I wore Diptyques Eau de Lierre today. Mostapha saw that on the SotD thread and wrote me a PM:
With that in mind Ive had a piece of paper with me today for Eau de Lierre notes.
Consider the source as you think of anything that follows in this post: I love almost every edt Diptyque has made. I think I own almost all of them, and Eau de Lierre is my most recent purchase (and from a very kind and complete gentleman of a Basenoter). Ive purchased a 100ml bottle too. Therefore two things: I can be read as a booster for the manufacturer, and second, Ive got the stuff so I can be seen to be trying to justify my purchase to myself.
I recall what Mostapha is talking about. This scent gets tepid and average reviews. When I read the reviews it seemed like no one knew exactly what to make of it and no one could make a firm declarative statement about it, much less a declarative emotional reaction to it. It seems to strike people as a hunh? scent. It strikes me that way too.
It is a definitive leaf scent though. I remember a review of Givenchys Greenergy I read months ago that what you got from that juice was just green green green. Straight green from morning until it ended. Never had the pleasure of trying Greenergy myself, but the idea of such a scent stuck with me. Eau de Lierre is leaf leaf leaf. Green, moist, stiff, thick, end of summer leaf leaf leaf. Theres a review that says it is straight ivy smelling, no chaser.
But what does that really mean? Do I even know what ivy smells like? Would I say Ivy! if I smelled it without knowing of that review comment? I might not. But the comment still makes a lot of sense. Not even knowing ivy exactly it still makes sense when smelling Eau de Lierre. Its certainly a leaf smell, sort of.
Were all accustomed to different plants in our cities and surroundings. When the springtime comes the buds on the trees here are sort of red, then the leaves grow and until about July the tops and the bottoms of the leaves are the same green color, and the leaves are thin, like paper, and bend if you roll them through your fingers. They are sort of thick, though, early in the summer, but lose that thickness as the summer wears on. The bottom of the leaves turns a lighter sage color, and the leaves are more brittle. Then of course they fall off and their brown, gritty, cackling, sound rises from the streets as the wind blows them through the gutters and across the concrete streets and sidewalks.
Those arent Eau de Lierre like leaves. The problem of leaf smells is that Im reminded of the story about fougère scents; theyre meant to be fern-like, but in truth, ferns have no smell of their own. So the initial concept of the fougère is something that gives the mind the idea or mental screensaver image of ferns. (Consider the source again. Im a smell amateur and I dont really know for certain the truth of what Ive heard and now repeated about fougère scents and fern plants.) Eau de Lierre and ivy leaves run the same risk. The smell thought that I get is of thick all-dark, waxy, green leaves. Thick leaves in the sense of a quarter the thickness of aloe plant leaves. Leaves that feel like they would knock against walls if the wind blew them against the sides of brick buildings. Leaves that would leave a dry waxy feeling on your finger tips after you rubbed them back and forth on the leaf to see how thick it is. Theyre stiff leaves and they dont shrivel when the seasons change (although how they finish the season I have no idea since theyre not evergreen leaves).
Eau de Lierre is all leaf leaf leaf and more of that leaf. The smell is dark green. With shadow. Not bright and cheerful sounding in the summer evenings wind.
I understand why its reviewed as average. Its a totally weird one. Not weird in the way Im used to boastful, out there, macho, dare-ya, kick your watery aquatic rear, weird. Not Yatagan or Dzing! or Bandit weird. Not Molinard Patchouli weird. But weird as in not an expected body fragrance at all. You could wear it to be interviewed by the tax collector and not make hes wearing cologne, oh what a fancy pants this guy is, his bank account is going to go to the state for certain now go through his/her mind. Youd still be having a delightfully challenging fragrance experience yourself--seeing yourself in a different smell life for a day and imagining what meaning youre sending to passing noses and to yours, but no one would pick this as a body fragrance--its weird that way--and ask you about your fragrance. Its calming too, and emotionally calming at that. If you were wearing too much of it someone might notice and wonder why you smell that way, but not really connect it to a square bottle with a grey spray mechanism on top. Thats that weird. I dont have anything like it.
Ive worn it a dozen times since I picked it up in the spring or early summer. The first wearings I thought it didnt last long and stuck close to the skin. As usual, that turned out to be wrong. The more I wear it and get to know it the more I smell it late in the day, and the strange end dry down comes out. Man, is it weird. Still that leaf, kinda sorta, but its also got a strong element thats like the wet inside of old bark that has fallen off a tree dying. So strange! Im not even sure thats the right way to put it even. Ive got Roger & Gallets Extra Vieille in all its flanker body products that I know are sold, and this bark note of Eau de Lierre is just like the dominant element that comes out of the R&G Extra Vieille shower gel body wash. This gel body wash smells slightly different from the other Extra Vieille products, but it helps them and reinforces them for sure.
Late at night Ive smelled the dry down bark-thing of Eau de Lierre and thought I didnt use that Extra Vieille gel today, did I? Im not out of regular soap again and stuck with the good stuff, am I? This bark-thing must be a perfume ingredient, and I sort of wonder if it isnt like toned-down and wooded-up immortelle flower. Call me nuts about saying that, because youre probably right. I dont know for sure at all, but it has that ashy sourness immortelle has, but Eau de Lierre isnt really an immortelle fragrance like Goutals Sables or that big bottle Dior product. At least I dont think so.
As an olfactory statement to the world Eau de Lierre fails. The average quality of it drops down to fair to poor for this. It is a scent that is a personal ride, one you can have as a scent aficionado and have as an undercover experience as you go through a day. A day and a half even. About the longevity again, my pillows smell of it from the night I slept and wrapped my arms around them around my head when I wore it this weekend. That was of course a night after a full days wearing. As Ive learned the scent Ive realized it has lasted that long.
I mentioned to another friend here that I was writing this up today at Mostaphas question. He replied that Eau de Lierre is one of the most beautiful scents hes encountered. So maybe it does hit the declarative emotional or artistic standard sometimes.
I wont be parting with my bottle. Its a weird one, from a house that makes weird ones, and its even a weird one from all the other products by the house.
Its a private one though. Dont expect anything but your own thoughts as you wear it, and probably some disappointment.
--Chris
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mostapha
Chris,
How is everything? I hope you're doing great.
I noticed you have Diptyque Eau de Lierre as you SotD, and I have just received a sample of it this morning! I'm interested to know what you think of this scent. The reviews in the directory rate this fragrance average.
Cheers!
Chris,
How is everything? I hope you're doing great.
I noticed you have Diptyque Eau de Lierre as you SotD, and I have just received a sample of it this morning! I'm interested to know what you think of this scent. The reviews in the directory rate this fragrance average.
Cheers!
With that in mind Ive had a piece of paper with me today for Eau de Lierre notes.
Consider the source as you think of anything that follows in this post: I love almost every edt Diptyque has made. I think I own almost all of them, and Eau de Lierre is my most recent purchase (and from a very kind and complete gentleman of a Basenoter). Ive purchased a 100ml bottle too. Therefore two things: I can be read as a booster for the manufacturer, and second, Ive got the stuff so I can be seen to be trying to justify my purchase to myself.
I recall what Mostapha is talking about. This scent gets tepid and average reviews. When I read the reviews it seemed like no one knew exactly what to make of it and no one could make a firm declarative statement about it, much less a declarative emotional reaction to it. It seems to strike people as a hunh? scent. It strikes me that way too.
It is a definitive leaf scent though. I remember a review of Givenchys Greenergy I read months ago that what you got from that juice was just green green green. Straight green from morning until it ended. Never had the pleasure of trying Greenergy myself, but the idea of such a scent stuck with me. Eau de Lierre is leaf leaf leaf. Green, moist, stiff, thick, end of summer leaf leaf leaf. Theres a review that says it is straight ivy smelling, no chaser.
But what does that really mean? Do I even know what ivy smells like? Would I say Ivy! if I smelled it without knowing of that review comment? I might not. But the comment still makes a lot of sense. Not even knowing ivy exactly it still makes sense when smelling Eau de Lierre. Its certainly a leaf smell, sort of.
Were all accustomed to different plants in our cities and surroundings. When the springtime comes the buds on the trees here are sort of red, then the leaves grow and until about July the tops and the bottoms of the leaves are the same green color, and the leaves are thin, like paper, and bend if you roll them through your fingers. They are sort of thick, though, early in the summer, but lose that thickness as the summer wears on. The bottom of the leaves turns a lighter sage color, and the leaves are more brittle. Then of course they fall off and their brown, gritty, cackling, sound rises from the streets as the wind blows them through the gutters and across the concrete streets and sidewalks.
Those arent Eau de Lierre like leaves. The problem of leaf smells is that Im reminded of the story about fougère scents; theyre meant to be fern-like, but in truth, ferns have no smell of their own. So the initial concept of the fougère is something that gives the mind the idea or mental screensaver image of ferns. (Consider the source again. Im a smell amateur and I dont really know for certain the truth of what Ive heard and now repeated about fougère scents and fern plants.) Eau de Lierre and ivy leaves run the same risk. The smell thought that I get is of thick all-dark, waxy, green leaves. Thick leaves in the sense of a quarter the thickness of aloe plant leaves. Leaves that feel like they would knock against walls if the wind blew them against the sides of brick buildings. Leaves that would leave a dry waxy feeling on your finger tips after you rubbed them back and forth on the leaf to see how thick it is. Theyre stiff leaves and they dont shrivel when the seasons change (although how they finish the season I have no idea since theyre not evergreen leaves).
Eau de Lierre is all leaf leaf leaf and more of that leaf. The smell is dark green. With shadow. Not bright and cheerful sounding in the summer evenings wind.
I understand why its reviewed as average. Its a totally weird one. Not weird in the way Im used to boastful, out there, macho, dare-ya, kick your watery aquatic rear, weird. Not Yatagan or Dzing! or Bandit weird. Not Molinard Patchouli weird. But weird as in not an expected body fragrance at all. You could wear it to be interviewed by the tax collector and not make hes wearing cologne, oh what a fancy pants this guy is, his bank account is going to go to the state for certain now go through his/her mind. Youd still be having a delightfully challenging fragrance experience yourself--seeing yourself in a different smell life for a day and imagining what meaning youre sending to passing noses and to yours, but no one would pick this as a body fragrance--its weird that way--and ask you about your fragrance. Its calming too, and emotionally calming at that. If you were wearing too much of it someone might notice and wonder why you smell that way, but not really connect it to a square bottle with a grey spray mechanism on top. Thats that weird. I dont have anything like it.
Ive worn it a dozen times since I picked it up in the spring or early summer. The first wearings I thought it didnt last long and stuck close to the skin. As usual, that turned out to be wrong. The more I wear it and get to know it the more I smell it late in the day, and the strange end dry down comes out. Man, is it weird. Still that leaf, kinda sorta, but its also got a strong element thats like the wet inside of old bark that has fallen off a tree dying. So strange! Im not even sure thats the right way to put it even. Ive got Roger & Gallets Extra Vieille in all its flanker body products that I know are sold, and this bark note of Eau de Lierre is just like the dominant element that comes out of the R&G Extra Vieille shower gel body wash. This gel body wash smells slightly different from the other Extra Vieille products, but it helps them and reinforces them for sure.
Late at night Ive smelled the dry down bark-thing of Eau de Lierre and thought I didnt use that Extra Vieille gel today, did I? Im not out of regular soap again and stuck with the good stuff, am I? This bark-thing must be a perfume ingredient, and I sort of wonder if it isnt like toned-down and wooded-up immortelle flower. Call me nuts about saying that, because youre probably right. I dont know for sure at all, but it has that ashy sourness immortelle has, but Eau de Lierre isnt really an immortelle fragrance like Goutals Sables or that big bottle Dior product. At least I dont think so.
As an olfactory statement to the world Eau de Lierre fails. The average quality of it drops down to fair to poor for this. It is a scent that is a personal ride, one you can have as a scent aficionado and have as an undercover experience as you go through a day. A day and a half even. About the longevity again, my pillows smell of it from the night I slept and wrapped my arms around them around my head when I wore it this weekend. That was of course a night after a full days wearing. As Ive learned the scent Ive realized it has lasted that long.
I mentioned to another friend here that I was writing this up today at Mostaphas question. He replied that Eau de Lierre is one of the most beautiful scents hes encountered. So maybe it does hit the declarative emotional or artistic standard sometimes.
I wont be parting with my bottle. Its a weird one, from a house that makes weird ones, and its even a weird one from all the other products by the house.
Its a private one though. Dont expect anything but your own thoughts as you wear it, and probably some disappointment.
--Chris
I might actually consider blind-buying it from lusciouscargo.com, especially since it is not often available for sampling in stores ... and has basil in it.
