Club de Nuit Intense Man is one of the first colognes I bought to try out. Released in 2015, it is advertised as a woodsy spicy scent. This cologne is made by Armaf, a perfume brand from the United Arab Emirates, and is manufactured by Sterling Parfums.
I’ve never heard of Armaf, but after reading their site I like their philosophy of scents. Scents are moments carved into our memories that lock in our desires and feelings of the best parts of our lives. That sounds very French!
The main thing about Club de Nuit Intense Man is that it is supposed to be a duplicate of the popular Creed Aventus. It claims to mimic the fruity pineapple lemon notes plus rich smokiness to create a masculine luxurious fragrance.
Overview and First Impressions
We bought a 3.6 oz bottle. Intense Man comes in a nice clean all black box. When you open it, the bottle has a squarish, heavy glass look which gives it a high end feel.
After spraying it on, first impressions are strongly clean, fresh, and not typical.
What does Club de Nuit Intense Man smell like?
According to the manufacturer there are 3 sets of notes.
- Top notes: Pineapple, bergamot, lemon, black currant, and apple; the fruits are definitely appealing.
- Heart notes: Rose, jasmine, and birch; offers up some softness
- Base notes: Vanilla, musk, ambergris, and patchouli; keeps things masculine
When we first sprayed it on my wrists, it initially smelled like a strong yet fresh bitter sweet scent. It’s masculine but in a twist of a way. After 30 minutes, it was intimate and more masculine with a smoother fresh scent.
My wife, on the other hand, felt like it smelled like a cleaning agent. It was like clean restrooms or kitchens! To her, not what she expects from a masculine mens cologne.
How long does Club de Nuit Intense Man last?
The nice thing about Intense Man is it has great longevity. I sprayed it at night to test out, and in the morning, I could still smell traces of it. It persisted even after showering!
This is impressive because the bottle we tested was an eau de toilette, which usually has a smaller concentration of the perfume oil. You probably only need 1 maybe 2 sprays to get about 6-10 hours out of it.
Best season and occasion to wear Club De Nuit Intense Man
Intense Man is likely a fragrance best suited for outings, going on a date, and even formal events where you want the world to know you have arrived.
The office may be too close quarters. As an everyday scent, you could probably definitely swing that too.
It also can work for any season. The citrus pops in the summer months, while the richness of the base notes and its longevity make it an option in winter months.
How versatile is it?
Ok so what kind of guy will like Intense Man? It’s hard for me to tell if there’s a particular age group that will like it. That’s probably more personal.
But if you like citrus, lemons and you’ve tried Creed Aventus then this may work for you. If you like being noticed and people turning their heads to look at you twice then this may be for you.
It seems like many like it for the compliments they get. But wearers recognize that the initial opening lemon scent is tough to handle, though will fade off pretty quickly. Some like the remaining scent and some don’t.
For example, one reviewer described it as “a sharp bleach-like scent” in the beginning. Ouch.
Some die hard Creed fans also think Club de Nuit Intense Man does a poor job of mimicking while others know it’s not perfect but don’t care because it’s so cheap in comparison.
Value for Money
We love that you can get the scent profile of Aventus Creed (or close to it) which is priced around the $400-1000 range, for a fraction of the cost at less than $50 with Intense Man!
And while it’s not exactly the perfect duplicate from opening to dry down, it’s still pretty close.
Final Thoughts and Ranking
Overall, I think Club de Nuit Intense Man is a nice fragrance. I give it a rank 4 out of 5. Why?
The scent profile is masculine and fresh and interesting to me. Yes the initial hit is major cleaners mode but it settles down eventually. The longevity is excellent and you can wear it on various occasions.
Did it make me feel anything special? Not really. And my wife wasn’t a fan. The brand I’ve never heard of either but I like their philosophy. So a 4 is the best it can get.
I would say to definitely get a sample first and try it out on your own skin before committing. On the other hand, the bottle is so cheap that you could take a chance on it.
Chris is a pharmacist, father, husband, investor and all around warrior. He enjoys the finer things including the vast array of mens fragrances. When he’s not being dragged to the mall by his wife to try out new clothes and colognes he is reading on global finance or playing Pokemon cards with his two boys!