Givenchy Play Intense

Im not a big gourmand fan but this scent is fantastic ! It opens up smelling kind of powdery,pleasant and slightly peppery and honestly when I smelled this at first I immediatly thought I wasnt going to like it. Not that it smelled bad but I just thought it was going to be boring and just another gourmand that I wasnt going to like. (Also I didnt and still dont like the pepper in the opening) But once it kind of meshes with your skin it gets really nice as the coffee and tonka bean take over leaving the orange and pepper in the background giving this some character and a bit of freshness. The drydown is pretty much the same except the heart except what your left with pretty much is a very sweet,yet not cloying scent thats pretty much all tonka bean at this stage. The drydown to me honestly smells like a chocalatey, coffee drink,with whipped cream you would get from Starbucks. My girlfriend actually likes this stuff which says a lot because she usually doesnt like sweet scents and goes more for freshies. Also she actually was the 1 that picked this out and its her favorite as far as Fall/Winter fragrances go. Performance on this is really good. The first hour be careful because this can project like a beast ! After that first hour it does sit closer to the skin but leaves a pretty nice bubble around you and a nice scent trail when you pass people. SIDENOTE: If you wear or wore AXE DARK TEMPTATION and want a less synthetic,better quality fragrance that will last all day you NEED to check this fragrance out as this is very similar. All in all id rate this an 8.5 out of 10 ! The only reason im not rating it higher because even though this performs well and smells great. Its only a fragrance that I like and not love but hey for me an 8 is a solid score. ---------------------------------------- SIDENOTE: Maybe its just me but I do believe this has been reforrmulated. I initially smelled this at an ULTA and at ULTA the opening was WAY stronger and projected like a BEAST. 2 weeks later I bought this online and it smelled pretty much the same except the opening wasnt as strong and it didnt project the way it did when I sprayed it that day at Ulta.

Fantastic coffee and patchouli-vetiver, with a boost of tonka sweetness and a hint of spicy pink pepper. Alluring and masculine. Close enough to the coffee note of brewing coffee or fresh ground beans that I've been craving. Unfortunately the sillage is very poor. After only two days, I've used a tenth of a 100ml bottle. Which by the way, the bottle design is a fantastic, though now dated, approximation of an mp3 player. I don't pick up on any bergamot or other citrus, but there is some woods, which on the bottle is listed as amyris wood. I compared test strips of this and Michael Jordan Legend. Legend is far "brighter", the citrus and florals in it really stand out in comparison to the "darker" notes in Play Intense. Legend is sweet, more vanilla than the tonka in Play Intense. Legend has way more projection, and three sprays of each have both endured on the strips for over 24hrs, though Play Intense became faint almost immediately and Legend projected for a few hours. Paired well with Givenchy Pi, Burberry Brit Rhythm, Bvlgari Man and Man Extreme, CK Shock One (though I can agree that maybe that is too intense a combo). I love the composition of this fragrance, but because of the sillage issues, I will likely opt to try Rochas Man when I run out of this. Will update if I notice sillage does better in warmer weather (writing this during the coldest bit of winter). Update: In less than a month, I've used 60% of the bottle. Apparently the sillage and longevity issues I noticed may be some nose problem I have because when I wore this to the store, all the ladies in the bakery could smell it from feet away over the bakery smells and they all loved it. Still plan to replace with Rochas Man when I run out. Adds a delicious clinging sweet tonka to sweaters and jackets that lingers for days after a spray.

I was looking for a fragrance with a chocolate/vanilla scent and from the information that I gathered from the internet (Thanks, Fragrantica!) Givenchy Play Intense has that element. It was a difficult task finding this fragrance. Most of the Givenchy counters at the department stores doesn't carry it anymore, and they said it has been discontinued. The local online and brick-and-mortar perfume shops also gave me the same answer. But then a miracle happened, I found it at a Givenchy counter at a department store. One last bottle! When I sprayed the tester on my wrist, I thought "Yes, this is it! I found my true love". Warm and sensual coffee/chocolate/vanilla notes, with a hint of something citrus-y and flower-y to balance it out. Sweet but not too sweet, just perfect! It was truly love at first sniff. The bottle is pretty cool too, black mp3-shaped with rubber sprayer. It feels just right on my grip. I decided to buy it right then and there, and I thought to myself "This must be my lucky day!", or is it? The next day I wore to it the office and I realized something: it's a really weak fragrance. The sillage is very low, I have to spray it at least 6 times to get any projection. And the longetivity is very poor too. It dissolves quickly especially since I perspire easily. I don't know whether it has been reformulated or past its the expiration date. I don't have any other reference as a comparison. But I'm very dissapointed because I love this fragrance so much. Anyway, Play Intense is perfect for guys in their 20s and 30s. It has a cool and sexy vibe but also dynamic and vibrant. I personally wear this during daytime, but it would be great for going to parties or clubs.

When this frag came out in 08, I have to agree with buysblind...it was also hard for me to take this fragrance serious. I understand why Givenchy was appealing to a younger age between 18-40yrs old. By using the lingo "play" instead of "pour homme" it doesn't gives the impression that it's an old man's cologne. Now about the fragrance...I was able to get my hands on a tester bottle and when I first srayed it on my skin it had just a hint of synthetic chemistry but after awhile it took on a much more unique and pleasant aroma giving a sweet blend. After it settled I was able to smell the pink pepper with coffee beans also labdanum giving it a real aromatic aroma. The base notes of tonka beans, patchouli and a touch of Vetiver making it a real attractive fragrance. This frag is really versatile good for both during the day and evening. It's a real playful scent which makes it cozy and appealing to a younger person. Thou I'm in a older age group I still appreciate the fragrance altogether. Both longevity and Silage are excellent...I found that it lasts for 8hrs. Overall opinion, This fragrance is excellent for casual and during work time. Every time I wear it I'm always getting compliment from co-workers which is nice. The aroma has a warm tone to it which makes it absolutely amazing. Lastly one thing that this fragrance isn't and that's generic...I've smelt a lot more expensive frag which didn't have the zip that this frag has. A very refreshing frag which could be used during the fall and winter days...it would go a long ways if spray it twice. Rating this fragrance is worth at least 8/10. :))

I bought this perfume for my BF's birthday. shocked him to death, as I asked him before to sniff some perfumes with the biggest lie ever: I'm going to wear men's perfume. this is the only one that appeals him. he unconsciously kept talking about it day and night, not even aware of what I planned behind. yay for a happy BF. somehow GPI smells even better on him than it was the best I can remember from the last time sniffing it on test paper. I love it so much from the first time sniffing it at dept store. it's warm, spicy, a bit sweet, but super sexy fragrance. the most important of all is, this one is kinda rare and haven't met even one man wearing this perfume but my BF! well, I DO think GPI deserves more attention. Its spiciness from pink pepper and patchouli is just in the right amount, vetiver adds perfect woody tinge, while tonka bean blends deliciously with the coffee note. longevity is awesome. 8 hours and more, and still can feel it in the air everytime he made small movement. I imagine a man, who's mature but still has strong youth vibes from his appearance, in shirt, walking down expensive bar on his own and makes young ladies turn their heads just to see who's just passed by. Seductive, but in an elegant way. Sexy, but not trashy. Strange enough, but I have to agree with the first review of this fragrance from Giv1952. Play Intense is a little like Ange ou Demon, my signature perfume, especially on both's dry down phase. It's the tonka! I found the Play Intense to pair very well with Ange ou Demon (original EDP version), if not just hormones acting up with our body chemistry...