Idôle L'Intense

I dismissed Idôle ever since it came out because of the 'generic' word being all over the place. Well.. Rose and Jasmine do seem like they were done to death :D But.. Today I got to try both versions and this is anything but generic to me. It doesn't remind me of any of my 300 perfumes or the 10 times more other perfumes I tested. This is a Beautiful Cheerful Floral with a background of fruit. Fits any age group in my opinion. It's not light or fleeting or childish, it's just happy! Lancome's excellent quality is there, I can't fully attest on the longevity but it has a rich oily texture, usually this means it will last a while. Both versions are Rose and Jasmine, with a back drop of fruit that I cannot fully discern without the notes but it is fresh and just right sweet and a touch of Musk that gives off a slight soapiness, but the difference is: Idôle, to my nose is more of a Rose - Lancome's Icon and they do it better than most in my opinion, but it's nothing like Nina, Narciso or Tresor In Love. Idôle L'Intense, to my nose has Jasmine Sambac in the front, the variety that grows in small bushes and looks like a mini lollipop, I adore it and first time to come across it, so obvious, in a perfume. Patchouli, Vanilla, Woods are way in the back. For that reason, I prefer L'Intense but I would totally recommend trying both, as they are both good quality, well done perfumes that are not 'generic' to me.

This is a transparent older rose on a woody stem. The fruits peek out and impart a sweetness and gentle cheerfulness. If the jasmine is there, I am too distracted by the rose to notice it, on this my second wear. I am not a fan of transparent florals. To me they tend to read as thin and hollow and missing a whole lot of something. This transparency reminds me more of the colossal rose vines that grew over a wood deck in my childhood home. Sitting on the deck, you could smell the wood of the deck heated by Texas sun and the roses carried on the wind. The transparency is not thin, but just environmental, atmospheric. It's quite nice. I am also not really a fan of roses. I like roses, but I feel weird in roses. They don't seem to be very me. I wouldn't mind wearing more rose fragrances, if i just didn't feel so awkward in them. Again, the transparency of this rose gives me a lot of room. I am not necessarily INSIDE the fragrance... instead it hovers near, imparting it's loveliness. I really really like this, but don't love it. I am currently looking for something that can withstand Texas summers. This probably isn't it. **EDIT** 4/25/22 After wearing other florals for a few days, I came back to this. I absolutely can smell the jasmine now. It is like a jasmine-ish juice singing some gospel back up to the rose. I can't believe it eluded me the first few wears. This has moved from a like to a love.

I upgraded this from a Like to a Love, even though I probably won't purchase L'Intense in full-bottle form once I run through my travel sprayer, which is about halfway depleted. Idôle L'Intense reminds me more of a less brambly Perles de Lalique or a less camphorous-medicinal Elizabeth + James Nirvana Rose. It's more office wearable than either, by some order of magnitude, although it should be sprayed in moderation. This smells like it could give a susceptible person a headache, and I wouldn't be surprised if it contains Iso E super. It's also a teensy bit like one of fhe Estee Lauder Luxury Line offerings, the name of which I cannot be bothered to look up even though I have a travel vial of it in my desk drawer. At any rate, Idôle L'Intense is a dark, jammy, Middle Eastern-inflected rose on a dark woody base. The comparison to Chanel Paris-Paris is apt, although I'd say this is ever so slightly rosier, with a more chocolatey patchouli reminiscent of La Nuit Trésor à la Folie or Mohra Silky Rose. Recommended if you don't already have most of the aforementioned roses in your collection. I think it is a better bargain than the Chanel for sure, but I read somewhere that L'Intense is discontinued. Figures, since it's much more interesting than most of the other Idôle flankers and is more distinctive than Idôle.

I got Idôle L’Intense along with a few other Lancome samples (Idôle Aura and LVEB Flowers of Happiness) and while the other two didn’t impress me at first, I fell for L’Intense hook, line and sinker. If the OG Idôle is sparkly and bubbly, this one is deep and warm - thanks to the woodiness - and they are different enough for me to justify owning both. The rose in here is full bodied, with rich red velvet petals. The jasmine and citruses are simply whispers in the background while the rose takes centrestage. For some reason that I can’t explain, it reminded me of weddings back home (home is Assam, India) where everyone drapes silk and there’s flowers everywhere and incense burning - although there’s zero incense in here. I think it is the cedar that reminds me of my favourite Narcisso Rodriguez EDT in the black cube. They are both woody roses but if the NR EDT is all crisp and modern, this one leans more traditional. It is elegant and classy. Very lush. Interestingly, the moment my husband smelled this, he said “This reminds me of weddings”. Neither of us have been able to figure out what it is about this perfume that we both associate with weddings!

This should have been the pillar fragrance instead of Idôle, and Idôle should have been the Florale or L'Eau version. L'Intense is a more vibrant fragrance, has more character and is a better fit for the "strong woman" marketing Lancôme did for Idôle. There are some similarities between both, but L'Intense is not only stronger, but also more exciting. The opening goes into the direction of modern chypres, it has nothing to do with classic/vintage chypres though. Not that I would have wanted that anyways, just wanted to mention it. I smell roses and jasmine, clean patch and also some pear from the original. The texture is juicy and almost syrupy, but the sweetness is on a medium level and nicely contrasted by the sharp floral notes. There is an underlying vanilla warmth, but it never takes over the fragrance, not even far into the drydown. It makes the flowers smell a little honeyed. Some other plus points: The fragrance does the "Intense" title justice and gives me beautiful wafts from just a test spray on my arm, and the slim rose gold/bronze bottle looks gorgeous. I'm very positively surprised. Idôle was okay, but this is wonderful.