Review

Joy intense opened with a punch of bergamot, bitter but not fresh, and a sweet, thick cloud of musk. Then came the floral heart - the over-blended rose + jasmine combo from the original Joy, only heavier, and without any charm. The accord just sat there, robust but flat - in typical “intense” flanker fashion. The base, with vanilla, sandalwood and tonka, wrapped up the scent with the same issue, each note stripped of its nuances, then smashed together in a powdery, woody mess of blah. What an uninspired scent! Joy Intense takes all of original Joy’s weak points and dials them up to eleven. It is blurry and opaque, has even less facets than the simple original (I actually miss the shampooey hint of peach!), and lacks any prettyness Joy at least had³.While Joy smells like a more plasticky, simpler but airier Chanel Allure, Joy Intense is more like a lesser-quality retake on Dior Poison Girl (EdP), or a warmer, (even) muskier Lancôme Idôle. At the far drydown it gets a bit better, with the sandalwood and tonka finally showing a bit of their flair. At that point, it reminds me of Zadig & Voltaire Girls Can Say Anything - another powdery tonka scent that feels less unbalanced as the drydown mellows it down.

Fragrance Impressions

Conclusion

I wish I could close this review with some brighter points, as I don’t like to be negative. I also see a lot of people seem to prefer Joy Intense to the original, but… I really can’t say I do, or that I personally liked this fragrance at all. As with othe...