diptyque – This Side of Perfume

Of Travel (and travel sprays)

May 31, 2019

I’m taking a quick family trip to Boston this weekend, so I won’t have my usual What I Wore post up on Sunday morning. I thought I’d post this quick update instead and list my trusty travel sprays.

Do Son EDT by Diptyque

I took this one to Miami earlier in the spring. It’s a perfect pretty tuberose scent to wear in warm weather. The EDT is an inoffensive tuberose.

Graanmarkt13

This one is an interesting lavender, rosemary, and patchouli composition. The patchouli is very earthy here. I love to wear this one in the evenings/at night.

Blond by Hendley

Of course I dedicated an entire post to Blond. I love it and am happy to take it with me, no matter where I’m going.

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I purchased all three of these travel sprays myself, none were gifted. If you’re curious about the Graanmarkt scent, it’s available via Barney’s in the US.

The photo was taken by me.

34 boulevard Saint Germain EdP by Diptyque

November 7, 2018

Notes: pink berries, citrus, clove, cinnamon, cassis, tuberose, iris, geranium, rose, violet, sandalwood, vanilla, woody notes, and amber.

Diptyque is one of my favorite houses. I love their candles, scents, and even body products. But, I could never get along with the Eau de Toilette formulation of 34 boulevard Saint Germain. It just did not work with my skin or suit me at all. When I read that Diptyque had released an EdP formulation, I figured it would be more of the same with my skin chemistry. However, Luckyscent included a sample of the EdP with one of my orders and I couldn’t resist testing it. I’m glad that I did because I love the EdP and I’ve drained the tiny original sample.

As expected, the EdP is heavier and more rich than the EdT. This heaviness is lifted by a berry note in the opening. When I initially looked at the note pyramid, I thought it was going to be a pink pepper note. But it’s more of a tart pink berry, very similar to a cranberry note. I also get a cassis liquor note, although this is not boozy. It’s probably just my brain associating cassis with drinking creme de cassis in kir royale cocktails. I don’t get much of the citrus notes listed, but I definitely get the cinnamon and clove. The effect of this opening makes 34 boulevard EdP holiday party appropriate. It definitely has a festive feel to it.

The heart notes come in, and it’s fairly linear from here on out on my skin. It’s lots of vanilla, more cinnamon, and a rich sandalwood. This is a composition with a lot of depth. However, the sandalwood and vanilla don’t come off as creamy on my skin. It leans the tiniest bit dry, but still warm and enveloping. It gives off quite a formal air. You can certainly wear this dressed down, but it really calls out to be worn for an occasion. I don’t mind the linear nature here because it settles into the skin nicely. And being the EdP concentration, it lasts forever. This is one I can wear to bed and can still smell traces of it in the morning.

The bad news for us as perfume lovers is that, since this is an EdP, Diptyque is able to set a higher price point. At $190 for 75 mls the 34 boulevard EdP is quite pricey. I’m putting it on my Christmas wish list and am hoping to come by it that way. At this time, The Perfumed Court offers samples and decants of the EdT but I don’t see the Eau de Parfum yet. If you have a Nordstrom or Saks nearby, I recommend trying this in person. It really settles into the skin in a lovely way and it lasts for hours!

Have you tried 34 boulevard Saint Germain as an EdT or EdP? I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts. I love Diptyque and I’m so happy that I can finally embrace something from the 34 collection!

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The 34 boulevard Saint Germain EdP is available from Diptyque and Luckyscent. I received my sample from Luckyscent.

The info on notes is taken from Fragrantica.

The photo is of my 34 boulevard sample vial and my beloved Figuier room spray, which has lasted me two years so far!

Oud Palao by Diptyque

September 22, 2016

Notes: Bulgarian rose, Laotian oud, Madagascar vanilla, tobacco, rum, sandalwood, labdanum, patchouli, and camphor.

Oud Palao is actually Diptyque’s Fall release from 2015, although I’ve only just discovered it now as we head into Fall of 2016. The fragrance market is over-saturated with oud scents, particularly rose/oud, and it would be easy to miss this one. I personally wasn’t expecting to feel very strongly one way or the other about Oud Palao. I tried it simply because I like Diptyque. I’m certainly glad I did because Oud Palao blew me away with just how interesting and thought-provoking it is on the skin. Moreover, it’s beautiful and easily wearable.

The opening here is a bit overwhelming to the senses, as I get a little taste of every note here. It’s earthy, woody, leathery, and just a touch medicinal from the camphor. Diptyque bills Oud Palao as a rose/oud and lists rose as the first note in the composition. However, to me, the rose here is very subtle. It reads as more of a transitional note to me. It’s like a touch of floral bridging the opening and the deeper heart notes. Being that I’m not a rose fan, I’m completely fine with that. But if you prefer rose, you may feel differently.

I don’t get a whole lot of tobacco from Oud Palao. I have a feeling the tobacco is laced with incense, as that always reads in a very subdued way on my skin. However, I do get quite a lot of leather in the heart notes. I’m guessing it’s the labdanum, and it pulls dark and dry. It makes me think of a pair of black leather riding boots, just worn in enough, but still stylish.

There’s also a good dose of dry, earthy patchouli. These notes sound quite hefty, but it all comes across as very balanced on the skin. I can’t emphasize enough how dry this composition is. It’s like a dry red wine in that everything comes across as potent, yet subtle. It’s actually quite delicate for an oud composition.

Don’t worry, if words like “delicate” make you nervous about longevity, the projection and wear time here are excellent. Oud Palao is a scent that’s still going strong by the time I’m ready for bed. It clings to my clothes, to my PJs, and to my sheets. I love when that happens, but it has to be a fragrance you like otherwise it’s unbearable.

As for the actual oud note, as you might guess, it’s extremely dry. It’s also medicinal. That camphor note makes a reappearance in the dry down for me. It’s a bit weird, but I have to admit I actually like it. It adds another facet to this otherwise dry woody composition.

It’s safe to say that oud is still not my favorite note, but I’m really glad to have discovered Oud Palao. The true artistry here is in the careful balance of the composition. The dry delicate nature of this scent gives Oud Palao an elegance and makes it an everyday wearable kind of oud. This is a real gem from Diptyque.

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Oud Palao is an Eau de Parfum and it is available directly from Diptyque. It’s also available from Luckyscent, as well as the usual department stores: Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom. I got my sample from the Diptyque counter at Nordstrom.

Both the image and the info on notes are from Luckyscent.

Philosykos by Diptyque

March 26, 2015

Notes: fig tree leaves, wood, and white cedar.

I recently came to the realization that I didn’t know much about fig scents. In my few years of perfume exploration, I had left this area of perfume sadly overlooked. Not anymore! And what better place to start in my fig education than with Diptyque’s venerable Philosykos. Created by Olivia Giacobetti, this fragrance was originally released as an Eau de Toilette in 1996, which makes it almost twenty years old. Philosykos has withstood the test of time, and Diptyque now offers it in both EdT and EdP formats (my sample is the EdP).

Philosykos opens with a startlingly realistic blast of green leaves. The fragrance makes it clear from the start that this experience is not only about the fruit, but about the fig tree and the fig grove as whole, and this opening serves to place the wearer right in the middle of a fig grove. The effect here is perhaps not quite as photo-realistic as the garden in Giacobetti’s En Passant, but it’s pretty close. The fig leaves feel tangible. It’s as though I could reach out and brush a branch of bright green leaves out of my face.

The fig fruit appears gradually. It starts out a little bit tart and becomes sweeter as the fragrance develops, which gives the sense of fruit ripening before our eyes (or nose). Just a hint of milkiness comes through, but it’s nothing heavy, nor does it give off a creamy texture like you might find in a vanilla-based scent. The greenness of the opening is still present to preserve a balance so that, even as the composition takes on a lush sweetness, it never becomes overbearing.

The woody base notes are here to add depth and to round out the full picture of a fig tree. I’m a fan of cedar, and it’s delicious here, as hints of the sharp green leaves from the opening circle back to mingle with the deep, rich wood of the base. And, again, this really serves to balance out the delicate sweetness of the just-ripened fig note. I find this dry down to be quite sensual. Even though it doesn’t include typically warm or sensual notes such as amber, this dry down is appealing in its own way.

Even though my sample is the EdP, my skin seems to drink up this fragrance. By the third hour, Philosykos is already a skin scent on me, and the woody dry down is in full effect. From reading comments and reviews, this seems to be a fluke of body chemistry. I need to sample the EdT to compare and see if, by some chance, it actually has more longevity for me. I would absolutely consider a full bottle of this if I could squeeze a little more wear time out of it.

As I’ve mentioned, Philosykos paints a realistic picture of a fig tree. If you’re in the mood for something more romantic, or a more impressionistic version of fig, you should look elsewhere. But if you’re in the mood to be transported to a seemingly tangible Greek fig grove, then Philosykos is the answer. You could hardly do better, both in terms of fig scents and in regard to stunning realism.

as a note: please let me know of any fig scent recommendations! (Premier Figuier is definitely on the list)

Samples and full bottles of Diptyque fragrances are available from Luckyscent, which is where I got my sample.

Image and info on notes are also from Luckyscent.

What I’m Wearing: Summer Edition

June 12, 2014

Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge by Monet

I love sampling and writing reviews of different fragrances, but what I’m sampling doesn’t always correspond with what I’m wearing day-to-day. And since I do significantly change up my fragrances depending on the season, this seemed like the perfect time to take a break from the regular review format.

The month of June here has been humid, stormy, and grey in general so far – not the most picturesque start to summer. And while it hasn’t gotten outright hot yet, the humidity means the heat has been felt nonetheless. So, here are a few fragrances I’ve been wearing to combat or complement the weather:

Jo Malone; Peony & Blush Suede: sometimes I wake up in the morning knowing exactly what outfit and what fragrance I want to wear, while other times I have no clue. Peony & Blush Suede is the scent I’ve been defaulting to when I can’t figure out what to wear, and for one simple reason: it’s never the wrong thing to wear. This is good for the office, for running errands, even for working out (if you’re into perfume at the gym). Peony & Blush Suede is sweet, but the bright red apple top note keeps it on the refreshing side, and the humidity and I are both thankful that this never falls into sticky-sweet territory. It dries down into a very soft, appealing skin scent (I see the suede influence). I’m almost out of my 30 ml bottle of this, and I use this one so often, I’m considering ordering the 100 ml version next.

Dolce & Gabbana; Light Blue: Light Blue has become a veteran of the mass market, so much so that it’s practically ubiquitous these days (I’ve noticed Sephora is promoting it especially hard this summer). That doesn’t mean Light Blue is unworthy of the attention. In fact, this scent is a deceptively interesting blend: a mass market sheer fruity-floral that isn’t sweet. The zesty citrus top notes give it an effervescent champagne-like quality, while the dose of cedar grounds the composition, making this the rare sheer fragrance that still manages to pack a punch. The longevity is remarkable for an EdT, I easily get 8 hours of wear time from this. I’ve been wearing Light Blue on and off for ten years now, and I find myself returning to it again and again as a dependable warm weather fragrance.

Diptyque; Tam Dao: The opening of Tam Dao is so sharp, dry, and green that it’s almost medicinal. It could be off-putting to some, but on the hottest of days, I crave that blast of greenness, it’s the only cure for the heat. And anyway, sandalwood is the star of the show here, the prickling green opening merely paves the way. As the sandalwood makes its presence known, Tam Dao takes on a creamy texture. But this isn’t the rich creaminess of something like Tom Ford’s Santal Blush; this isn’t vanilla-based. The creaminess is only here to give texture and depth, while the sandalwood remains dry as a bone. I usually associate woody fragrances with Autumn/Winter, but Tam Dao is perfect for summer, exerting enough of a dry, green edge to cut through any hot day.

By Kilian; A Taste of Heaven: This is one of the strangest green fragrances I’ve yet tried. A Taste of Heaven is literally green juice in the bottle, presumably done to imitate absinthe, it’s inspiration. Luckily, this isn’t quite as lurid green as absinthe, but wearing it may be just as much of a trip. Despite the lavender and bergamot, I can’t say that this is a particularly refreshing green fragrance. It has fresh qualities for sure, especially when first sprayed on. But this also takes on a creamy texture, and where Tam Dao remains dry, A Taste of Heaven is vanilla-based, and so it takes on a gourmand aspect. The vanilla and tonka bean give this an edible quality, so that A Taste of Heaven always ends up reminding me of cream soda. I enjoy spritzing this on and letting all the different aspects unfold, from the fresh, aromatic, and lightly spicy beginning to the textured dry-down. This is a weird, yet appealing choice for a summer night out.

What fragrances have you been enjoying so far this summer?

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Warm to Cool: Diptyque’s Eau de Lavande

May 15, 2014

Notes: lavender, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg.

As soon as I saw that Diptyque had released a lavender fragrance, I knew I had to try it. I love Diptyque’s Feuille de Lavande candle, and since Guerlain’s Jicky is one of my all-time favorite fragrances, it’s accurate to say that I love a good fougère fragrance. I was eager to see what kind of relationship I could have with Eau de Lavande.

I expected a lavender for summer, something green and herbal that would cut into the heat of the day before drying down to something warm, perhaps with hints of the animalic. I even compared the Eau de Lavande ingredients with those listed on my Jicky box, and saw enough similarities (coumarin notable about them) to confirm my expectations. Note: I did all of this before even trying a single spritz of Eau de Lavande!! If this were a cartoon, warning signs would be flashing red inside my mind. Since this is real life, I sprayed the fragrance on, not expecting to be surprised.

As it turns out, Eau de Lavande is an exercise in subverting expectations. This lavender has no interest in verging on the freshly green or cool. From first spray, it’s a noticeably warm and substantial fragrance. The spices are immediately prominent, getting almost equal billing with the lavender. I also get quite a strong impression of musk even though it’s not listed in the notes. All this is to say that the opening of Eau de Lavande is not a green or herbal floral. There are enough spicy and animalic elements at play for this to be a really interesting attention-grabber in the early stages.

Then, like a reverse-engineered fougère, Eau de Lavande’s warmth melts away as the composition cools down during the middle and dry down stages. After about an hour’s wear time, the spices recede and the composition blooms into a full soliflore. Diptyque sourced three different variations of French lavender to achieve this full bloom effect. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by strong florals, but not here. There’s actually a kind of cool relief as this fragrance develops. After the rather heady opening, one has the impression of finding a spot of shade in the middle of a lavender field.

These days Diptyque seems mainly interested in putting out pleasantly wearable fragrances as opposed to creativity-driven releases. There’s nothing wrong with wearability, and Eau de Lavande is highly wearable, for either day or nighttime. But there’s a little more to this composition than mere wearability. I feel like Olivia Giacobetti has done something quite clever here, almost playing the fougère accord backwards from warm to cool. This fragrance isn’t an absolute favorite for me, but I appreciate Eau de Lavande for making me think and challenging my expectations.

Eau de Lavande is part of Diptyque’s Les Florales collection. It is available as a roll-on or in a 100 ml bottle from Diptyque. Full bottles and samples are also available from Luckyscent.

Image and information regarding fragrance notes is from fragrantica.

Hello!

March 2, 2012

Hello, all!

It’s true, I’m adding yet another perfume blog to the mix here. You might be thinking Do we really need one more person writing about perfume? All I can say is, taste in perfume is about as subjective as it gets, due in large part to that maddening, finicky, mercurial, wonderful thing called skin chemistry. Thanks to skin chemistry perfume rarely smells the same on different people, and I know the same perfume smells differently on me on depending on what I’m doing or where I am. So, with this in mind, I’m hoping to offer a new perspective and a new voice to the perfume discussion.

Instead of doing a full review of anything just yet, I thought I’d start off by naming a few of my favorite scents to give an idea of my tastes. In general, I shy away from heavy florals and I gravitate towards spice.

Diptyque; Eau Duelle My go-to daytime fragrance. I can’t get enough of the peppery topnote or the boozy, frankincense-laced drydown. For an EDT, I get exceptional wear time out of this (about 10 hours) which makes it great for long days at the office.
Caron; Poivre My dressy going-out scent. Seriously, give me any type of pepper in my fragrance and I’m happy, but Caron’s version is my current favorite. I said I usually don’t go for florals, but I live for the way the pepper and clove blend with the carnation in this elegant fragrance.
Serge Lutens; Five O’Clock au Gingembre My seasonal favorite. I think of this as christmas in a bottle, and wear it all throughout December. I find that nothing is more comforting than the smell of baking gingerbread but, being a Serge Lutens, this fragrance is also as chic as ever.
Guerlain; Jicky My all-time favorite. Jicky is sometimes temperamental and difficult to love. It’s definitely not right for every occasion, but thankfully there are those rare and treasured moments when nothing except Jicky will do.

I’m currently attempting to come to grips with Miller Harris’s L’Air de Rien, so expect a write-up of that coming soon!

I appreciate your patience as I work on getting everything set up around here. Thanks for reading!

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