My first Prada perfume was Amber pour Homme. I still remember when that light purplish water came to store, its powdery-sweet-soapy-fresh accord drew me instantly. There were no iris in there, yet the dustiness, creaminess, and butter-ness were so dominant, the kind of redolence that floods the room where you stayed, with no comparable siblings at that time. In hindsight, I realized I was going through Nirvanolides molecule, with its intense musky, fruity, powdery, soapy odor with lactonic nuances.
So, today I have another record from the Prada range of men’s fragrances, and one of the flankers to the original Prada L’Homme: Prada L’Homme Intense. A more deep version of the original fragrance, this is an alluring woody scent for men, floriental I would say. It's creamier, for one, and much more pungent and heady while the first was light and almost ethereal. It has the equivalent DNA of the original, yet three assertive notes stand out, viz leather, patchouli, and roasted tonka. Even though the last years saw new original releases from the major designers (Dior Sauvage, Saint Laurent Y, Prada L’Homme), they have been tormented with practically no creativity. We’ve been seeing the same focus-group approved crowd-pleasers that smell mostly the same, with main notes that turn around synthetic ambroxan and iso-e super. Of course, I love both, yet the different designer scents, in the end, result in a sort of deja-vu.
L'Homme Intense begins with that familiar buttery iris note, with its powdery aroma, and a glowing amber accord plus smoothly rich leather, which makes it fascinating. More, there is a touch of patchouli and the blend smells unusual in a good way. It’s very nice and has a striking darker profile than does the original L’Homme. The initial notes of L’Homme Intense smell surprising good. The quality iris is unmistakable in the opening.
The middle notes of leather and patchouli give it a distinctly masculine smell. It’s so classy and smooth, with the leather and amber, being the next most powerful notes. Though, I’d put the amber at number three. From here, it is pretty linear and doesn’t develop much beyond this.
Further along in the wear, I get to hit a base of sandalwood and tonka bean that finish it out with a hint the orient. Sweet tonka takes over. The accord is pleasant but I didn’t expect it to dominate the composition so quickly. I really appreciate how subtle these later notes are and how they simply enhance the overall vibe of an already fantastic smelling cologne. Unexpectedly, I detected a faint scent of creamy iris. It's subtle and unobtrusive. Anyhow, I smell a stronger presence of vanilla, likely the listed amber accord.
This scent is clean, warm, and sweet with the inclusion of a roasted tonka bean note for good measure. I like how dry the composition is and how the amber sort of soaks the iris. Projection wise, I find the sillage to be on the upper end of moderate. It’s not a heavy scent, but it projects well, just not crazy so. The performance is very good, regardless, and you or other people will notice this juice on you. The longevity for me hits around several hours, which is great for just about any purpose. Seasonally, L’Homme Intense strikes me as a cold-weather scent, with the ability to be worn in more mild warmth. I do feel it is a bit more limited than the original L’Homme, in this regard, but if you want to wear it at its absolute best, it should be colder. I think it is an amazing fragrance. It’s got enough closeness to the original to be familiar, while also adding new elements, to stand on its own.
-Elysium