Intuition

This perfume is a reason, why I registered my account in Fragrantica. I have been postponing my review of this perfume forever, because there are so many things I want to tell about it. 1. I am heartbroken, that it is discontinued, as it is the most beatiful scent in the world. I do not understand why Estee Lauder decided to reformulate it and put it to that hideous bottle. New reformulation is just a shaddow of the original one. It lost sparkle and warmth. I still have the new version, it is very expensive in my country, but I still bought it, only to have something that reminds me of the masterpiece original. I also bought vintage bottle on ebay, but it was not stored properly and it is completelly off. 2. Character of this perfume - extraordinary, bombastic ambery, citrusy floral for all seasons. Not a girly one, this is scent of a mature woman, business woman, successful and self confident, powerful woman, at least it will give you the self confidence and power. I have never received so many compliments for perfume, as I used to receive with this one. 3. Story time - if you do not like stories, just skip reading. As many other perfumes 20 years ago, I got bottle of Intuition from my father. Looking back, he has got an extraordinary talent to pick the best scents in 90 ́s and early 2000, because now, as a mature woman, I am revisiting and collecting all those scents, reading about them and I found that he picked the best gems for me. He gifted me Intuition in 2000 just after it was released, I was 24, just after graduation from university, working for big hotel chain, and they sent me to business trip to Paris. Actually my first business trip alone. In Paris. I have been in Paris as a teenager, but this was different, I wanted to represent, be elegant, I was so worried what to wear, I bought new camel cashmere coat, and wanted to impress. And off course I had my new Intuition. I went to Lafayette and literally everywhere around Lafayette and around Paris there were billboards of Intuition (and Grinch movie), everewhere around me, and I already had it in my purse. I felt gorgeous. I came from my small country to Paris and I already had the big Parisian hit. Estee Lauder, please, bring this extraordinary perfume back, or at least give me the recipe and I will cook if for myself in my kitchen!!!!!

I received a large bottle of Intuition as a gift some time ago and did not like it at all. Occasionally I would try it just to see if anything changed, but the answer was always no. It just sat on my skin for a couple of hours, too sharp, too bright, too undeveloped and intrusive - then it would just suddenly disappear. Just like a bad boyfriend. The bottle languished on my dresser, about half full after years of trying. Recently I picked it up, gave a couple of good sprays, and sat down to watch a movie. Wow! I have no idea what happened, but everything came together and I fell in love with it. Wore it every day for a week. It smells absolutely amazing and lasts forever and is wonderful at every stage and every hour I’m wearing it. I immediately thought “I have to buy more,” only to find it was reformulated. No, no, not willing to take a chance on the new version. I found an unopened vintage bottle at a good price online, so I’m a very happy girl. This gorgeous perfume has such depth and is so complex - rich, warm, self-possessed - it doesn’t smell like anything else I’ve smelled before. It is sophisticated, fascinating, but inviting and approachable. I can’t get over it. I don’t want to. It transports me. I’m in love.

I got the new version in the rectangular bottle. It’s a sunny fragrance, well balanced in terms of silage, lasting power, notes, smoothness. I had smelled this many years ago, and wanted it, but back than I was too poor to buy it. I don’t remember exactly the smell , but I don’t think it’s been reformulated much, other than the bottle design. Speaking of that, it’s a boring rectangular classic wannabe style, utilitarian, ridges on the sides to help you hold the bottle properly and easily, not bad, just plain. Back to the scent now,. I don’t smell any citrus , it’s just a hint and very short lived. The scent is , according to my nose, mostly Ylang. Ylang, vanilla, amber and some white florals, not very distinct , most likely tiara and /or gardenia. It has the same “sunny “feeling as their Bronze goddess , minus the coconut . I am very surprised Ylang isn’t mentioned as a note. The lasting power and silage are both reasonable, not weak but not suffocating either. The price is decent, $75plus tax for 50ml in Canada. Considering it is a high quality elegant scent, I think that’s well worth it. It’s not something to rave about but definitely lovley. I’m glad it’s back and I finally got a chance to own it.

Intuition is Ah-May-Zing in the heat, but requires heat to even rise above meh on my skin. My original note says "really good in the heat, only good in the heat." On a warm, summer day this is possibly the most beautiful application of amber I've ever experienced; rich and resinous, brightened by citrus and sweetened with white flowers. And when I'm wearing it on a warm summer day and even just step into an air-conditioned building, the beauty diminishes considerably. This amber is an ember and cooling her off puts her out. The citrus is sharper and the white florals seem very bland, all in a base of generic woods. But when that ember is kept warm, it's positively magic. I vacillated for awhile about whether I actually wanted a FB because the times for using it are so specific, but it really is that lovely on me. So I own a bottle I will probably never finish. It lasts all day with a sillage several inches off the skin.

This smells like Boucheron's Trouble to me, only heavier. I like both, and find them great for everyday use in cold weather or romantic nights. It's warm and just a bit spicy with a hint of citrus and is IMO a very elegant, romantic scent; I immediately feel dressed up when I put this one:) Lasting power is good, around 8 hours but could be heavy/gagging if over-applied. If you want a lighter version, check out Trouble; it's subtler but very similar. All in all, it's not ground-breaking, but it's a nice, feminine scent that's nice to have in your collection. Just be warned, this is the scent of a lady, so it won't go well with the bellow 20s crowd or the sporty types.