By Designer

Si Intense by Giorgio Armani

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Si Intense is one that I hadn’t covered before. I did review the original here, but wanted to catch up a bit on the series. Well, this is going to be on the edition of Intense that was released back in 2021 by Armani. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Si Intense EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, patchouli, florals, benzoin

Click here to try: Si Intense by Armani

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes Si Intense: encapsulates the confident energy that characterizes the Sì woman. Empowered, feminine, and free, she embodies an irresistibly modern femininity, which through the prism of this new intense scent takes on a sophisticated, seductive air.

Apparently, Armani has done a few versions of Intense. One, came in a black bottle. However, this review is not about that edition, even if they overlap in notes.

Anyway, this one kicks off with a warm, fruity, and syrupy blend headed up by the blackcurrant with some davana herbal aroma, early on. On my skin, this and the patchouli, really prevent the blackcurrant from being too tart or overwhelming.

It strikes a good balance.

Then, the rose notes comes into play. Again, on me, this doesn’t jump out with its strength. Si Intense just becomes slightly less fruity and loses some of that light bitterness of the davana.

It’s a fruity amber with patchouli and rose. The amber and rose will creep in on the fruitiness, as it dries down. But, Si Intense remains sweet and warm.

Throughout, you will get periods of earthiness/woodsy aromas, but it’s underneath the thicker blackcurrant, jammy rose, and benzoin notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one has some heaviness to it and an ability to project itself well. But, Si Intense doesn’t ever feel overwhelming to me. Great scent trail for an hour or two and you’ll for sure know that it is there.

But, nothing that is going to blow you out of the room.

The original Si, got me around 6-7 hours of wear on skin. This one will bump it up to an extra hour or two. It does seem to be completely gone by 8.5 hours for me, though.

Here, again, this one is going to be for the autumn and winter months mainly. I wouldn’t go too warm with Intense, as it will probably get bogged down and get kind of messy.

It is safe enough to wear to work or school, but attractive enough to wear on a date. I would definitely enjoy smelling this scent on a woman.

This Armani does basically fit the bill, as a ‘one size fits all’ kind of perfume. It is more limited than the original in terms of the climate, but pretty much its equal in any other use case.

Overall Impressions of Si Intense

Overall, do I like this one? Yes, there’s plenty to enjoy here and I’ve thought that the original Armani Si, is a really good mainstream fragrance. This obviously has overlap, but I think that Intense can stand on its own as a fragrance.

The original Si had more of a greenish smell, than what I get with this one. Still, lots of the amber and patchouli here, but more warmth and the rose influence.

I do like the syrupy sort of start that Intense gives me, as well.

The performance is decent, you get good strength, but the longevity is only slightly above average. Though, I really don’t think that this one has too many flaws, at least none that are glaring.

It’s worth a try. It’s probably a safe blind buy, but the price may be a limiting factor for some to want to go that route. Try it if you can, beforehand to make sure you love it. Si Intense is a very good entry from Armani, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.

Fame Parfum by Paco Rabanne

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Fame Parfum is the follow up to the original Fame release from Paco Rabanne. This one was released in 2023. I got a hold of a sample of this newer perfume, in order to test it out, and review it for the site. How does it smell? Does Fame Parfum last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Fame Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: mango, jasmine incense, musk, pink pepper, bergamot, patchouli, sandalwood, benzoin

Click here to try: Fame Parfum

My Full Review

Fame Parfum definitely does smell quite a lot like the original. One of the main differences that I notice, is an amped up mango note at the start.

The one in the original was short lived. Here, is sticks around for longer, and this Parfum version is a bit of a heavier scent. Still, I don’t find it to be completely enveloping.

Early, it’s a blend of sweet and spicy, with the tropical fruity influence having the upper hand. Then, things will shift and I start to get more patchouli and jasmine on my skin.

The pink pepper is still there a bit, the mango will also hang around. However, neither has the same level on influence for the rest of the wear.

For me, the dry down is mostly about the jasmine and sandalwood notes. There’s still a light fruitiness, some incense hanging about, and fuzziness from musk and benzoin.

Feels like a warmer and clean kind of perfume, with some different weightings versus the original Fame. This is sort of a Polo Black style, but for women. Lots of overlap in the notes between those two.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Fame Parfum does have slightly heavier profile than the original, which was pretty moderate. However, the projection here is much better and sticks around at this higher level for a longer bout of time.

Not massive with how it’ll go across a room, but still above average and it’ll take a good while before it starts to degrade into a skin scent.

The longevity here is really good and indeed better than the original. On my skin, it’ll last somewhere in 8.5 hour range. On clothes, it’ll go into the double digit range pretty easily.

The good thing about this fragrance, is that it can basically be worn in all seasons. The tropical nature of the smell is great for warmer days in spring and summer. While, it has enough substance with its heavier notes to do well in the cold.

I’d probably stay away from the extreme heat with it, but Fame Parfum does walk the line, and manages not to turn terrible in most climates.

Like its forerunner, Parfum is more of a pretty daytime wear. Not a formal fragrance, but it could work for just about anything else you’d want to wear it for during the warmest days. It’s attractive without being super sexy, a romantic, or nightlife wear.

fame parfum review

My Overall Impressions of Fame Parfum

Overall, do I like Fame Parfum? I think that this is an improvement versus the original (which was decent). Though, it’s not far and away better than the previous incarnation.

It’s clean and tropical, with a great use of the mango note, early on. After that, it becomes much more of a floral and fruity blend with a good amount of sandalwood coming up from the base.

This Fame line has a similar style to the Mugler Goddess entries. This one is about equal to the EDP of that, but I prefer Goddess Intense to any of them. Again, they’re only similar and not the same.

All around, I think this is good and worth checking out if you like the original or anything of this sort. It’s not amazing, but Parfum does everything well and has no obvious weak points.

Joy Intense by Dior

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Joy Intense is the 2019 follow up the popular, but not super well loved, Joy by Dior. I have never done a review of this one, since I sort of forgot about the series, after the original was pretty much only decent. How does Intense fair? Is it an improved upon formula? Is the performance good? Is Joy Intense worth a try?

What does Dior Joy Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: neroli, bergamot, Grasse rose, jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood, musk, tonka bean

Click here to try: Dior Joy Intense

joy intense review

My Full Review

Here’s how Dior describes it: Floral fireworks, concentration of joy. The dazzle of juicy citrus mingles with colorful sparks of Grasse rose and jasmine, heightened by an enveloping, woody echo of sandalwood tinged with vanilla.

The original Joy has a blend of peach and orange up top, that Intense lacks. Sure, you get citrus influence here, but the bergamot doesn’t seems as strong as the other two.

Early on, I get a lot of the jasmine, neroli, and powdery aroma that was in the original. Here, the jasmine shows up earlier. There is still indeed a freshness to this one early on, the bergamot is there, creating a bright and sparkling undertone.

As we get to the next phase, Joy Intense is fully displaying its jasmine and Grasse rose combination. With that is the vanilla and tonka bean notes. Very much a floral-vanilla, at this point.

Has some sweetness and creaminess, but it’s mostly a light powder/musky aroma wrapped around the floral core.

For the rest of the way, it’s kind of like the original. Jasmine really stands out. This time, there is more vanilla, less powder in the dry down than Joy. None of the patchouli. It’s hard to tell, but I feel like less of a sandalwood influence in Intense.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This is the stronger of the Joy fragrances, as the name suggests. It’s definitely strong in the opening, but isn’t massive really. You will get a scent trail for a few hours, good projection, but not a super heavy scent.

It’s solidly above average throughout the wear, though.

With the original Joy, it lasted up to about six hours on my skin. Does Intense do a better job of sticking around?

Yes, but, it’s nothing to crazy. Maybe 7.5 hours or so. A definite improvement, but it still doesn’t blow anything out of the water. Though, I am glad that this one is better than the disappointing performance of the original.

Intense covers much of the same ground that the original does. However, I will say that it’s a notch below, as I would skip wearing this in the summer. The rest of the year is fine, but the original (while not being a pure summer wear), holds up better in the heat than this.

Pretty much a daytime sort of wear, that can fit in anywhere without causing any offense.

Overall Impressions of Joy Intense

Overall, do I like Joy Intense? I do. This version certainly isn’t amazing, but it is better than the first. Both in terms of smell and it’s performance. It’s a lot more balanced across the board.

The jasmine and vanilla dominance, isn’t exactly the most original fragrance out there, but it smells quite nice. The citrus isn’t too powerful of an influence, just a touch to highlight the rest of the composition.

It’s got enough of a difference from the first Joy, to be worth checking out, if you didn’t care too much for that one.

I probably wouldn’t want to pay full price for a bottle. However, if you can find Joy Intense at a discount, it’s a good perfume from Dior that you could get plenty of use out of.

Alien Eau Sublime by Mugler

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Alien Eau Sublime is one that I missed, when it came out back in 2017. So, when I saw a sample of it available, I purchased it in order to do a review for the site. I really didn’t have much knowledge about what this one was all about beforehand. How does Eau Sublime smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Alien Eau Sublime Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, solar notes, heliotrope, galbanum, orange, jasmine, tiare flower, cherry blossom, amber, vanilla, cashmeran, vetiver, orange blossom

My Full Review

Here’s how Mugler describes it: A luminous and refreshing fragrance, an energizing cocktail which stimulates the senses.

While they’re not the same, this Alien perfume actually reminds me of Libre L’Absolu Platine, in its opening act.

Citrus, solar notes (instead of the YSL aldehydes…similar), orange blossom. Here, though, we get the usual Alien jasmine note versus the lavender of Libre. Not the same, but a reminiscent style. This Mugler, came first.

Once that part is out of the way, Eau Sublime feels like a less dense and more summer acceptable version of the original Alien.

Tiare flower, vanilla, jasmine, and that orange blossom really come through. This becomes a white floral mix, with some remaining light citrus sweetness, and a bit of amber coming through.

On my skin, I don’t get much of a powdery aroma. The heliotrope seems muted. But, spraying this one on a shirt, does make that aspect pop some more. For me, I get a creamier blend of tiare and vanilla, on skin.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The original Alien can be an absolute bomb and also has some really heavy qualities about it. Sometimes, it’s pretty cloying in the heat.

Alien Eau Sublime is lighter and doesn’t get bogged down. However, it still produces a nice scent trail and can project itself well. Definitely above average with its strength, just not massive.

The longevity is good, not amazing. On my skin, Eau Sublime can hit around the 8 hour mark without trouble. It doesn’t seem to go much beyond that, if at all.

Seasonally, this Mugler is built more for the spring and summer months. It’s got that light citrus and white floral blend, without all of the heaviness, that will work well once it gets somewhat warm outside.

It’s fine for any age, but I’m not sure that Eau Sublime will appeal too much to younger women. It may be better to go with something like Alien Goddess, for some people.

Eau Sublime is fine as a daytime wear. It can fit in fine in most places, it’s not too formal of a scent. But, it also won’t stand out as being anything offensive. This isn’t really a nightlife wear and I don’t find it to be ‘sexy’ at all.

Overall Impressions of Alien Eau Sublime

Overall, do I like Eau Sublime? It’s fine. I’m not too enthralled this one. It’s not nearly as enjoyable as the original Alien or some of the more unique flanker releases from over the years.

It’s pretty basic, as a white floral scent. That opening is kind of like Libre Platine, but I’m not a huge fan of that either. Everything here is ‘just fine’. Eau Sublime is somewhat likeable, has decent performance, etc.

I like the dry down better. The jasmine, tiare flower, and orange blossom work rather well together with the vanilla and surrounding notes.

This one came out back in 2017, so, it’s discontinued anyway. Unless you’re a major fan of Alien, there’s no real reason to chase this one down. Now, if it sounds like your style and you can get a good discount on a bottle, go for it. Otherwise, it’s not a must have.

Dylan Purple Pour Femme by Versace

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Dylan Purple is the latest release from the Pour Femme side of the series. It came out in 2022, without too much hype, but quickly became another successful entry from Versace. I’d been waiting to get a hold of this one for a review and finally bought a sample to test it out. How does Purple smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Dylan Purple Smell Like?

Notes include: bitter orange, pear juice, bergamot, purple freesia, pomarose, mahonial, cedar, ambrofix, belambre, sylkolide

Click here to try: Dylan Purple on Amazon

My Full Review

Purple opens up with a juicy blend of fruits. Mainly, it’s the pear and the bright bergamot. Bitter orange is present, but doesn’t ever seem to pop like the other two.

Underneath that, you’re going to get some of its floral notes from the start too. First thing that I notice, is the purple freesia. It adds a further aquatic kind of aroma to the top fruity notes.

Purple is another fresh and clean perfume. The muskiness here isn’t all that great, however, and it doesn’t veer completely into a straight body wash sort of wear. Though, it can straddle that line.

Purple is sweeter than I thought it’d be. Kind of balanced with a cedar freshness and the various types of ‘amber’ notes that emerge from the base. Never feel too heavy, but they are there.

Pear, bergamot, and ambroxan with the impression of floral notes. The middle notes never seem to become all that distinct in the mix. Yes, that freesia, but even that falls back into a floral blend.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The reach of this one isn’t a ‘smell you in the next room type’ of perfume. Though, this does have a decent amount of projection, safe to call it a bit above average.

It’s not a heavy fragrance. Lighter to moderate without ever bogging you down with its scent.

On my skin, I get just above 6 hours. Like around 6.5, it just doesn’t go beyond that for me during the times that I tested this Versace out.

Dylan Purple does have a more youthful vibe. The clean, fruity, and simplistic scent tends to do that. As such, this could be a great option for the younger set. Probably a bit more towards that side of the spectrum than say Dylan Turquoise.

But, it’s not so immature that someone older couldn’t wear it. If you want this kind of clean-ish and borderline shampoo type of perfume, this is a good mainstream bet that isn’t super expensive.

Purple is a daily wear fragrance or one that you can put on casually. It’s not a super sexy nightlife wear or a serious formal affair.

dylan purple review

Overall Impressions of Dylan Purple

Overall, do I like Dylan Purple? Yes, I do. I’m not too high on any of the Dylan Pour Femme scents. However, I do like them all to some extent. This, might be my favorite (this or Blue).

None really stand out as being great to me, though.

Yes, it’s not all that complicated and the fruitiness comes doesn’t come across as naturalistic. But, I really do enjoy the way that it smells, way more than my first impressions. I kept right on wanting to smell Purple throughout the day.

I think the sweetness is what keeps me into it. That and the overall balance of the notes. It doesn’t feel hyper-fresh on me or ever like it’s too much to stand any longer.

The performance is pretty mid. Not going to be anything to write home about. It’s good enough for most purposes, so, if you like the smell of Purple it shouldn’t be too much of a disappointment.

If you liked the rest of this series, you’ll probably enjoy Purple. If you didn’t, I don’t think this will change your mind, since it doesn’t do anything radically different.