Givenchy Play Intense (2008)
by Givenchy

I gave this recent release from Givenchy a run yesterday. Andrewthecologneguy had mentioned a 'tar note' which intrigued me greatly but my nose fail to detect any. Neither is 'tar' listed as a note. It is nevertheless pleasant in its sweet powdery yet airy essence; I find its approach is closer to Salvador Dali's Black Sun than it is to Armani edgier rendition with Code. But for the guys at Givenchy to jump on the trend bandwagon, they must be getting pretty desperate. Ultimately I find PLAY INTENSE's 'rip off'' act smacks too much of desperation that not even Justin Timberlake can bring sexy back.

Gave this one and the regular version a try yesterday. It comes off smelling like a gourmand, and the intense version even more so. The sales rep said that the regular and intense versions were made to complement each other, and you can put them both on at the same time to create a third fragrance. Thought it was a good concept, and I certainly wouldn't put the fragrance down just because it comes off smelling a bit synthetic. The intense version is much better than the regular in my opinion.

WOW, this is gooooood stuff! CoL, I am not sure if we smelled the same frag, but I was in love instantly with this one. As I mentioned in the review of Play, Play Intense combines elements of many fine frags. The opening is very similar to A*Men/Angel by Thierry Mugler, but also has some elements of Attitude by Armani. Then the TAR note shows up. If you are a fan of tar, you will absolutley love this. Some may get rubber, but for me it was tar. If you are familiar with Bvlgari Black, it is supposed to do the tar thing...but it doesn't quite deliver. Play Intense does...very clearly too. The tar note hung around for quite a while until the tonka bean/vanilla showed up in the base. Add patchouli and I smelled so deliciously manly that I could have eaten myself. The overall feel of the Play Intense is a modern day Versace Black Jeans. All the areas where Black Jeans might have been heavy handed or harsh, Play Intense does it gracefully, in a way only Givenchy could have done. I wouldn't bother with the regular Play unless you have a sensitive nose.
Conclusion: if you are part of the Mugler A*Men/Angel crowd, and you enjoy coffee, chocolate, tar, tonka bean, vanilla, caramel and the likes, there is no reason why you will not absolutely love this.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Just had my first snif of the "PlayIntense"... very boring nothing attracting beside the model who is on ad...shame that it had good selection of ingredients

See my review of the standard Play and add some more coffee wood. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!