the offspring of two very well-known fumes - Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme and Miss Dior Cherie! I saved this for the end of the review because I didn't want to ruin the perception. Scent Intense still has a tribal magic all of its own though! Day 45 - Undeserved Punishment Listening to: Florence + The Machine - Seven Devils

First impression? Meh. Honestly, when I first tried Costume National, it didn't blow me away. It felt too aggressive, maybe even a little stuffy, with this strange, intense note that just didn't "click" with me right away. I set it aside, thinking it was just another hyped-up, average perfume. And then the weather got cold. And, people, I absolutely fell crazy in love with this fragrance! With the drop in temperature, the scent completely transformed. The initial aggressiveness vanished, and an incredible depth and warmth emerged. It became rich, comforting, and unbelievably sophisticated. Now I smell a perfect blend of spices, amber, and a creamy woody note that is absolutely addictive. Now I wear it constantly, and every time I put it on, I feel special. The longevity is beast mode, and the projection is perfectly balanced—people notice it, but it doesn't choke the room. Costume National is definitely a perfume that demands colder weather and one that, personally, needed a second chance for me to understand its genius. An absolute recommendation, but be patient with it! 10+/10

As most of the fragrances from Chypre group, Scent Intense on me starts cold, with lovely patchouli dominating. Actually I've always thought that I dislike patchouli in perfume, but as it seems - I just didn't start with the best patchouli. Soon the hibiscus appears together with tea note and start's to remind iced red tea, for me this ansamble is very enjoyable. This could be a perfect, sophisticated fragrance for hot summer nights when you just need something elegant, but cold enough. The scent itself is very feminine and classy. I love the part when jasmin starts to show it's face as then the fragrance becomes sweeter and even a bit smoky. At the end of the heart phase the scent becomes a little bit warmer, I suspect from amber and sandalwood. This, as many other niche fragrances, is a little bit weird, but in a good way, I find this extremely easy to wear and I think this could be a wonderful summer perfume. Recommended! But do not blind buy.