L'Ombre dans L'Eau (1983)
by Diptyque

The sweetness of rose is wonderfully offset by the slight bitterness of blackcurrant leaves (much beloved by Slavs as a basic flavor for dill pickles!) After about an hour the blackcurrant almost fades out, and the rose develops more, but never to the point of being cloying. It remains fresh, subtle and almost real. Almost, because I have never yet come across a rose scent that really smells like a real wild briar rose.

A green, fairly bright rose frag that any man can pull off. I don't see it as being at all dark, though, unlike Vibert. No, this is the rose antithesis of #88 and Black Aoud -- it's as clear and fresh and bright as those two are dark and mysterious and somewhat Gothic.

A fascinating frag -- may have to go out and get myself a bottle!

Diptyque is currently pulling some odd tricks on my nose. My first umpteen sniffs of L'Ombre were disturbing... I smelled sharp, dank, muddy, rosy, and green. This was offensive; I didn't want to smell sharp, dank, muddy, rose, and green. Yet my recent scented "reminders" of how much I adore the smell of pond water and rose did something odd to my brain. Now, L'Ombre rocks my world (and, very soon, I'm sure, my pockets too...) It's rose and pond water. Seriously, who could wish for more?!

L'Ombre dans L'Eau is the scent that got me interested in perfume. My brother gave me some L'Ombre dans L'Eau body wash as a gift one year, and I loved it so much I decided I absolutely had to have the perfume. That was the first bottle of perfume I ever bought for myself. Now, two bottles later, it is still the scent I want to use all summer. I love this perfume. It is a heavenly, natural, green summer garden scent. It makes me happy every time I wear it.

L'Ombre dans L'Eau is one of the most realistic rose scents that I have ever experienced. It begins with a gorgeous, yet extremely sharp green accord of berry leaves and rain. It's an exact impression of a spring garden at dawn, just after a late night thunderstorm has washed the leaves cold and clean. The rose emerges from these leaves, dark and vivid, without any mitigating warmth or sweetness. The cool, hard quality of these leaves and petals is often remarked on, and I get the sense that it often alienates fans of more traditional roses. It's lifelike, without a trace of sentimentality. I personally like it quite a lot; powdery, sweet, and motherly roses have been done well and often, and at this point they can seem like the olfactory equivalent of background noise - too common to merit any special attention. It's unusual and refreshing to find a rose that is so uncompromising and clear.

L'Ombre dans L'Eau indeed. Well, actually I don't get much water out of this, but there are plenty of shadows. L'Ombre dans L'Eau has an arresting opening: harsh, bitter green notes jump up and kick your nose around a bit, just to make sure you're awake. These are followed almost immediately by a very clear, three dimensional rose note, which soon blends with the green to form the heart of the fragrance. What comes to mind is a rose growing in wet earth, with a distinct soil note that keeps drawing me back into the composition.

This is a dark rose scent, more masculine than unisex to my nose, and with an element of danger hovering deep in the shadowy background. It's relatively linear, like so many Diptyque scents, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Sillage and projection are both outstanding, so don't overdo it!

If you're looking for a masculine rose scent and the Montale Aouds and No. 88 are too much for you, you ought to give L'Ombre dans L'Eau a try.