Eau Duelle (2010)
by Diptyque

My first Diptyque review, I don't recall being especially drawn to Eau Duelle when casually smelling a bunch of Diptyques, but this seems to have a good reputation as a vanilla/incense blend.

edit ***This is for the EDT version, not the EDP.

The signature note is vanilla, but other notes of note are cardamom, saffron, and of course, olibanum / incense. I don't quite regard it as a gourmand as the vanilla is the only sweet / food aspect of it, the incense playing second fiddle but still being impossible to ignore.

As with YT reviewer dracdoc, I don't find that this has much evolution to it at all, remaining the same harmonious blend throughout its life.

The downside of this type of blend is that it could be argued as either too spicy or too sweet, and while I find that it leans sweet, it's a good pairing.

Performance is great for a niche EDT, as it projects quite a bit early on and doesn't slow down, lasting a while. I seem to get better performance out of it than the consensus here, so go figure.

At $90 for 50ml / $125 for 100ml, it's decently pricey but not for its performance, which is unusually strong for an EDT (I'd be curious to try the $150 for 75ml EDP). Nonetheless, this strikes me as fitting into the category of needing to like it a lot in order to buy it. I'm not sure how the EDP option fares, by comparison.

Overall, I'm not nearly as moved by it as I am by another vanilla/incense mix, the celebrated Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser, which I find to be a more interesting, unique composition. Another close comparison is to L'Occitane Eau Des Baux, a simpler vanilla/incense combo without the saffron and cardamom of Eau Duelle, and EDB is much cheaper, a surprisingly strong EDT at $60 for 100ml. I prefer the variance of EDB and MOAT to Eau Duelle, overall.

So while Eau Duelle is pleasant overall, I won't be pursuing a bottle of it as long as MOAT and EDB are around.

7 out of 10

The coniferous forest take on vanilla, where a bouquet of greenish spicy and balsamic tones are contrasted against a subtle and creamy vanilla. Leaving aside the official notes list here, what my nose actually encounters are the scents of pine needles (maybe the elemi), juniper and the resinous (as opposed to the smoky) aspects of incense. This is a good mélange of slightly spicy yet fresh accents that takes this vanilla scent down a much less trodden path. Cool and warm elements enjoy their seesaw ride.
A polite perfume, without much of a throw, it’s designed more for just the wearer’s pleasure, not to make a statement to the company they may keep.

Th Eau de Toilette.
When first applied to my skin, I sensed a too sweet vanilla, cloying. It took a while for the spice to counterpoint and balance. Whispers of Frankincense ash gently meld into the center to further incise the sugar. Then something unusual. Rather than introducing citrus, there is a sprinkle of breathy Sea Salt. It slowly fades into a gentle puff of vegetation. There is an overall feel of transparency.


The Eau de Parfum
Top notes introduce a breath of Mandarin, mixes with the camphour of the Cardamom. Vanilla cloyness is non existent.
Altogether and balanced in scent.Leans Feminine, however definitely Unisex.

This is a review of the edt in the rectangular bottle. Eau Duel is more than an excellent composition of a vanilla centered fragrance. The ingredients are of good quality, and the vanilla is true to itself as much as it can be without being too sweet. Unfortunately, frankincense doesn't stand out enough on my skin. Therefore, for me Eau Duel has rather a linear accord of a bit dark and spicy vanilla. I am not fond of vanilla as such, although I recognize how soothing it can be. ED has excellent sillage for the first three hours, but its longevity is quite outstanding surpassing eight hours and on cloths more than a day. Eau Duel is a great offering for those who love vanilla. The reason I give a neutral is that I am not so appreciative of vanilla centered fragrances, and because much to my dismay the interplay with frankincense is not working for me (on my skin).

Not much new to add here: I’m in agreement with the positive reviews here. Eau Duelle is an interplay of opposites… and it succeeds in presenting a poised and discrete contrast between… (in this greatly simplified explanation) …between the vanilla and the frankincense. I’ve encountered vanilla / incense fragrances before, but the light touch of Eau Duelle makes most of the others like this seem quite common. There are no hard edges here, and it is rippleless in the entire run of its duality (I could clearly smell it as a balanced skin scent twelve hours after application). This is the kind of scent you wouldn’t be interested in if you are looking for drama (and if you are looking for drama you shouldn’t be looking at an “Eau” in the first place). It is definitely what you should be testing if you might want a complex, interesting, subtle, elegant, unisex essence.