Prada

 Paradoxe Intense Eau de Parfum 2-Piece Gift Set

Most Helpful Positive Review

Unique and interesting, excellent quality, shifting fragr...

*I received this product for free from Prada and Influenster in exchange for my honest review.* I received the 50ml bottle of Prada's Paradoxe Intense EDP and I must say the packaging and bottle are superb! The bottle is the Prada triangle with their coat of arms on it and the glass is super thick. ... It's great for gifting as is. So, this review is complex for me and it's because this scent is complex to me. When I first apply it, it is AMAZING. The main notes are Jasmine and neroli (a floral scent with orange), and amber (Ambrofix™M, which is a bio-converted amber), and intense white musks (Serenolide™, a revolutionary new musk molecule). I also at times get a hint of pear when first applied. But all of this blends perfectly and the scent is intoxicating! Sadly, this doesn't last long. It may be my body chemistry but within 10-30 minutes the sweet smell quickly dissipates and I'm left with an earthy, musky smell that stays for several hours. As someone who loves sweet tones, this is disappointing but the longevity of the perfume is about the best I've ever had in my life. If Prada could've maintained the longevity of the mixture you experience when first applied, i would be obsessed with this EDP. Now, my sister loves this scent. She loves the long lasting musk tones that I don't hate but definitely don't love. I've smelled far worse and I think once I experience the euphoria of my desired fragrance when this is first applied, only for it to fade fast, this makes me dislike the musky earth notes that become more prominent as my desired smell fades away even more...I found myself wanting the sweet smell back! But all in all, it isn't a bad aroma. It's just not my desired one. Saying this, I give mad props to Prada for longevity. For approximately 2 weeks I applied 1-2 sprays daily. I did as the Prada website said and applied it to the backs of my knees and the bends of my arms and didn't rub it because it will cause it to breakdown and wear off quicker. I also at times applied it to my wrists and neck area and it did fade a lot quicker so for longer lasting scent do as Prada recommends and you'll easily get hours more of smelling delicious! It does not take much of this product at all. I applied usually 1 spray and it was enough. Sometimes I did 2 but more than 2 sprays and it'll be too much. The fragrance dies down and absorbs quickly. The initial fragrance smells amazing and most people immediately complimented me. That faded on me within 10-30 minutes but I still got complements despite it shifting tones to a more musky note. Now, along with excellent longevity, Prada killed it with the intensity of this scent. As a nurse, it is hard to find fragrances that I can wear to work daily due to people having sensitivities to smells. This perfume is so soft, yet still fragrant, that I can wear it to work without it being overwhelming and I still get compliments. This is a big factor for me when deciding on fragrances because intensity is usually a key factor most brands can just not get right and Prada has got it right with their Paradoxe Intense. Add to the perfect intensity that the longevity is about 6-8 hours and those factors alone are enough for me to be sold on it because it's hard to find good quality fragrances that last all day. It depends on my level of activity and where I apply it, but most days I got 6-8 hours of wear with this product. Prior to this, I average 3 hours max longevity on most fragrances. It's so hard to find one that even is fragrant enough to smell or one that lasts past 2-3 hours that I don't buy perfumes much anymore. So this window of longevity by Prada blew my mind and made me fall in love with this scent even if it isn't the sweet tones I prefer. It's worth the money just because it does its job and it is good quality!! And finally before I leave y'all confused even more (LOL) one last oddity is how versatile this scent is on me because I've never experienced anything like it. I'm not even saying, it's a bad thing, it's just odd and different. This fragrance varied on me from day to day. I could wear it today and tomorrow it would smell completely different. It also does this on my mother, I don't know why. Maybe it's our body chemistry? I've just never experienced such a variation in a perfume from day to day and it is exciting because you don't know what to expect. Maybe it's due to all the different notes and tones or the newer musk molecules and new amber molecules being implemented into this product and they breakdown differently than older versions? I don't know but it's it bad. Just different. But it's because of this variation that its hard for me to explain it clearly and concisely but I hope I conveyed my experience with it. I'll end with this: I don't love musky earth scents most times but this product is so well made and is so delicate yet strong enough to last all day and the price isn't bad for the amount...despite it not being my favorite type of fragrance I would still purchase this due to it's different and very well made in all aspects. Prada gained a fan with this and I'm hard to please with fragrances. They even won me over with a scent I'm not crazy about but it's so unique and feminine and light yet bold...if you're torn, buy it. I may splurge for the first time in a decade and try the original Paradoxe by Prada. It's worth the money and it surpasses other competitors brands due to its longevity and perfect intensity which is hard to get exactly right for most fragrances. It's also reasonably priced for the quality and amount. If you want a designer fragrance, try this one first. You won't be disappointed. Surprised a tad confused maybe, but not disappointed.