Idole d'Armani

I will preface this by saying that I picked this up in a bargain bin for about 20 dollars - it was a partially used tester. I have this idea that for whatever reason, testers are more potent and concentrated than the juice you actually get in the bottle you end up paying for. idk maybe I am imagining it but I have had this happen with multiple fragrances before. Anyway. The point of that was to say that while I personally thought this was not that strong on sillage, according to everyone around me the day I wore it to work, it was blowing everyone away. Which really surprised me. When I tested it at the store all I thought was pear pear pear ... and I love pear and have very few pear heavy perfumes in my wardrobe, so I snatched it up asap. I wore it a couple days around the house and out running errands - it seemed to me like a moderate perfume that could be worn any time of day - it is certainly one that could be worn for evenings, but somehow the pear and honey made it just sweet enough that it could be used to class up a generic grocery run as well. After hearing my colleagues comment on it though, I am not so sure anymore - they are not fragranistas but the consensus was something that smelled "incense-y, arabian, woody, patchouli, and spicy". Not at all what my nose thought it was picking up from my wrist. And while I do have a small fan at my desk, I had people coming over from across the room to ask me what I was wearing, when I only applied a couple spritzes to my wrist over an hour earlier. Now I don't know what to think. I am wearing it again today, and three hours after application the sweetness of the pear has faded a bit but I swear I can still smell it. The florals are a bit more prominent too - I can clearly smell the rose - and there is a bit of spice from the ginger and some earthyness from the base. But I would no where near call this an arabian style incense like fragrance. And it still doesn't strike me as a sillage bomb either, but I guess this one is playing tricks on me. I have worn some of my heavier Amouage fragrances to work - my newest great love Memoir in particular I can often not say no to - and they have garnered less of a reaction there. I do want to make clear though that the reaction was positive from everyone who came over - they all seemed to really like it and wanted to get a bottle for themselves (too bad its been discontinued!). Bottom line -- this one has made it to my top shelf for sure, regardless of whether or not I ultimately decide if it is truly work appropriate or not (and somedays work be damned lol). It had me as soon as that blast of pear left the bottle. It is a beauty and it isn't a perfume of a very common theme imo - it has a uniqueness about it, and it does have an air of elegance and a sense of class most often associated with the classics of a bygone era. It is very feminine and inviting, but also exudes confidence. I think if you are planning to wear it to work or in a small space, you may want to test it out on some guinea pigs first to see how it reacts with your body chemistry. It may just be a monster in disguise, or it may just be my bottle was one of the mysterious incidences of testers being filled with stronger stuff.

Idole is not appreciated as much as it should be.... Pear done right, thank you Armani for the combination of pear, that is prominent from the first spritz until the shower, with the clementine, that actually is not lost behind the pear, the orange, the honey (give the perfume time, honey develops two to three hours later) and the complementing saffron. Jasmine, ginger and vetiver prefer to reek; I actually love that. If this was some alcoholic beverage I'd drink it all the time, it's smells so delicious! The blend is perfect. It is a fragrance that develops, and it will develop indeed into something creamier and even richer. Idole is not sweet and i think of this being the main reason it's not as popular, audiences now want sugary-syrupy-fruity craziness in fantasy bottles or light inoffensive fragrances that don't stand out. Well this has a huge sillage, it's long lasting (i smell it on my pillowcase from the day before and even though in the meantime i chose to wear and sleep in another perfume, Idole is still there!) We have a strong perfume here, not heavy, but strong. Idole is absolutely suitable for daytime and nightime, any clothes work, but somehow I imagine classy office clothing, tight knee long skirts and white shirts, or any really classy and sexy office attire. Suitable all year round. I had a fear that i won't be able to wear it now that it's getting colder, but it works fantastic. Ages suitable: 20+ No note is missing. I don't really know how artemisia smells, but that's okay, i still love this perfume, which by the way can be layered with others as well, it's enough versatile for layering (making me all the more happy,btw i have paired it with London Burberry and it's just superb, people are effing wondering which fragrance i'm wearing...haha) Half of the time that i wear it smells intensely of:pear, jasmine, vetiver, clementine and ginger. When the fragrance develops, it's time for: honey, almond, rose and patchouli. Saffron is always there but i don't feel it all the time, sometimes i sniff my wrist and all i get is saffron and other times it's just hiding. Lovely, edgy,sexy and unique perfume. Weird enough that it can't be worn by everyone P.S.: BATHE IN IT!

A criminally underrated designer with niche qualities, I think that is the reason it never took off. It evokes the image of golden women’s skin, much like the J’adore adds. Actually it fits those adds better than J’adore if you ask me. Very alluring and unique, it smells like a saffron-spiced, sweet, golden and JUICY pear with almonds, and well-rounded jasmine on a vetiver / resin base. Patchouli is very light here. The bottle is incredible as well, heavy glass and a heavy cap. This has cost money producing, that’s clear. What’s most impressive for me is the structure of the perfume, the notes blend seamlessly and no note screams at you, like a soft but very present aura with blurred edges. No synthetic or common base here. It lasts an entire day with soft to medium sillage. Very suitable for transitional seasons. There’s nothing really like it, the closest I can think of is Cinéma, which is sweeter and less spicy, more dark golden than light diffusive golden like IDOLE. Highly recommended if you value composition, uniqueness and quality as much as I do.

It's difficult to put this fragrance in a nutshell, but on the whole I think it's a very likeable fragrance. It's safe, but with safe I don't mean that it is not unique; I have found nothing else like it. I've got very positive feedback when wearing this, definitely! I think it has just the right amount of sweetness - it balances beautifully with the citrus. It is not at all too fruity, rather I think it's more flowery, maybe it's the combination of clementine and jasmine that makes it so luscious. Just like it says in the main accords list it is both fresh spicy and warm spicy, which is difficult to get right, but Idole is a very harmonious, balanced blend of those. One doesn't overpower the other. I'd like to emphasise exactly this that Idole is harmony in a bottle! I think it's a severely underrated, absolutely beautiful fragrance that you can wear around friends but also on dates and people will be more than happy to be around you. It fits every occasion. The sillage is moderate and the longevity is moderate to long-lasting.

I have longed to own this scent since it was first released last year. Today I finally went perfume shopping and was able to buy my own big bottle of this. I have not tried it on myself yet since today I am still wearing Intimately Beckham. But I went shopping with my mom and she did try it on her wrist. It smells wonderful on her and she just loves it (something odd, as she is a bit picky about perfumes, and almost exclusively loves Chanel). Well, I am sure it will be wonderful on me too and I cannot wait until I can try it on. :) UPDATE: I tried L idole for the first time yesterday. After I had sprayed it on my wrist my first thought was: PEAR??? Anyway, after the fragrance settled down on my skin it was absolutely fabulous, it remained fruity but other notes were noticeable. Normally I am not into fruity or foody fragrances, but this one is so well composed that I just fell in love with it. It also helped that I got many compliments (even when it was the first time I used it).