Idole

This is definitely the superior version of Lubin's masterpiece Idole. While the EDP is fantastic, it is less defined and comes across more like a loud, thick sweet/smoky winter fragrance. At points, it feels like the EDP's rum/incense combination kind of steps on the toes of the other subtle notes in the fragrance. The EDT is much more dynamic and wearable. While the deep, sweet rum is still there, the leather, woods, orange, and saffron are all much easier to detect and as such the drydown on this smells considerably more masculine (good call on lubin for making the EDP unisex!), complex, and compelling. It starts out with a blast of rum and subtle citrus. Very evocative of a nice high quality mixed drink. It's pretty unique and atypical for a personal fragrance, that is until the drydown when it becomes remarkably accessible. Smoldering yet smooth ebony provides a nice woody base, a strong and noticeable leather adds some masculine kick and the saffron adds some interesting spicy nuance to the whole thing. It works just as great in 30 degree weather as it does in 100 degree weather and as such, it's one of my most worn and favorite fragrances. I totally get the 70's connotation, but by no means does it smell dated. In a way it evokes the endearingly kitschy, masculine, pimp-esque suaveness of a 70's action b-movie hero in the best way possible. If any of that sounds even slightly appealing, you owe it to yourself to track down some of the Idole EDT. It Performs just as good as the EDP and is much more wearable, interesting, and unique. (also, the bottle is much better in my opinion!) 9.5/10

Oh. My. Word. )($)@^%*(^&)(^&@%) ... that's not a typo, it's me swearing furiously at myself , Captain Haddock-style, for even trying this. Not because it's a fail. Exactly the opposite. Because it is almost unbearably wonderful ... and of course discontinued and near impossible to find now except at vintage-gouging antiquarian prices. I have and adore the new Lubin Idole EDP in the modern, curved, ebony-black bottle. Those woods, that rum, that ORANGE, those spices - I'm besotted with it, happy to boogie with its boozy beauty any day of any season. I think of it as the scent of Josephine Baker - gorgeous Jazz Age modernist exotic with a hell of a kick. But I have to admit it doesn't always last as long as I'd like. The EdT solves that problem somehow - it's less syrupy-thick and a little less dark, but that gives it more room to expand, so it manages to project more strongly for longer (7h+). The orange is just breathtaking in this, even zingier and more zesty than the EDP's, the spices somehow pricklier and even more exciting. It makes me WEAK. And the bottle is a work of art. Will I ever find or own this unicorn? I don't know. I wish I hadn't even shelled out for a sample, because I'll pine for it until that most unlikely day. Beware if this sounds like the sort of thing you'd love, because it might be the perfume equivalent of self-harm... deliberately exposing yourself to beauty beyond your means. Aargh! Why did I even go here? Heeeeeeellllllpppp ... I've been Idoled.

Today I was standing on the street waiting for a friend to come and there were 5 young girls close to me. One of them dared to come closer and asked me: excuse me... what perfume are you wearing? it's amazing! I tell you this true story not to boast about my sex appeal lol, but because I loved Idole right from the beginning but thought it wore so close to my skin no one would ever notice it. This happened 3 hs ago and it was sooo hot outside... I had put a little (only 2 sprays) on me and even forgot about it. When she asked me I had to think twice and said: Idole! After this I thought : a perfumist should never reveal his/her secrets haha... but well well... next time if there is such. About Idole... I can't say this perfume is unique or has any special features to it... but it is indeed a great perfume. Its longevity is above average... ten hours later that orangey rum is there and is sooo well done. I was worried about sillage but as I said: no need to worry, you may not smell it but people definitely do. Giacobetti's genius is shown here... you don't need a powerhouse to make a statement and Idole is by no means forgettable. I also thought it was meant for winter time but as it isn't intrusive, I dare to say its best shows up in spring and early summer. It is so elegant and modern. Give it some time, Idole will mesmerize you. Now my next aim is to try Olivia's Philosykos and in case it is as good as people say here, I'll become her new fan.

Well, it's obvious this is a 'love it or hate it' fragrance; no middle ground. It opens with a very boosy note, the rum more prominent than anything else. The 'booze' phase lasts for almost an hour and after that, the spices that have always existed in the background come to the front. I wish I could tell exactly what they are, but to me it's just spice. As it dries down the rum is still there but overshadowed by the saffron and spices and as someone else mentioned, I believe there is some patchouli there as well though it's not actually listed, along with the sandalwood. Fortunately, the orange never makes an appearence on my skin which for me is a very good thing. This can be really heavy for the first hour but after that it settles down into a much calmer and softer scent close to skin that lasts around 6 maybe 8 hours. It is slightly reminiscent of Frapin 1270 though it's not sweet at all and also of Padparadscha and CdG Palisander. Definitely unisex in my opinion, can be worn by either man or woman with equal ease. If you like saffron & spice then you have to give it a try. Personally, as a big spice lover I find it FB worthy. Update: I have been wearing it almost on a daily basis since I got it! This is one amazing scent that I can't get enough of but unfortunately though it doesn't last more than 5 hours tops:( I wish the bottle was smaller so I could carry it in my bag and reapply throughout the day.

platinum14 Not sure where you're located. There are very few of these out there in original bottle like in the picture above edt. I searched for months here in the usa and no luck. I contacted at least 10 distributors on the Lubin website for the usa and they either don't have any in stock or never stocked it. I tried emailing the manufacture. They never returned my email probably because they don't make them anymore and have no answers. There are some bottles in australia at the David Jones Department store online. Unless you know someone in australia you trust to purchase it for you and ship, because DJ won't ship to the usa. There are several in the UK but again the international restrictions from that country won't allow any items shipped that contains any form of alcohol. I found a store in Italy and should be receiving my bottle sometime this week. Try ProfumeriaGM on Ebay. They don't have a problem shipping it to you. You pay more for it, but i think they know because this is a rare find. I guess if you want it bad enough. I won't be using it for the juice so much. I plan to keep it as full as possible only using the juice as little as i can. I've had a sample of the new edp version and its pretty good. But i agree, they shouldn't have changed the design of the bottle. It's collectors piece.