Diptyque Orpheon Eau de Parfum is a subtle, close-wearing powdery, musky scent that turns more vanillic over time, while jasmine blooms deep in the background, adding a more generalized sense of floralcy. I wish I had more to say–this was a simpler scent journey and perfect for those who prefer scents that don’t change much over time! These are the notes:

• top notes: juniper berries
• heart notes: jasmine
• base notes: powdery notes, cedar, tonka bean

Scent Development

It opened with the bite of juniper berries–crisp, cool, and pine-like–with vanilla to back it up, offering a subtle sweetness before jasmine bloomed sweetly in the background. The powder ended up showing up after about 10 minutes of the fragrance settling on my skin, which gave it a powdery, musky characteristic that seemed to overwhelm the other notes. Everything that was in the opening became vague and diffused, which resulted in them losing their nuance and coming across as a more generic “clean” scent.

Orpheon was linear on my skin; it had a subtle jasmine and woods undercurrent that was dominated by powdery musk that became progressively more powdery and more vanilla (the woods losing out) by the second hour, which lasted through the drydown. Being linear is not a bad thing so long as one enjoys it. I also noticed with this that it wore particularly close to the skin and seemed subtler, particularly for an eau de parfum.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

Longevity

This seemed to be a near skin-scent from the initial application. At best, it hovered two to three inches above my skin and with no sillage. It wasn’t weak per se, as I didn’t have trouble detecting it on my skin when I put my nose close to my wrist. It was shorter-wearing relative to other eau de parfums I’ve tried, including some from Diptyque, and it was hard to detect on my skin after eight hours of wear.

Personal Thoughts

I’m not as well-versed in this scent family, though it’s not the kind of fragrance that pulls me personally, and if it had slightly more projection and better longevity on my skin, it would seem nice enough for something soft, lightly floral and “clean” with a powdery musk.

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $190
• 0.7ml sample for $6

Where to Buy

• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom

Diptyque Orpheon Perfume Review

Diptyque Orpheon Perfume Review

Diptyque Eau Duelle Eau de Parfum is an easy-to-wear, soft, spiced vanilla with a hint of woods. The vanilla is the star here, and it starts off more spiced and woody before drying down to something more powdery and veil-like. It’s gauzy, subtle, and intimate with a fairly linear journey, making it perfect for someone looking for a sheerer vanilla that doesn’t get too sweet or cake-like. These are the notes:

• top notes: pink peppercorn, juniper berry, green cardamom, elemi
• heart notes: frankincense, calamus, black ceylon tea
• base notes: bourbon vanilla, fernat vanilla, Haitian vetiver, cypriol

Scent Development

It opened with warm, bourbon vanilla–boozy, a little powdery, and sweet–with a hint of spice, probably pepper and some smoky incense coming through. There was a pine woodiness in the first 30 seconds but was obliterated by the vanilla. Given a few minutes to settle on my skin, the vanilla lost its booziness and became more powdered. Eau Duelle was a soft, spiced vanilla with a backdrop of a smoky incense and barely-there woodiness. In the first half hour, the frankincense added subtle smoke but more along the lines of spice, which made the vanilla feel richer and deeper.

While the vanilla seemed on the powdery side, after an hour, it wasn’t as sweet or as spiced, so I’d described as a softer, sheerer vanilla–almost like wearing cashmere. From this point, there were little in the way of shifts between notes; it remained a soft, lightly spiced vanilla that became more powdered and more vanillic through the drydown.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It had low sillage and lower projection; it was definitely an intimate fragrance that sat upon skin and was hard to notice more than a few inches away from skin, though on my skin, there was enough power to discern the notes and journey of it on. It was shorter-wearing for an eau de parfum, as it did become difficult to find on my wrist after eight hours of wear.

Personal Thoughts

It’s a well-done vanilla fragrance for those looking for a richer, spicier vanilla and something that doesn’t get too sugary-sweet. I have Loree Rodkin’s Gothic I, which is richer and has better wear/projection, but this would be worth considering if I didn’t already have Gothic I.

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $190
• 0.7ml sample for $6

Where to Buy

• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom

Diptyque Eau Duelle Perfume Review

Diptyque Eau Duelle Perfume Review

Diptyque Tam Dao Eau de Toilette is a sweetly spice, aromatic wood fragrance that starts off with a more pine-like woodiness that transforms into a cedar-sandalwood mix–creamy but aromatic–and then eventually, heavy on sandalwood in its smooth, creamy form with rose to round it out. The drydown had light spices and golden amber whispers that accentuated the sandalwood, while a touch of musk came through. These are the notes:

• top notes: Italian cypress, myrtle, rose
• heart notes: sandalwood, cedar
• base notes: Brazilian rosewood, spices, amber, white musk

It opened with rich, dry cedar accented by soft rose and aromatic woods. The cypress gave it a green facet that paired well with the cedar and seemed mitigate some of the dryness, before creamy, smooth sandalwood joined the composition to blend with the cedar. In a way, it had more of a forest woodiness to–slightly camphorous, sappy, and piney, but then the wood was chopped and left to dry out, becoming softer, smoother, and less pine-heavy. The rose was subtle throughout the opening that I almost missed it entirely as the woods were quite dominant; the rose seemed there to fuse the types of woods together without being overt.

It was cooler, crisp, and pine-like, despite some of the warmth that I associate with drier cedar, and it took about a half hour for the fragrance to warm through with richer rosewood, lightly spiced amber, and a touch of powderiness. As the creamy, smooth sandalwood shifted upward and became the more dominant of the woods, the scent felt warmer and softer with rosewood peeking through. The drydown had a little bit of muskiness coupled with sandalwood and a subtle, ambery sweetness.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for four hours until it was a skin-scent and about eight hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were both on the lighter side even from initial application–it wafted from about five inches above my wrist initially and dropped closer within an hour.

Personal Thoughts

I’d describe it as a more approachable sandalwood fragrance, and it would be ideal for someone who prefers skin scents and closer-wearing fragrances with no real sillage or projection (none of these are negatives, they are simply descriptors in my eye!). I’m happy to wear a more intense take on sandalwood, so something like this is nice to see for others but not so much for me specifically.

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $190
• 0.7ml sample for $6

Where to Buy

• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom

Diptyque Tam Dao Perfume Review

Diptyque Tam Dao Perfume Review

Diptyque Eau Capitale Eau de Parfum is a lighter, barely-in-bloom rose with leafy greens and light, woody and earthy tones. It was primarily a rose and patchouli scent with a greener, fresher rose being the dominant note until deep into development where the patchouli showed up more noticeably in the drydown. These are the notes:

• top notes: pink pepper, bergamot
• heart notes: rose
• base notes: patchouli

It opened with soft, lightly jammy rose with an effervescent citrus that morphed into an aromatic, fresh rose with tender green leaves in the early morning with damp soil beneath the shrub. The rose was lifted by the peppery and green notes and was fresh rather than jammy, despite that opening moment of sweetness.

The development was more linear, so for the most part, what was experienced after the first 15 minutes was very much the remainder of the fragrance. I found that the green characteristic waxed and waned over time before becoming harder to detect at the fourth hour, which was when the patchouli came forward more and met with the fresh rose.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for six hours until it was a skin-scent and about 10 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. It had moderate sillage for the first three hours and projected readily above my wrist for the first four hours.

Personal Thoughts

It’s a fragrance that earns a lot of comparisons to Frederic Malle’s Portrait of a Lady, which I would say is a darker, much more intense and nuanced fragrance–more to it, simply–whereas Eau Capitale is lighter, fresher, and more linear. I personally found Portrait of a Lady to have entirely too much projection and sillage that something like Eau Capitale would suit me better from that perspective, but Eau Capitale lacks the smoky, woody aspects of Portrait of a Lady, so they are definitely not that similar in practice.

Available Sizes

• 75ml for $190
• 0.7ml sample for $6

Where to Buy

• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom

Diptyque Eau Capitale Perfume Review

Diptyque Eau Capitale Perfume Review

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The Details

Diptyque Spice Candle ($68.00 for 6.5 oz.) is described as “cinnamon with the reassuring roundness of plum.” Sometimes, I’m not sure why I buy things I know I probably won’t like, because Diptyque’s candles always disappoints me. Their holiday candles are always so beautifully packaged, and since I tend to gravitate towards spicy, cozy scents in the fall and winter, I thought this one might hit the spot (and being cinnamon-driven, I didn’t think it would be a shy scent).

I was wrong – there is so little throw that I’m not even sure there’s any scent being released as the wax melts. When I burn it, I can’t detect any scent. I get more scent in the room when it is unlit and just sitting there (though it is very subtle, and only if I’m within a foot of it). Unlit, it smells of warm, spicy cinnamon with a hint of clove and sweet plum. It’s not an overly complicated scent but very holiday-esque (to me) and aptly named. The only positive things I have to say about it is that it does burn evenly, and it burns cleanly. Currently, I don’t need to read by candlelight, so the lack of throw is devastating at this price point (and this is what I’ve experienced with every Diptyque candle I’ve tried). Someone remind me of this next holiday season when those prettily housed candles try to tempt me again.

It’s also available in a smaller size for $34 (2.4 oz.) or as part of the holiday trio ($98 for 3 x 2.4 oz. candles) The large size featured in this post is supposed to have a 60-hour burn time, while the smaller size has a 30-hour burn time.

See more photos!

Diptyque Spice Candle

Diptyque Spice Candle

Diptyque Spice Candle

Diptyque Spice Candle

Diptyque Spice Candle

Diptyque Spice Candle

Diptyque Spice Candle