Philosykos (1996)
by Diptyque

I am at heart quite a nature boy and have spent many hours outside. I owe this love of nature to early vacations I took when I was little, the Bahamas when I was three, and then Sanibel when I was four. I remember very little from my trip to the Bahamas, little bits and parts appear and go. What I can remember though were drinking coconut milk from coconuts that my dad would collect for me. With Philosykos, I can certainly see the coconut associations, but I'm not too sure that's entirely correct, the milky sweetness is certainly evocative, and if it really is coconut, it is a very pure and light one. I must agree with surreality about the banana-leaf note though, I would call much of the scent more evocative of the copious amounts of clear, ever-so-slightly-thicker-than-water fluid that drip from the cut leaf stems than coconut I think. I know this from tending my own potted dwarf trees and at the nursery where I work. It's sweet, but not floral and not entirely vegetative and not entirely pleasant, it's unusual. Here the milky sweet of coconut/banana-leaf and supposed figs or green tea and I get somewhat of a dry grass/hay which are all together extremely palatable. Very nice, archetypal summer in a bottle and great for both sexes (naturally). Reminds me of Hemmingway a little bit, with his tropical home. I like it a lot, but I'm unsure if my pale skin and features can pull such a nice sweet scent that begs for a Mediterranean style tan.

On an ending note, I did plant myself a sugar fig a few weeks ago, I will be comparing the scents and experiences I receive from the plant in comparison to this nice tropical (not neccesarily or entirely Mediterranean) composition.

Fig lovers -- this may be the holy grail you've been searching for!

As for myself, I'll be frank -- I'm still not convinced. It's like sitting under the shade of a fig tree -- then someone mischievous suddenly starts spraying coconut juice. Annoyed, your S.O. tries to ignore the troublemakers by cutting the unripe figs she had just picked into halves and throws them back at the misfits. Finally, they leave after being terrorized by the green-ness of the figs. Sadly, by the time you try to sit down and enjoy the scent of the figs -- you smell nothing because there are no figs left -- just the faint smell of leaves and the wood.

The best fig scent ever and I despised all the others (Dune, Priemier Figuer, Priemier Figuer Extreme, Marc Jacobs for Men, Good Life though was another exception...). The powerful fig in the beginning develops into a pleasant milky accord. Warning, this doesn't last long!

Leafy green at first, then figgy-pudding fruity, and finally a round accord of rich wood and coconut. A very nice scent. It seems a bit sharply green at first, but the edge soon wears off to reveal a softer, pulpier fig note. The best is the final drydown, which does last longer than I thought at first. The sillage on this is moderate after the first stage; and while the longevity seems better than the first time I tried it, it still isn't as long-lived as many other scents. Alas, if Diptyque could improve longevity, it would make their offerings much more attractive!

If I could only use one word to describe this perfume it would be: Nostalgic. One spray of Philosykos transported me back to my childhood; in particular to the days when I would stuff my face with the figs that grew on the tree in my backyard. This is the essence of fig tree; the fruit, the leaves and the wood captured in a bottle. This is not a perfume I could wear very often but when I do wear it, it makes me happy.

This review is under revision.