Name: Play For Her
Brand: Givenchy
Size: 1.0z
Price: $47.50
What I liked:
- pretty and modern packaging
- if you like very sweet, floral fragrances, this is for you
What I didn’t like:
- way too sweet scent
- very simple and not unique blend
- not that longlasting
Givenchy Play For Her Fragrance caught my eye as soon as it was released. And that’s not surprising when you look at the packaging. The bottle is shaped like a mp3 player, is pink, girly and geeky at the same time (because you can be both smart and pretty) and would be the perfect accessory for any modern girl. I think Givenchy aimed to appeal to a younger audience with this perfume and packaging-wise, they have done a great job at that.
Too bad the scent stinks.
Now, I’m always hesitant to give fragrances a bad rating because I’m aware that perfume is such a personal thing and because it reacts with body chemistry, it’s just gonna smell a bit differently on everyone. But Play For Her not only didn’t agree with my body chemistry and just enveloped me in this overly-sweet, stinky bubble (which thankfully didn’t last for long), but it’s so simple and unoriginal too! It smells like something that’s been done again, and again and again… and again..
Play For Her is described as a woody, floral fruity fragrance but on me, it’s just disgustingly sweet. The top notes are a mix of sweet pea and peach that are just overpowering and really, really sweet. I smelled like I had just spent an entire day in a candy shop, which may be fine for kids, but I’m 28 and would love to smell more mature and sophisticated. Thankfully, the top notes are very volatile and disappeared after 10 minutes.
After that, the scent evolved, but it didn’t get that much better. The middle notes are a very sweet floral blend of tiare and magnolia flowers, but these too didn’t last long. The base notes were supposed to be a mix of musky and sandalwood notes (which I love) but all my nose smelt was amber. All too soon, the fragrance had disappeared completely.
Overall, this is a very simple blend. It’s not complex at all and you can only smell a few notes throughout the fragrance, all of which are just too sweet. The notes may be changing, but the sweetness remains. And yes, I know that I used the word sweet 100 times in this review, but there is just no other way to describe it. So, unless you like overly sweet scents and don’t mind reapplying throughout the day, you may like this. Everyone else, just avoid it. And do get a sample before purchasing or you may be stuck with a stinking fragrance!
What a shame, as the bottle would have looked so pretty on my vanity. *Sighs*
Available at: Givenchy counters, Sephora stores
Summary
If you like disgustingly, overly sweet fragrances that seem to nauseate most people, Givenchy Play For Her is for you. But considering how simple and unoriginal the scent is, smelling just like a lot of other scents out there, how little it lasts on the skin and how sweet it is, I see very little reason to purchase it. At least, the packaging is cute and edgy.
Rating: 2/5
Disclaimer: I got a sample of this product at my local beauty store. The review is based on my own personal and honest experience with the product. For more information, please see my disclaimer.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the honest take on this perfume. Too bad, the packaging looks awfully cool and modern!
LOL at “disgustingly,sweet”. I suddenly remember how disgusted I am with perky and sweet girls who flirt around. haha.
And thanks too for wishing me well. I hope you’re enjoying the start of this year! More power!
Herroyalbleakness, the packaging is beautiful and so cool. I really wanted to like the fragrance as well but it’s too sweet and unoriginal. I kept hoping that has the middle and base notes emerged, the scent would get better but it didn’t.
Awww thank you! I hope the year has started well for you too and that 2011 will be wonderful for you!
You’re right. It’s really hard to judge a fragrance. You don’t like sweet. I do. But I’m glad you mentioned the lack of depth and how it doesn’t last. Too bad!
Trisha´s last [type] ..Urban Decay 15-Anniversary 24-7 Pencil Set- I Want It!
Trisha, if the only “bad” thing about this fragrance had been its sweetness I would have given it a higher rating, because even though I really dislike very sweet scents I know other people love it. And when reviewing a product, I do share my personal experience with it, but also try to be objective as much as possible, especially in the overall rating, as I wouldn’t wanna to rate badly a good product just because it didn’t suit my tastes.
But what really disaappointed me is how little it lasted and how all the notes were very similar and the scent never really changed. What a shame!
Honestly, I don’t even like the bottle that much. My idea of a pretty perfume bottle is something along the lines of Chloe EDT. I actually like peach scents (lovee Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger) but combined with sweet pea, it might be a bit much. Too bad it didn’t work out for you
Makeup Morsels´s last [type] ..Outlet Haul
Makeup Morsels, I can see why you don’t like the packaging. I think it’s beautiful, cool and girly but it’s so different from traditional perfume bottles that it won’t suit everyone’s tastes. I like peach scents but I agree it’s too sweet when combined with sweat pea and the rest of the notes (not that you could smell that many really as it such a simple, unoriginal blend) aren’t much better either.
ooh too bad it was sickly sweet. i thought the ad with JT was kinda cool
xin´s last [type] ..Acne Buster- Kielh’s Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment
Xin, I love the ad too and I was hoping this would be a wonderful, modern scent but it only way too sweet!
I actually like the smell only complaint that it doesn’t last long.
Dez, I’m glad you like the smell. It’s a shame about the staying power I agree. It fades too fast.
I really like the bottle but I am not so happy that it doesn’t last long. The sweetness is okay.
Jessica, the bottle is pretty, I agree. I don’t like how sweet it is but it’s still a shame that the scent fades so fast.