Oh, I have the honor of writing the first review for this fragrance. I have never actually owned a fragrance from Mind Games, but I have noticed their chess-like bottles once or twice.
Chess and perfume are not necessarily things you would immediately associate with one another. And even after reading the manufacturer's explanation, my feeling that chess and perfume still have little to do with each other has not changed much. "MIND GAMES combines the complex craftsmanship and strategic brilliance of chess with the innovative, hypnotic effect of perfumery." Well, okay, but what, for example, apples, nougat, rose and oak barrels specifically have to do with chess is not really explained in any particularly comprehensible way either.
Check Please starts promisingly, and I like the fruity-sweet nutty nougat opening. But after about an hour, I realize why Nutella is sold in a jar and not in an oak barrel. The woody note that appears then somehow smells rancid, and I do not like it at all. I have to wait until the drydown so that the creamy amber, vanilla and sandalwood mix can win me over again. Mind Games does not make much of an effort to explain how the ingredients relate to the game of chess. I see little connection there either. Unless you find a really old chessboard belonging to your grandfather in the attic. That could smell similarly rancid to the oak barrel accord. But I do not think this connection was intended by the manufacturer. Personally, I find it tends more towards the masculine side, but the statistics do not confirm this. 203 users on Parfumo, 49 percent of them women. So almost evenly balanced.
If I read correctly, this fragrance is an extrait. So it would be nice if the fragrance lasted as long as the longest chess game: "The longest official chess game in tournament history lasted 269 moves and ended in a draw in 1989 after more than 20 hours of play between Ivan Nikolić and Goran Arsović." But with four sprays on my neck, I was able to smell it on myself for about four hours. So my king fell considerably faster.
The bottle is probably the best thing about the fragrance. The chess association is immediately clear, without having to engage extensively with the manufacturer. The character of the fragrance does not really match the metallic, cool look, though; a wooden chess piece in a brown tone would have suited it better. Still, the theme was executed in a high-quality manner.
In terms of price, I have to make it clear right away that the fragrance does not justify its price. 270,- euros for 100ml is asking too much for such a mediocre fragrance. The bottle alone is worthy of this price range.
My grandfather was crazy about chess, my father already less so, and I have practically nothing to do with chess and prefer backgammon. Check Please will unfortunately not awaken a passion for the game in me.
