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Bag Elf – :
Purchased a small curvy bottle that has a metal cap with red ring…was only 1/4 full but a dollar well spent! The juice is dark and rich in color. Oh my!…This is spicy sexy stuff! Powdery sandalwood with pinches of oakmoss and creamy floral notes all held by a musky sensual hug….I’m in love!
Lunatiq – :
intimate by Revlon is truly a beautifully crafted masterpiece! do yourself a favor and get the one by Revlon, maybe a bit pricer on ebay by the more recent rendentions of the same name.
RomaTerya – :
musky, dark chypre; the musk and civet saves it from the oakmoss; mine is perfume oil concentrate; aldehydes and pheremones and musk
dandypost – :
FYI- the cheap Jean Phillippe Intimate Musk has NOTHING to do with Intimate. I was thinking a light/musky version, but it’s a boring watery skin musk that lasts 30 min. Bummer.
ivan1234567890 – :
How strange this wonderful vintage perfume is!
I get slightly different smells with each version/bottle! And I am talking about the Revlon ones! I don’t think it’s the formula/reformulations… I believe this ages differently.
Today I got a 4 oz Revlon cologne and it’s a LOT like the damp greenery/moss of Mitsouko! (also like the pine-green-moss I got from the Jean Phillipe version) These smell the most dated IMO. Like an old basement– in a good way!
I got a 8 ounce cologne (1/2 full) off ebay with a purple cap and that smells really citrusy and aldehydic with florals. (The top notes last until the perfume is no longer detected on skin, so I’m thinking this Revlon cologne is newer and therefore the top notes are still fresh? Or else this one was stored better?)
The vintage EDT and some colognes (cut glass bottle, gold cap) smell just like Miss Dior vintage. I believe these bottles to by my oldest. Very 60s.
All I know is… I like each one very much! And when I see Revlon Intimate on ebay for a great price– I snag it!
A vintage EDP (huge bottle) hasn’t come yet… I will add/edit this entry to review that as well.
If anyone needs an Intimate expert– just message me! Haha!
cewengava – :
I really love the Revlon, so for $9 I blind bought the Jean Phillipe.
So not close. But… (I’ll explain)
I have vintage EDT and vintage cologne, and both are very Miss Dior (vintage) to me. Mossy woody musky antique dusty aldehydes. A bit like Timeless, but I find Timeless very powerful and masculine until it calms down.
This JP EDT is nothing like that. It’s still a very very dated woody-musty antique smell, and the biggest difference is a very Pine like green smell. Sharp green pine. But I like it. It’s so dated that it feels homey and cozy. Lasts a long time and dries down less piney and more musky.
OMG! I just snagged a 6 ounce Eau De Parfum vintage from Revlon! No clue they made EDP! I’m soooo excited!
buharov79 – :
I obtained a big-big bottle today from ebay – mind you, it`s not Revlon, it`s from Jean Philippe now – and on opening the simple and not-so-fancy-looking lilac colored box this amazing bottle pops out. And the initial thought I get here is `I`ve seen this somewhere already`..
But no. The truth is I`ve seen one or two very similar looking bottles of different sizes in my mum`s beauty cabinet and my granny`s bathroom shelf back in the day when I was a child/teenager. This was the 80s, when my country still belonged to the `Eastern Block` thus Revlon or any other western brands were scarce enough and pricey also by the time they made it to smaller towns therefore a lot of toiletries were made locally or exchanged between the countries, including the Soviet Union – a lot of cologne came from there. So the bottles I`ve seen must have been one of these – quite similar, but not the same; different color cap, white label all the way around the bottom of the bottle. I` pretty much by the time I`ve first discovered these, they were at least 10 or 15 years there..
On opening the bottle and spraying I must confirm: the scent is haunting – also similar as those colognes coming from the USSR! So they must have made a good enough copy!
It is a vintage scent alright, in every sense. The opening is an oakmoss blast with aldehydes and bergamot, within cca 10 minutes or so these notes get subdued and make way for the animalic civet, castoreum and amber. You can clearly make out the sandalwood also. I can`t really smell rose as such, the flowers must play a supporting role here. There is a masculine edge to this perfume in the dry-down – possibly because my nose is more used to less woody and animalic offerings..As it fades is starts to smell more and more like lipstick and powder used to in my childhood! Definitely a throwback!
My partner says it`s `a horrible granny scent` – so I won`t be wearing it near him.
To me because of my reference point it`s always going to be one that my mum and grandma wore, even if it was only a knock-off..Although it isn`t really truly a rich and complex scent, it does last due to the strong notes – it will be a cherished piece in my collection and I will spray it on the odd time. Someone said it before that it`s a scent you have to be dressed up for – totally true. Not for trainers and cardigan, a sexy nightdress if anything.;-)
morkvi.net – :
I love vintage perfumes for that “old” fashioned smell, and my search/obsession brought me to Intimate by Revlon. I have a long/tall skinny bottle of splash EDT and a big 8oz of cologne (both great deals on ebay).
I’m not a huge fan of Timeless by Avon. I found it masculine, and I only bought Timeless because of the comparison to Vol de Nuit by Guerlain (VdN is a HUGE LOVE for me, but lacks sillage/potency in the current EDT). I do not find Timeless like VdN. But… Timeless has it’s charm after all, and I found it lovely in winter.
Now to Intimate. Mmmmmmmm…. the EDT first… a tiny dab on my wrist. Love it! At first is HELLA strong and much like Timeless… but I find it more like vintage Miss Dior and that makes me VERY happy. I Looooove vintage Miss Dior. I can’t wait to get home and wear Intimate proper. (I plan on putting the vintage cologne into a 1oz atomizer and the EDT into a 5ml atomizer). I would call this woody/aldehydes/animal/musky.
Missing the GREEN of Miss Dior, but this is still a solid vintage scent. I like my vintages for relaxing, reading, winter, housework… they make me feel like I’m from another era, in a diff place… they put me in a good mood. I wear vintages for ME.
Whoa. The cologne is actually stronger/better IMO when tested on skin. Nice. I have about 5 oz left in an 8 oz cut glass, screw-top, splash bottle.
re341k – :
Today, I’ve been doing a left wrist/right wrist comparison of the Revlon cologne (circa 1990’s) vs the current version of the edt by Jean Phillipe. A more accurate test would be to use the same concentrations, but this is what I have. Also, I’m not familiar with the “real” vintage INTIMATE (this fragrance has been around since the mid 1950’s).
Surprisingly, despite reformulations and the change of manufacturer/distributer, the new INTIMATE is almost the same as the 1990’s one. The major difference to me is that the older version is a tad warmer and has just a tiny touch more spice, while the newer one has a slightly stronger aldehyde presence (although both are rich in aldehydes).
INTIMATE is a perfume-y fragrance and it is difficult to pick out individual notes. It’s not sweet. I find it to be polished, sophisticated and versatile. Sillage is on the softer side of moderate after dry-down. Longevity is pretty good, although the modern one actually lasts slightly longer.
aleh – :
Intimate (1955) By Revlon
This was one of the fragrances that made it into my collection of Orientals in the 1950’s when I was hooked by the romantic escapism of such perfumes as Shalimar, Emeraude My Sin, Scandal, Bandit, Tabu, and Persian Wood among others. Intimate is a beautiful and very complex fragrance with everything that makes a fragrance full-bodied, rich, luxurious, powerful, long lasting and multifaceted. More than anything, perfumes like this remind me of better days in the past and also make me dream and fire up my imagination as if I was wearing a vintage expensive haute couture and living a more glamorous lifestyle – in the 50’s! The vintages can still be found through sellers on eBay but look for full or close to full bottles otherwise you’ll be stuck with the older remnants that are not quite the same. This came in a cylinder bottle that almost looks like lipstick. Revlon was and is mostly known as a cosmetic manufacturing company and not for their perfume but their perfume reflects the glamour and fashion of a vintage wardrobe with eye make up, powder, and rouge. This is definitely a woman who is well-dressed and a VIP fragrance. It smells like Jackie Kennedy dressed like a million bucks going to the Inauguration Ball in 1961, or like Elizabeth Taylor in an evening gown and sparkling diamond jewelry attending the Oscars. Such a fantastic scent.
The opening is aldehydes fresh and very old fashioned with a zesty orange courtesy of bergamot. It doesn’t seem to be too citrusy for me as it turns into a floral and powdery scent rather quickly. There’s a creamy gardenia, and an additional white floral of jasmine, both gardenia and jasmine are incredible when they are allowed to be more fragrant and less timid as notes. Here these flowers are strong and carnal, fleshy, blending in with the dry notes of moss and musky civet. The rose and iris note give the fragrance just the right amount of powder and a boudoir and make-up aroma. But it’s warm, spicy with coriander, musky, green, with herbaceous patchouli and tons of moss. This scent crosses over into unisex territory with leather and castoreum civet notes which are as animalic and assertive as such unisex vintages as Bal a Versailles, Avon’s Occur! This also reminds me a bit of Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion. So yes it’s that kind of dark floral Oriental, with woods and spices and roaring musk. Oh, also, ladies, this is very strong so it takes a strong woman to wear this and wear it well. Too much for wearing to Church and seems suited to autumn and winter to black tie galas and dinner parties, wedding receptions, but always best when worn directly on the skin as a splash and with subtlety. In today’s context this is a mature fragrance but it can be worn and appreciated by vintage fans and collectors of any age group, social class, or race. That’s the great thing about perfume. It’s a universal love. Intimate is gorgeous and very distinctive so if you wear this when no one else wears it, just think of how special it is!.
breerlofe – :
The version I have is Jean Philippe. It certainly smells like a ‘vintage ‘ perfume to me, in style. Someone (there’s a long list of reviews-sorry not to mention you by name) says think Mad Men, and that description is perfect. I was watching it today and it fits perfectly. Next time I watch I will put this on! I can see my partner HATING it but I like it.
It smells like what you think of when someone says perfume as a child, only without too much of what perfumed talc smelled like back then. I can honestly say that I expected fully to be disappointed by this ( a la vintage Babe) but it’s fantastic.
hke217bedyWelty – :
Revlon Intimate 60’s extrait .5 faceted square bottle, black screw topper, gold “R” on top.
At the time Revlon Intimate was released, Revlon had a department store presence. The bottle and box are absolutely gorgeous, not like the later renditions.
This is an animalic floral chypre. Its along the lines of Chanel N.5 EDC and Piguet Visa vintage. Revlon has jasmine , rose, civet triumverate but also gardenia and other florals for richness.
This is a perfect example on how animalics are to be used in an animalic floral chypre. The castorum is never abrasive and gives off a beautiful leather nuance. The civet makes this warm and cuddly and supports the floral notes giving them depth and richess. The aldehydes, coriander, bergamot and gardenia add lift to an insanely animalic base.
Great animalic bases should act smooth as silk, not sharp to the nose and a touch of faint sweetness. I wish modern composers using animalics understood this. I dont think people would be turned off them so much in modern times if they knew how to properly tame these beautiful exotic beasts.
Intimate is a femme version of lutens MKK. It would serve as an incredible base for other perfumes that need sexy richness and depth.
The opening is reminicent of Balahe edt with the aldehyde coriander civet blast then Intimate descends into florals after rose and gardenia introduce the show. Its a dark floral animalic masterpiece. I can only imagine its grandeur with younger floral notes and citrus at its peak freshness of times gone by. Id venture this is the American answer to Lanvins Mega hit “My Sin”….Sexy.
Mihan87 – :
Fragrance Review For Intimate
Revlon
Top Notes
Aldehydes Gardenia Coriander Rose Bergamot
Middle Notes
Jasmine Sandalwood Patchouli Cedar Wood Orris
Base Notes
Musk Oak Moss Amber Castoreum Civet
Get Intimate With Your Fragrance
Intimate is a 1950’s seduction civet, a heady sandalwood, green patchouli, jasmine floral Oriental with a lot going on for the woman that had a lot going on. It would have been amazing on Bette Davis Joan Crawford Joan Collins, Elizabeth Taylor Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner. This is exactly the same kind of va va va voom fragrance for the sexiest no nonsense confident woman in both power suits and glamorous evening gowns. As CEO of my own company, this is the kind of fragrance I’m usually attracted to besides the fact that I’m a perfume slut for vintage fragrances that I’ve never heard of. I collect vintage fragrances the way some people collect antique pieces of decorative art. First of all wow. In 1955, women had the option to smell like this! How I envy them. Ah, when perfume was real perfume. This stuff lasts for hours and hours throughout the day or night and leaves a trail of sensuous longing, desire, and feminine allure.
The opening is an aldehyde of citric freshness with little floral touches of gardenia and a hint of coriander; not unlike the opening to Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion or Avon’s Occur; and also similar to Miss Dior Miss Balmain and perhaps even Fracas & Bandit. It has a classic aldehyde pure vintage opening. Today, it comes off as grandma’s perfume, mature but old fashioned, but never mind all that. What a beautiful aroma. If my grandmother were still alive, I would love to smell this on her. Not long after the aldehyde and citrus subsides, the powdery floral notes emerge. I get powder. There’s a strong dose of orris and iris, with roses and jasmine. The jasmine is the floral note that it keeps coming back to. It’s a night blooming jasmine; not too sweet, blooming with sensual silken white petals. I would call this a white floral because of the gardenia and jasmine, but it’s not a typical sweet white floral. The nature of the beast is more Oriental, and while classified as a chypre, I consider this to be a warm Oriental floral musk.
The progression of this perfume is quick, so it must be of a cologne concentration rather than a standard eau de parfum. Before long, the musky base notes begin their performance as the fragrance dries. This is also filled with other little wonders: green shrubs, patchouli leaves, a dash of grass, lily of the valley, cedar wood and sandalwood, oak moss. At this point, with woods that follow a rose scent, it reminds me of Coty’s Sophia. The woodsy notes are enough to make it a chypre but on me the patchouli-floral partnership is strongest so I still say this is Oriental. Then it turns musky with equal parts castoreum and civet. But it’s not the kind of stinky, skanky musk of Bal A Versailles. It’s not the leathery musk of Bandit either. It’s just a plain musk that can gradually turn into powder. The moss is also still very detectable at the dry down. This is a gorgeous powdery, womanly, erotic, sensuous dream of a perfume.
In my mind I picture a beautiful woman in 1950’s New York City, Manhattan, married, but bored, and has noticed how wearing Revlon’s Intimate has attracted a handsome stranger at work. Does she dare betray her husband and forget about her own home life with children and get into a hot affair with a lover? You bet your ass she goes for it. This perfume wants to be smelled by a lover. It’s musky skin, it’s jasmine headiness, it’s sex appeal, it’s female energy.
This is a perfume that cannot be ignored. And yet it’s simple, quite simple, linear, elegant, minimalistic and absolutely beautiful. It’s a less extreme version of other seduction bombs like Tabu by Dana or Lanvin’s My Sin and Scandal. Release your inner woman of the 1950’s with Revlon’s secret adultery-inducing fragrance Intimate. Of course no one has to know that you’ll use it for that purpose and you don’t have to either because it’s really for YOU to feel sexy enough to get any man you want. This perfume is in Technicolor and Maureen O’Hara has charmed the suits off Cary Grant!
Even when I don’t wear it I love to put my nose to the bottle. This perfume is available on eBay.
Immurltontamn – :
As a child in Jr. High I absolutely adored this fragrance. I have long since forgotten the smell but I know that at once (back then) I had to own it.
Py6JIb – :
Plenty and Ready
On first sniff, I thought, this girl is sex-crazy! This girl gets plenty and is ready for more. Granted, I was in the basement of my church, a good upstanding Presbyterian establishment, at the monster spring rummage sale. It was on a table of half used discontinued fragrances. Maybe the least hint of sensuality would be magnified in this place. So at first spray, a heavy sigh came out of the bottle, a hot pink tornado of yearning, doubtless the intense hunger, a country western style caterwaul several houses over. It intoned a longing for intimacy, so I guess somebody named it correctly back in 1955. It was an aphrodisiac for girls who didn’t bother to console John Paul Sartre and certainly didn’t dance with aethiests who talked about it.
This fragrance says, “Oh baby, just let me wander through the full-bloom garden in my birthday suit always just out of reach while the fraternity boys lose their minds for me, all of them hopeful how they might be able to afford my magnetism someday.” This is the scent that sings, wholeheartedly, with Connie Francis, “Where the Boys Are.” So while it is always frisky risky, it is also a deep melodic,lyrical classic. That is the feeling, and then it calms down a little, but it still stirs around hours later. it rustles like crisp heavy silk taffeta. No matter how still you sit, it rustles magically, like harmones. People look at you. Some of them wink. You whisper back innocently, not ever meaning to cause such a ruckus, pretending amnesia: What? Intimate is very coy.
The bottle was without label and no printing on the bottom of the bottle either. But the blind-folded angel with pretty little wings was on the cap. Hmm. Was this the forerunner of 60 Shades of Gray? She was not bound like S&M but sitting primly with ankles crossed, happy as a canary, ready for the next customer.
Just remember, if people accidentally touch you ever so softly, so innocently, you have been forewarned. Don’t flinch, be cool, even if you didn’t exactly ask for it. Just like the song, Where the Boys Are, is not a question. It’s not even a complete sentence, but we all get the idea.
I researched it as much a I could online. Created in 1955 for Revlon, and created by IFF, says one site, but IFF was not officially formed until 1958. So actually, it was probably created by the van Ameringen-Haebler faction of what later became IFF, International Flavors and Fragrances, NYC. Top notes are listed as bergamot and rose. The bergamot is not frictional but gives a pleasantly mixed up shook up girl feeling. I admit I like the thrill of puppy-love here, for florals that are hormonally enhanced by a sizzle of castoreum, activating the stuff with animalic power.
The first loud rush of the wolf whistle of the top notes fades quickly and leaves a very subtle amber sandalwood dry-down.
kingserg – :
This is a review for the Jean Philippe version. It starts off exactly like Avon’s Timeless which I love, it is a little bit spicier than that. Unfortunately, it then goes chalky on me, which is what happens when a perfume doesn’t suit my chemistry.
Sillage is heavy and longevity is long lasting.
I love the bottle, it’s so pretty!
Tronchoigon – :
Smoky-woody animalic and velvety fragrance. As a vintage lover I adore it, but must admit – same as Matchabelli’s Cachet(another big friend of mine) – it is for home and private wear, – this mossy civet just drags you into 19th century by big paws and some people might misinterpret your sweet nature for something intentionally bewitching, hidden behind this powerful fragrant attitude.
MeldMypewek – :
This was my first fragrance, back in the late 1960s. I keep a bottle around for nostalgia. It never was a top of the line fragrance ($4.00 for that first bottle) but it wasn’t bad either. It is the scent I wore at age fourteen, when I wanted to pretend that I was much more “mature” than I was. I still like the woody notes.
Faruh – :
This review is for the Jean Philippe version. Personally, I have no interest in seeking out vintage anything. This review is for the perfume lover who already has a strong collection, isn’t seeking a ‘signature’ fragrance and, most importantly, knows what they like. In this case, I know I like civets and the types of fragrance that employ civet. I’m not too fond of castoreum but like aldehydes even if they bug my nose. I go with the top three notes listed by reviewers in Fragantica because that seems to be what you get despite how the pyramid may or may not reflect agreement. Now, this isn’t Revlon’s version. I overcame my hesitation with ‘Jordache’ when I got over Chanel and Dior and wanted to be sacrilegious and buy fraud no. 5 and Poison. Actually, for about $5 those horrid bottles have redeeming qualities. Far too linear and heavy for my skin but I love to spritz them in the air. I love to smell them outside of their fat clouds. And, yes, they do smell remarkably similar. However, Intimate isn’t this case of forgery even though Jean Philippe is Jordache. This is a proper version of Intimate which is why it comes with no disclaimer. It is worthy of the name. You can still find this well below $15 for 3.3 oz on eBay. This is my civet fume for the ordinary spray of something I love. It isn’t for an extended smell away from home. Again, if you are looking to add a true find to an already awesome collection? Buy.
mikhajjlov81 – :
I acquired vintage Intimate in a lovely, still sealed “Voyager Duo” set with perfume and EDT. I can date my set thanks to finding a December 1961 Bridgeport Post newspaper ad offering last minute perfume gifts: “There’s no gift that flatters and thrills her as much as perfume” and showing the Intimate set along with bottles of Shalimar, Arpege, No.5. The Intimate Voyager Duo…$5.50 (In 2015 dollars, the set cost about $50: a nice but not extravagant gift.)
Both the EDT and perfume smell wonderful. Vintage Intimate is a complex womanly scent that always reminds me of my vintage Miss Dior. If you compare published notes, there’s a lot of overlap between these two great vintage scents, which share notes of gardenia, jasmine, patchouli, and oakmoss. But there are clear differences. Miss Dior opens greener than Intimate (galbanum, yeah!) and Intimate is a more rounded and warmer scent throughout their long evolution. I find patchouli to be a stronger presence in Miss Dior, along with a delightful suede-like roughness, while Intimate becomes more of a musky amber. They’re equally animalic, in my opinion, in different ways, but you can wear both of these vintages to the office
In short, If you like vintage Miss Dior, you should try vintage Intimate, but be sure to get vintage Revlon Intimate. I see the Jean Phillipe version of Intimate advertised at discounters as though it were the same perfume as the 1955 Revlon Intimate. It most certainly is not. The Jean Phillipe Intimate is a light modern floral musk.
Anduell – :
Intimate (the current formulation by Jean-Philippe) is an anomaly. First of all, I think “Intimate” is a great name for a perfume, but not this one… I could totally see Estee Lauder putting out an “Intimate” back in the 90s, and I can imagine numerous heads of marketing cursing this cheap perfume for having the name. The bottle, cap, and label are hilariously cheap and tacky and that actually makes me love it more. It’s endearing somehow. Like, if I paid $50 for Intimate and received that kind of packaging I’d be let down, but since it was only $12 or something ridiculous it seems kitschy. The perfume itself is very classical: warm, spicy, and powdery. It reminds me of a softer Youth-Dew. I LOVE Youth-Dew, but it is a monster and definitely not appropriate for every situation and can offend even when worn ultra-sparingly (I can’t wear it at all around my boyfriend’s sister whom I see often) so Intimate is a great stand-in for those times, when I’m craving that kind of scent.
Sergei_76 – :
Testing today a .5 oz splash EDT, from the 50s or 60s. This is a nice old one…I love it. I think my Grandma maybe wore it, or someone else I loved because it reminds me of someone good. I cannot make out the different notes but these olds ones are very different in that they dont throw out masses of aromachemicals at you from feet away. This is quite dry, and somewhat woody.and loaded with animal scents. There is no cloying musk though. It does smell typical of a vintage perfume. I think it is the aldehydes that make it sparkle a little. This perfume both reminds me of others and does not remind me of others at the same time, if that can be. If you like or are neutral to Chanel No 5., you would like this likely. I like it much better than Chanel No 5, but then again, I dont love Chanel No 5…This perfume has punch but it still quite subtle.
Today getting an Early Cachet vibe,,,,
gazonnn – :
Timeless is just a small hint from INTIMATE. The castoreum and civet, and, of course, pheromones, makes Intimate an unique, strong, potent and misterious scent. Grab it if you have the posibility, if you re sophisticated, tired of candies, marine, light florals and the tones of generic smells, give to Intimate a chance. Highly recommended.
DarkPes – :
This was my signature cologne in high school. I asked for it every Christmas. I wish Revlon still made it. I do not know why these great scents go away. The Jean Phillippe is okay, but not the same. The question is….will Revlon ever re own it back? and make it again? From make up to fragrance, they have served me well. On top of that, I even had a “Revlon” doll when I was seven. She was a striking blond with red lips and wore a red velvet dress…Wish I still had her….and the real cologne.
kelvin1807 – :
Just to say that Avon Timeless is far away from Intimate.Timeless is twin bro of Bourjois Ramage edc
Intimate is soft and elegant ,without the old lady feeling ,which Timeless is giving (ph matter).
Update: have found out that some batch can resemble to Avon Timeless.Oh ,what a complicated job ,smelling smelly things and putting them in the right shelve ,when formulas are NOT respected and ingredients loose quality along with the “evolution” of the human species and everything it touches for “emprovement” 🙁
Andrey251076 – :
Oh, bliss. I just acquired a big bottle of vintage EdT Intimate for a few pounds on ebay (I already have a little bottle of parfum). Was nervous of it since it has been used slightly and has no box, but I needn’t have worried. It’s in perfect condition :))
On the reverse of the label on the bottle, it says, “A fragrance cherished as one of the world’s seven great fragrances”. Quite a claim! And frankly not one I feel it altogether lives up to, but saying that it is still very, very good of its kind, and that kind is one I adore.
Intimate is largely about oakmoss for me. Very well blended, proper oakmoss, quite gentle, but permeating the structure from start to finish. So I would go as far as to say, you really must love a vintage chypre to appreciate this. I see there have been many comments about it being grassy, hay-barn and so on, and I get this completely. To me this is delicious!
Yes, the beginning is aldehydic floral, but not overwhelmingly so, and soon gives way to the variety of spices, woods and other basenote-type ingredients that characterise this composition.
It’s interesting to read that many reviewers have found it sweet. This must be the reformulation, since the vintage stuff is certainly not sweet. Dry, in fact. A little bracing and almost medicinal – but not quite. The sandalwood and amber add warmth, the patchouli makes it a little earthy. As for civet, I find it only a whisper (it’s more pronounced in the parfum I think, which also seems richer and smoother, as you would expect).
What did surprise me, especially considering the name “Intimate”, is that my husband doesn’t like it at all. To be fair I think he generally prefers my orientals to my strong vintage chypres so perhaps it’s not too astonishing. Still, men’s tastes seem to have changed quite a bit if this was once a man-magnet – can’t see too many men being attracted by this today!
Anyway, if you like this kind of thing and have the chance to grab a cheap vintage bottle I unhesitatingly suggest that you do just that. I don’t think you will be disappointed!
NatyKuznetsova – :
My Grandmother’s signature, I was happy to find a little bottle on ebay, brings back good memories, a warm, spicy fragrance. just right.
Simonagriikopl – :
Intimate was my mother’s signature scent when I was a teenager. I remember the bottle always sitting on her make up table and how much she loved it. I was thrilled to find a vintage unopened box online and bought it. Now that she’s gone, it’s both bittersweet and comforting to be able to spray a little of this perfume to remind me of her.
xsander – :
I remember smelling Intimate during my youth, there was plenty of it around, but probably it smelled too mature for me at the time. I discovered it for myself in the early 1990s, and immediately fell in love. There just is no other scent like this anywhere these days. And most likely you would have to buy a vintage bottle on ebay. As of a couple years ago, these bottles weren’t hard to find, and I did some stockpiling of my own. There are some more modern versions of Intimate out there which are a complete reformulation, some are similar to vintage, others were a completely different scent.
Intimate might have had other similar companions in its heyday (1950s-early 1960s), but as of right now, there is NOTHING like it around. I’m sure nearly everything in this perfume is probably now banned by the perfume industry. This won’t smell like anything in the dept. store, or in the small niche perfumers, most of which are pretty much just copying whatever trends are out there. For all the niche stuff I have smelled, a lot of it just didn’t smell like anything really all that different. Intimate IS different. You may not like it at all, but it is not like anything else you’ve smelled unless you’ve been around a long time or have been buying discontinued stuff on ebay.
The H & R Fragrance Guide also calls it a Floral/Animalic Chypre and it’s in the same category as Andron, Azuree, Bandit, Batsheba, Cabochard, Chimere, Courant, Cuir de Russie, Cachet, Empreinte, Epris, Fendi, Geminesse, Jolie Madame, La Nuit (PR),Mink & Pearls, Miss Balmain, Miss Dior, Montana, Mystere de Rochas, Occur, Cardin’s Paradoxe, Senchal, Parfum Rare by Jacomo, Parure, Scandal, Sikkim, Timeless, Trussardi Donna, Jil Sander’s Woman III, and Ysatis.
Top Notes: Aldehydes, supported by bergamot, rose, gardenia, coriander – overall impression is aldehydic
Middle: Jasmine, modified by orris, patchouli, sand