Yesss, FF is back! For this week, at least.
Diptyque Eau Duelle (Oriental Spicy: cardamom, elemi resin, olibanum, bergamot, pink pepper, juniper, saffron, black tea, musk, ambergris and bourbon vanilla): One of my favorite perfumes is Diptyque Volutes, released last year, and Eau Duelle is very similar in feel. It's sweeter, and lacking the smoke, with more of an emphasis on the vanilla and spices, but they're both cozy scents perfect for snuggling up with a mug of hot cocoa (which, coincidentally, is exactly what I am drinking as I write this!). Eau Duelle is less interesting than Volutes, and I don't like it as much, but I'm sure I'll use the whole sample vial for those days when I just want to smell like a winter sweater.
Diptyque Tam Dao (Floral Woody Musk: rose, myrtle, Italian cypress, sandalwood, cedar, spices, amber, white musk, Brazilian rosewood): This one has been somewhat of a puzzle for me. It's very woody, unsurprising given the note list (trees!), but it's very quiet––I apply two spritzes, and even then, it's pretty much gone after an hour, leaving only slight whiffs of woods over the next few hours. My skin tends to amplify scents, so this is really unusual for a perfume for me, and I wonder if it's true for everyone when wearing Tam Dao? I smell primarily the woods, without the floral/spicy/ambery notes, though I also smell coconut, which is not in the notes list, also puzzling. It reminds me of a big carved wooden chest, old enough to have lost most of its smell, but not so antiqued as to be completely scentless, perhaps in a home in the tropics, surrounded by coconut trees (do coconut trees smell like coconut? WHATEVER). I think it's a good choice if you like unisex woody scents but are usually put off by sillage/longevity. I will probably use up this vial, too, just because I have to apply it in such large doses to get any effect.
By Kilian Amber Oud (Oriental Woody: West Indian bay, vanilla, benzoin, amber, cedar): I love amber. I tend to love oud. But I do not love Amber Oud. I mean, it's fine, but it has this plasticky note in the opening that lasts a couple of hours that's just jarring, and it's a bit too sweet and, dare I say, simple. It's probably because my nose isn't refined enough, or whatever, but the name pretty much sums up what you get: an ambery oud, or an oudy amber, with a dash of plastic. I wanted to love it. I expected to love it! But it mostly left me cold. Also, it's $395, which is just absurd. ABSURD.
That's it for today. I have a couple more, but I need to wear them a few more times before I feel ready to talk about them! Have you tried any of these? What are your favorite winter scents?
