L'Eau De Tarocco by Diptyque, 2009

I got it from one very nice girl as a sample, when i first tried it i was not being able to recognise quality scents, citruses do make me feel think of cheap stuff but here my first impression was wow so strong but not sharp, smelled like pressed lemon in the camomile tea, evaporating from hot tea, natural mild but high C:-) , all that mixed with airy rose, and incense, smells refined natural and perfect for summer! I think it is a bit on the feminine side but its very beautiful! Its perfectly balanced, nothing spicy just as alfarom said cologne with a twist!!

This is what I call "an Eau De Cologne with a twist". The usual citrus floral pattern of many fragrances of this type is brilliantly enriched by a fascinating accord of saffron and incense that's incredibly similar to the one found on the latest Comme Des Garcons EDP from 2011 but, where the CDG pushes on the accelerator by introducing its typical wierd/synthetic hallmark, L'Eau De Tarocco smells incredibly natural and, while surely more understated, it is still able to remark its presence with a considerable amount of personality. A citrus ologram during the opening joined by woods, incense and saffron while a petit rose note serves as a subtle yet remarkable refinement. Clean, summery and very original. Bettern worn on fabric to play it in slow motion. Highly recommended. Big thumbs up!

Superb sparkling fresh, zesty blood orange/grapefruit opening follwed by a dry, warm spicy/cedar phase that somehow retains a certain sunny freshness. My mum fresh squeezes orange juice every morning and slow bakes the juiceless left-over orange shells in the bottom shelf of her Aga to make firelighters (thrifty tip, baked orange shells make excellent free firelighters). This smell (the drydown) slightly reminds me of a sunny day in her kitchen when the door is wide open onto the kitchen garden and there's orange shells baking in the Aga and maybe she's cooking a Moroccan tagine on the top shelf at the same time. (Aga is a brand of big cooking ranges that store heat so are always hot, sort of thing you find in big country house kitchens in England)

This is pretty good stuff. Anything that puts wood, spice and incense into a dry package has pretty much got my interest, and this one does that. There are good citrus notes at the start: the orange and grapefruit are realistic and distinct. The scent takes on a clean, bright character with hints of incense, wood, and a spice melange. The scent is subtle and enjoyable. At times a restrained and dignified rose note appears, and that is very well done. The scent is quietly compelling, dry, and translucent.

On my skin, L'Eau de Tarocco is one majorly happy fragrance. Deliciously sparkly blood orange, with anchoring wood and zingy saffron and cinnamon notes underneath. YAY! And bravo.

The topnotes are simply a BIG GRINso precisely the scent produced from plunging a thumbnail into an orange. Soon thereafter, though, that scent starts playing peek-a-boo with some really odd, hard-to-describe notes. The imagery I get is that Ive walked toward the storage and receiving area at the back of a mall storenew packing materials and newly manufactured products? Now thats weird.

Officially, the notes are orange, grapefruit, saffron, cinnamon, rose, ginger, cedar, incense, musk.

Lest you write off Tarocco, I do have one selling point: Yesterday I sprayed this on paper and enjoyed hours and hours of the fresh, sweet citrus notes wafting across my desk. Yep, now that's a smilemaker.

Thus far, La Rose du Petit Prince is the best citrus-rose scent I've come across.

Saffron and cedar make this eau de cologne memorable, and different from others in the genre. I don't quite smell the blood orange here (that's what the name 'tarocco' means in Italian). The citrus notes that are the hallmark of the genre are fine in this one, however, and seem to complement the spice-and-wood theme very well. Incense rounds out the accord and gives it a bit of distinction and suavity. One doesn't tire of this; it makes a good steady scent to wear in fine weather.

Green citrus opening. I think this "green" thing is a house note of Diptyque. Anyways, very musky in the drydown, however that "green"-ness remains throughout. I think it's the rose note that alludes to the green I'm talking about. I kinda like the way it is done here without an overdose of cloves or spices in the other Diptyque fragrances I've tried. Longevity lacks and the fragrance is seemingly lackluster otherwise. Just ho hum for me.

L'Eau de Tarocco is a beautiful, natural and refreshing citrus scent, but the musk in the base is too synthetic, clashing with the natural vibe. In essence, it feels like two different fragrances: a natural one over a synthetic one. I like musk of all kinds, but the musk cocktail here rubs me the wrong way. Whatever the musk in the base is, it's more or less the same musk cocktail used in Geranium pour Homme. Not for me, this one.

6.5/10

The nose also composed Arpège pour Homme which is best as a cuddly shower-gel. This one is in a different league. Blood oranges at the start have a dizzy mix of zing and flesh which makes me want to get right up there to the terraces in sight of Etna where they grow. Of course, so aerated an opening cant last but what follows is good too, though not quite as good a musky cushion of ginger, rose and saffron, soft but slightly rasping like a cats tongue. For a cologne, the persistence is fine, though it stays close to the skin which is how I like em. The best of the four Pescheux colognes. Tarocco oranges, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, rose, cedar, frankincense, saffron, Serenolide and Cosmone