Scent Intense (2002)
by Costume National

Don't listen to anyone else about this scent -- it's one that you have to try yourself. With such few notes to play with, I find it utterly bewitching and always will. The hibiscus, amber and jasmine seem to forge a smell of the most beautiiful sensuous rose you could imagine.

30th December, 2010.

Falling the shadows this is a great, great solution. This fragrance neither is the best choice for a gala meeting or a convention nor is precisely specific for a first date with a beautiful creature. It works better in the previous phase, it's due to look for a date, to seize your unknown prey, to scout a talented mate somewhere in a smoky venue of downtown. In order to get this goals this scent is unbeatable. Its smell is a ghosty whiff of velvet, suede and smoky amber. Scent Intense, as said, is an avantgarde-luxurious-nocturnal androgynous-enigmatic-dandy fragrance which leans on the male side in my opinion and is in each sense an absolutely irresistible attraction for women all over the world. Never received so many compliments wearing a fragrance, i swear, it overcomes all the others in the parade. It's a real magnet, a naughty potion wearing which the humble, the shy man becomes immediately a predator. This one is the perfect fragrance for clubbing in my opinion. Velvet underground. Simply in its structure, as many just mentioned, Scent Intense is not certainly a masterpiece of complex olfactory twists and balancements, it's not a mathematic equation of historical perfumery memory. This is nevertheless a worthy scent for its capacity to stimulate the senses, to attract people and not least due to a sort of resinous and dirty testosterone undertone similar to the smell of arm pit's sweat (not a stinking arm pit, clear), that's is because of the implementation of synthetic, human, feromonical cystine in the formula . Scent Intense, thanks to a" Vogue-fashion" Jasmine flower in the mix, arouses an irresistible chic aura, a touch of glamour that makes this scent perfect for clubs and battles in the parties against relentless teen agers to tame. It's comfortable and encouraging, very bold, an extraordinary fragrance that could also be worn by a fatal mysterious woman although i see it decidedly more suitable for men under the lens of paparazzi camera. The jasmine tea top note provides to this ambery fragrance a fresh crisp touch that understates and balances the otherwise usual, often boring, warm effect of the typical woody ambery scents. The jasmine black tea top is the secret of Scent Intense for sure; this tea is flavored by some berries that enhance the general dark atmosphere of the juice. In a second phase is the turn of a delicate and surreal Hibiscus which links the top with the dry down increasing the general sophistication of this creation. This fruity-floral infusion floats, as a made of paper boat, on a sink of smoked and incensed syrupy woody amber in which the patchouli pushes endly the scale on the male side like a sort of counterpart to jasmine and Hibiscus. Very good longevity for this cult classic scent, unrenounciable by all the predators of Madame Night.

30th March, 2010. (Last Edited: 6th January, 2012.)

After all the hyperbolic praise heaped upon Scent Intense, I was expecting something controversial and exciting. I imagined a work of blazing originality, something so bold and distinctive that I'd either adore it or despise it. Guess what? It's OK in my book, but just OK, and certainly not some sort of olfactory breakthrough.

Scent Intense opens on a barrage of perky berries and syrupy amber. The berry note is very bright and clear in contrast to the rich, dark amber, and the two are almost entirely unblended. I find the resulting accord decidedly chemical and excessively sweet.

The syrupy opening is very persistent, and it's a solid three or four hours before an exotic floral element (the “hibiscus” in the pyramid, I presume,) distinguishes itself. The floral note is soon followed by some incense and a nicely rendered dry wood, but these are not sufficient to balance out the overwhelming sweetness.

The drydown is amber and woods, still quite sweet and a little bit powdery, and not at all unusual. Yes, there's some incense in Scent Intense, but I still see it as a straightforward ambery oriental, and a rather simple one at that. I'm certainly not going to throw away my Musc Ravageur, Eau Lente, or Shalimar for this.

10th December, 2009.

Intensely sweet, quite sugary. Very floral, with hints of smoke. A clean bright amber base.
I don’t like sweet, super-floral, or amber so that’s all I have to say.

17th October, 2009. (Last Edited: 21st November, 2009.)

Sumptuous, exotic, rich -- and about as feminine as a guy can afford to go on the unisex front. But guys, before you put it aside thinking it really doesn't cater to men at all, wait an hour or two for the amazing, dark drydown to take effect; the unisex label is justified after all. And since it is EdP and strong, it's enough to just apply it a couple of hours before going out in the evening (not a day scent!). I've had more than the odd compliment on it. Nothing I'd wear for weeks on end, but it's worth coming back to when the mood calls for something a bit less conventional.

13rd September, 2009.

Pretty pricey for a scent that I don't love...one of my regrets was purchasing this one. Some of the frags in my wardrobe are before my Basenotes discovery and the result of aggressive SAs.

My nose is not yet developed and discerning enough to give a breakdown of the scent, but it doesn't feel masculine enough for my tastes. Maybe part of the problem is I can't identify any particular note to put it into a familar category.

I keep trying to make it work, but last wearing people told me it smelled like Liz Taylo'rs White Diamonds and they didn't mean it in a good way. There are some who love it, but give it test wear if it intrigues you.

9th August, 2009. (Last Edited: 17th January, 2010.)