Counterplay

🌞 COUNTERPLAY has been on my mind a lot lately. With the summer approaching I have been on the hunt for the fresh tropical scent (preferably with no pineapple note), and after kissing a bunch of frogs I think I finally found one. COUNTERPLAY is the best perfume I tried in this genre, and yet if it ever even gets mentioned in the MG ratings - it is only in passing. This scent is just so satisfying, engaging and unique to me that it might just as well be my first MG perfume, contrary to the ones that are more hyped. And I like many form their line up;) I am aiming to only have one perfume in this category, and with Counterplay I found both the joy AND the longevity, which in my mind justifies the price tag...somewhat lol It just ticks all the boxes ;)

I purchased this some months back for some odd reason this and a couple of other fragrances weren’t listed on here but all I can say is if you like tropical scents you will indeed love this fragrance. I was so impressed with this one it was absolutely a love at first sniff unlike opera mate. I think this a perfect fragrance for someone who is new to the niche world. it’s very easy to understand. so far all of mind games fragrances have been great blind buys minus opera mate it had to grow on me. What’s odd to me is this fragrance has a coconut nuance to it and of course vanilla vibes and just fruity in a feminine way it’s perfect just unique an absolute vacation in a bottle.

So happy this is finally on fragrantica. Smelled this in the mall, and legit contemplated dropping $400 on a full bottle of this right then and there. I didn't get a chance to test the sillage, longevity, etc...But I do know the opening was GORGEOUS. Very prominent guava/melon, and just incredibly refreshing scent overall. The longevity could affect my current rating if it doesn't last, but right now this is a 10/10 in my book. Can't wait to get my hands on this

Sticky and strong sandalwood melon bomb. Opening is very juicy and fruity and dries down more to its summer florals and woods after that. Definitely very feminine leaning, but a man could pull this off at a pool party or the beach. I wore my sample in Tulum, where I instantly fell in love with it and decided on a full bottle. This is Mind Games’ most potent summer fragrance, so I’d sample before buying.

10 hours later and this scent still pulls off my skin with only 5 sprays. ( one behind each ear, neck and both wrist ) The melon stays consistent and is great for a daytime spring rotation use. Some say it leans feminine but I think it’s perfectly unisex. Again, the melon and banana is constant through and has great overall performance. One of the better choices from mind games for sure

MindGames sent me a couple of samples for free and CounterPlay was one of my favorites. It’s a sweet melon fragrance with a soft musky finish to it. Smells like the best and most exquisite lotion you’ve ever put on your skin. So calming but also uplifting. I wish this lasted longer cause it’s a banger. Probably the best freshie from MindGames imo.

Banana, Guava Milkshake in the best way possible. I'm sorry; but I'm a sucker for anything summer gourmand. Shit just works in the best way. It's not a Banana flavored Laffy Taffy, it's more prominent and blended within the tropical goodness of the Guava in here. Again, 10/10.

This is absolutely unisex, fresh guava and juicy melon, like shoving your face in freshly cut fruit, I got a sample months ago and immediately bought it. Longevity 8/10 Sillage 9/10 Projection 9/10

Oh a year later it was finally added? Wow. This is one of my favorites from Mind Games, heavy on the melon which isn’t common for fragrances and this one smells like true melon and actually lasts.

Favorite tropical fragrance, creamy, fruity, floral, and perfectly unisex. As a melon lover I loved it the first time I smelt it.

A masterpiece of fruity-floral notes. The melon cocktail takes me to a tropical paradise.

This is one of the greatest warm weather scents I've ever smelled period.

The opening of "Counterplay | Mind Games" is absolutely stunning! It’s a beautiful burst of fresh, juicy Guava and Melon. I really don’t get any other notes. The initial spray envelopes you in the Guava gorgeousness of it all, only for it to fade into a melon skin scent after a couple of minutes. I so wish the Guava note stayed for the full wear. I would have instantly purchased this! It’s such a shame. It’s the absolute best bit about this fragrance, and yet it doesn’t make any appearance after the opening. This is still a lovely melon scent, but I already own "Granita | Aziri" which has the same melon note and I’m sorry to say I prefer it to Counterplay. Granita is also cheaper. My other issue with Counterplay is I find it very weak. It becomes a skin scent very quickly. At the price Mind games charges, it just isn’t worth the cost. Had the Guava stayed for the whole wear, my opinion would be different but I’ll have to pass on this one. It just isn’t different enough from Granita to justify a full bottle. For the record, this lasted 2 hours before disappearing completely. If you’ve tested this and love it, you should definitely get a sample of "Granita | Aziri" before spending your money on Counterplay.

Melon, melon, melon! This is one of the most obvious and accurate melon notes I’ve smelled in a fragrance, specifically muskmelon (cantaloupe). It doesn’t really need explanation that muskmelon is so-called because it has a musky undertone in its taste and aroma; Counterplay leans into this just a little bit and does so very successfully. It further succeeds in its sweetness feeling like perfectly ripe, natural sugar. For people that tend towards sweet, tropical fruities, this should be a winner. I think I will try layering this something woodier for a little more depth, although Counterplay does get a little warmer and more complex as it evolves. As far as MG’s sweet/fruity fragrances go, I put Counterplay way above Leonora but not near J’Adoube.

I have been exploring a couple of fragrances from this house and I had a decant of this one sitting around for far too long without trying it. Cue up a sunny day today and I thought I’d give it a go. This is a lovely summer fruity scent that I felt on me didn’t last long but I actually think rather I go nose blind to it quickly. I wore it to work and after spraying before I went I forgot to top it up. To my nose the scent had disappeared but 8 hours later I got a compliment from someone saying I smelt lovely hence me suspecting that it’s a me thing. Topping it up in the evening I could smell this for the rest of the night. A very pretty and not too in your face fruity masterpiece

Hmm. This is honestly a very interesting fragrance because it opens very feminine and definitely fruity and floral. Opening notes you can smell the guava and melon, but as it drys down, you smell more of manly scents in there, while still keeping that fruity scent. But if you don’t like tropical scents, or scents that lean more feminine then I would suggest it for you. The problem with this fragrance is that it doesn’t last very long, being a $250+ fragrance I expect it to last longer and it definitely lacks in that area. It turns into a skin scent very quick. Also it kind of smells like a guava fruit body wash from the dollar store. It’s a great layering fragrance though.

I was pleasantly surprised by this scent when someone handed it to me at the mall. Based on the notes I would have never thought to try it. Ylang ylang and banana are nonexistent in here (mostly smell it in the dry down and it makes the woody notes smell creamy). It is dominated by juicy melon for the first hour. It doesnt seem to project far nor last as long as other mind game perfumes. It dries down to a woody musky scent half day in. It's super wearable sophisticated melon and fun for the summer. But I enjoy layering this scent with a citrus like Sundazed from Byredo.

Ripe, juicy, tropical, fun! A delightful melon drink with the tartness of guava. Counterplay gives vacation. And I am so glad it have more of a natural fruit smell than a cloying artificial note. The banana isn't super present either (my least favorite of the three). But what a delightful vibe this fragrance has! In the dry down, the fruit levels out with the other notes and it becomes more well rounded. This also makes it more wearable. Sadly it does fade significantly after a few hours.

I loved the fresh watery and melon notes on the strip, but on my skin it almost immediately went powdery and cloyingly sweet. It’s stifling in the heat of Texas summer. Definitely does not play well with high temps and humidity. Maybe I’ll try it again in fall. Do all of you who think this is a good summer fragrance live in Anchorage, or?

Not normally a fruity person other than citrus and coconuts. But I really like this! Didn’t give me a headache either which is totally a plus for how sweet it is. I also went nose blind to it soon after but when I changed into my pj’s I smelt a whiff on my clothes. My sample is almost gone lol

Sadly I was expecting more, I'm a man but I really want a good guava fragrance, and since this is unisex, but in reality it's very feminine, it kinda smells basic, but not bad, for the girls willing to spend money on this, go for it, skin ph matters

On paper it was lovely. On skin it is a disappointment. It is not a delicious juicy fruity bomb. It is mushed up non-descriptive perfume. Kind of sweet and fruity, kind of patchouli and some powdery notes. Also smells kind of mature, actually reminds me of my mom. Or public restroom (maintained, nothing nasty). I really don't care much about this, I can rate it somewhere between neutral and dislike. Performance is okay, not bad, not extraordinary. You would expect more for the price.

Weird one...I hate the opening and the mid. I couldn't believe how bad it was and then smelled about an hour later; it smelled completely different and quite nice. Not sure if I can get through those first phases to get to the dry down. I'm glad I bought a sample. Certainly not a linear fragrance. Don't think I can buy something this expensive given that I hate part of the experience.

Melon and Osmanthus, exotic, fruity aquatic, Nice alternative to many of the summer scents that try the tropical route.

I thought I would really like this because I like tropical inspired scents but it's way too sweet. Smells like fruit punch candy. The notes wouldn't be so bad if the base notes had more presence.

It's nice, but not for such price. Smells like a cheap fragrance from Lidl, especially on a drydown. The juicy opening was promising though

Extreamly artificial melon on top aquatic and floral notes. It is cheap smelling and not sophisticated at all. It smells like a perfume that you can get for 20 Euros. I guess I don't like how this perfumer creates fruity perfumes.

TOO Fruity. Lasts forever. Not a sophisticated scent in my opinion. Feminine 100%

Smells amazing, of that there is no doubt. In the opening 15 mins it is very close to 'Summer Hammer' but after that it goes in a slightly different direction. The main difference is that this is a lot less harsh, and more fresh. My only issue is that I find it just a bit too feminine for me to want to buy a full bottle. Don't get me wrong, I love unisex scents, in fact most of my collection are marketed as unisex, but this is definitely a scent that 90% of people would probably associate with a female, therefore I don't want people thinking I accidentally sprayed my girlfriend's perfume on myself instead of my own. Performance is beastly, I sprayed my sample on skin around 10 hours ago and can still smell it. Was also catching whiffs all day when I was getting in & out of the car and walking around. To all the men, if you're unsure if you can pull off very feminine-leaning unisex scents, please sample first and do not blind buy!

I asked for a melon fragrance and was given a sample of this. At first spray, I was in love. It was the ideal melon, juicy but not sweet. I sprayed it on my arm and it smelled the same as on paper. I was considering buying a full bottle, but thank god I didn’t, because after 1 hour of the most heavily melon scent, this flipped on me and became a men’s cologne from the 90s. I mean, what the heck! It smelled completely different. I guess this is the first perfume I can say turned ‘sour’ on me? I don’t know how else to describe it. I’d heard that Mind Games fragrances were not linear, but this transformation was horrid. It truly played a mind game with me, going from absolute love to get the heck off my skin! I’m so sad.... I wish I knew a way to preserve the melon. What’s crazy is there is nothing in the listed notes that I dislike; so, I suspect that it’s just my body chemistry, which is soooo disheartening.

I got a decant of this because I absolutely loved it in the store--it totally blew me away. I had a perfume specialist at Louis Vuitton tell me this was her favorite Mind Games as well, so I thought this was the best thing ever apart from the mediocre performance. But, I had some of my family smell it to get second opinions, and they unanimously all hated it. They said it smelled like vodka and old lady. Maybe it was because we were inside... potentially on a hot summer day they would've liked it more? I don't know, but I haven't worn this since. For the record, what I've liked and what they've liked has usually been one in the same--until this fragrance. Be careful with this. There seems to be a disconnect between people who are into fragrances and the general public here.

I just smelled this in a perfume shop and wow it was so amazing. I adored the melon smell, unlike anything else I have. Can’t wait to try the sample that I got.

Smells like a generic late teens deodorant but with your pit stank peeking through it. Gross. Uninspired. 100% expected from mind games. Sowwyyy

Not my kind a smell, too fruity for my liking, Selling a bottle if you are from Canada

Oh this sounds straight up delicious and tropical. Potential banger here folks.