Idôle
Lancôme (2019)

Not sure where they hid all those varieties of roses. This is a generic mainstream clean floral.

A middle of the road fragrance. Nice in summer. The rose is interesting. The pear opening is beautiful- so juicy I almost interpret it as peach. Overall, the sillage is a bit strong so underspraying is recommended by me.

Sometimes you are presented with occasions for which one’s super sophisticated masterpiece perfumes are wasted. This is an easy reach for summer office - a one and done spray. Would also be perfect for wearing in the infield at the KY Derby (run for the roses). School board meetings, grocery shop errands, etc.

It will garner compliments if that makes you feel good. Not every fragrance in my library has to be an olfactory masterpiece. Sometimes you just need a worker bee of a scent to match an ordinary or understated occasion. This one will do. I think best used in late spring and all summer. It certainly will work in fall too.

As for the bottle not standing, it is best to store fragrances in their boxes and also the .85 ounce is proportioned such that it will stand so long as you don't have pets or kids who might jostle it off kilter. And this is the perfect size to buy. If you decide you love the fragrance you can purchase refills for the bottle. The square bottle is quite cute.

I agree with the reviews that liken the scent to that of a shampoo. I don't dislike it, it's just unsophisticated, a bit sweet and the floral notes all come at once making them difficult to discern.

What can I say? Sometimes the knowledge of how perfume materials should smell like can spoil an otherwise possibly acceptable thing. Idôle – which, if not wildly popular, has its legion of fans – is a case in point. Allegedly a fruity rose (although jasmine is also listed in the notes) it smells of nothing more than pink drugstore shampoo, ratcheted up several notches. The fruit is a mess, goopy and sweet. And they went for pear – a note that to my knowledge has yet to be recreated convincingly by any perfumer. It turns out synthetic, washed out and with the kind of repulsive density of wet cardboard. As for the rose, it’s caught midway between hairspray and candyfloss – any resemblance to the real thing is pure fantasy on the believer’s part. Idôle is a perfume that seems to exist in the mode of certain kinds of highly processed foods: all filler, little fascination. I find it icky, sicky, pinky, and could happily live the rest of my life without ever encountering another pong executed in this manner.

On me, this is a clean, luxury shampoo (in the best way) type of scent. It’s not forceful in any way, it’s more than just a skin scent but it’s completely inoffensive. This is one of the few perfumes I reach for when I know for a fact that I will be in the presence of scent sensitive individuals. It allows me to have my fragrance, along with the knowledge that I will not be offending those around me who truly can’t handle a strong perfumey scent. It works in small spaces as well as heat and humidity. I do find it to be very pretty and pleasant, and while I may not be singing it’s praises, I think there’s something to be said for a scent like this, and I definitely feel that it is worthwhile to own, especially if you’re able to get a steal of a deal like I did.

The pear top note is sweeter than I normally like, but it tones down quickly and gives way to a rosy musk smell that is very classy and lady like. It’s elegant without feeling old lady and one that is nice for wearing out or to the office. This is going to be one I wear a lot during the spring and summer months