Narciso Rodriguez All of Me Intense Review: When More Isn’t Necessarily Better

My exploration of the Narciso Rodriguez All of Me collection continues. Apparently, I have developed a fascination with those pink perfume bottles that remind me of particularly glamorous bowling pins. I cannot entirely explain it, but they have a certain charm, and I am increasingly curious about the fragrances hiding inside them. At this rate, I might eventually have enough samples to organize a very sophisticated bowling tournament.

After testing the original All of Me Eau de Parfum, it was time to investigate All of Me Eau de Parfum Intense, the 2024 interpretation of the fragrance.

According to Narciso Rodriguez, this version celebrates individuality and self-expression with a bolder, more intense olfactory character. What that actually means in practical terms is anyone’s guess, but perfume marketing has never been particularly interested in keeping things simple.

Fortunately, I have a nose, some skin and a sample. Let’s see what happens.

Testing Narciso Rodriguez All of Me Intense: Another Sample, Another Adventure

For this review, I used a 3 ml sample prepared by the lovely sales assistants at my trusted perfume shop. Once again, they have demonstrated remarkable patience with my ongoing obsession with fragrances, beautiful bottles and the apparently urgent need to smell absolutely everything.

I tested All of Me Intense on my skin on more than one occasion, giving myself time to experience its development rather than judging it exclusively from the opening.

And I am particularly glad I did.

Because those first few minutes?

Well, Narciso, we need to talk.

An Opening That Makes My Nose Want to Resign

I can say with considerable confidence that the opening of Narciso Rodriguez All of Me Intense is not my favorite part of the experience.

The fragrance immediately feels intense, but unfortunately, not in a way that I find particularly pleasant. There is a sharpness to it that almost catches me off guard, accompanied by a prominent rose note that feels rather cold and piercing on my skin.

The first image that comes to mind is someone dragging their fingernails across a blackboard.

Yes, that unpleasant.

I realize this is not the most romantic comparison for a fragrance presented as a celebration of individuality, but apparently my nose has decided to express itself too. And since we are celebrating self-expression, I suppose it deserves to be heard.

I remember the original All of Me having a gentler character, with an almost cashmere-like softness that eventually made it quite comforting to wear. Intense initially gives me a completely different impression. It feels more assertive, considerably sharper and much less inviting.

To make matters worse, the rose is particularly noticeable, and anyone who has read my previous reviews will know that my relationship with rose fragrances is complicated.

I love roses as flowers. In perfume, however, they have to work considerably harder to win my affection.

Unfortunately, this particular rose does not make an especially convincing first impression.

From Sharp Rose to Shower Gel Territory

As the opening begins to settle, Narciso Rodriguez All of Me Intense moves into a territory that reminds me of shower gel.

Now, I have nothing against fragrances that evoke luxurious bathroom products. Quite the opposite. I have encountered perfumes that manage to turn that familiar clean sensation into something polished, comforting and genuinely elegant.

I recently experienced something along those lines with Chloé Le Parfum.

All of Me Intense, however, does not give me quite the same impression.

At this stage, the fragrance feels somewhat ordinary to my nose, with a prominent rosy character that I struggle to find particularly engaging. There is a clean, almost soapy quality to it, but without the sophisticated atmosphere that can make this type of accord especially appealing.

Naturally, this is a matter of personal taste rather than an objective criticism of the composition. Someone who loves assertive rose fragrances might experience these same moments very differently.

I simply find myself waiting for something else to happen.

And eventually, it does.

A Second Test, Because Apparently I Don’t Trust My Own Nose

At one point, I genuinely began wondering whether my nose was having a particularly uncooperative day.

Rather than continuing to smell the same fragrance repeatedly while becoming increasingly suspicious of my own senses, I decided to interrupt the test and get some fresh air.

Consider it a brief holiday for my nostrils.

When I returned to All of Me Intense for another proper test, I hoped the experience might be different.

Was it?

Sort of.

The opening remained much the same. That sharp, cold rose was still there, and I still found it difficult to enjoy. So at least I could stop blaming my nose for inventing an entirely imaginary problem.

However, once the heart and base began to emerge, the fragrance became considerably more interesting.

And this is where All of Me Intense finally started winning me over.

When Narciso Rodriguez’s Musks Save the Day

As the initial sharpness gradually fades, All of Me Intense develops a warmer, softer character that I find significantly more appealing.

The musky side of the composition becomes increasingly noticeable, bringing with it the enveloping sensation that I often associate with Narciso Rodriguez fragrances. The overall impression changes from something rather piercing to something much more comfortable and inviting.

There is also a noticeable difference in the way the fragrance seems to occupy the space around me.

At this stage, I experience it almost as a delicate cloud of scent surrounding my body. Not particularly loud or overwhelming, but present enough to create an impression of being gently wrapped in fragrance.

A scented embrace, if you will.

Apparently, I have become a poet.

What makes this development particularly enjoyable is the contrast with the opening. The fragrance feels warmer, smoother and more cohesive, while the musky character gives the composition a softer texture.

This is also when I begin to understand the idea behind the Intense designation.

To my nose, the fragrance does not simply become stronger than the original. It feels more structured, with a fuller character and greater density in its floral-musky accord.

Unfortunately, that additional intensity also means that the elements I dislike in the opening remain noticeable for longer.

Which brings us to an important question.

Is more intensity necessarily an improvement?

All of Me vs All of Me Intense: The Wrist-to-Wrist Test

Memory can be surprisingly unreliable when it comes to fragrance, especially when trying to compare perfumes tested on different days.

Fortunately, in the name of science, I managed to recover my sample of the original All of Me Eau de Parfum.

And naturally, I sprayed it on my other wrist.

Because apparently this is what scientific research looks like in my house.

Testing both fragrances side by side allowed me to identify their differences much more clearly.

The first interesting discovery was that neither opening is actually my favourite part of the experience.

The original All of Me also has a floral opening that does not completely capture my enthusiasm. However, on my skin, it moves through that phase relatively quickly, allowing its softer and creamier character to emerge.

All of Me Intense behaves differently.

The sharp rose accord feels more persistent, remaining prominent for longer before the composition finally develops into something warmer and more enveloping.

In both fragrances, the heart and drydown are the stages I enjoy most. This is where their musky character becomes particularly appealing and where I find the familiar softness that makes Narciso Rodriguez fragrances interesting to me.

The difference lies in their personalities.

The original feels gentler, smoother and more immediately comforting once its opening settles. Intense feels fuller and more structured, but also somewhat less effortless.

And after comparing them directly, I find myself preferring the development of the original Eau de Parfum.

Not because Intense is necessarily a worse fragrance, but because the balance of the original works better with my personal preferences.

Sometimes turning up the intensity does not necessarily make a fragrance better. It simply makes the parts you do not love a little harder to ignore.

What Does All of Me Intense Actually Smell Like?

According to Narciso Rodriguez, All of Me Eau de Parfum Intense intensifies the rose centifolia and geranium bourbon accord of the original fragrance, introducing additional floral depth and a richer, vanilla-infused musky foundation.

The official composition includes:

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Black Iris, Jasmine Sambac

Heart notes: Rose Centifolia, Bourbon Geranium, Heliotrope, Tuberose

Base notes: Musk, Vanilla Pod Absolute, Sandalwood

The fragrance was created by perfumers Dora Baghriche and Daphné Bugey and launched in 2024.

Looking at this composition, I can understand why the opening feels so assertive to me. The combination of pink pepper, iris and a prominent floral accord certainly provides a plausible explanation for the sharp character I experience, although I would not attribute that sensation to any single ingredient without knowing the complete formula.

The rose and geranium are the elements I perceive most clearly during the earlier stages, while the warmer musky foundation gradually becomes more apparent as the fragrance develops.

Interestingly, despite the presence of tuberose, an ingredient I normally adore, I do not experience a particularly noticeable white-floral character. At least on my skin, the rose remains the dominant floral impression.

The vanilla also does not transform the fragrance into something I would describe as overtly gourmand.

Instead, I perceive its warmth as part of the broader musky drydown, contributing to the softer character that eventually makes All of Me Intense more enjoyable.

For me, this fragrance is less about identifying every individual note and more about experiencing the contrast between its sharper opening and its gentler development.

And that contrast is quite significant.

Longevity and Projection: How Does All of Me Intense Perform?

Performance is another area where the Intense designation deserves a little discussion.

During my tests, All of Me Intense demonstrated moderate projection, particularly during the earlier stages when its sharper floral character was most noticeable.

As the fragrance develops, its presence becomes softer and increasingly intimate.

After approximately four hours on my skin, I can still detect it, but only as a very delicate skin scent. It does not disappear suddenly; instead, it gradually becomes so discreet that I need to smell my skin closely to appreciate what remains.

I would therefore hesitate to describe its longevity as exactly four hours. The fragrance is still there at that point, just considerably quieter.

Another interesting aspect is the relatively linear nature of its development after the opening.

Once the initial sharpness has faded and the warmer musky character has emerged, I do not experience particularly dramatic changes. The fragrance maintains a similar personality, gradually becoming softer and less noticeable.

For a perfume called Intense, this might not be the spectacular performance some people expect.

However, fragrance concentration and names are not guarantees of exceptional longevity or enormous projection. Individual skin chemistry, application and environmental conditions can all influence the experience.

On my skin, All of Me Intense makes a stronger initial impression than the original, but eventually settles into a rather discreet presence.

The Bottle: A Pink Bowling Pin With Expensive Taste

I cannot finish this review without returning to the bottle.

All of Me Intense retains the distinctive sculptural shape of the original, this time with a deeper pink gradient and a beautiful rose-gold cap.

According to Narciso Rodriguez, the design reflects the more intense personality of the fragrance. The bottle is also refillable, while the brand describes the formula as vegan, with 90% of its ingredients of natural origin.

Visually, I find this version particularly attractive.

I know. After spending an unreasonable amount of time comparing these bottles to bowling pins, I am now complimenting their design.

Personal growth comes in unexpected forms.

There is something genuinely appealing about the combination of the rosy glass and metallic cap, and I can understand why the entire collection continues to intrigue me.

Unfortunately, a beautiful bottle is not quite enough to guarantee a place on my wishlist.

Although it has certainly worked on me before.

More times than I care to admit.

Final Verdict: Would I Buy All of Me Intense?

After testing All of Me Intense on multiple occasions and comparing it directly with the original Eau de Parfum, I have reached a fairly clear conclusion.

I appreciate its development considerably more than its opening.

The first few minutes remain problematic for my personal taste, with a sharp, cold rose that I find rather uncomfortable. Fortunately, the composition gradually becomes warmer and more musky, revealing a softer character that I genuinely enjoy.

In this later phase, I can appreciate what Narciso Rodriguez was trying to achieve with a fuller, more intense interpretation of the All of Me signature.

However, when I compare the two fragrances directly, I still prefer the original Eau de Parfum.

Its softer development feels more comfortable and natural to me, while Intense occasionally seems to emphasize precisely the elements I find least appealing.

Considering that rose-centred fragrances are rarely my first choice anyway, I do not think All of Me Intense will be joining my wishlist.

But the story is far from over.

Thanks to the continued generosity of my trusted perfume shop, I now have samples of All of Me Floral and All of Me Essentiel waiting to be tested.

So my exploration of this increasingly crowded family of glamorous pink bowling pins will continue.

The real question is how many of them will eventually make it onto my wishlist, and how many might actually join my collection.

For now, the original remains my favorite.

And my bank account can enjoy a brief moment of relief.

Not Every Perfume Deserves All of Me. Some fragrances steal my heart. Others make me question whether my nose is functioning properly. Either way, there’s always a story to tell, and usually a credit card involved. Explore More Fragrance Reviews.