Diptyque, based in France, is a fragrance house that I really appreciate. Their scents are interesting and unique, with a lot of personality, and I have several in my collection. I was very interested to try two new entries into their collection "Les Eaux", Geranium Odorata and Eau de Lavande. Les Eaux is broken into two collections, Les Hespéridées, which are citrus-based Eaux de Cologne, and Les Florales, which are floral Eaux de Toilettes. Geranium Odorata and Eau de Lavande are both in the Les Florales collection.
"Rose Geranium" by Chris Carter
I love rose geranium, and Geranium Odorata opens with a pich-perfect blast of that tingly rose-but-not, almost medicinal geranium note. Pretty quickly the fragrance becomes peppery, simmering around the edges of the crisp, leafy geranium. I adore a good peppery perfume, and this one kept me quite happy during a pretty summer day. As the fragrance wears, a bit of soft sweetness emerges, creating a warm drydown that had my nose down my shirt more than once. This one is a candidate for being added to my Diptyque collection; I could imagine just throwing it on when I want something a bit beyond cologne but not heavy. The longevity is pretty good, too.
Notes: Bergamot, Geranium Bourbon, Rose geranium, Pink peppercorn, Tonka bean, Haitian vetiver, Cedar
"The Lavenders" by Margaret Berg
Eau de Lavande is a simple, but excellent take on lavender. I'm a little perplexed by it, actually. Made of lavender absolute and essences, plus spices like cardamom and cinnamon leaf, it wavers between a nice sleepy time lavender and a rousing spice scent. I can't stop smelling my hand. It's more than a skin scent but is definitely snuffleable. I found the far drydown a tad sweet, and probably wouldn't wear it in hot weather. I'm going to wear it to bed tonight, and I imagine I'll have great dreams.
Notes: Absolute lavender and essential oils, Coriander seed, Cinnamon leaf, Nutmeg
I received my samples from the San Francisco Diptyque boutique. The fragrances are available in 100 ml for $98 or 20 ml roll-on for $48 on the Diptyque website, at select stockists, and boutiques.
Tama Blough, Managing Editor
The kind folks at the boutique gave me an extra set of samples to send to any reader in the US. Leave a comment letting us know which of these you think you'd like, if you have a favorite Diptyque fragrance, and where you live.
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