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VSlhawnD – :
This is a typical 80s powerhouse bomb with loud floral opening almost repulsive, for a second there I was afraid if it’s too overpowering and offends my family. But the dry down is so beautifully earthy. This could be Boucheron older sister, but it is infused with a dash of earthy vetiver of dioressence. It’s impressive given the cheap price tag. As I am writing this and sniffing my arm, I’m already thinking of stocking up on this one.
xxxNEXTxxx-1994 – :
This fragrance is absolutely gorgeous. Upon first spray, it is immensely heady and glamorous, if not slightly overpowering. A little goes a long way…2-3 sprays do the trick and it lasts for 10 plus hours on my skin. I did not look at the notes, but It smells waxy, like red lipstick or candles, spicy, rich and sweet. It reminds me of Chinatown By Bond no 9 because it smells vintage like, like a movie stars dressing table…dark wood, white flowers…cosmetics. I am wearing it now, despite the heat just because I love it. Rumba is definitely a more mature scent, reminiscent of the 80’s and early nineties, so be prepared for that. You simply cannot beat the price…so if you blind buy it, as I did, your investment will be small. Love it!
mademuazelya – :
I bought this beautiful fragrance this week. Love it. My first foray into Ted Lapidus fragrances.
It’s different to anything I’ve ever worn, though there is for me a tiny similarity to knowing in the woody quality, though for me that’s where it ends. I get less of the sweetness. It only lasts for a short while.
I get spice and leather. Absolutely love it. My “knock them dead” fragrance for fall and winter and for greater effect, alternated with all my other fall and winter beauties, Mitsoukou, Opium, Angel Crystal Noir. Looking forward to pair it with a black jeans and a black leather jacket and a royal red top and killer boot on the way to a jazz show, a rendezvous with a friend, or well who knows as fancy and rhythm dictates? Would be careful with a black knit dress and high over-the-knee boot. That could be a dangerous pairing in the contextual boldness of this fragrance.
Not sure if I’d actually wear this in SA summer. Wore it yesterday on a warm autumn day 26 degrees in SA, received a compliment. Though somehow I think it’s suited for autumn/fall or winter.
Stubblefield73 – :
I have read the reviews here with interest. Have just ordered my bottle and paid. Cannot wait! /Will be sure to report back to Fragranticians.>smile>
mucuras – :
what the actual hell. This smells like dirt, and moss. Definitely something leafy. It’s dry and linear. I dont get anything sweet or fruity. Lasted all day long, unfortunately. so glad i only tested it. had a vision of an old dusty house, melancholic, rain and dirt. That’s all.
HULIGAN – :
Sweettttt incense,fruity, floral,spicy . well blended and mature.my brother adores it and my frnds tell me how lovely i smell.the longevity is amazing 24 hours straight on skin and more Dan dat on cloths and when it comes to its sillage it’s a monster.
stasnemo – :
Rumba A Summer Evening In Paradise
Ted Lapidus Eau De Toilette
This is what I am wearing to the Kentucky Derby May 6th, 2017.
Let me tell you about this perfume! This is a glorious vintage retro charming perfume of summer fruits and flowers, oak moss, green notes, patchouli, and sandalwood, definitely a one of a kind Oriental. When I first laid eyes on it I loved the presentation of the bottle. I have the gift set with body lotion purchased on Amazon.com for an affordable 20 bucks. In other online sites one can purchase this for less than that price including Fragrance X and eBay. The price is as cheap as a drugstore cheapie but the scent is phenomenal. Right off the bottle, to me, it smelled like a fruit scented wax candle. It has a waxy kind of floral scent, perhaps it’s the big honey accord that takes over the whole thing, a fragrant honey-dipped candlestick. This is why a lot of people seem to associate this with Church. It’s a warm honey/beeswax and candle scent, but with a distinctive fruity floral body. The rich plum juice (2 notes of plum) and apricot peach nectar mingle like an actual fruit drink with a boozy richness and bubbliness. There’s bergamot orange and raspberry so the whole thing starts off with a tropical and very fruity smell if you like that sort of thing. It’s totally fruity and summery and fresh and yet almost immediately warmed up with the honey and or honeyed florals.
A bouquet of florals including rose, carnation, jasmine, heliotrope, lily of the valley, tuberose, gardenia, orchid and marigold. Each of these flowers are my favorite! Out of these gorgeous flowers the white flowers reign supreme namely the tuberose, rich, buttery and partnered with a big gold-hued marigold yellow floral note, and a rather potent gardenia and carnation. There is no room for powdery floral scents. It’s not quite a green floral garden scent either however. It’s more along the lines of Femme by Rochas, from which all other fruity florals derive. It has a similarly fruited and pleasant flowery smell but in Rumba the honey and amber, vanilla, and leather wrap it all up in a more modern and sophisticated, more complex fashion. Femme to me was straight up spices-and-woods in the dry down whereas here the sandalwood and the amber-musk vanilla bring it to a very mature and very elegant denouement.
The leather note in the dry down is a tad more unisex and masculine for my tastes compared to the ever-feminine Femme but this is very nice nonetheless. For practical uses of this perfume it’s definitely a day wear fragrance and not as much a formal evening perfume. It has a sweetness and greenness that combines fruity florals with chypres/oak moss. It can be worn to Church, weddings, anniversaries and any other big social event but in the day time. It has an atomic energy and so it is very bold and consequently mature. I can only smell this on a very intelligent and confident woman who knows exactly who she is and who does not care if the perfume is too strong. It’s open to any race but this is a very South American smelling scent the same feeling I get with Femme Rochas. I visualize a striking First Lady of Argentina wearing this stuff.
A fragrance coming from the 80’s, this has amazing staying power and sillage. It’s a real perfume and this is one reason why I love to wear it. It can be detected and one feels positively glamorous and lady-like in this perfume. They don’t make them like this anymore but it is still out there and available if you care for 80’s vintages and wear strong perfume like Dior Poison or Chanel Coco. This one I would say has more in common with those feminine floral bombs like Diva by Ungaro which I also really love.
I also bought it because it matches up with my Derby hat.
Thank You Ted Lapidus
ddimitroff – :
I used it great fragrance masculine woody fragrance. I like the smell of rumba long time on sniff nose.
SexiCams – :
OMG, this is a powerhouse! Starts chemical on me, but after awhile notes reveal one by one. Marigold and carnation are strong in Rumba. Actually, I am surprised how earthy and animalic this is. And juicy at the same time. I can’t feel it as a sunny scent, I associate it with something fatal. Maybe because of that leathery tuberose. The only happy note that is prominent on me is peach. Rumba reminds me of LouLou, it’s like a younger sister of hers.
bochiz – :
I wanted it for years and finally got it in a swap. I am a Lapidus fan in general and this one didn’t disappoint.
Strong, great longevity, old school perfume. Very 1980s in a good way. It has heavy sweetness with leather on the background. Very bright on a dark and cloudy day like today. Great for fall and winter. i don’t know about the summer or spring. I am smelling it on me and it reminds me of Cabochard vaguely… What’s not to love?
azika – :
This perfume landed on my radar because I love sweet scents, and I’m obsessed with honey notes.
So I blind bought this for a good price. (I also wanted Rumba Passion, but this was cheaper)
Well…. I’m a smoker and I thought my test on paper was ruined because it was in my purse (the purse of a smoker). It did smell like a sweet church scent, but it reeked of cigs.
So I redid the napkin test and let dry on my desk, no where near my smoky self.
Anddd… it still smells like stale cigarettes.
I’m already a gross smoker, I don’t need to smell like an old ashtray. Besides that, I just get florals. Nothing sweet-like. There are so many notes, it’s hard for me to tell what isn’t working.
I’ll give this a shot on my skin, but it’s not really for me.
So, on my skin I get an intense incense/church and very strong original TIDE detergent. Nothing sweet or appealing to me at all.
But two squirts on my skin had impressive sillage/potency!
drionel – :
This fragrance is just fun. Splash yourself with fruit salad and honey and have a blast. Wear this on a cruise. It really rumbas.
bezr201 – :
On my skin this is an earthy earthy mess, an all soil smell. Wanted to love it, 12-hour longevity, great sillage but, on ME, terrible scent.
baza72 – :
This is a steamy, leathery, sweet floral, kind of sweaty embrace. I’m loving the humidity this gives off.
SOTACAMOUSY243 – :
@PerfumeEmpress, I believe Balenciaga decided to discontinue it, and at that point, Ted Lapidus bought the rights, and, it looks like, tweaked the formula a bit.
keramin – :
Ok, I’m thoroughly confused. There is a page for Rumba by Ted Lapidus, and one for Rumba by Balenciaga. Both have the same package and bottle. Ingredients are also very similar.
What’s the difference?
Somebody please clarify this for me. Thanks.
por853Unlogrere – :
Rumba is sexy and religous at the same time. Smells like burning candles. A bit too sweet, but worth the effort.It is too much really, but it is an experience. Really fantastic, although I know that not everyone likes this perfume and that does not really surprise me. I think only a person who is really into fragrance will appreciate this one. It does have and unconscious uplifting and emotional effect on me, and for that reason alone I do love it. If I want to wear something I find really special to set me in the mood for the night, like a drug to which I am addicted, intoxicating, I will wear Rumba and, believe it or not, it does bring about good things, maybe because of the special aura in which it envelopes me. It is intense, and the scent is really really special, not like any other oriental fragrance. Also, I find it extremely comforting, maybe for the resemblance to church smell, burning candles, although I am not religious and rarely have set foot in a church. But that might be the reason why the resemblance to church smell might comfort me. From a nonreligious person’s viewpoint, it might be seen as a quiet, intimate, tranquility inspiring place. And, by no means nearly as important, I love the name and the bottle. A smashing fragrance. Also love what they say and totally agree: the perfume of a woman (or a man) who wants to be unforgettable. I do.
Olejka0210 – :
This stuff is really amazing. Dark, Haunted, Ghostly and mysterious. Totally my type of..
toko1971 – :
Thanks for ewanhoozarmy and Ptilda, for sharing your thought. Now m gonna indeed get this. I am a Man and love this elegant, comnplex and full of 80s spark. It reminds my childhood , when i was too young. So many memories stuck. A true 80s masterpiece.
docent69 – :
As a female fan of this gorgeous scent, and in answer to the previous two posts, this can absolutely be worn by a man without even a slight question as to whether he is wearing “women’s perfume”. This is deep and mature and perfect for classy people.
n_com – :
As a man, I wear this. I have over fifty frags currently, approximately 50/50 ‘male’ and ‘female’. I think a man can easily wear this. Well at least, a man who is comfortable with himself. It does have that 80s vibe people talk about. Complex and excessive, mirroring the philosophy of the decade itself. Personally, I like to distinguish myself from the pack and wearing a scent which is typically marketed at women helps me do that. There are definite florals in this. And sweetness reminiscent of Spring, rather than summer. But that isn’t automatically synonymous with femininity in my opinion. My motto is: ‘If you like it, wear it!’ Surprise yourself!
MakaChinkosy – :
Need Help please….
I wanna try this fabulous 80s masterpiece. But it is marketed for Women and thats why i am stepping back . But contrary to that , this one is also closer to Ted Lapidus pour homme which is ultra Masculine deal, and i totally love that.
Can Some tell me, If a Man can use it. No indication on packaging either its for man or woman.
Thanks
alf_vs – :
I love fragrances with epic over 10 notes in the formula! I can enjoy it for hours and hours, like a long movie. This one has 29 notes. Not a modest fragrance. This is an amazing and powerful fruity floral chypre. It’s similar to Balenciaga’s Rumba but I prefer this one because it’s not as loud. It’s more like an echo that repeats the same sound. This smells intoxicating and sweet, a bit like Femme by Rochas so if you like that scent you’ll love this one. Fruity, floral, spicy, woodsy. This has a lot going on and I get lost in the fragrance smelling all the different notes that it throws up: Mirabelle, plum, peach, jasmine, gardenia, carnation, heliotrope, magnolia, orchid, honey, oak moss, leather patchouli and vanilla. This thing has incredible longevity. Wear it for 3 days straight after spritzing it one time. It’s an evening perfume but it’s also got the fruitiness and sweetness associated with spring and summer day time scents. Fantastic fragrance.
gje699bedyWelty – :
Same story: the vintage one by Balenciaga was better.
But are ages I don’t smell it and the comparison is just a matter of memory that can be contaminated.
Into the Lapidus ones I suspect there is a low quality of rose (and of all maybe), anyway the first Rumba was a rich complex rose surrounded by dark fruits, but luminescent an explosions of golden flowers bees spice girls etc etc..
Well? What to say? Have you seen the notes? There is the entire world of essences inside. Rumors says J.C. Hellena has work on it. And yes it was a dance of fat flowers luminous honey rich cream and red and blue berries. Opulent & Gentle. Masterpiece.
The new version is similar but more flat and too zesty, especially the first 15 minutes, then it calms down and become a joy. It is even green and glossy citrusy someway.
An episode.
I remember I gave this to a friend of mine for Christmas (1989), she was a fan of sexy strong enveloping perfumes (Giorgio Beverly Hills, Boucheron, First). Balenciaga was not so famous anymore in the end of 80s as brand and even the fragrances were difficult to find, and was funny because after Christmas she call me and says “oh my god, everybody is asking me what a gorgeous perfume am I wearing and I do not know what answer to them!” I replied “Jesus only say Rumba by Balenciaga!” “Sure but if I say so they make strange faces and ask me what is it and where to find it! What Should I say?”.
Sometimes to wear well known perfumes can save your time. I discovered.
And she feel safer wearing famous brand probably… like those that loves to show GG D&G LV YSL FF on their clothes and bags. Don’t ask me anything. Read.
кило грибов – :
My son told me I smelt like the inside of a Mystic New Age shop…
Yep that about sums up the description of this fragrance.
There are so many notes it’s hard to tell what is going on.
It’s absolutely gorgeous but you need to be one hell of a woman to pull it off.
Meek little me will secretly keep to wearing this at home.
anigil9tor – :
What’s going on here??? This is a Balenciaga perfume. When did this happen?
Did they sell the rights of the composition to Lapidus ditching it cause it didn’t match the New-minima-cool style of the house? Ahhh, what a shame.
Let me check what they’ve done with Le Dix.
DeLriS – :
This is good, I detect leather, plum and honey. Reminds me of frags avon used to do, this isnt an expensive smell, but if you like spicy and sweet, give it a try
moderator – :
From the moment I sniffed the bottle, she called me inside to a time when life was much less simple. A time when women did not yet know how to exercise their independence, because they were still fighting for it. A time when smelling like flowers and cigarettes and skank and a little bit of demure sweetness was the closest thing you got to walking out on “your place.”
Perfumes in the 1980s were a time of self discovery and self expression. Big hair, big shoulder-pads, and big scents compensated for insecurity of what tomorrow would being. For just a moment this scent grounds me in that time.
This is a gorgeous blend. It reminds me a lot of Caesar’s World Women (I’m sure many will disagree). The leather is present but does not assault the nose. A successful blind buy!
WeLDERX – :
On me I get leather, more leather, tonka bean oakmoss and just the tiniest hint of fruit. It’s an almost masculine fragrance, and I quite like that about it. It’s dark, and mysterious and is quite reminiscent of the fluid sensuality of the dance for which it is named. Its androgynous sexuality makes it quite an interesting fragrance, reminiscent in character to E’tat Libre D’Orange’s Delicious Closet Queen. I can imagine a fragrance like this on a young David Bowie, with his Lauren Bacall hairdo and sinful ethereal beauty, and if that’s not glamorous I don’t know what is.
zik256x – :
I have both the Rumba Balenciaga and Rumba Ted Lapidus versions. They are both the EDT versions and I noticed that the Balenciaga version is a darker color and a little more potent/pungent or stronger. They are both pretty great but the Ted version seems just a tiny bit lighter and sweeter both in color and on the skin. This stuff has enormous silage so either one lasts all day and leaves a trailing scent behind. If you are looking for the really heady stuff, I would recommend the Balenciaga….think Opium, Mitsouko or Diva strong otherwise the Ted version is just a bit tamer (not much).
Brabus073 – :
This is really a fantastic fragrance to me. Far Better than expensive generic smells thes days. I found it bit masculine ,and really wanna give it a try. I am a man, but dont know if i can pull this off. But really like this hhaunting, ghost kind of a smell.
A_N_D_R_E – :
What a great description from Odenir De Faria! Think a great 80’s fragrance that is not afraid to show up. This one reminds of dance clubs, “Bad Girls” music from Donna Summer or even Lady Marmalade struttin her stuff. Rumba almost sounds too calm for this one….more like Hot Salsa club or even the paso doble or tango dance. Wow!
nordwand – :
this is very strong incense on my skin.my sister loves it but i prefer rumba passion.
Mexlj504Unlogrere – :
This is one of the most perfect vagabond-whore type fragrances ever!
Surreal.
Fantastic.
Savage.
Pungent.
Narcotic.
Poisonous.
Bitchy.
Sensual.
Wear it to kill!
I think everyone who loves Rumba hates it a little bit deep inside, like me, but keeps loving it.
Aleks774 – :
I think that a lot of people will be pleased that there is now a separate page for the current Rumba, as opposed to the vintage. THANK YOU, Fragrantica!!!!