Ex Idolo Thirty Three Eau de Parfum might catch one unaware with its slightly rubbery note in the opening, along with pepper and candied orange, but the rubbery note was diminished and left as more of an earthy element after 15 to 30 minutes. From there, it was a heavy rose scent with a greener, crisper rose–leafy and just in bloom during the early dawn–rather than a very sweet or jam-like rose. It wasn’t until the drydown that the rose sweetened, and then it was joined by blurred, woody notes.

Thirty Three Notes

It is described as being inspired by vintage oud and uses a “significant amount of wild-harvested Chinese oud” with “natural Chinese rose oil.”

• top notes: soft black pepper, candied mandarin, caoutchouc
• heart notes: Chinese white tea, Chinese rose, Taif rose, orris, Damascus steel
• base notes: vintage oud, aged patchouli, heliotropine

What does Thirty Three Smell Like?

It opened up with a burst of peppered orange, which softened and sweetened, and became chewier and more candied, yet still with a peppery bite to it. Then, there was a rubbery undertone that gave it an earthiness, though it still read more rubber than earthy, and that’s when I learned that “caoutchouc” is is rubber. The combination of pepper and rubber was interesting, and while the idea of a rubber note might not sound appealing on its face, it actually was interesting and not off-putting (to me, obviously, which surprised me).

The white tea lightened what could have been a darker, more intense rubber note, while soft, rosy florals sat on top, while the mandarin was a memory after 15 minutes of development on my skin. The roses come through with more of an earthy, loamy backdrop–like fresh-cut roses set on the soil for picking up later–when smelled further away. It became greener after an hour with the roses still in a full bloom with a very muted rubbery undertone that was almost undetectable from above a few inches on my skin.

For the majority of the wear, Thirty Three was an aromatic, green rose with a hint of oud (but it was quite subtle on me throughout) and a cooler, crisper feel that was never heavy. The drydown, after eight hours, was slightly sweeter with a jammier rose and a more withdrawn sense of greenery, but there was also more of a branchy, woodsy note that came through that seemed to smooth out the rose and green notes.

Longevity

It lasted for 10 hours until it was a skin-scent and about 16 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within the first hour of wear.

Testing Methodology

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime, so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Availability

Thirty Three is available for $125/30ml.

If possible, I highly recommend trying a fragrance before purchasing a full bottle because fragrance can wear differently just because of skin chemistry. Skin chemistry can effect not just the longevity of a fragrance but also what notes are prominent or hidden.

Thirty Three Samples

We recommend the following retailers for purchasing decanted samples (typically 0.7ml to 2ml in size). This is a fuller list, so individual availability may depend on inventory.

• Jovoy Paris
• LuckyScent
• Scent Split
• Twisted Lily

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent

Ex Idolo Thirty Three Perfume Review

Ex Idolo Thirty Three Perfume Review

Ex Idolo Thirty Three Perfume Review