Burberry Goddess VS Burberry Goddess Intense

I admit, I initially rejected Goddess. When this fragrance first came out, it didn't make a strong impression on me. When I saw it among the leaders of the Fragrantica Reader's Choice Awards, I patiently waited for it to be displaced from its pedestal, I waited and waited... But it remained, and won the Best Women's Fragrance of the Year category! To my great surprise. Frankly, I was in no hurry to get acquainted with its lightning-fast flanker, or to return to the original, but the voting results made me reconsider my opinion. That incident with Turin also contributed. In recent years, I've become a bit jaded, forgetting that not every perfume has to be a critically acclaimed masterpiece and/or a new word in perfumery. Goddess is not a fragrance for perfume addicts.

Well, this bottle has adorned the extensive collections of many passionate fans of perfumery, but it still remains a rather functional aroma. This is not a conceptual work of art, but simply a pleasant, comfortable smell that does not irritate anyone. This is a universal gift that will be liked by almost anyone, except for the pampered perfume maniac. This is the scent that those who are not obsessed with perfume want. Without sharp corners, not too intrusive, friendly, simple and warm. Everyday. Most people looking at the shelves of local perfume shops are not looking for the smell of wet leaves, metal, burning rubber or any other exotic. They don't want the perfume to be unusual and strange. They want him to be just nice! Moreover, in fact, even many people who are obsessed with perfumery also want to have a pleasant aroma in their collection!

It's ironic that Goddess (the Goddess) is anything but divine. At her core, she's a simple woman, sweet, modest, and lovable—someone with whom everyone can identify; someone with whom you always feel at ease and comfortable.

These days, it seems like there's no flagship fragrance without an Intense flanker. It feels like every fragrance is inherently insufficiently good. Every everyday perfume is like Peter Parker, who needs to be bitten by a radioactive spider to transform him from a sweet guy into superhuman. However, Goddess Intense truly solves the 'problem' of its predecessor, adding depth, transforming the composition from flat to more voluminous. The flanker opens with a much brighter lemon note (I know it's not listed in the pyramid, but I definitely smell it). The lavender here is sharper, brighter, more fragrant, enhanced by woody notes of patchouli. In the warm amber base, I detect an interesting, cool hint of mint. In my opinion, unlike many other flankers, Goddess Intense is a genuine improvement on the original, less synthetic, more naturalistic and lively thanks to its herbal overtones. Of course, it’s not Lavandes Trianon – Goddess Intense is not as creamy, soft and languid; it reminds me more of Libre Le Parfum, only with more fragrant herbs and less plastic.

Despite recently praising more subtle and elegant scents (which, alas, quickly evaporate from my skin), I sheepishly admit that I prefer Goddess Intense to most of them. It's more ambery, golden, and sunny than its predecessor, and much more long-lasting; I washed my hands six times while cooking dinner, and the original Goddess had almost completely disappeared from my skin, but Intense was still clearly present. However, it can do strange things, which I've noticed with some other woody-amber scents – coconut sometimes appears out of nowhere. I'm sure this 'effect' is unintended and is the result of some ingredient/chemical in the formula interacting with 'skin chemistry'. I can't say it's particularly unpleasant, but it's slightly... inappropriate. (This often happens with Dr. Vranjes Ambra when I wear it on my skin.) But even with that hidden coconut, I still prefer Goddess Intense to the original.