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Diptyque

post #1 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:10am
Thread Starter 
Well, I recently bought Tam Dao, and the lovely SA gave me a sample of a truckload of other Diptyque frag!

So, here are my thoughts on these frags... Please note, I live in hot and humid Singapore, so these scents will probably smell totally different in more temperate climates.

Virglio:
At first, it's a herb-laced blast with a dash of mint... after a couple minutes, it smells distinctly of Licorice. On the drydown, however, it resembles the edgy, incense side of Kouros with a dash of Cedar and Basil. Interesting.

Eau de Lierre:
They didn't sell this in the shop yet, but had samples. Quite an interesting scent... At first, it seems to have a strong dash of citrus, but this quickly mellows to an earthy, rich scent that reminds me of incense with capsicum and Ivy. Dunno if I'd put it on my must-buy list, but it's interesting. Then it settled more... And it's a wonderful, fresh ivy, a little musk and woods. Wow. It's actually awesome, but on drydown smells almost mainstream oriental, and it stays close to the body, and thus may have problems standing out from other slightly similar frags such as Platimum Egoiste.

Tam Dao:
Wow, easily the best sandalwood scent I've ever smelled. Awesome. To my nose, some rosewood, some Ambergis, all tempered by smooth sandalwood. Not too good for the hot outdoors, but wonderful in the office.

Eau d'Elide:
At first, the sweetness almost made me gag. It's like inhaling concentrated vanilla ice cream mixed with Bazooka bubble gum. On the drydown, it's more like powdery orange sorbet. Awful. But an interesting room freshener.

L'Ombre dans L'Eau:
Ok, so it's supposed to smell like a wet garden... I'd have to *slightly* disagree... It smells like a wonderful wild rose after the rain, with a dash of currant? Dunno. Don't care. It's lovely.

Philosykos:
First blast: The scent of fresh-cut grass and you're lying in the field. Unbelievably green. Settles to more of a fig/cedar mix, but never loses that "fresh cut grass" smell. Awesome, I almost regret picking Tam Dao over this.

Eau Lente:
Again... Wow. At first, it smells like a fresh blast of pine, with cinnamon and clove. Then settles to a wonderful rich, burnt-vanilla smell thanks to the Opopanax. Wear in moderation... This juice evolves a LOT, and really reaches it's peak after 3-4 hours. Awesome.

Olene:
Very light flowers... Very feminine. Not for me, but my female officemate loved the sample for herself.

Ofrésia:
Very wonderful, gentle Fresia flowers on a woody/peppery base. Fairly linear, though it takes a good hour for the peppery notes to come out. It's nice, but not quite my thing.

Opôné:
A very rich, spicy rose scent with a great blend of saffron and spices. Quite nice, really, but poor compared to L'Ombre.

Do Son:
This scent confused me... It's got such a massive, unbelievable evolution, but always smells like asian spices and asian flowers. There's a definite bit of honey, some rose, some cucumber? Then it settles to what seems like Iris and musk. Great stuff, it smells different every time i smell it.

Jardin Clos:
Ghah! Very feminine. Hmmm... Rose? Lilac? Some other flower, a dash of woods... maybe cedar? Very, very feminine, reminds me of a perfume my mom would wear. Made a great gift to the same female officemate.
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post #2 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:32am
Thanks for your reviews! I've been reading more about this fragrance line recently. It is also my understanding that this line is notorious for it's minimal longevity. Would you like to give your feedback on that one? Thank you again.
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post #3 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:36am
excellent reviews, thanks Rashkae. I am going to buy Philosykos at the end of the month. i may just pick up tam dao too!

i too would like to hear about the longevity, especialy the philly if you have time! those reviews must have taken ages!
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post #4 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by aubrgene

Thanks for your reviews! I've been reading more about this fragrance line recently. It is also my understanding that this line is notorious for it's minimal longevity. Would you like to give your feedback on that one? Thank you again.

I've had longevity problems with the L'Artisans, but no real issues with Diptyque. Tam Dao lasts all day, as do the gentle spritzes I've put on from the samples.

It's hard to beat the longevity of Acqua di Gio and L'Instant though.
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post #5 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Markinlondon

i too would like to hear about the longevity, especialy the philly if you have time! those reviews must have taken ages!


Well, Philosykos lasts a good 6-8 hours on my skin... But it really doesn't project much. Sillage isn't too strong, but it's not so weak either. It does last though. I'd place it as a more "intimate" frag.

Yeah, took a while, but it's worth it. Except for Eau d'Elide, that was awful awful, awful.
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post #6 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:46am
I love Diptyque stuff. I have superior longevity with each. I think they're much stronger in the lasting department than 90 percent of scents availabe.

Great reviews, Rashkae.
--Chris
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post #7 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:56am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB

I love Diptyque stuff. I have superior longevity with each. I think they're much stronger in the lasting department than 90 percent of scents availabe.

Great reviews, Rashkae.
--Chris

Thanks, Chris!

Yeah, they last well, though sillage varies greatly. Sadly, the longevity/sillage monster in the Diptyque line is Eau d'Elide, and that's the only one I've wanted to scrub off at all costs.

I'm actually disappointed by Eau de Lierre... It just settles to something that smells far too mainstream. A sad departure from the other, unique fragrances.

-- Mike
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post #8 of 22
7/19/06 at 9:57am
I too, have no problems with Philosykos' staying power, and since -at least to me- it's a fragrance for hot HOTweather, that says a lot!

I'm getting more and more intrigued with l'Ombre Dans l'Eau since it has been mentioned a couple of times over the last few days... have to try it tomorrow
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post #9 of 22
7/19/06 at 10:08am
Great info and thank you for taking the time to post it.

The only 'D' I've smelled was TD and it was not for me. Traded it away in a ny second .
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post #10 of 22
7/19/06 at 10:18am
Diptyque are a wonderful fragrance house. They are also generous with samples. Philosykos is The One that I got hooked on, a natural, easy-going scent, so wearable and lovable; it truly rocks.
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post #11 of 22
7/19/06 at 10:46am
Warning: what follows is a rant.


About this longevity issue that keeps cropping up. I would say that longevity would easily qualify as the most overused word and the most misunderstood concept on the board. Quite thoughtless the way many people throw it around.

Longevity in relation to what? Skunk spray? That seems to be the criterion for many. That is, if it doesn't last an eternity, there are longevity problems.

This word is bandied about so carelessly and thoughtlessly that, quite frankly, it's becoming absurd. I own most Diptyque fragrances and have tried all of them, and if there's one thing one can't say about Diptyque fragrances--even taking all other variables into account--it's that Diptyque fragrances have no problems with longevity. Take L'Ombre dans L'Eau for example. You will get steady output for at least 12-16 hours with a decent application. Now that's longevity by any standard. I agree with Chris's assessment that only about 10% of other fragrances probably have better or equal longevity when compared to Diptyque fragrances.

Here's what I wrote about Diptyque fragrances and the nature of their longevity in a review on Opôné:
Quote:
Furthermore, *Opôné*, like all Diptyque fragrances, starts off strong and finishes strong, and, like most Diptyque fragrances, it doesn’t evolve much, which is fine by me because it smells so beautiful right out of the bottle. Diptyque fragrances have such presence and such an amazing tenacity. They’re pure, honest, and there’s a clarion quality to the tonality of their ingredients. *Opôné*, like all Diptyque fragrances, is intense from the first moment you spray it on to the last moment right before it fades, and Diptyque fragrances work like certain batteries which provide optimum performance and then all of a sudden just die out. I’ve never sampled scents with such redoubtable presence. I think the fact the company first made candles before it made scents might have a lot to do with the fact that their fragrances are a lot like their candles: they have amazing, redolent output right till they burn out.


If one is going to talk about longevity problems, there are lot of things one needs to take into account, like amount applied, where you applied it (to open exposed skin or under your clothes where the rate of evaporation is different), what part of the body you applied it to, skin type, oiliness of skin, ambient temperature and humidity, activity level and how much you sweat and the acidity of your sweat, diet, the kind of soap you use, air conditioning, whether you're a smoker or not, whether you have problems with occluded nasal passages or sinuses, etc, etc, etc. Yes, there are a lot of etcetera variables when considering longevity. Subjective perceptions are pointless if you don't frame them within some at least partially objective framework.

One should always have a baseline. That is one should think about and experience a large number of different kinds of fragrances, everything from citrus based to heavy chypres, and one should have a realistic and comparative sense of longevity that takes into account the nature of the fragrance one is discussing along with the many variables that apply to its wearing. People are surprised and even angry that citrus based scents don't last long. Here's a news item: they never have, and they never will; that's the nature of the ingredients. Yet the very same people will talk about poor longevity of citrus-based fragrances as if that's a fault and deficit of the fragrance rather than an aspect of its nature. The issue of whether you prefer all of your fragrances to have exceptional longevity is a separate issue.

One final point, I think there are some people for whom olfactory inhibition occurs more rapidly and far more extensively than others. You might well be one of those unfortunate people for whom the olfactory nerve switches off smelling your fragrance of the day once it has decided that the fragrance is not something signaling danger. If you are one of those people, then it would be a good thing to know this when considering issues of longevity. Of course, there's also the phenomenon of anosmia or even partial anosmia where people have a blind spot to certain elements of a fragrance. They literally can't detect them.

Please, a little more care, thought, and objectivity when using this word.

scentemental
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post #12 of 22
7/19/06 at 1:53pm
Amen to that brother
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post #13 of 22
7/20/06 at 9:19pm
Magnificent! And necessary. This should remain posted on the first page as requisite reading material.

Thanks for the effort scentemental.
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post #14 of 22
7/21/06 at 12:24am
Scentemental has brought up the fact of how longevity is influenced by
many factors. I'd like to reinforce this by relative my experience with
Creed Millesime Imperial today. I applied generously in the morning:
5 sprays to the chest/abdomen, 2 to each arm. And one more important
point: I had applied some unscented body lotion to my chest before applying
the fragrance.

The scent from the arms was gone in an hour or two, whereas I could still
get pleasant sillage from the chest area more than six hours later. I think it
comes down to two factors: The body oil trapped the fragrance on the chest.
The evaporation rate is greater on the arms, since air is blowing by you as
you walk, sit in the air-conditioned car, etc. (The scent coming at me from
the air conditioner vents was great as it blew past my MI-scented arms.)

Now, regarding Diptyque fragrances, I don't have to worry too much with
a rich fragrance like Eau Lente. That opoponax-laden goodie has long-lasting
basenotes. Tam Dao's sandalwood lasts a good while too. It's the more
fleeting, fruity notes, found in fragrances like Philosykos that I know won't
be around long. But they smell great while they are here.

Diptyque is a first-rate niche house.
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post #15 of 22
7/21/06 at 12:41am
Thanks for the reviews Rashkae, and for the longevity post to scentemental!
Quote:
Originally Posted by aubrgene

Thanks for your reviews! I've been reading more about this fragrance line recently. It is also my understanding that this line is notorious for it's minimal longevity. Would you like to give your feedback on that one? Thank you again.

Indeed I've never had poor longevity issues with Dyptique stuff, they last at least 8 hours on me. By far my favs are Phylosikos, L'ombre dans l'eau and Tam Dao, but almost all have a fascinating character, like bewitched philtres or love potions, or evil poisons...
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post #16 of 22
7/21/06 at 5:09am
I just received my Tam Dao and Phylosikos yesterday from LC...
GOOD, GOOD, GOOD stuff....I'm very happy with them both.
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post #17 of 22
7/21/06 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnifiscent

.....almost all have a fascinating character, like bewitched philtres or love potions, or evil poisons...

Oh yes, most definitely!

:-D
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post #18 of 22
7/21/06 at 11:28am
any body tried the Do Son? here is the story from the site.....


Do Son, Diptyques new eau de toilette, was inspired by one of its founders, Yves Coueslants childhood memories back in Vietnam.

It all starts in Tonkin in the thirties. Land of marshes and mists and sweet-smelling summers, land of contrasts too; green grasses and precious rice fields of the Red River Delta, the luxurious garden that feeds Hanoï, set against the mountains all around.

Yves Coueslant grew up in Haiphong, a vast harbour in northern Indochina where his father, a lawyer in love with China, was established. His mother, hardly bearing the heat and damp monsoon weather, used to rest for hours in the fresh and quiet half-light of her sitting room. She loved the bitter sweet fragrance of tuberoses and the great department store in town where she used to buy whatever was fashionable from Paris. In the summer, the whole family used to retire to the fresh-aired mountains of Tam Dao.

It was so sultry at times in Haiphong, that his father had a small pagoda built by the seaside, in Do Son. A small path bordered with balustrades leads the way along the sea made purple by the ferruginous silt from the Red River. In the background, the Along Bay and its 3000 islets. The soft breeze on the terrace used to mingle with his mothers fragrance when she was near, and the scents of flowers in the heat. Today, more than seventy years later, little has changed. The town has spread around the old family house that has been turned into a hotel. At Do Son, the pagoda and the balustrades of the small path along the sea are still there. The evening breeze still carries all its mysteries along, soft lulling exhalation, when the scents of heavy flowers and the seaside wind gently mingle at the end of the day.

Yves Coueslant went back to Haiphong. Only once. Today he longs to breathe in his mothers precious fragrance once again.



The Vietnamese word for tuberose cây hoa hûe shows its likeliness to our western lilies.

Same white, all pure and virginal, yet its fragrance, somewhat heady after sunset, evokes much more sensuous dreams. At the time of the Italian Renaissance, young maids were forbidden to walk around tuberose gardens lest they should get dizzy with the scent.

In Vietnam, tuberoses are devoted to worship. They are sold on markets, armfuls of them wrapped in large canna leaves either alone or with jasmine and ylang-ylang, as an offering.

The Tuberose belongs to the liliaceae family. Both a flower and a plant, it bears a great number of small trumpet-shaped buds, all white as white can be. Its fragrant molecules constantly renew themselves, for more than forty-eight hours after the flower has been being picked.

In Do Son, tuberoses perfectly convey their mysteries as the top note. Both flowery and honeyed, altogether soft and slightly bitter, sweet as daffodils. Then follows a touch of orange tree leaves and roses to make the scent cool and fresh. The fragrance lingers on notes of benzoin and iris, to finally melt into the tender milky softness of white musk.
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post #19 of 22
7/21/06 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Markinlondon

any body tried the Do Son? here is the story from the site.....

Wow. That's a great post!

I've not tried out Do Son yet, I clearly need to soon. I have enjoyed tuberose in certain blends (SL Cedre for example).
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post #20 of 22
7/21/06 at 11:49am
apparantly its very very good on a man too, i am going to Diptyque friday next week, will try it!
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post #21 of 22
7/21/06 at 12:16pm
Tuberose is a tricky one. I will keep my my excitement in check until I actually smell this one. Awesome story though! Sometimes (as is the case here and with many L'artisans) the story is as facinating as the scent itself.
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post #22 of 22
7/21/06 at 10:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Markinlondon

any body tried the Do Son? here is the story from the site.....

Yeah, i did. It's part of my reviews.
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