Reviews of Play Intense by Givenchy
It's probably just me but isn't this a version of Pi? If you can buy it at current Pi prices or less, try it. Otherwise...
As @FSOCI3TY said below, this fragrance was rehabilitated by its discontinuation. It’s perfectly pleasant, and the tonka and coffee is lovely. I will say it’s rather weak, at least on my skin, and doesn’t scream for attention. This is a great casual wear fragrance.
Vaguely cherry-like in the opening, but settles into a tonka forward, spiced coffee fragrance. The tonka provides a nice creamy backbone to the coffee, giving it an almost latte-like smell.
I’m going to say this now. $100 a bottle. Not a penny more. It isn’t worth it. If you find one floating around for $100 or less, go for it. It’s a pretty safe buy at that price. Anything else is ridiculous. This fragrance isn’t going to pass into legend, and is never going to be remembered as a forgotten classic, or one of the greatest men’s fragrances of all time. It will be remembered as a perfectly pleasant designer fragrance that was very ‘of its time’.
If we’re judging it by its original retail price, it’s an 8/10. By the current collector pricing? No more than a 5/10.
Vaguely cherry-like in the opening, but settles into a tonka forward, spiced coffee fragrance. The tonka provides a nice creamy backbone to the coffee, giving it an almost latte-like smell.
I’m going to say this now. $100 a bottle. Not a penny more. It isn’t worth it. If you find one floating around for $100 or less, go for it. It’s a pretty safe buy at that price. Anything else is ridiculous. This fragrance isn’t going to pass into legend, and is never going to be remembered as a forgotten classic, or one of the greatest men’s fragrances of all time. It will be remembered as a perfectly pleasant designer fragrance that was very ‘of its time’.
If we’re judging it by its original retail price, it’s an 8/10. By the current collector pricing? No more than a 5/10.
ADVERTISEMENT
This fragrance is one of those that you come to appreciate only after it has been discontinued. When it was still available, I wasn't blown away by it. It was just a soft tonka bean scent with a bit of coffee and patchouli mixed in. Pleasant and mass-appealing, but not particularly unique or remarkable. I appreciated that it wasn't sickly sweet or obnoxious, but I never got around to buying a full bottle.
I think many people passed on this fragrance because of its price and opted for Rochas Man instead. Looking back, I regret buying Rochas Man because I actually prefer the smell of this one. It's a shame to see it discontinued, but it's not worth paying the inflated prices that it commands now. If you're looking for a fragrance with a realistic coffee note, just move on and find something else.
I think many people passed on this fragrance because of its price and opted for Rochas Man instead. Looking back, I regret buying Rochas Man because I actually prefer the smell of this one. It's a shame to see it discontinued, but it's not worth paying the inflated prices that it commands now. If you're looking for a fragrance with a realistic coffee note, just move on and find something else.
Kind of reminds me of L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Edt mashed into some cocoa scented Play-Doh. Fun, but only in tiny doses. Becomes overbearing quickly. Just a tiny spay does it.
The basic premise of this fragrance is pretty easy to figure out, it's a "playful" sweet youthful masculine scent made for clubbing and parties, but that in and of itself isn't a big deal. The huge problem for me personally, is this really should have been Givenchy Play (2008), but since they decided to launch a thin, deliberately underpowered version of this scent then give you the "real" one as Givenchy Play Intense (2008) with a simultaneous (but more expensive) launch, it comes across like a shameless money grab. When you further factor in the warp speed nature of 2000's Givenchy masculine market releases and flankers, plus the willy-nilly way in which they arbitrarily make some limited, others duty-free only, still others discontinued in short order, and it all adds up to being frustratingly exploitative of trend. Play was horrible, and Play Intense is only made slightly better (becoming tolerable) by actually having an okay base under the rest of the scent.
Emile Coppermann and Lucas Sieuzac speed dial the first Givenchy Play with minimal tweaks and a decent base, which could end the review here, but I'll go through the motions for those not familiar with the standard Play. The opening is a melange of sweet green citruses and pepper, but the rounder pink pepper replaces the original's black pepper. Ethyl maltol sugary notes float into a heart of hedione and geranium, with an added boozy note also not in the original which adds a bit more interest for my nose. Rounded sweet tonka and denatured "fruitchouli" style patchouli are reprised from the original Play, but are both much bolder and more noticeable. The vetiver here is nutty but the heavier dose of sweetened tonka and patchouli buries it, with the woody-amber tones reduced in this version in favor of that tonka. Givenchy Play Intense wears long enough for an evening, but still not really longer than the original, but it does have better projection. Honestly, you can do better, as this DNA found it's way into later scents. Best use is fall through spring at night.
For as plainly average and insipid as this is, at least it's wearable, which is why I don't hate Play Intense, but having to realize that this intense iteration is really the standard one while the standard one is just sub-par garbage is insulting to my intelligence as a potential buyer. Otherwise I can forgive the period "iPod packaging" that many designers were using to attract millennial consumers of the time (right before the economic crash destroyed their hopes of ever having a permanent career or owning anything). I'd call this a good cheap gift for a teen but Givenchy axed it in 2018 and now prices are ridiculous because the usual suspects hyped this up as the next lost masterpiece of the unicorn kind. Anyone believing that nonsense is kidding themselves when Calvin Klein still regularly releases fruity tonka patchouli mishmash like this in various flanker forms and Paco Rabanne 1 Million (2008) is still readily available (and infinitely better). Your best bet is to leave Givenchy Play Intense on pause. Neutral
Emile Coppermann and Lucas Sieuzac speed dial the first Givenchy Play with minimal tweaks and a decent base, which could end the review here, but I'll go through the motions for those not familiar with the standard Play. The opening is a melange of sweet green citruses and pepper, but the rounder pink pepper replaces the original's black pepper. Ethyl maltol sugary notes float into a heart of hedione and geranium, with an added boozy note also not in the original which adds a bit more interest for my nose. Rounded sweet tonka and denatured "fruitchouli" style patchouli are reprised from the original Play, but are both much bolder and more noticeable. The vetiver here is nutty but the heavier dose of sweetened tonka and patchouli buries it, with the woody-amber tones reduced in this version in favor of that tonka. Givenchy Play Intense wears long enough for an evening, but still not really longer than the original, but it does have better projection. Honestly, you can do better, as this DNA found it's way into later scents. Best use is fall through spring at night.
For as plainly average and insipid as this is, at least it's wearable, which is why I don't hate Play Intense, but having to realize that this intense iteration is really the standard one while the standard one is just sub-par garbage is insulting to my intelligence as a potential buyer. Otherwise I can forgive the period "iPod packaging" that many designers were using to attract millennial consumers of the time (right before the economic crash destroyed their hopes of ever having a permanent career or owning anything). I'd call this a good cheap gift for a teen but Givenchy axed it in 2018 and now prices are ridiculous because the usual suspects hyped this up as the next lost masterpiece of the unicorn kind. Anyone believing that nonsense is kidding themselves when Calvin Klein still regularly releases fruity tonka patchouli mishmash like this in various flanker forms and Paco Rabanne 1 Million (2008) is still readily available (and infinitely better). Your best bet is to leave Givenchy Play Intense on pause. Neutral
I call this frag Donut Shop. I've had it for awhile. I liked it. I didn't like it. It sat on the shelf for a year. I liked it again. I didn't like it. It sat on the shelf again. I'm on the fence now, but I wear it here and there.
REVIEW: It's a club scent. A sweetie. A little more mature though because it is soooo syrupy. It seems slightly boozy, but because of the aged donut shop thing going on. Put a donut shop in an oak cask and age it for 12 years = Givenchy Play Intense.
REVIEW: It's a club scent. A sweetie. A little more mature though because it is soooo syrupy. It seems slightly boozy, but because of the aged donut shop thing going on. Put a donut shop in an oak cask and age it for 12 years = Givenchy Play Intense.
It opens with a citrus scent then dries down into a gentle spiced coffee scent. I would not say it smells really like coffee. In fact I haven't find something smells like real coffee in perfumes. But Play Intense does evoke an image of bitter coffee. It somehow also has an incense-like smell. I find it not very sweet, and clean. It's a versatile fragrance, not cloying sweet for summer and spicy enough for winter, day and night, unisex as well. That said, it still has its caracter. Its sillage is moderate and the longevity 7h+ on me.
Originally written in 2013.
Originally written in 2013.
Play with the addition of a lot more character, particularly in the mid to base note area. I started my serious frag journey with play and soon moved beyond to this one. It gets a big boost from a vanilla/tonka/caramel type of vibe while reducing the impact of the citrus notes. Its still quite inoffensive yet I find it quite interesting and sensual.
Average power, lifespan and projection. A modern offering with more appeal than most, IMO. After several years, I still wear this, on a rotational basis. One of the crowd pleasers, which works for me.
Average power, lifespan and projection. A modern offering with more appeal than most, IMO. After several years, I still wear this, on a rotational basis. One of the crowd pleasers, which works for me.
Not too bad. GPI does grab my attention more so than the original, with a pleasant, understated intensity (like Miles Davis, perhaps ;^>). I admit that initially, I wasn't sure what to make of it; but that could be because it's not quite like the other fragrances out there.
I received two bottles as gifts from two different occasions. The bottle I'm reviewing is from 2008 if that makes a difference in formula.
To put it simply, I smell a very sweet rubbery note when first spraying. The sweet rubber note stays throughout the life of the fragrance, but later on think I'm picking up hints of tonka and vanilla. Those are the only notes I feel like I really smell and that's fine with me because this one is actually really good.
I usually get about 12-14 hours from 4 sprays and this one projects really well. I'd say the scent-radius is ~5 feet. Play Intense gets a definite thumbs up from me.
To put it simply, I smell a very sweet rubbery note when first spraying. The sweet rubber note stays throughout the life of the fragrance, but later on think I'm picking up hints of tonka and vanilla. Those are the only notes I feel like I really smell and that's fine with me because this one is actually really good.
I usually get about 12-14 hours from 4 sprays and this one projects really well. I'd say the scent-radius is ~5 feet. Play Intense gets a definite thumbs up from me.
If your into gourmand/semi gourmand scents...IMHO this is one of the best.(along with Valentino Uomo, Bond NY For All and the incredibly cheap-but great Choco musk) Also I definitely find it more masculine than the others I mentioned.(with the exception of the Bond perhaps because of it's strong "roasted" nut accord)
I've got a older bottle and while it does give me very good longevity, I don't get very good projection from it at all.(which is contrary to what some others say for the older formulation) Come to think of it, it might be down right poor after the first few hours. Unless someone was right next to you, I wouldn't think they would be able to get into your "scent bubble". Still, projection issues aside...the smell itself is terrific IMHO:)
I've got a older bottle and while it does give me very good longevity, I don't get very good projection from it at all.(which is contrary to what some others say for the older formulation) Come to think of it, it might be down right poor after the first few hours. Unless someone was right next to you, I wouldn't think they would be able to get into your "scent bubble". Still, projection issues aside...the smell itself is terrific IMHO:)
HOW I SEE IT:
it is a cold winter morning (December-February) and you're on your way to work. The sun is shining without a single cloud in the sky. you've got your leather jacket on with your favorite sweet coffee from Starbucks (or whatever) in your hand as well as a nice vanilla scented cologne on that is just simply memorizing to the nostrils of others-as well as our own. That same refreshing love song or jazz song plays in your head over and over again and every time you hear your favorite note play, a piece of your heart melts and you just feel ready for the world and to take it on; you're feeling steady and happy! the feeling persist as you get into your beautiful car with the smell of your vanilla cologne mixing ever so perfectly with the new-car smell. That semi citrus and vanilla with a nice hot chocolate or sweet starbucks coffee in the mix. And in the midst of all this, you have the thought of "man...i feel so great and so amazing right now!'
this is one of those fragrances that will make you change the way you stand, walk, move your arms, the way you feel about a terrible day ahead, and just you overall mood. It makes me want to dress up nice and flashy as if I am a business man. Confidence and high class in a bottle!
this is no BS you can check my wordorbe (and I still havent updated all my fragrances yet). I have had this for years and I would pull this from the stack more than I would Le Male or Pure Malt.
longevity: I can smell faint hints of it after over 20 hours
projection: around 5-6 feet with an amazing scent train
it is a cold winter morning (December-February) and you're on your way to work. The sun is shining without a single cloud in the sky. you've got your leather jacket on with your favorite sweet coffee from Starbucks (or whatever) in your hand as well as a nice vanilla scented cologne on that is just simply memorizing to the nostrils of others-as well as our own. That same refreshing love song or jazz song plays in your head over and over again and every time you hear your favorite note play, a piece of your heart melts and you just feel ready for the world and to take it on; you're feeling steady and happy! the feeling persist as you get into your beautiful car with the smell of your vanilla cologne mixing ever so perfectly with the new-car smell. That semi citrus and vanilla with a nice hot chocolate or sweet starbucks coffee in the mix. And in the midst of all this, you have the thought of "man...i feel so great and so amazing right now!'
this is one of those fragrances that will make you change the way you stand, walk, move your arms, the way you feel about a terrible day ahead, and just you overall mood. It makes me want to dress up nice and flashy as if I am a business man. Confidence and high class in a bottle!
this is no BS you can check my wordorbe (and I still havent updated all my fragrances yet). I have had this for years and I would pull this from the stack more than I would Le Male or Pure Malt.
longevity: I can smell faint hints of it after over 20 hours
projection: around 5-6 feet with an amazing scent train
Sweet/coffee/gourmondish scent, with a dark undertone, but very playful at the same time (no pun intended).
I really enjoy this fragrance, and i've been wearing it a lot lately . It reminds me of the middle part of CH Men, but a little bit darker and deeper.
it's a sweet fragrance, but not too sweet, so is perfect for any ocation in any season; although I agree it works better in cold climate.
Very pleased with this one.
9/10
I really enjoy this fragrance, and i've been wearing it a lot lately . It reminds me of the middle part of CH Men, but a little bit darker and deeper.
it's a sweet fragrance, but not too sweet, so is perfect for any ocation in any season; although I agree it works better in cold climate.
Very pleased with this one.
9/10
Nice, sweet chocolate tobacco scent. The only issue is that its let down by having that big, chemical top note to it...just like 1 million and a host of newer scents. I can understand why they put the aquatic top note there (to prevent nose blindness) but it really didn't need it. Shame really but at least it prevents it from being cloying.
Ck one shock is EXACTLY the same fragrance minus the chemical top note - I would probably buy ck one shock if I had to choose.
Fans of rochas man, new Haarlem and a* drydown will love this one.
Ck one shock is EXACTLY the same fragrance minus the chemical top note - I would probably buy ck one shock if I had to choose.
Fans of rochas man, new Haarlem and a* drydown will love this one.
This scent lasts absolutely forever on me, as most scents do overall. It's been a full twelve hours and it's still projecting a bit, albeit only lightly now, probably due to the high level on synthetics. I still wouldn't call it a skin scent even twelve hours later but people need to get a bit closer to smell it. All in all this is very pleasant, probably too sweet for many people, but not particularly cloying. Although it's not listed in the notes I think I detect some almond in there too, like a biscotti. As a matter of fact this smells literally identical to the tea called "Amandine Rose" which is unfortunately discontinued, but it's a candied almond and rose black tea, the kind you'd call a "dessert" tea because of its natural sweetness, except the tea is a bit smoother and doesn't have those more jarring artificial tones to it that Play Intense has. Not much progression but the projection is just the way I like it--not too intense unless you choose to spray a lot. All in all, very nice, I would certainly wear this if I had it around, but I personally prefer more natural-smelling fragrances. There's just a bit of chemical shrillness to this one.
Fantastic juice! This stuff smells amazing and ladies absolutely love it. I have had people stop mid-sentence and say "You smell amazing!"
Its definitely worth a smell and can be gotten pretty cheaply online.
Projects great and lasts a good 8-12+ on me
Awesome stuff
Its definitely worth a smell and can be gotten pretty cheaply online.
Projects great and lasts a good 8-12+ on me
Awesome stuff
Nice guys finish last. I keep thinking of insipid praises for this: nice... pleasant... acceptable... I like it... It's sweet and low-testosterone but not necessarily feminine or castrated either. It's sexy in a nice-guy-who-cuddles-afterward sort of way. It's not angsty, therefore not juvenile (thank god). Young, mature, well-adjusted. This is that pleasant guy you intended to call back after that one night – but never got around to it. Oops. I hope he's doing well... I didn't notice the progression of notes if there was any. I didn't care to. It's not that I was bored I just wasn't intrigued either. I just accepted the simple pleasure of it and continued with my day. It has a balanced, engineered gourmand quality that isn't necessarily synthetic but not haute-cuisine either. Vanillic, sweet but not too sweet, individually wrapped creme-sandwich-cookie from a small japanese grocery, "cocoa" the character on the package smiles... It's light in a good way. It doesn't last long though: sprayed late-morning; gone late-afternoon (or did I just get used to it?). I would totally wear this often if I had a bottle. I don't care enough to buy it but if I received it as a gift one day it would be appreciated as a really great gift.Pros: light, pleasant, cuddly, no complaintsCons: short-lived, unexciting
I have to give this a neutral because it lacks orginality. A nice fragrance though. Intial spray reminds me of Rochas Man or Michael Jordan Legend ( with just a bit more chocolate). I would not pay retail price for this but I would wear it. One to try!
The opening is so good. A strong, spicy and sweet citrus, it's golden. Then on my skin, it quickly goes into a sweet vanilla/chocolate scent, with a little bit of coffee in the background. To me, this cologne is definitely more unisex in the first few hours of its life, then it turns more masculine.
I haven't smelled Rochas Man, so I can't compare at all. But this is a delicious scent, my lady friend says it kinda smells like Axe Dark Temptations, but much more complex since PI is an actual perfume and not just a body spray.
I blind bought this, and am not disappointed at all.
Longevity and projection seem to be moderate on my skin, still decent.
I haven't smelled Rochas Man, so I can't compare at all. But this is a delicious scent, my lady friend says it kinda smells like Axe Dark Temptations, but much more complex since PI is an actual perfume and not just a body spray.
I blind bought this, and am not disappointed at all.
Longevity and projection seem to be moderate on my skin, still decent.
the lightest gourmand in mass projection. could also be classified as an oriental. the bergamot/pink pepper opening is not new but is definately nice and safe. the tonka bean/patchouli drydown is a bit submerged but still a hit. if you like orientals but think gourmands are too harsh this is for you. sillage is fine but projection as minimal.
I was fortunate enough to get a 50ml of this on Kijiji for a mere $10.00(and it's not expired or anything). Um, I'm glad I only paid that much(I paid the full $88.00 for my 100ml bottle of the "normal" Play...which I like better). I like how this smells like the other one, but veers off to a more cocoa-ish smell. In no way does this scent last longer on your skin than the original one...I'd say it fades quicker. If you had a choice of which Play to buy though, I'd say strive for the Original one first, and forget the flankers. Thumbs up, due to me liking the scent for the little amount of $ I paid. :)
I will say this is a big improvement over it's father which to me smelled very flat. This adds more depth & feeling as I hoped it would since it is named intense! But if it were to compete against other gourmands in it's range I'd rank Play Intense dead last. It is not bad, but it is not great either. Spices, coffee, citrus, vanilla come rolled together to make a decent fragrance but one that will not stand out against it's competitors.
I find the longevity of this average, with low-medium silage. If your more into a subdued gourmand & not the heavier guys like A Men, Lolita Lempicka etc.. Give this a try. It gets a very balanced neutral from me.
I find the longevity of this average, with low-medium silage. If your more into a subdued gourmand & not the heavier guys like A Men, Lolita Lempicka etc.. Give this a try. It gets a very balanced neutral from me.
A great coffee based fragrance with so pleasant smell and good projection and longevity.
The opening is sweet coffee scent with noticeable spice and hint of citrus notes in the background.
The citrus notes give the scent a semi fresh and almost tart smell, but because of strong sweet tonka bean and coffee notes it's in the background.
In the mid the citrus and spicy notes settle down and you have a sweet but at the same time bitter coffee scent which is really pleasant.
Coffee lovers give this one a chance!
As I said both projection and longevity is good. it's not a monster but it's really good and definitely above average.
The opening is sweet coffee scent with noticeable spice and hint of citrus notes in the background.
The citrus notes give the scent a semi fresh and almost tart smell, but because of strong sweet tonka bean and coffee notes it's in the background.
In the mid the citrus and spicy notes settle down and you have a sweet but at the same time bitter coffee scent which is really pleasant.
Coffee lovers give this one a chance!
As I said both projection and longevity is good. it's not a monster but it's really good and definitely above average.
What's there to say. Youthful yet mature, sweet, thick but also somehow bitter and sharp which makes it quite masculine. Good quality colder weather scent that avoids me and I'm unfairly avoiding it, at least for now.